Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Janet Bailey and Claire Lewin, and David Dare and Paul Sibun attended as their respective substitutes. Apologies for absence were also received from Sharon Baldwin, Lydia Bennett, Susan Clinton, Amanda Mumford, David J Stringer, Chloe Todd and David Dunkley.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Safer Bromley Partnership meeting held on 20^th June 2019 be agreed, and signed as a correct record.

Report CSD19123

The Partnership considered the matters outstanding from the previous meeting of the Partnership, together with the associated updates.

The LBB Head of Service for Early Intervention and Family Support confirmed that the new DVA VAWG Coordinator was now in post, and introductory meetings were taking place. The work plan for the role included reinvigorating the DV Forum, and the Chairman requested that invites be extended to Councillor Peter Fortune, Councillor Diane Smith and herself to attend these meetings.

RESOLVED that the Matters Outstanding report is noted.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions that are not specific to reports on the agenda must have been received in writing 10 working days before the date of the meeting. Therefore any reports not specific to the published agenda should have been received by 5pm on Thursday 29^th August.   

Questions specifically concerning reports on the agenda should be received within two working days of the publication date of the agenda.  Please ensure that questions specifically regarding reports on the agenda are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Friday 6^th September.   

No questions had been received.

An update will be provided by the Chairman, Councillor Kate Lymer.

The Chairman informed the Partnership that since the last meeting, she had attended a passing out ceremony for the Fire Cadets which had taken place at Orpington Fire Station.

Over the summer it had been much quieter in relation to Traveller incursions. The London Borough of Bromley would be appealing the decision that had been made regarding permanent injunctions, with the support of other London boroughs, on the 3^rd and 4^th December 2019.

Along with the LBB Head of the Youth Offending Service, the Chairman had attended the London Councils’ County Lines Summit. The event had been well attended and had included speakers presenting on topics such as Contextual Safeguarding and the Rescue and Response Project, funded by MOPAC and the Home Office.

The LBB Head of the Youth Offending Service advised the Partnership that the Rescue and Response Project was a pan-London initiative, led by the London Boroughs of Brent and Lewisham. It focussed on young people who were affected by county lines activity, rescuing them and offering support. Organisations involved in the project were: Abianda, providing one to one support to young women referred to the programme; Safer London, providing support to those who moved or were relocated to different areas; and St Giles Trust, providing one to one support to individuals exiting gangs.

Rescue and Response was a three year project, and over 600 referrals had been made in the last year. This was a significant number, as only 200 referrals had been expected during the first year of the project. The second year of the project would look at sustainability, and it was noted that there was much quality intelligence being received.

The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager highlighted that there had been a rescue involving a young person from the London Borough of Bromley, who had been found in Great Yarmouth. Superintendent Carswell enquired if a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referral was made following a rescue, as the young people were potential victims of modern slavery. The LBB Head of the Youth Offending Service confirmed that the referrals were made, and agreed to provide information to the Partnership relating to the number of referrals made. Superintendent Carswell advised that a Child Criminal Exploitation Team was being set up to tackle modern slavery. It was noted that for every rescue, an NRM referral and referral to the police should be made. The LBB Head of the Youth Offending Service confirmed that the project took referrals for young people up to the age of 25 years.

The Chairman informed the Partnership that she had attended a London Trading Standards Week event at Guildhall for the launch of an initiative in partnership with MOPAC and the Metropolitan Police, for retailers selling knives. The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager advised that this included a London-wide approved traders’ scheme to which retailers would sign up and agree to certain steps, such as ensuring that knives were stored safely. Locally, test purchasing work was undertaken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

An update concerning measures being taken to deal with street homeless and begging in Bromley will be provided by Glynn Gunning, (Head of Housing Options & Support).   

Mr Glyn Gunning from the Housing Division was not present to provide the update regarding homelessness and begging in Bromley.

It was agreed that the update on homelessness and begging in Bromley would be provided to the next meeting of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

RESOLVED that an update on homelessness and begging in Bromley be presented to the December meeting of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

Superintendent Carswell informed the Partnership that every London Borough had independent Police Cadet units. Each year they took part in a three day challenge, at which they participated in a number of competitive activities. This year, he was pleased to announce that the Bromley Police Cadet unit had won the London-wide competition, and extended his congratulations to its members.

An area of enhanced focus, which was a major public concern in the borough, was burglary. Of the three boroughs within the BCU, Bromley had the highest levels of burglary. Significant effort was being directed into ‘man-hunting’ and seeking wanted offenders, as well as closer working with Kent Police (as perpetrators often operated across borders). Effort was also being made to ensure that PCSO visits to victims and surrounding properties were taking place.

A number of leads had been generated as a result of the use of residents CCTV and ‘Ring’ video door bells. Over the last six months there had been an 11% reduction in the number of burglaries across the borough, compared to a 2% reduction in Sutton and a 1% reduction in Croydon. This demonstrated that the efforts in the London Borough of Bromley had paid dividends, but further work would continue.

Another area of public concern in the borough was motor vehicle theft, and in particular the vans of workmen and builders being targeted during the daytime. Significant effort had been put into reducing these incidents, and there had been a sustained reduction from 225 offences in March 2019 to 150 offences per month currently.

The number of incidents of violence with injury remained consistent, and fluctuated between 150 and 200 offences per month. There were renewed efforts to tackle this.  Superintendent Carswell confirmed that these figures did not include offences relating to domestic violence.

It was asked if dedicated Town Centre Police Teams would be re-established. Superintendent Carswell responded that once the workforce was at full strength, it was his intention to do so. Currently, whilst recruitment continued, the blue light service was the priority.

RESOLVED that the police update is noted.

The Knife Crime and Serious Violence Action Plan update will be provided by Mr Rob Vale--LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager.

The LBB Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer informed the Partnership that work was continuing to produce a bespoke Knife and Serious Violence Action Plan for the borough, with support and contributions being provided from partners. An update from MOPAC in June 2019 had advised that it was not yet ready to share good practice from the London-wide submissions, and a further update was expected shortly.

The Chairman enquired if there were any gaps in the information provided for the Bromley Action Plan. The LBB Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer said that there were some small gaps in relation to education, particularly what was happening in schools. The Chairman stated that she would follow this up.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The Knife Crime and Serious Violence Action Plan update is noted.

2)  Information on work being undertaken in schools, in relation to knife and serious violence, is requested.

An update on the Development of the Safer Bromley Strategy will be provided by Mr Rob Vale—LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager.  

The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager informed the Partnership that four priorities had been identified for the Safer Bromley Strategy: burglary, domestic violence, non-domestic violence with injury and anti-social behaviour (including fly tipping and arson). The LBB Community Safety Co-ordinator would be leading on the strategy, and a comprehensive update would be provided at the next meeting of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

RESOLVED that the update on the Safer Bromley Strategy is noted.

The Resilience and Business Continuity Update will be provided by Mr David Tait, Emergency Planning and Corporate Resilience Lead.  

The LBB Emergency Planning and Corporate Resilience Lead advised the Partnership that work was being undertaken across the borough in relation to the eleven standards for resilience. This would be completed by December 2019, following which, boroughs would review each other’s plans and put forward possible improvements and suggestions.

The Borough’s Resilience Forum in August 2019, which had focussed on the theme of ‘Brexit’, had been well attended. Other work undertaken had included emergency planning for the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight and a review of ‘Rest Centre’ plans, revisiting those already signed up to help and expanding the list of venues.

In relation to business continuity, an external company would be undertaking an internal audit of the local authority on the 7^th October 2019, which would provide an opportunity to see where LBB stood. The LBB Emergency Planning and Corporate Resilience Lead felt that the local authority was well positioned, but there was always room for improvement.

Following the burst water main on the A21 during the summer, where around 3,000 homes had been affected, the local authority had worked closely with Thames Water, and a number of learning outcomes had arisen from the incident. A meeting with the Environment Agency would also be taking place in relation to the flooding in Petts Wood. Around 40 homes that were affected by the flooding, and surrounding properties, would be offered advice and guidance.

The Bromley Fire Commander extended his thanks to the LBB Emergency Planning and Corporate Resilience Lead for providing an input around emergency planning at the London Fire Brigade training days.

RESOLVED that the Resilience and Business Continuity update is noted.

The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager advised partners that work was being undertaken to review a number of information sharing agreements. This was as a result of the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), and would set out how information could be shared with partners and how they were able to use it.

The Chairman requested that an update be provided to the next meeting of the Safer Bromley Partnership, advising what stage the project had reached.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The update is noted;

2)   An update advising what stage the project had reached is provided to the next meeting of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

An update regarding Gangs and Serious Youth Violence will be provided by Anne Ball--Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer.

The LBB Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer informed the Partnership that she had been in post since June 2019, and was based within the LBB Community Safety Team. Part of the role was to identify what local provision was missing for young people on their journey away from serious youth violence; to consider what provision was current, and identify gaps, particularly around the transition age.

Work would be undertaken with the police to identify and understand the Serious Youth Violence and Gangs picture across Bromley, including the crime hotspots and offenders.

The LBB Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer (GSYVO) would have ownership of the Knife Crime and Serious Violence Action Plan, which would be presented to the Safer Bromley Partnership on a quarterly basis. The GSYVO would also horizon scan to identify any funding opportunities. The outcome of the Young Londoners Fund bid by the Crystal Palace Community Trust was due at the end of September or the beginning of October 2019. It was hoped that there would also be an opportunity to bid for funding from the Home Office Youth Endowment Fund.

The Bromley Fire Commander enquired if signposting to employment would take place. The LBB Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer responded that signposting had been made to some schemes, but the majority tended to be based in North London and little response had been received. The Bromley Fire Commander said that he was keen to offer support, and he would be happy to receive referrals of local young people. It was noted that the young people would need to be over 17.5 years old, and any convictions needed to be spent. He would like to target young women, black and ethnic minorities and any other young people needing general support.

The Chairman asked if there were plans to look at grooming hotspots. The LBB Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer responded that this was an area that could be looked at with the police, any intelligence around hotspots, timings and locations would enable targeted Youth Workers to initiate interventions.

RESOLVED that the update from the Gangs and Serious Youth Violence Officer is noted.

The update from the London Ambulance Service will be provided by Mr Bill Kelly (LAS Group Manager) and Philip Powell (LAS Stakeholder Engagement Manager)

The LAS Group Manager advised partners that the service had been recruiting heavily over the last few months, and as a result there was now only a small number of vacancies. This allowed the service to be maintained, and the sickest patients were being reached in less than seven minutes.

The Bromley LAS site had been significantly impacted by the water outage on the A21 during the summer. Usually, when an incident like this occurred, the operation would be moved to another site, but as this was a main site it had not been a viable option. All non-essential staff had been sent home, portaloos and bottled water had been shipped in, and there had been no operational impact.

There had been a 20% increase in the use of the extra LAS vehicle, targeted at vulnerable patients of low acuity. Bromley had the best rates within the LAS, with only 52% of patients being taken to the Emergency Department, and the scheme had been extended until February 2020. The Chairman suggested that in the future, it could be argued that another of these vehicles was required. The Adult Safeguarding Manager, Bromley CCG said that they would be willing to support an application for a dedicated vehicle for the Bromley Borough. It was suggested that the LAS Group Manager and Adult Safeguarding Manager, Bromley CCG could discuss ways to advertise the service outside of the meeting.

The Chairman enquired if the LAS had been impacted by the hot weather. The LAS Stakeholder Engagement Manager responded that both hot and cold weather were planned for, and the plans were implemented as needed. The hot weather had only been for short periods at a time, and it tended to be the hospitals that were impacted upon the most.

RESOLVED that the London Ambulance Service update is noted.

The MOPAC update will be provided by Samantha Evans—MOPAC Project and Programmes Officer.

Samantha Evans, (Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime), extended her thanks to LBB officers for their assistance in providing and uploading information for returns, which were now being completed by an APS computerised system.

It had been confirmed that the Violence Reduction Unit had been allocated a further £7m by the Mayor of London, in addition to the £7m already committed. A letter had been sent to the Leader and the Chief Executive of the Council, advising that the borough would be receiving £50k in year one and £50k in year two from this funding. It was noted that there was only a seven-month delivery period remaining in year one, and the funds could not be carried into the twelve-month delivery period of year two. Current London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF) projects could be added to, as well as new ones established, and suggestions from partners were welcomed.

It was noted that the MOPAC newsletter would be passed to the Clerk for circulation to Members of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

RESOLVED that the MOPAC update is noted.

The Safer Neighbourhood Board update will be provided by Sharon Baldwin—Chairman of the Bromley Safer Neighbourhood Board.

The Chairman informed the Partnership that the Crime Summit would be taking place from 9.30am on Saturday 14^th September 2019 at Bromley Civic Centre. Speakers would include the Bromley Youth Council and the MET Tri-Borough Commander and MET Assistant Commissioner for Frontline Policing, Mark Simmons.

The Chairman extended her thanks to those attending and hosting a stand at the event.

RESOLVED that the update is noted.

The VAWG update will be provided by Rachel Dunley-- LBB Head of Service for Early Intervention, and Family Support.

In addition to the written update provided to the Partnership, the LBB Head of Service for Early Intervention and Family Support stated that the DVA VAWG contract procedures were ongoing. She said that Rachel Pankhurst, LBB DVA VAWG Coordinator, would be attending future meetings of the Safer Bromley Partnership.

RESOLVED that the update and the report is noted.

An update regarding Integrated Offender Management will be provided by   Mr

Rob Vale, (LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager).

The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager informed the Partnership that the development of the IOM (Integrated Offender Management) Board was being taken forward. Due to internal reviews, this had not progressed as far as they had wanted, but the LBB Assistant Director for Public Protection and Enforcement would take on the role of Chairman. Plans to formulate the Terms of Reference and to identify partners were being developed.

The operational side of IOM was working well, and Oxleas were now attending the meetings. It was very much “business as usual”, despite the lack of strategic steer, and this was expected to improve going forward.

The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager advised that there were new IOM figures that would be provided to the Clerk for circulation to the Partnership following the meeting.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The IOM Sub-Group is noted.

2)   The new IOM figures be provided to the Clerk for circulation to partners.

The Youth Offending Service update will be provided by Betty McDonald, Head of Youth Support and Youth Offending Services.

The LBB Head of Youth Support and Youth Offending Services informed the Partnership that a primary focus of the Youth Offending Service (YOS) was on prevention. Support was provided to deter young people from entering the system, and in Bromley there were only a small number of prolific reoffenders. With reoffending rates of 38%, the London Borough of Bromley was ranked 9^th lowest out of the 32 London Boroughs. It was noted that this data was for offences committed during 2016-17, as the cohort was tracked for a whole year from their first offence, and the data published in 2019. The numbers of reoffenders continued to decrease; however the frequency of offences by some had increased.

The number of children and young people in custody ten years ago was around 3,000, which as of August 2019 had greatly reduced to a figure of 814 for England and Wales. In Bromley, there were three young people sentenced to custody and three on remand, and the YOS was providing regular support to the young people and their families.

In partnership with the LBB Early Intervention Team, work had been carried out over the summer to raise awareness of county lines. A Facebook page had been created, and messages posted containing the contact details for referrals to MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) if there were concerns about a young person.

RESOLVED that the Youth Offending Service Sub Group update is noted.

The Gangs Sub Group update will be provided by Lydia Bennett, Group Manager MASH Team.

A copy of the Strategic Group Gangs Report, provided by the LBB Group Manager – MASH Team, was tabled at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the update report is noted.

The ASB and Envirocrime sub-group update will be provided by the Anti Social Behaviour Co- Ordinator, Peter Sibley.

The LBB Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator informed the Partnership that three further MOPAC operations had taken place in Cray Valley West, Mottingham and Penge. In these areas, fly tipping was down by 2.5 tons compared to the previous operations, and arson was down by 38% compared to the same period in 2018. Work was being undertaken with partners to look at other causes of arson and to examine how they could assist to reduce these figures further. Anti-social behaviour was down by 26%.

There had been seven arrests during MOPAC operations, including three youths found to be in possession of a knife in Penge. Ten weapon sweeps had taken place, five illegal vehicles seized and 32 joint visits with the police had been undertaken targeting high profile addresses. The LBB Head of Street Enforcement noted that Education Welfare Officers were back patrolling these areas and focusing on specific addresses, and local churches were assisting the team by offering the use of their facilities. In response to a question, the LBB Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator confirmed that during the visits, no further incidents of ‘cuckooing’ had been identified.

The Partnership extended its thanks to Peter Sibley, the LBB Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator, who would be retiring at the end of October 2019.

RESOLVED that the ASB and Envirocrime Sub Group update is noted.

The Communications Update will be provided by Andrew Rogers, Communications Executive.

The Chairman requested that suggested items or good news stories for inclusion in the Safer Bromley Newsletter be passed on to Andrew Rogers, LBB Communications Executive.

The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager advised Members that discussions would be taking place in relation to rolling out ‘Operation Divert’, an early knife and weapon intervention scheme, in Bromley.

A meeting would be taking place with the new lead, DCI Neil Matthews, to take forward the Drug Related Violence Police Strategy, and feedback would be provided to the Safer Bromley Partnership.

Councillor Kathy Bance MBE enquired if a knife amnesty could be initiated. The LBB Trading Standards and Community Safety Manager responded that these had taken place in the past, but tended to be led by the police on a pan-London or national level. Superintendent Carswell noted that work needed to be done to deter people from carrying knives, and he was not aware that an amnesty would be taking place imminently.

The next meeting of the Safer Bromley partnership is scheduled for December 5^th at 10.00am at Bromley Civic Centre.

All meetings start at 10.00am and are held at Bromley Civic Centre unless otherwise notified.

The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday 5^th December 2019.