Agenda item

Purpose: Meeting in its capacity as West Berkshire Council’s Crime and Disorder Committee, to receive a presentation from the Building Communities Together Partnership.

Sitting as the Crime and Disorder Committee, the Commission received a presentation (Agenda Item 6) concerning the Building Communities Together Partnership (BTCP).

Nigel Lynn explained that the BTCP was the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) for West Berkshire. He highlighted the relevant legislation and the statutory partners.

The BTCP’s Terms of Reference had been reviewed in Spring 2021 to focus on core CSP duties, and to anticipate the new serious violence duties. The partnership also fulfilled the roles of the Prevent Partnership Board and the Youth Offending Team Steering Group.

In addition to its statutory partners, the BTCP also had a number of non-statutory partners.

The BTCP was accountable to:

·         Communities of West Berkshire

·         The Home Secretary

·         The Home Office

·         The Ministry of Justice

·         Safeguarding Partnership for Children and Adults

The partnerships’ objectives were confirmed as:

1.    To reduce and prevent crime

2.    To ensure that statutory responsibilities were fulfilled

3.    To identify and respond to changes in the nature, incidence and severity of crime in West Berkshire

4.    To safeguard the vulnerable

5.    To help people and communities to help each other and to engage with community safety related initiatives

The process and timescales for the annual assessment were described. The results would be used to inform the setting of partnership priorities and the Partnership Plan.

Superintendent Zahid Aziz summarised the work of the Thames Valley Police (TVP).

It was noted that there had been a slight increase in domestic abuse compared with the previous year. However, there had been a local reduction in domestic abuse during lockdown, when others areas had seen an increase. Rates had since returned to previous levels. Tackling domestic abuse was a key focus for TVP and BCTP, in terms of response, prevention and support for victims. Those at high risk of domestic abuse had received increased support and a priority for the coming year was to provide additional support for those at medium risk. It was emphasised that West Berkshire had the lowest levels of domestic abuse within Berkshire.

The Commission was informed of two trials relating to enhanced support for domestic abuse victims. One focused on continuity of care for victims and reduction in the time between the offence and the taking of statements. The other allocated a dedicated domestic abuse support officer throughout the course of any incident. Both had delivered positive outcomes, but the former was considered the most viable.

Another key focus for TVP was to ensure a robust response to county drug lines. Previously, there had been several operating in the area, Officers had engaged with drug users and street dealers to get intelligence of new activity and police operations had succeeded in quickly closing down new county drug lines.

It was explained that the BCTP had statutory duties around tackling violence against women and girls. There had been a week of action in March 2022, with 12 public engagement events, with presentations given to around 400 people.  Also, officers involved in policing the night-time economy were given enhanced skills to help them spot predatory behaviour. However, it was noted that this was not a serious issue in West Berkshire. Investigative and crime management processes had been enhanced to prioritise precursor offences, and prolific offenders were being identified and managed. Front line staff had been given training around the use of Domestic Violence Protection Orders to prevent suspects from approaching homes / individuals for up to 28 days. There had also been engagement of local advocacy groups to understand victims’ needs and what gaps still needed to be addressed. In addition, it was highlighted that there was a Government website where the public could identify locations where they felt unsafe / vulnerable and the BCTP took action to address issues where appropriate.

It was noted that knife crime was a priority, but West Berkshire had the second lowest levels of offences in TVP. Efforts had been focused on youth knife carrying.

In terms of violence offences, there had been a recent increase, but this was to be expected after the Covid lockdown restrictions had ended. However, it was stressed that West Berkshire had the lowest number of offences in TVP. The Home Office had announced £7 million over three years to fund the Violence Reduction Unit. Over £2 million of this was for specific operations to tackle hot-spots or areas where a trend was developing.

The work of the Neighbourhood Teams was highlighted. They sought to understand what communities needed and responded to trends, including those related to rural crime. It was noted that a problem solving and prevention analyst had been appointed to help with this process.

It was explained that the Public Spaces Protection Order in Newbury town centre had been successful in addressing anti-social behaviour, and a similar order was proposed for Thatcham town centre. Other activity to address anti-social behaviour included:

·         15 house closures

·         6 criminal behaviour orders issued

·         3 community protection warnings / notices issued for persistent anti-social behaviour

Nigel Lynn concluded the presentation by highlighting partnership working across the themes of domestic abuse reduction, county drug lines, community conversations and enforcement.

Councillor Steve Masters asked about the assessment of the two domestic abuse support trials. Superintendent Aziz confirmed that the assessment was being done internally by the Performance Team. He stressed the importance of tailoring the approach to local needs.

Councillor Masters asked about guidelines followed when dealing with vulnerable young people involved in county lines and if they were used as human sources of information. Superintendent Aziz confirmed that the police would not use a young / vulnerable person as a source of intelligence. Subject to their history, the starting point was to view the young person as a victim, and a wrap-around service was provided to support them. However, persistent offenders were prosecuted.

Councillor Adrian Abbs noted that West Berkshire had a low number of domestic abuse incidents relative to other areas, but asked how it compared per head of population. Superintendent Aziz did not have the data to hand, but thought that the population was similar to the other local police areas.

Action: Superintendent Aziz to provide domestic abuse crime data per head of population.

Councillor Abbs also asked about monitoring carried out in areas that had been reported by the public as unsafe. Superintendent Aziz indicated that reported sites were reviewed to see what action could be taken. Around 130 locations had been identified - mostly parks and underpasses. Often there was little that could be done to make people feel safer, but mobile CCTV cameras were being considered.

Councillor Tony Linden welcomed the report, but expressed concern at the increase in domestic abuse incidents. He noted that the Secretary of State for Education had recently issued a report on Children’s Services and asked the speakers for observations on this. Superintendent Aziz had not read the report personally, but noted that when children were taken into protection, it was often difficult to find suitable accommodation for them and they often had to go into a series of temporary foster homes. He agreed with the report’s finding that it would be better for other family members to be supported to look after the child. He highlighted that the Safeguarding Partnership worked well and good support was given to young people.

Councillor Linden asked about the police use of the Theale Community Fire Station. Superintendent Aziz noted that they had previously been based in Pangbourne. He had not received any complaints and noted that the police could access a variety of towns and villages more quickly.

Councillor Claire Rowles acknowledged the work of Detective Inspector Emily Evans and Susan Powell in relation to tackling violence against women and girls. She also praised Jon Winstanley and the Highways Team who had reviewed several underpasses and cut back vegetation in key locations. She asked if Project Vigilant operated in West Berkshire. Superintendent Aziz explained that this has started in Oxford where there had been a significant increase in sexual offences. This pilot was then rolled out to other areas where there was an identified need. He explained that this was not a significant issue in West Berkshire, but officers had been trained to spot signs of vulnerability or suspicious behaviour so they could take appropriate action.

Councillor Rowles noted that she had received a number of enquiries about CCTV in underpasses and asked about its effectiveness and possible timescales for implementation. Superintendent Aziz had seen this used in Slough and Reading and felt that it would have benefits for West Berkshire. He undertook to discuss this through the BCTP.

Action: Superintendent Zahid Aziz to discuss the use of mobile CCTV with the BCTP.

Councillor Rowles noted that there had been a recent conviction of a Newbury police officer for misconduct and asked if there was an awareness campaign to help potential victims spot predatory behaviour. Superintendent Aziz confirmed that the officer’s behaviour had come to the attention of an inspector who flagged it with the Police Standards Department. The officer was immediately suspended and had not been on patrol for 2 ½ years. He had gained information as an attending officer and via the police computer system. When taken to court, he was found guilty of misconduct in public office and data protection offences. He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison. He had not previously exhibited any signs of predatory behaviour. However, supervisors were now more closely monitoring risk areas to ensure that a similar incident did not happen in future. Following the Sarah Everard incident, TVP had sought to distance itself from the Metropolitan Police and demonstrate the positive things being done in Thames Valley. A recent newspaper article had highlighted that if residents had concerns, they could ask the officer to radio the control room to confirm their identity. He stressed that it was rare to have a plain-clothes officer working alone and this was being communicated to the public. He stressed that this had been an isolated incident and communications were mostly via the IAG.

Councillor Graham Bridgman indicated that the BCTP was within his Executive Portfolio and the Domestic Abuse Board and Lived Experience Sub-Group sat beneath this, which allowed the voice of victims to be heard. He noted that a rise in reported crime may be as a result of improved reporting or detection rather than an increase in the crime rate. Superintendent Aziz felt that there was improved public confidence and highlighted that an increasing proportion of those reporting crimes were men. He also felt that the support offered and positive outcomes encouraged people to report incidents.

The Chairman asked how the TVP staff levels had changed in recent months. Superintendent Aziz confirmed that there were challenges. While the number of officers had been stable and was increasing by 600 over a three year period, the new training programme allocated protected learning time for new officers, which took them away from front-line duties. This had led to challenges in maintaining capacity for crime prevention and safeguarding, which meant that more functions would need to be shared across partners.