An update will be provided by the Chairman, Councillor Kate Lymer.
Minutes:
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 3rd and 4th 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 with the Police Cadets and this scheme would further enhance the safety of the trading environment. The Chairman noted that the scheme also included online retailers, but that this could only currently be undertaken with UK based companies.
The MET Tri-Borough Police Commander had carried out walkabouts around hotspots in Bromley Town Centre, Penge and the Crays, and further rounds of visits were scheduled. Councillor Kathy Bance MBE, informed the Partnership that she had been involved in the walkabouts in Penge, and there were a number of positive initiatives being undertaken. This included an ‘adopt a block’ initiative, and a number of residents were keen to help take this forward. Superintendent Carswell noted that as these three areas were affected by similar issues, local Inspectors were working on a problem solving plan. Work would be ongoing to deliver long-term change.
Future events that the Chairman would be attending were the Crime Summit, taking place on Saturday 14th September 2019 and the Bromley Safeguarding Adult Board Annual Conference on the 8th October 2019.
The Chairman extended her congratulations to Bromley Youth Council, who had won the Mayor of London’s 2019 Volunteer Award for their work on the Anti-Gang Campaign.
RESOLVED that:
1) The Chairman’s update is noted;
2) Information be provided to the Partnership relating to the number of NRM referrals made as a result of the Rescue and Response Project.