Minutes:
The Deputy Borough Commander Jo Oakley provided an update for the Committee.
There had been a change to the Senior Management Team. A new Chief Inspector had been appointed, Chief Inspector Roy Smith. Chief Inspector Katrina Smith had now retired. The new Chief Inspector would be responsible for the Emergency Response Teams.
Generally speaking, crime levels were going down. Overall crime levels had decreased year on year by eight hundred crimes against MOPAC 7 crime reduction targets. It was acknowledged that there had been some articles in the press concerning Police data integrity.
Year on year, vehicle crime was down by two hundred and fifty. The number of low level assaults had fallen, but the number of serious assaults had increased. It was explained that this increase was resultant from a change in the classification process. Because of these changes, even if a person got a scratch in a domestic violence incident, that would be classed as a serious assault.
There were certain areas in the Borough that were recognised hotspots for motorists and cyclists being either killed or seriously injured; these areas were being targeted and monitored by the Police.
There were 15 current Operations ongoing targeting different types of crime, including anti-social behaviour, serious acquisitive crimes, drugs and gangs.
Following the publication of the findings of the Duggan inquest, there had been an increased Police presence in the Borough, but fortunately there did not appear to be an increase in community tension in Bromley.
Councillor Fookes asked if there had been any further problems with the implementation of the New Policing Model and also if there had been any further updates on the previous shooting that had taken place in Penge. The Deputy Borough Commander responded that the NPM implementation in Bromley was ongoing and evolving, but that generally speaking it was going well. There were ongoing local and central meetings to monitor the progress of the NPM in Bromley. There had been no further updates on the Penge shooting, and this matter was being dealt with centrally.
Councillor Auld asked what time officers came on duty in the Petts Wood area, and how many vehicles were involved in moving officers around when they first came on duty. The Deputy Borough Commander answered by stating that officers came on duty at 7.00am, and that there was a mini bus and two cars involved in the transportation process.
Councillor Auld was of the opinion that too much time was being lost in the transportation of officers between Petts Wood and St Mary’s Cray, and this he estimated to be as much as 25% of Police time. Councillor Auld commented on the data integrity of police reporting statistics. The Deputy Borough Commander responded that this matter was being assessed centrally.
Abdulla Zaman from Bromley Youth Council asked if Diversity was being practiced in connection with recruitment to the Police force. The Deputy Borough Commander responded that an active Diversity policy was in place, although Diversity targets had not been reached. The Deputy Borough Commander further stated that on a recent passing out parade that she had attended, it was well represented from a diverse range of ethnic groups.
Dr Robert Hadley mentioned that it was rare to see a visible Police presence in the Farnborough and Crofton areas. The Deputy Borough Commander responded that the Northern Policing Team had increased. It was also the case that the Police were doing the best that they could in difficult times with many budget cuts. It was also the case that many bases had closed because of cuts.
Mr Terry Belcher from the Bromley Community Engagement Forum asked if the lunch breaks of police officers could be staggered; this was to avoid crime being carried out when the police were on lunch. The Deputy Borough Commander replied and said that there was flexibility with lunch breaks, and that lunch breaks were not made public knowledge for this reason.
Councillor Peter Fookes asked if it was possible for police officers to be briefed using new technology and hand held devices, with the resultant time savings that this would seem to imply. The Deputy Borough Commander responded that this would probably happen in the future, but was not happening at the present time.