Agenda item

To receive a Crime Disorder and Local Partnership working update and presentation.

The Head of Service for Public Protection introduced a joint presentation which included Lincolnshire Police as well as South Kesteven District Council.

 

The key officers within the Partnership and their roles were confirmed along with the multi-agency approach which was to consist of joint patrols and visits and a shared system of case management.  CCTV played a crucial role in the partnership, particularly working to avoid criminal activity.

 

Quarterly Partnership meetings were held alongside regular specific group meetings.

 

The Committee were informed of the breakdown of Enforcement actions taken over the last year.

 

ECINS was a county-wide partnership case management and intelligence database.  It was a secure and confidential way of sharing information across teams and the wider partnership.  Multi-agency meetings were coordinated on ECINS with the use of a tasking function to support accountability and ownership.  It supported compliance with Standard Operating Procedures agreed by the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership and enabled seamless partnership working as both South Kesteven and the Police used this as the primary case management system for anti-social behaviour cases.

 

The Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provided a wide range of tools and powers that Police, local authorities and other agencies were able to use.  This included civil and criminal remedies, such as a Criminal Behaviour Order or Public Spaces Protection Order.  It promoted a victim focused and harm centred approach and incorporated the corporate Enforcement Policy to ensure our approach was proportionate.

 

The Senior Neighbourhoods Officer informed Members of the following case studies:

 

Terrys was a restaurant in a prime location in the centre of Grantham with residential flats above.  As part of Op Disputes, Police identified through intelligence the premises were allowing illegal activities to take place.

A multiagency investigationcommenced to disrupt the activities at the location and safeguard vulnerable people. 

 

During the course of the investigation, a warrant was executed and 7 people were arrestedincluding a young person.  As a result of the evidence obtained, a Full Closure Orderwas secured for the commercial premises, Terry’s, and a Partial Closure Order was obtained for the residential flat.  Further safeguarding, disruption and positive interventions have taken place for the young person and other vulnerable people linked to the premises.

 

In another case study anti-social behaviour centred around 3 addresses on Eastwell Place, Grantham was reported to both South Kesteven District Council’s Housing Teamand Neighbourhoods Team and the Police.

Occupants and visitors to the 3 addresses had no regard for the other residents in the area. Their behaviours took place at all times of day and night and included shouting, screaming, fighting, drug use, street drinking, criminal damage and loud music. They also included threatening and intimidating behaviour directed at other residents.  As a result of a multiagency investigation, following the Anti-Social Behaviour Incremental Approach, the following actions were taken:

 

•       5 CPN (Community Protection Notice) Warning’s served.

•       5 CPN’s served.

•       3 NOSP’s served.

•       2 Full Closure Orders.

•       1 Partial Closure Order.

 

Due to the successful partnership working, this case is now closed.

 

Inspector Mark Hillson provided an overview of the crime data from the last year, confirming that shoplifting had seen the most significant increase.  Crime was reducing overall although business crime had seen a national increase.  Police had been working with partners to target prolific offenders and support crime prevention.  The use of face-recognition was supported by the partnership.

 

The Senior Neighbourhoods Officer informed Members of ‘County Lines’ investigations where vulnerable properties and vulnerable people were targeted.  This involved developing intelligence and disrupting any activity to safeguard those who were vulnerable to exploitation.  Public Protection Officers received professional curiosity and county lines training.  A new ‘missing and child exploitation intelligence’ procedure had been introduced and that information could be used to disrupt future disappearances of young people who had gone missing regularly.  A campaign involving taxi drivers to ‘look closer’ had sought to educate drivers to spot vulnerable young people as part of safety patrols.

 

17 joint visits with the Police were undertaken and 3 Section 8 warning notices were issued under the Misuse of Drugs Act.  This process allowed an opportunity for the behaviour to stop before future enforcement action was taken.

 

The Head of Service for Public Protection informed the Committee on the progress of the Safer Street Initiative.  South Kesteven had been successful in the Safer Streets Round 5 Bid from the Home Office via the Lincolnshire Office of Police and Crime Commissioner.  The grant received was £172,000 with South Kesteven match funding £93,000.

 

The grant and match funding was to pay for:

 

A Safer Streets Co-ordinator had been appointed to manage the project going forward.

 

CCTV had been successfully audited and verified against the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice and British Standards and had been involved in 13,435 incidents since 1 April 2023.

 

The following points were raised by Members during discussion:

 

·       How effective were the Community Protection Notices?

 

·       Were the properties at Eastwell Terrace council-owned or private?

 

·       How many police were on foot patrol at any one moment?

 

·       Some of the crime overview figures were concerning, especially the rise in drug trafficking and possession of weapons.

 

·       How efficient and timely was the process to remove tenants from their properties?

 

·       When was the CCTV relocation to the Police Station expected to be complete?

 

·       Were all ATMs covered by CCTV with the ability for a quick response if targeted?  A recent target in the Deepings had received a less than prompt response recently.

 

·       Did the crime data include rural communities?  Many residents pay a higher percentage of Council Tac – what were they getting for their contributions?

 

 

The Senior Neighbourhoods Officer informed the Committee that the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 gave the Council civil powers.  In terms of evidence in an offence, the balance of probability is used rather than proof beyond a reasonable doubt.  An incremental process was undertaken.  If behaviours continued, the Council could look to prosecute or seek a civil injunction.  Warnings were used to mitigate further enforcement action.  The Officer confirmed that the Eastwell Terrace properties were privately owned and the partnership teams had to work together to solve the issues.  The Officer continued that Notices of Seeking Possession were submitted for a variety of tenancy issues as a warning.  Closure Orders were to be issued at any property – whether Council-owned or private where anti-social behaviour was disruptive within the local community.  Enforcement action would commence once a breach had occurred.

 

Inspector Hillson confirmed that there were 182 Officers within Lincolnshire as a whole and there were not enough Officers on foot patrol – the exact number was not known.  There were 2 PCSOs in Grantham town centre as well as a Beat Manager.  The increase in proactivity and safeguarding contributed to the increase in recorded crime.  Burglaries and detection rates were reduced due to increased home security.  Crime data was also influenced by the nature of evidence proving an offence had been committed and covered the whole of the district.  It was acknowledged that crime levels were lower in rural areas.

 

The Head of Public Protection confirmed that the relocation of CCTV to the Police Station was expected to be complete within the next 4-8 months.  Meetings were due imminently to start the process.  Members were welcome to attend the new location in limited numbers once relocated.

 

The Senior Neighbourhoods Officer confirmed that not every ATM was covered with public CCTV but places that had ATMs installed had their own CCTV.  The responsibility was on the owner of the ATM to protect their asset.

 

The Chairman thanked the Public Protection Team for their hard work and thanked Inspector Hillson for attending.