Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Katie Nash, Janet Bailey, Sophie Olive, Lucien Spencer, AJ Brooks, Phillip Powell, Beverley Brown, Joanne Stowell and Dan Jones.

Yvonne Harding acted as alternate for Betty McDonald. Apologies were also received from Joanna Davidson and Julie Clark acted as alternate.   

The minutes of the meeting held on 21^st June 2018 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

CSD 18129

Members of the Strategic Group noted the matters that had arisen from the previous meeting.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to the Safer Bromley Partnership Strategic Group must be received in writing four working days before the date of this meeting. Therefore please ensure that questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on 31^st August 2018.

No questions had been received.

The Chairman (Councillor Kate Lymer) updated the Group as follows:

LBB had witnessed an intense period of multiple traveller incursions.

The Chairman had spent many days over the summer, dealing with emails, and also fielding messages via Twitter. She had issued daily press releases, and had provided information to the Daily Mail on more than one occasion. She praised the joint work that had been undertaken by the police and LBB in dealing with the Traveller incursion.

During this time, a three year court injunction had been obtained against the Travellers. Residents seemed to be satisfied with the joint response that had been generated by LBB and the police. The Chairman had drafted a letter to be sent to all of the Friends Groups thanking them for their assistance in the clear up after the Travellers had left. The letter also updated them concerning the injunction and offering practical advice going forward.

The web link concerning this on the Bromley Council Website is:

https://www.bromley.gov.uk/press/article/1419/borough_wide_illegal_encampment_injunction_successfully_granted

The Chairman and the Leader were meeting later that week with the police to have a review of the summer incursions.

The Chairman was meeting later that week with Andrew Rogers (LBB Communications Executive) to plan the launch of the ‘Hall of Shame’ which had been agreed by the Executive. The ‘Hall of Shame’ would display details of individuals who had been convicted of offences such as fly tipping, blue badge fraud and doorstep scams. It was hoped that the Hall of Fame would act as a deterrent. 

A cold caller had been convicted and given a four year prison sentence for ripping off a seventy year old man for non-existent loft and roof problems which he charged £17k for. 

The Chairman stated that as Bromley’s ‘SCAMbassador’ she had attended a joint Trading Standards and CAB stall in the Glades during National Trading Standards Week in July. This was going to be repeated in the week following the SBP meeting and the Chairman would also be attending on this occasion.

The Chairman visited Keston Police Dogs Centre to hand over some seized counterfeit clothing which could be used to train the dogs.

Later in the month, the Chairman would be visiting Barclays Bank in Chislehurst to present them with a certificate and a thank you letter. This was because of a splendid piece of work that had been undertaken between the bank, and Bromley and Greenwich Trading Standards which had resulted in the safeguarding of vulnerable residents.

Emergency Planning had been very busy over the summer, dealing with water shortages, cars driving into houses, and multiple fires to both buildings and grasslands. This led to LBB issuing a press release banning all barbeques in the parks during the summer period.

In August, the Chairman met the inspectors who would be judging whether the Purple Flag award could be renewed. The response was awaited but the inspection seemed to go very well and the Chairman was confident that the Purple Flag award would be renewed.  

Agreement was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

A presentation was given by Detective Inspector Tim Court and Detective Constable Den Butcher from the OCC (Organised Crime Command). It was noted that organised crime costs the UK economy £24 billion per annum. Added to this was the human cost suffered by everyone affected by organised crime in its various forms.

Organised Crime Advisors would be embedded into the new BCU structure to aid in the fight against organised crime locally. They would be tasked with developing the intelligence framework with local officers and partners, and to promote a multi-partnership approach to dealing with organised crime. They would also assist with developing tactical options for disruption. It was hoped that work could be progressed to work on joint initiatives and to jointly address identified issues, as well as developing information sharing between the police and the local authority. Good results had recently been achieved working with trading standards and CID. 

The Group was appraised concerning some of the areas where the OCC operated:

·  The international importation of firearms and drugs

·  Tackling local crime families and gangs

·  Modern Slavery

·  Child Sexual Exploitation

·  Female genital mutilation

·  Prostitution

·  Racketeering

·  Human Trafficking

·  Online Sexploitation

The success of Operation Trident was noted. However, as the problem of gangs often had a connection to organised crime, the work of Trident was going to be merged into the work of the OCC.

Mr Court said that the OCC would be interested in helping local teams, and if LBB required assistance in any area, then LBB should just call and ask for help. Mr Court pointed out that in some cases the proceeds of low level crime would be re-invested in other crime areas like drugs. He also referred to the significant costs experienced by the Environment Agency because of fly-tipping.

Mr Court referred to a recent article in the Times relating to Chilean organised crime gangs. The OCC had worked with various partners and international contacts to disrupt the work of these gangs, and thirty six arrests had been made.

Organised Crime was defined as: ‘serious crime, planned and co-ordinated and conducted by people working together on a continuing basis. Their motivation is most often, but not always, financial gain’. 

Serious Crime was defined as: ‘crime that involves the use of violence, results in substantial financial gain, or is conducted by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose, or crime for which a person aged 21 or over on first conviction could reasonably expect to be imprisoned for 3 or more years’.

The Executive Director for Environment and Community Services asked how the local authority could work effectively with the OCC. Sharon Baldwin (Chairman of the Safer Neighbourhood Board) asked a similar question, and the response was simply to call the OCC. It was noted that the MET was working on a National Business Communications Hub, but this was a work in progress. 

Reference was made to the GLAA (Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority) day of action that had taken place recently  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

The police update was provided by Superintendent Craig Knight.

Superintendent Knight expressed the view that the BCU was good in that it would provide the dual advantages of economies of scale and clear lines of management. It was natural that there would be an initial time of destabilisation during the transition process which would initially affect performance.

In Bromley, burglary had increased by 4.8%, but the number of robberies had decreased by 3.5%. Violence against the person had fallen by 0.5%. The Superintendent expressed the view that overall, Bromley was in a good place. The response to I and S calls was better than the MET average. The statistics concerning I and S calls could be misleading for several reasons. Some calls were not appropriate for a blue light response. Some calls were diverted to the LFB. It was noted that ‘victim satisfaction’ was 71%, which was better than the MET average. The national average was 72%. Superintendent Knight felt that victim satisfaction rates would rise going forward.

Sharon Baldwin was concerned about the pressure that the 999 service was under, and expressed the view that the 101 service was not fit for purpose. There was concern expressed about high sickness levels and mental health issues relating to 101 staff. It was also felt that more resources were required to deal with matters that had been raised via the online service.

Superintendent Knight reiterated that the 101 service should be used as appropriate, and that 999 should only be used when an emergency response was required. 

The update on Knife Crime and the Serious Violence Action Plan was provided by Rob Vale (Community Safety and Trading Standards Manager). He was due to give a joint presentation with Superintendent Lee Hill, but Mr Hill was not able to attend. Mr Vale had met with MOPAC and the police to discuss the action plan. It was noted that governance of the action plan sat with the Safer Bromley Partnership.

The action plan was being developed and a report was scheduled to be presented to London Councils on 14^th September. It was agreed that the action plan would stay as a matter on the SBP agenda until it was finalised. Mr Vale assured that relevant deadlines would be met and that information would be circulated to the SBP for feedback. If anyone wished to contribute to the development of the action plan, then feedback should be sent to Anne Ball. It was noted that boroughs would develop individual action plans.

The Group highlighted the importance of identifying the benefits that could be provided by third sector organisations. It was suggested that a mapping exercise be undertaken to ascertain which organisations were providing what services. It was also suggested that consultation take place with the Children’s Board Manager.     

RESOLVED that the Knife Crime and Serious Violence Action Plan remain on the agenda until further notice.  

The Group heard that the Emergency Resilience Manager had left the Council, and that recruitment had commenced to find a replacement. There had been a fire in Orpington to which there had been a good collaborative response from LFB, LBB and local churches. Affected residents had been moved swiftly to a place of safety at the local village hall.    

The update on the Safer Bromley Strategy was provided by Anne Ball (Community Safety Officer). The current strategy expired in 2019. Ms Ball had written to priority leads so that they could provide feedback to evidence progress against current priorities.

Work was being undertaken to draft a strategic crime assessment document using local crime data. This initial draft was due for completion by the end of September and would be shared at the next meeting. Subsequent to this, further collaboration would be undertaken with partners to review priorities and strategy.

RESOLVED that a further update on the development of the Safer Bromley Strategy be provided at the next meeting. 

The Prevent update was provided by Mr Rob Vale (Head of Trading Standards and Community Safety).

The Counter Terrorism Local Profile (CTLP) information which analysed the level of risk in Bromley had been received. The CTLP would drive Bromley’s counter terrorism strategy, and would provide the data required to update the Chief Executive and the Counter Terrorism Action Plan. Mr Vale stated that Bromley was currently regarded as a low level threat authority in respect of terrorism.

Mr Vale had been working to raise awareness of PREVENT, especially with respect to new social workers and social care staff.  This was achieved by disseminating WRAP training. WRAP was a Home Office initiative which was delivered to front line practitioners to raise awareness of Prevent and to ensure staff were aware of the referral pathways. WRAP was an abbreviation for ‘Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent’.

Mr Vale was hopeful that LBB and LFB could work collaboratively against doorstep scams and abuse. He aimed to provide firefighters with the right tools to recognise where issues may exist.   

No one attended from the London Ambulance Service.

Members noted the written update that was incorporated into the agenda.

This was concerning Mayoral investment in youth services. Huge efforts continued at MOPAC and across the GLA to get money from the Mayor's Community Seed Fund and the Young Londoners Fund released and put to work in London's communities, alongside other support to partners.

The Group noted that the MET's Violent Crime Task Force, funded by a £15m investment from City Hall, continued to bear down on the most serious offenders in London, using all of the tactics and tools at the MET's disposal. Between 1st April and 27th July, the 150-strong Task Force had made 575 arrests and seized 131 knives, 13 firearms and 112 other offensive weapons.

The Group was pleased to note that LBB now had a dedicated MOPAC officer as a point of contact, and this was Samantha Evans (Project & Programme Officer).

The Safer Neighbourhood Board (SNB) update was provided by Sharon Baldwin who was the SNB Chairman.

The most recent SNB public meeting had taken place on 24^th May at ‘The Warren’. This had been a very successful meeting. The BCU tri-borough commander (Jeff Boothe) attended, along with representatives from Neighbourhood Watch. The Group was reminded that the Crime Summit was scheduled to take place on 29^th September at Bromley Civic Centre. The next public meeting would be held on 22^nd November.

A funding application had gone into MOPAC to fund youth related projects that were well established. Ms Baldwin stated that the feedback that had been received by the SNB was that the public were thankful and grateful to the police, but that there was a fear that PCSOs would be removed. Assurances were provided that PCSOs were not going to be removed. There was also a concern expressed about the lack of visible policing in the town centre. 

Mr Vale assured that the first quarterly report from BWA was satisfactory and everything seemed to be on track. The Group heard that the DV and VAWG Commissioner had left the organisation. The post was currently not filled, and was being covered jointly by Rachel Dunley and Janet Bailey.

The Group heard that historically there had been problems with this strand. There had been difficulties with representatives from the CRC (Community Rehabilitation Company) attending the operational group meetings and staffing issues that had impacted on police attendance. It was hoped that this situation would improve with the appointment of a dedicated CRC manager for Bromley. Additionally a new sergeant had been appointed to head up the police IOM unit. A governance board was still required for IOM.

The YOS update was provided by Yvonne Harding (Group Manager for Bromley Youth Offending Service) who was acting as alternate for Betty McDonald (LBB Head of Youth Offending Services).

An application had been made to the Mayor’s Young Londoners Fund. A response was expected in the autumn. Any monies received from this was not to be used to replace statutory services.

There had been a 3% decrease recently in caseload allocation.

In June there had been 16 new cases in the YOS, 13 of which were out of court disposals (non-statutory orders).  There had been a spike in new orders in July, where the number of new cases had risen to 24. This subsequently dropped to 14 in August.

The number of young people in custody at the time of the meeting was 4. 

The Group was informed that 6 boroughs would now be sharing Bromley Youth Court following the imminent closure of Camberwell Green Magistrates Court. These boroughs were Bromley, Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark with Bexley and Greenwich. There was some concern about young people from other areas coming into Bromley including possible rival gangs and those involved in serious youth violence.  A Court Users meeting was planned for 25th September at Bromley Youth Court before the go live date of 1st October. 

A member asked if the court had the capacity to deal with the extra workload, and if LBB would be losing court days. It was noted that different boroughs would be assigned specific court days. It was also likely that any exclusion/ non-contact with co-defendants or victims bail conditions that had been imposed on young people by the court would have a caveat allowing them to  attend court for the purpose of their own court hearing.

Beverley Brown (LBB CSE and Missing Coordinator) was not able to attend the meeting.

However, Ms Brown had provided a written update for the meeting, and this was noted by the Group.

The ASB and Envirocrime update was provided by Peter Sibley (LBB ASB and Envirocrime Coordinator).

It was noted that in the last three months, operations had been undertaken in Mottingham, Penge and Cray Valley West. Because of this, fly tipped rubbish and graffiti was down in all three areas.

The Group was appraised that in addition to the main MOPAC plan, additional meetings had taken place with Network Rail and BTP around trackside ASB and crime.

Designated garages had been cleared and demolished under the ‘Moped Plan’ and new housing was being planned.

The main issue that remained was arson and fly tipping in the Star Lane area. In the case of Travellers, they would make money from collecting rubbish and scrap metal. It would be helpful if rubbish could be picked up before being set fire to so that evidence of its origin could be ascertained.

The Group was informed that next week was Trading Standards Awareness Week.

The date of the next meeting is 29^th November 2018.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Thursday, November 29^th.

The meeting will be held at Bromley Civic Centre, commencing at 10.00am.