Agenda item

OPERATION LUSCOMBE

The Commissioner of the City of London Police to be heard.

Minutes:

The Police Constable gave an update on Operation Luscombe and the following points were made:

 

·         The City of London Police worked closely with the British Transport Police in delivering Operation Luscombe which had been recognised as a highly successful programme in reducing begging and anti-social behaviour and had continued operating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Assessment Hub had been suspended for safety reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic but would be reintroduced from 21 October 2020.

 

·         A Member queried whether there was any way of tracking rough sleepers who moved to new areas rather than into support services and the Police Constable explained that this was difficult to monitor as such individuals were unlikely to engage with local services.  Another Member underlined the importance of data sharing at a national level to support the provision of consistent support.

 

·         The Mental Health Street Triage service carried out mental health assessments of homeless and rough sleeping people where concerns were identified by the Police.  A Member requested that a report on mental health and homelessness, including support and intervention strategies be provided to future meetings of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Sub-Committee and the Health and Wellbeing Board.

 

·         The Chairman underlined the importance of ensuring that homeless people and rough sleepers had access to face masks and antibacterial hand gel during the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that without a mask, individuals would not be able to access a range of services including local shops and medical care.

 

RESOLVED, that the updates be noted.</AI11>