Minutes:
The Police update was provided by the Borough Police Commander, Chris Hafford.
The Committee was briefed on the impact caused by the recent terrorist incident at Westminster. Bromley police officers were sent to Westminster after the event, and many had been required to work 23 or 24 hour shifts. Others were then required to work 12 hour shifts for 5 days. The situation was beginning to normalise, and a local patrol strategy was being developed. A memorial event had been held on the day of the Committee meeting. There had been a slight increase in hate crime subsequent to the incident –this had taken the form of Islamophobia.
The new MET Commissioner (Cressida Dick) was expected to be in post by the end of April.
As far as the proposed new BCU (Borough Command Unit) model was concerned, the details had still not been finalised. It had previously been suggested that LBB would link with Croydon. There had been a suggestion that this may be changed to Lewisham, but nothing had been agreed.
All Police forces in London had experienced an increase in the number of TNOs (Total Number of Notifiable Offences). The Borough Commander informed that local priorities would focus on Safeguarding, VAWG (violence against women and girls), non-domestic violence with injury and burglary.
The Committee were updated with the following performance updates:
· Residential burglary - 1601 to 1513 R12 = -5.3%
· Personal robbery – 316 to 377 = +19%
· Theft from the person – 297 to 365 = +22.9%
· Domestic VWI – 779 to 810 = +4%
· Non-Dom VWI – 1257 to 1369 = +8.9%
In the rolling 12 month period, ASB offences had increased from 6101 to
7005. There had been an increase in instances of pickpocketing in Bromley and Orpington, many of these offences were young people stealing from the elderly. There had also been an increase in young people entering Bromley from Lewisham to commit robbery offences.
With respect to call handling, 88.5% of the most urgent 999 calls were responded to within 15 minutes. The less urgent emergency calls (S calls) were responded to within the 60 minute time frame in 83% of cases.
The Borough Commander mentioned DWOs (District Ward Officers) and stated that 14 wards now had 2 DWOs assigned to them. Every ward had an officer assigned, and the aim was that eventually every ward would have two DWOs.
The Chairman asked why there had been an increase in crime levels. The Borough Commander responded that dealing with safeguarding issues was taking time, and had resulted in a decrease in the number of patrols. He felt that there was a need for a more rapid rollout of mobile technology for police officers. There had also been an increase in the number of children reported as missing, and more incidents generally were being reported. The MET were hoping that going forward more reporting of crime would be done over the phone and online.
The Borough Commander referenced the twin issues of an increased uptake in armed police officers and officers dealing with cyber-crime and fraud. These were issues that would also affect the number of officers that could be engaged on patrol duties and other crimes.
The Deputy Chairman raised concerns about the Mayor’s crime priorities. He believed that the Mayor’s chosen priority areas affected relatively few people and that crimes that concerned people in Bromley, such as burglary, would not be given the necessary attention.
A member advised that in addition to the police officer that had been killed in the Westminster attack (Keith Palmer), another police officer had been paralysed. The member enquired if funds were being requested in relation to this officer also, and the Borough Commander confirmed that this was the case.
A member raised the matter of a charging point for body worn cameras in West Wickham, stating that he had been previously advised by the police that the charging point was due to be installed shortly. The Borough Commander stated that he would look into this.
A Member referred back to the mention of a possible BCU pairing with Lewisham. He expressed the view that Lewisham had a high level of crime and the fact that LBB could be paired with Lewisham was concerning. He was worried that LBB may lose police resources if this merger went ahead. The Borough Commander responded that all mergers were risky, and that it was difficult to say if LBB would lose resources if the pairing took place.
The Borough Commander pointed out that Bromley Police was tied into a contract for the building that was now being used as the Bromley police headquarters in Bromley South. The positive news from this was that whatever changes may take place in the future, Bromley police were likely to continue to use the same building.
The Chairman also expressed some concerns around the Mayor’s new crime priorities for Bromley, and commented that there was no mention of offences connected to drugs which were related to many crimes. The Chairman speculated about the proposed new BCU structure and was of the view that the best match for LBB would be Bexley.
A member asked what the main areas were with respect to reported youth crime. The Borough Commander responded that the main areas were:
· Knife point robberies
· Theft of motor bikes
· Low level drug use
The Borough Commander agreed to arrange communication between the police gangs team, and the BYC Chairman-Katie Bacon.
The Vice Chairman noted the previous comments concerning a proposed BCU amalgamation with Lewisham, and stated that he was in favour of this as there was a free flow of people between the two boroughs. The Borough Commander noted that previously, LBB and LB Lewisham were both P1 units and that Bromley was geographically closer to Lewisham.
A Member expressed the view that the least favourable BCU pairing for LBB would be to join with Croydon due to the high number of shootings in the borough, combined with its extensive geography.
A Member stated that her 14 year old child had recently been threatened at knifepoint at the McDonalds restaurant on the Wickham Road, West Wickham. The police were called and she praised the quick response and arrest by the police.
RESOLVED that the police updated be noted.