Agenda item

Report of the Head of Corporate Policy and Performance for Panel Members to consider the emerging issues and priorities for the Safe City Plan, the progress of the Crime and Disorder Partnership Review and an update of the local authority and police functions following the Police Reform and Responsibility Bill, attached.

The Panel considered the report of the Head of Corporate Policy and Performance, providing details on the emerging issues and priorities for the Safe City Partnership Plan 2011-2012, the progress of the Crime and Disorder Partnership Review and an update of the local authority and police functions following the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.  (Copy of report circulated with the agenda and appended to the signed minutes).

The Panel received a presentation from the Safer Communities Manager providing details of the draft Safe City Partnership Plan 2011-2012  and noted comments from the Executive Director for Neighbourhoods and Inspector Stevens from the Police.

The following was noted:-

• all three top priority targets had been achieved:

* to reduce all crime;

* to reduce violent crime and criminal damage;  and

* to improve public perception of safety in the city ;

• future challenges were:

* comparative position especially for violent crime;

* the upward trend in burglary, possibly linked to the economic climate; and alcohol misuse; and

* increase public perception and involvement;

• Successful initiatives were the Icebus, Street pastors and Yellow cards
• Integrated Offender Management had been established which targeted partnership action to reduce reoffending of offenders and investigating the Peterborough model of social investment and payment by result;
• new ways of preventing violent crime by expanding the area of policing to include routes to and from the city centre;
• revisit Operation Nemesis to reduce burglaries;
• Neighbourhood Watch was one of the biggest national initiatives and both the police and the Council were working hard to rejuvenate this initiative and also looking at ways to get the involvement of the large Southampton student population;  and
• educating young people about the harm of alcohol would be the best way forward to reduce alcohol abuse;

Crime and Disorder Partnership Review

The following was noted :-

• the infrastructure of the Safe City Partnership was being reshaped to achieve a more efficient way of working by reducing the number of meetings being held, merging the Executive and Performance Management Group to one called the Leadership Group and merging/reducing the number of operational groups with Champions to lead on key issues;

Update on Police Reform and Responsibility Bill 2010

The following was noted:-

• police authorities would be replaced with elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) from May 2012 for a 4-year term and would have duties to represent and engage with those who live in their area to identify policy needs and would be responsible for setting priorities in a strategic plan;
• the PCC would decide how Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) would function and the CSP would have a duty to submit reports to the PCC on the exercise of its functions;
• a Police and Crime Panel would be established on a county-wide basis to scrutinise the PCC, but would have no powers over the PCC function and this would replace the current scrutiny arrangements,;  and
•  there would be a new local district structure which would take effect when Hampshire Constabulary moved into their new offices on 4^th April 2011.

RESOLVED:

(i)  that officers be requested to amend the Safe City Partnership Plan to incorporate figures wherever percentages were given and that ‘hate crime’ be more robustly illustrated;

(ii)  that the presentation and report of the Safer Communities Manager, the overview and comments received by the Police Inspector and the Executive Director for Neighbourhoods, along with the ideas and suggestions contributed by Members of the Panel be noted; and

(iii)  that the Panel noted:-

·  the emerging issues and priorities for the Safe City Partnership Plan 2011-2012;

·  the progress of the Crime and Disorder Partnership Review and the  reshaping of the Safe City Partnership;  and

·  the impact for the Panel and the Safe City Partnership of the Police Reform and Responsibility Bill.