Agenda item

The Deputy Borough Commander presented a DVD showing CCTV images and outlined the actions taken by the Council in partnership with the police following the public disorder experienced in Bromley on Monday 8 August, 2011, which had taken place after similar, more severe riots in other areas of London.  Rioting and looting had taken place in Bromley, Beckenham and Orpington, and the impact of the disorder was felt to a lesser extent in wards such as Biggin Hill, Penge and Cator, Hayes and Coney Hall, Petts Wood and Knoll and Plaistow and Sundridge.

Within the Borough, a total of 85 offences had been attributed to the public disorder.  This included 49 non-residential burglaries and 19 incidents of criminal damage, and 77 people had been arrested, of which 31 were Bromley residents.  CCTV had proved an effective tool in both deploying police resources and in subsequent identification of suspects.  The Deputy Borough Commander confirmed the investigation into offences committed during the public disorder would continue, with ten investigation hubs to be created across London. 

In response to a question, the Borough Commander confirmed that a far reaching review of the Mark Duggan shooting was taking place.  However the public disorder that had spread across London following this protest appeared to be largely of an opportunistic nature.  Following the public disorder, work had been undertaken by partners to provide security, reassurance and advice to affected business owners, and Council cleansing teams had worked hard to restore town centre areas.  James Cleverly underlined the importance of publicising the custodial sentences given to offenders to prevent further disorder. 

Communications had been key to managing the response to the public disorder and had worked well with regular briefings held between the Police, the Council and other key partners and updates e-mailed out to key partners and community groups.  Paula Morrison highlighted that health services had been able to remain open on the day following the disorder due to clear information from the Bromley Police.  However due to misinformation many retail outlets had closed early across the Borough on the day following the disorder for fear of further disorder. 

Judith Cross outlined findings from the recent Bromley Community Engagement Forum Outreach Day which indicated the vast majority of residents felt the Police kept residents aware of their activities, and suggested local radio was a good communication tool for the wider community.  Susie Clark thanked members of the Partnership for supporting the communication of key messages and suggested the Communications Group hold a meeting to consider how communication processes might be built on in the future. 

Andy Holcombe and Tracy Pigeon underlined the excellent work of the Police in protecting Fire and Ambulance crews during the public disorder.  Call rates for ambulances had increased in the Borough however there had been no serious injuries.  Andy Holcombe noted there had been up to 30 deliberate fires in the Borough on the night of the public disorder, and an increased incidence of deliberate fires had continued in Bromley in the weeks since the rioting.

The Chairman thanked all partners involved in the response to the public disorder for their contribution.

It was AGREED that the update be noted.