Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Reg Adams, Councillor Douglas Auld, Sue Cooper (Affinity Sutton), Colin MacLean (Community Links), Tracy Pidgeon (London Ambulance Service), Pratheepan Jeyapragasam (LBB Crime Analyst), Gill Rose (Federation of Bromley Housing Associations) and Elayne Stewart (Youth Offending Team).

The notes of the last meeting held on 15^th December 2011 were received.

It was AGREED that the minutes be approved.

The Chairman welcomed the new Borough Commander, Chief Superintendent Stephanie Roberts and the new Deputy Borough Commander, Jo Oakley to the Safer Bromley Partnership.

The Chairman was pleased to announce that a full programme of youth diversion activities would be delivered across the Borough for a 6 week period in the summer, with each ward visited at least once.  The programme of activities would deliver a positive message to young people around staying safe and being good citizens, and the Chairman encouraged partners to get involved. 

The Chairman also confirmed that a skating and BMX facility would be introduced to Tubbenden Recreation Ground and, following representation by Safer Neighbourhood Teams to their local Safer Neighbourhood Panels, additional CCTV cameras would be installed in Petts Wood and Beckenham. 

It was AGREED that the update be noted.

The Borough Commander noted that a number of changes had recently taken place in the Metropolitan Police, including the appointment of a new Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, and a new Deputy Commissioner, Craig Mackey who would work to deliver ‘Total Policing’ across London.  This new approach to tackling crime would work to deliver total war on criminals, total victim care and total professionalism of the Police Service.  Crime prevention work would also continue to be prioritised.

Work continued on the investigation launched following the public disorder on 8^th August 2011.  91 people had now been convicted and 29 had been convicted and sentenced.  An inquiry had also been launched following the recent incidence of 4 people absconding from Bethlem Royal Hospital.

It was AGREED that the update be noted.

Consideration was given to the performance monitoring report for Qtr 3, 2011/12 which reported progress against 4 key indicators.

Progress against Performance Indicator 1: Reduction in Number of Violent Crimes showed that offences related to Violent Crimes represented 21% of the Total Notifiable Offences in Q3, with a reduction of 34 offences compared to the same period in 2010/11.

Performance Indicator 2: Reduction in Numbers of Property Crimes within Bromley showed that offences related to property crimes represented 66% of the Total Notifiable Offences in Q3, with an increase of 160 offences compared to the same period last year.  This included an increase of 65 burglaries, 33 robberies and 70 thefts, which accounted for a large proportion of the increase.  Progress against Performance Indicator 3: Reduction in Levels of Recorded Anti-Social Behaviour showed a reduction of 991 incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour reported compared to the same period in 2010/11, which represented a 22% reduction.

Performance Indicator 4: Increased Confidence in the Fact that Bromley is a Safe Place showed an increase of 24% in respondents who agreed with the indicator ‘To what extent do you agree that the police and local council are dealing with the ASB and crime issues that matter in this area’ compared with the same period in 2010/11.

In considering the increase in property crimes, the Deputy Borough Commander confirmed that three operations were currently being delivered across the Borough to target burglary and robbery and that arrests had been made.  Work was also being undertaken around crime prevention, including proactive work undertaken by Safer Neighbourhood Teams.  The Safer Bromley Van, a scheme providing free home security to victims of crime and vulnerable people in Bromley, had a 100% success rate with no users experiencing revictimisation and Councillor Julian Benington suggested the van be used to promote crime prevention at large events, including the Biggin Hill festival.

It was AGREED that the Performance Management Report for Qtr 3, 2011/12 be noted.

The Partnership considered the work that was being undertaken to tackle the harm caused by gang membership and activity within the Borough.

In November 2008, the Mayor had launched ‘Time for Action’, a long term strategy to prevent and reduce youth violence in the capital.  Six key areas of work had been identified, which included projects to reduce offending, raise attainment, build a sense of self respect and responsibility and give young Londoners the opportunity to participate in high quality sport and cultural activities.  Operation Trident had recently been refocused to target gang violence.

A new cross-Government programme had also been announced on 15^th December 2011 to tackle ‘troubled families’.  The Assistant Director, (Safeguarding and Social Care) confirmed that £448m would be available over three years to support Local Authorities and partner agencies with this work. Initial indications from the Government suggested 490 families in Bromley met this criterion.  The Government funding would need to be match-funded by local authorities and would follow a Payment by Results model where the Government would pay up to 40% of local authorities’ costs where families were supported successfully.  An expression of interest had been submitted by the Local Authority with regards to the new programme, and the Borough’s delivery model was currently being developed by a multi-agency group.  The Assistant Director, Public Health highlighted the need to ensure work to tackle health issues was included as part of the programme.

The Chairman requested that members of the Partnership provide details of the work undertaken by their agencies to tackle problematic behaviour of young people to the next meeting of the Partnership, and asked that Officers contact neighbouring boroughs to support development of a cross-Borough approach to targeting gang violence.

It was AGREED that:

1)  The information contained within the report and the positive activity highlighted be noted;

2)  The work being undertaken to tackle problematic behaviour of young people be noted;

3)  A full analytical report on Gang Issues in Bromley be presented at the next meeting of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

The Head of Community Safety reported that the Safer Bromley Partnership had led a multi-agency “clean-up operation on 17^th January 2012 in the Mountfield Estate, which had cleared 92 square metres of graffiti and removed 6,260 kg of rubbish. 

The Chairman thanked all partners who had been involved and noted that a further clean-up operation was planned for March 2012.

It was AGREED that:

1)  Partners be thanked for their work and commitment to the clean-up operation.

2)  The work undertaken in Cray Valley East be noted.

• Drug Action Team
• Youth Offending Team
• Bromley Community Engagement Forum
• Arson Sub Group 
• Operational Tasking

Bromley Mentoring Programme – Jane Belding introduced the mentoring scheme which recruited, matched and managed volunteer mentors with young people across the Borough who had been identified as being at risk of developing criminal or anti-social behaviour.  There were now 83 mentors within the scheme, with 20 mentors recruited since January 2012.

Drug Action Team – Dave Prebble reported that the new drug treatment centre had opened in February 2012 and was working well.  Work was being undertaken to identify drug users within integrated offender management.  The Assistant Director, Public Health reported that the Drug Related Deaths Panel was looking at how it could contribute to positive outcomes for people receiving drug treatment.

Youth Offending Team – The Chairman congratulated the Youth Offending Service on the outstanding result achieved following the inspection of the service in November 2011 by her Majesty’s Inspectors of Probation.  The service was performing very highly, with outcomes related to safeguarding, risk of harm to others and likelihood of reoffending well above the national and regional average.  The Head of Bromley Youth Support Programme thanked the Chairman and was pleased to note that the Public Protection and Safety PDS Committee would be considering a funding proposal at its meeting on 13^th March 2012 for a project targeting young people who would not engage with education.  This project would give young people access to inspirational speakers and work experience placements with an element of restorative justice.  A support fund would also be available to resolve barriers into education and training, such as the need for appropriate clothing.

Bromley Community Engagement Forum Report – Ian Smith reported that a successful age exchange event had taken place on 25^th February 2012 at the Priory School.  A Youth Conference was planned for 23^rd March 2012 at the Education Development Centre.  Year 8 pupils would be brought together from schools across the Borough to consider issues around cyber bullying, mutual respect and alcohol awareness, and partners were invited to become involved.  The annual general meeting of the Bromley Community Engagement Forum would be at 7.00pm on 11^th July 2012 at Bromley Town Football Club.  A funding bid for 2012/13 had recently been submitted to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, and work had been undertaken to develop Bromley Community Engagement Forum’s partnership model to ensure the processes of engagement and scrutiny were undertaken effectively.

Arson Sub Group Report – Andy Holcombe reported that where fires were identified as being deliberate, notification was now being given to Community Safety Officers to review what action needed to be taken to reduce the likelihood of further deliberate fires on the same site.  A programme for young people which included consequential learning would be launched in April 2012 and the London Fire Brigade was working with the Youth Offending Team and Safer Neighbourhood Teams to identify young people who would benefit from joining the programme.  Following the successful development of the ‘Crossfire’ project by London Borough of Croydon, a similar  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Head of Community Safety provided an update on the Safer Bromley Partnership funding application to the Greater London Authority for the Community Safety Fund for 2012/13.  The proposals for expenditure incorporated a range of services including the Anti Social Behaviour Team, Domestic Abuse Strategy Coordinator and contributions to the work of the Drug Action Team.

It was AGREED that:

1)  The letter from Council Officers setting out the claim for funding from the Greater London Authority be noted;

2)  Further funding updates be provided to the Safer Bromley Partnership.

The Head of Environmental Protection reported that the procurement of the CCTV tender process had been undertaken in partnership with London Borough of Lewisham and that a saving of nearly 20% had been realised on the expected cost of the contract.  The new contract would start on 1^st April 2012.

It was AGREED that the update be noted.

The Head of Trading Standards reported that the Attic Theatre Co. would be performing Ma Kelly’s Doorstep, a free theatre production for older audiences about bogus doorstep callers and how Bromley residents could protect themselves against scams during the week commencing 13^th March 2012 at four locations across the Borough.  It was hoped that a further event would be held in Biggin Hill later in the year.  Trading Standards was also continuing work with banks and building societies through the new protocol to protect older and more vulnerable residents from scams.

It was AGREED that the update be noted.

Susie Clark provided an update on the Safer Bromley News, the electronic newsletter showcasing the work of the Safer Bromley Partnership.  The Spring 2012 edition had recently been published, and the deadline for stories for the Summer 2012 edition was Easter 2012.  A 4 page wraparound sheet would be published with the News Shopper in June 2012 to promote the excellent work undertaken by the Safer Bromley Partnership, and partners were encouraged to submit their good news stories by the end of April 2012.

It was AGREED the update be noted.

The Safer Bromley Awards were held on Thursday 2^nd February 2012.  Five winners in the three categories, Community Champions, Above and Beyond, and Working Together were presented with trophies by the Chairman and the Borough Commander. 

The Chairman thanked all partners who had been involved in the awards and suggested that a young people’s award be introduced at next year’s Safer Bromley Awards.  There was also potential to include the ‘Best Bar None’ awards for licensed premises in the event.

It was AGREED that:

1)  The update be noted;

2)  A formal ‘survey’ of stakeholders be undertaken to validate the event;

3)  That the Chairman be requested to write a letter of formal thanks to Ward Security for providing sponsorship of the event;

4)  That the list of winners in each category be noted.

(a)  The Bromley Tryangle Pilot Project was introduced.  Tryangle would provide two parallel services designed to reduce the occurrence of domestic abuse by working with perpetrators of domestic abuse and providing support to their partners or ex-partners.  The pilot project would run from April to July 2012 and would be subject to external evaluation.

(b)  The Safer Bromley Partnership Newsletter – Spring 2012 had recently been published and partner organisations were encouraged to contribute news items.

(c)  The minutes from the meeting of Bromley Community Engagement Forum held on 30^th November 2011 had been circulated for information.

It was AGREED the information items be noted.

(a)  James Cleverly confirmed that the Metropolitan Policing Authority had now been replaced with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, which would be scrutinised by the London Assembly through the Police and Crime Committee.  Two community road shows had already been undertaken in Kingston and Hounslow and further road shows would be held following the London Mayoral and Assembly elections on 3^rd May 2012.

(b)  Andy Holcombe informed partners that a partnership day would be held at Biggin Hill airport on 10^th June 2012, and that 16 teams (including 8 from the private sector and 8 from the public sector) were being sought to participate in a fire engine pull.  Partners were invited to become involved in the event.

(c)  The Chairman thanked the members of the Partnership for their hard work during the year.

10.00am, Thursday 28^th June 2012

10.00am, Thursday 27^th September 2012

10.00am, Thursday 13^th December 2012

10.00am, Thursday 21^st March 2013

All meetings start at 10.00am unless otherwise notified.

10.00am, Thursday 28^th June 2012

10.00am, Thursday 27^th September 2012

10.00am, Thursday 13^th December 2012

10.00am, Thursday 21^st March 2013