To update the Committee on the current priorities and issues for the Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership (HCSP).

The Committee received an update on the current priorities and issues for the Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership (HCSP).

Public questions had been received from Mr Packman. See Minute No 50.

The Chairman welcomed Superintendent I Powell (West Mercia Police) and Mrs Liz Smith, Chief Officer (Herefordshire) West Mercia Probation Trust, both members of the Herefordshire Partnership Executive Group.  The Committee noted that Councillor WLS Bowen and Councillor DB Wilcox, also in attendance, were the Council’s representatives on the Police and Crime Panel (PCP).

The Sustainable Communities Manager presented the report and highlighted that the County was a low crime area; this was the third year of a three year strategy; the strategy was refreshed annually and results from community engagement had been incorporated into this strategy.  The strategy provided a framework for how partners will work together and target resources to where they are needed in the most efficient and effective way.  The four priorities for 2013- 2014 are: Integrated Offender Management (IOM); Alcohol Harm Reduction; Empowered Localities, and Domestic Violence and Abuse.  Two cross-cutting themes had also been identified namely: Education and Substance Misuse.

Councillor Wilcox, Councillor Bowen and the Sustainable Communities Manager briefly outlined some of the role; relationship and budget responsibility between the new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), the Police and Crime Panel (PCP) and the Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership (HCSP).

During the course of debate the following principal points were noted:

·         While discussing various aspects of domestic violence and abuse it was acknowledged that abuse also occurred to a wide range of the population e.g. men; the elderly; teenage children to parents, who also needed access to services and this aspect was being addressed by the multi-agency working group.

·         Previously work on Integrated Offender Management had focussed on the top 20% of offenders with each professional service concentrating on its own area of responsibility.  The focus was now being widened, professional services were being brought together and information was being shared between services to ensure efficiencies in intelligence gathering and to provide targeted help or advice to offenders including housing and job advice.

·         Responding to whether sensible driving and reducing speeding vehicles, which wasn’t just caused by the young or drunk, was seen as a high priority the Committee were informed that it was a high priority and, together with the Safer Roads Partnership, funding had been secured to obtain a number of speed detection devices.

·         Questioned on the visibility of police officers and how to contact the local police team the Committee were informed that the current structure of policing was being reviewed and the PCC had announced a number of police station closures.  The police website would be updated to ensure that all contact details were up-to-date.  Comments concerning the public visiting police stations out of hours and being asked via the intercom to HQ which police station they were at would be looked into.

·         It was suggested that the targets, set out on agenda page 26, were under ambitious. In response the Committee were informed that half of the targets had an alcohol related element which highlighted the need for an effective alcohol service in the county.

·         The priorities listed on agenda page 28 were of equally high importance.

·         In 2013-14 the number of Community Support Officers was likely to be reduced by approx. 50 across the area.

·         Government funding (£50k) for CCTV had been withdrawn and therefore there would be an area wide strategic review of how CCTV systems were funded.

·         West Mercia Police were aware of the current disparity between their 11 Neighbourhood Team areas and the Council’s Locality Areas.

·         The West Mercia Police had done a great deal of financial modelling around the reduced budget and the service it needed to provide.

·         Following changes in the government data collection method no data was available for ‘Reduce Prolific and Priority Offender re-offending (agenda page 26), however, data was now being captured for future use.

·         Approximately 1% of alcohol incidents related to non-domestic alcohol offences and occurred on Friday or Saturday ‘nights out’ and therefore unlikely to be perpetrated by repeat offenders.

·         A Member expressed disappointment that the Strategy was worded in vague language and suggested it should contain more specific proposals.

·         With the introduction of new mobile technology intended to free police officers from returning to the police station, Members questioned how officers were coping with the patchy mobile signal in the County.  Superintendent Powell responded that testing of new technology was on-going with good feedback being received so far. Managing a patchy signal should be part of the officer’s local knowledge.

·         Further information on a number of on-going Community Safety projects would be made available in the near future.

The Chairman thanked Superintendent Powell; Mrs Smith and the Council’s representatives on the PCP for attending.

RESOLVED: That the report and the refreshed Herefordshire Community Safety Strategy 2011-14 be noted.