Issue - meetings

The committee is requested to consider the final report from the Community Safety Review 2018 Task and Finish Group and to note the following:

1)          That the required level of scrutiny of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has been achieved.

2)          That the performance of the CSP is good and that evidence of effective partnership working in the district has been demonstrated.

3)          That the reason for the increase in crime rates is due to a number of factors including increased reporting of historic offences and changes to the reporting method of certain categories of offence.

The committee considered the report included with the agenda. Caroline Neville, the Community Safety Review Task and Finish Group Chairman, presented the report.

Mrs Bushby was in attendance.

The committee made the following comments and received answers to questions, including the following:

·         Queried whether the group was convinced of the police’s new policy regarding not attending all crime scenes and the public concern regarding lack of police on the street. Sussex Police had reducing funds and the public needed to take increasing responsibility for safety with the introduction of CCTV, community watch groups etc. The police interview victims of crime and take statements. In one example this had led to a coordinated response and apprehension of criminals.

·         Queried whether the TFG had an indication of how many people were referred to Prevent. The Prevent duty sat with West Sussex County Council (WSCC) although the district council had a duty to consider terrorism. We support them by delivering training around radicalisation. There had been no reports in the last year.

·         Queried the concern regarding the car washing company operating out of car parks. There had been concern that extra money was being demanded of workers to be allowed to work, however the police had investigated and no evidence of modern slavery had been found. The council had however decided not to extend the contract. A new car washing contract was being considered at present. Mrs Bushby undertook to respond to the committee with an update on this matter.

·         Queried the initiatives put in place to provide older driver assessments as part of the Killed and Seriously Injured project. Funding had been achieved to provide these assessments and advertising would be issued soon.

·         Queried whether further advertising could be put in place to warn people about thefts from beauty spots. Officers were working with the Forestry Commission, SDNP and National Trust to get the message as widespread as possible.

·         Queried cuckooing and what was being done to stop this.Drug dealers were coming down to the coast from larger cities and setting themselves up in vulnerable people’s properties to sell drugs. This was often associated with violence and was common across the coastal strip. Officers were working with the police to protect victims of cuckooing and to track down offenders.

RESOLVED

1)          That the required level of scrutiny of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) had been achieved.

2)          That the performance of the CSP was good and that evidence of effective partnership working in the district had been demonstrated.

3)          That the reason for the increase in crime rates was due to a number of factors including increased reporting of historic offences and changes to the reporting method of certain categories of offence.