Agenda item

This report provides information on the operation of the partnership in 2012-13 and the proposed Community Safety Plan 2013-16. 

Discussion:

The Head of Safer Communities introduced the report and informed Members that the community safety landscape was still in a state of flux following the elections of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). The strategic assessment findings would be reported for scrutiny to this Committee on an annual basis and the Committee would then be able to make an informed decision about whether the plan would need to be referred to Cabinet and Council.

He reminded Members that the legislation controlling Community Safety Partnerships (CSP’s) had changed and there was more flexibility for them to determine the appropriate timeframes to be covered by their plan..  He also highlighted the priorities within the draft Community Safety Plan 2013-16, as outlined in the report.

Members discussed the plan and raised a number of points including:

·        The reduction in the number of fixed penalty notices (FPN) for littering offences, and more work being needed to bring those to justice who chose to ignore the law, especially with regards to fly tipping

·        With regards to domestic abuse, there were concerns around the difficulty in assisting offenders to attend courses, which can cost in excess of £300. Further work should be done with local partners to see how courses can be funded for those who cannot afford it. A further briefing note on support for those who have committed domestic violence crimes was requested.

·        Whether the Council had been in contact with the new PCC to see if there could be collaboration with Medway Council to look at alcohol and drug issues, as £500,000 had been earmarked to look at those issues.

·        Request that a report that had been carried out on Drug and Alcohol Services be shared with Members.

·        In terms of road safety the plan would be enhanced with the addition of the new road safety centre, which will be built with the new Rochester fire station.

·        The way police resources are currently used should be considered.  In some wards there are vehicles parked on pavements, which could lead to accidents, as pedestrians had to walk round the vehicles into the road.  This would be a low priority for police officers to deal with but could be something PCSOs could action if they were given the appropriate powers.

·        The need for further work with regards to addressing anti-social behaviour and in particular noisy neighbours, especially supporting the victims who have to suffer for long periods of time before anything is done.

·        There was a problem in Medway currently with dog fouling and behaviour, which needed to be looked at.

In response to the points raised by Members, the Head of Safer Communities welcomed the comments in relation to the issuing of FPNs for littering and fly tipping and explained that a combination of education and enforcement would be used to combat these problems. In addition, there were a number of options that officers could look into with regards to excluding dogs from certain spaces and dogs being required to be kept on leads in certain areas/circumstances The Assistant Director, Frontline Services commented that before Medway Council was established that there were bye laws in place excluding dogs from certain areas, however these only applied to play areas in existence at the time.  The Head of Legal Services added that some byelaws were now defunct and usually offered less penalty than national legislation in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act that the Council might use in relation to dog fouling problems.

The Assistant Director, Frontline Services commented that the council had entered into a multi-agency framework to commission independent domestic abuse advisors, which includes provision for improving support for victims and offenders of domestic abuse.  With regards to FPNs, if the number issued rises then this means that people are being challenged more on littering, which helps to bring about reductions.  He also undertook to forward the request for the drug and alcohol report to the Drug and Alcohol Action Team Partnership. 

Decision:

The Committee agreed to:

a)     Note the report and draft Community Safety Plan 2013-16 and recommend the Cabinet to forward the plan to full Council for approval;

b)     Request a further detailed briefing note on courses and support for those who have committed domestic violence crimes;

c)      Request a report that had been conducted on drug and alcohol services to shared with Members of the Regeneration, Community and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee.