Agenda item

To provide members with an update on Community Safety Partnership work at a local and county level (report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership which provided members with an update on Community Safety Partnership work at a local and county level.

The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager introduced the report which provided an overview of the work undertaken by the South and East Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership at a local level and the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership at a county level. The report included information which related to CCTV and the Spalding Public Protection Order.

The Community Safety Strategy Action Plan detailed at Appendix A was a working document which would be regularly updated.

SHDC CCTV performance data for 2022-23 was detailed at Appendix B, with area-based CCTV data presented at Appendix C.

SHDC incidents zone analysis data had been included at Appendix D (Q1 and Q2 2022-23) and Appendix E (Q3 2022-23). 

The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager also updated the Panel with the following details of a specific incident not included in the report, where the presence of CCTV had assisted the Police:

• A CCTV operator had observed a firearms incident in Spalding’s Hall Place on 15 January 2023 and had contacted the Police. This was the sole reporting of the incident so without the CCTV operator in place the Police would not have been informed. The CCTV operator continued to monitor the incident and provided the Police control room with updates while appropriate resources were tasked. Despite taking place in darkness, the CCTV provided good quality images of the incident which enabled the identification of the person involved. At the time of the current meeting, the Police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members asked whether CCTV could be utilised to identify perpetrators of fly-tipping?
  • The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager responded that CCTV cameras were site specific however surveillance of fly-tipping sites would be picked up through the Enviro-Crime contract. The reporting of local intelligence/fly-tipping blackspots needed to be made to relevant officers, namely: the current ASB and Enforcement Officer (new role title will be Enviro-Crime Officer) who reported to the Head of Public Protection.

• Members were not aware of the White Ribbon Day campaign noted on page 59 of the report and asked how the campaign was promoted.
  • The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager stated that the White Ribbon Day campaign was a national campaign however local promotional methods would be investigated and circulated to the Panel. A different approach would be taken if the campaign was to be supported in the future. 

• Members questioned the South Holland focus within the Community Safety Strategy - most comments had related to Boston and East Lindsey.
  • The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager responded that:
    • South Holland representation had taken place and was ongoing;
    • the Community Safety Strategy Action Plan was in the early stages and would be populated with work that had already taken place in South Holland;
    • some of the campaigns not currently attributed to South Holland were active across all three authorities of the S&ELCP and this would be clarified in the next update; and
    • members were encouraged to direct questions or ideas for support to the Community Safety and Enforcement Manager.

• Members made the following comments in respect of governance and local involvement:
  • concern was raised at point 6.4 of the report which outlined the removal of the Overview and Scrutiny Board from the structure of the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership (SLP) and the introduction of a broader governance route;
  • it was important for members to be involved and informed at a local level and in this respect, clarification of the role of the Performance Monitoring Panel was requested;
  • members noted the two formal meetings however engagement/consultation with local communities was encouraged through attendance at local market stalls;
  • the acknowledged capacity issues within the Safer Communities Analytical Team noted at points 6.6 and 6.19 of the report was concerning; and
  • members wanted to be made aware of performance metrics and indicators so that success could be measured.  
    • The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager responded that regular updates would come forward to the Performance Monitoring Panel for scrutiny and members feedback would be noted. 

• Members referred to CCTV data at Appendix C and noted a wide variance across the district. Were the figures robust and had CCTV evidence led to convictions or penalties?
  • The Community Safety and Enforcement Manager confirmed that the figures stated at Appendix C were accurate and that prosecutions which had resulted from CCTV evidence were detailed within the report.

• Members referred to page 9 of Appendix D and noted that a high number of incidents were reported from a small number of CCTV cameras. Members felt that intelligence of this nature ought to inform specific action/interventions. In addition, could the data distinguish single incidents captured across multiple cameras sited at close proximity.

AGREED:

a)    That the content of the report be noted by the Performance Monitoring Panel; and

b)    That following consideration of the report, areas of focus raised by members be included in future updates.