Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

There were no declarations.

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 12 June 2017

The Group considered the minutes from the last meeting held on 12 June 2017.

RESOLVED - The minutes were approved.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The group considered a report of the Town Clerk that summarised the outstanding actions from the last meeting on 12 June 2017.

OR1 – Directory of Services

The Community Safety Team Manager provided hard copies of the draft version of the City of London Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Support Directory 2017 to Members.

The Chairman asked if this document was available on the City of London website, and the Community Safety Team Manager explained that it would be made available when the final version had been finalised.  The Chairman stated that this document was very useful, but that its distribution was going to be a crucial factor.  He suggested that having a hard copy available at locations across the City of London might be useful, and asked Members of the group for their willingness to hold a copy.  The Community Safety team Manager explained that there would be a preference for business owners etc. to contact through Public Protection Unit as this would ensure that the pathway to response remained consistent.

The Deputy Chairman asked if the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group was involved, and the CCG representative stated that he would contact the Community Safety Team in order to ensure their details are included. (1)

The Community Safety Team Manager explained to the group that the Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence forum would be asked for their approval before the document would be marked as final for publication.

OR2 – Safer Communities Closedown Report

The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection questioned the availability of Safer Communities Project outcomes and recommendations. 

The Head of Change Portfolio Office provided a verbal update on the Safer Communities Project closedown recommendations.  She explained that the City of London Police will be meeting with the Director of Transportation and the Public Realm in the week

Report of the Head of Community Safety Team

The Group considered a report of the Community Safety Team Manager that detailed the outcomes of a Home Office case review following a serious incident.

The Chairman noted that items within the Action Plan were not complete, and yet were greyed out within the table.  He asked that this not happen in future.  The Chairman also declared his support for the useful work achieved.

In reference to Item 11 within the action plan, the Director of Port Health and Public Protection requested that a draft copy of the Information Sharing Protocol, which had previously been made available to other groups, to be circulated to the Safer City Partnership Strategy Group. (4)

The Deputy Chairman warned of the danger of perceiving the Information sharing Protocol agreement as a silver bullet that would guarantee effective inter-departmental cooperation.  He stated that although it would serve to eliminate justifications for failing to do so, efforts to consciously engage in information sharing, regardless of cultural differences, would still remain the determining factor.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted, and the Group approve the recommendations to:

a)    Read the comments and considerations from the Home Office Quality Assurance Panel and agree the response;

b)    Agree to publish the outcomes of the Case Review following a Serious Incident via the Safer City Partnership papers, on the City of London Corporation website;

c)    Review the progress of the action plan for implementing the learning recommendations created by the Case Review Following a Serious Incident Panel, found in Appendix 1.

Report of the Head of Community Safety Team

The Group received a report of the Community Safety Team Manager that informed Members of the newly developed Prevent product for the business community.  The Group also received a short video presentation from the Community Safety Team.

The Community Safety Team Manager summarised the progress as outlined by the report in development of the Prevent strategy.  He explained examples of WRAP (Workshops to raise awareness about Prevent).

The Deputy Chairman explained to Members that there is increasing pressure on the City of London Corporation to deliver on Prevent issues in the light of recent high profile terrorist attacks.  Due to staffing shortages and changes over the recent period this has posed a challenge.  Nonetheless, the Corporation has still been able to complete a substantial volume of Prevent training.

The Deputy Chairman stated the desire to avoid allowing the strategy to exist merely as passive guidance, but rather to engage with direction by employing “train the trainer” sessions where possible.  He informed Members of the desire to use the City Corporation’s online training portal to provide an opportunity to roll out of training to all staff.

The Chairman asked if it would be feasible to create a product, if successful, that is available to external businesses.  The Deputy Chairman confirmed that this was likely to be a future aim.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted

Report of the Community Safety Manager.

[This report was unavailable at the time of agenda publication, and will be circulated separately.]

The Group received a report of the Community Safety Team Manager assessing the Safer City Partnership plan for 2016-17, and also providing a strategic plan for 2017-18.

The Chairman requested an explanation as to why the report was being tabled at the meeting, rather than being submitted in time for publication within the agenda.  The Chairman suggested that as the report is of significant length, and is asking for Members’ approval, it would be more sensible to defer this to the next meeting, on 3 November 2017.  The Deputy Chairman was in agreement. (5)

A Member asked if these would be linked in to combine with the Corporate Strategy.  The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection explained that as the Corporate Strategy would look at 2018 and 2019, whereas this strategy focuses on this year, this would not be appropriate. 

RESOLVED – That this item be deferred to the next meeting on 3 November 2017, and that the Safer Partnership Strategy be developed into a three year strategic plan

Report of the Community Safety Manager

The Group received a report of the Community Safety Team Manager updating Members on activity by the Community Safety Team not otherwise addressed.

The Community Safety Team Manager provided a brief summary for Members surrounding the recent activity of the Community Safety Team, as included within the report. The Chairman asked for reassurance that the Prevent strategy could be delivered with the resources and time available.  The Community Safety Team Manager confirmed that this was the case.

The Deputy Chairman explained, in reference to the Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) training sessions held, the City of London Corporation’s methods in dealing with ASB were evidently below the current standards of best practice.  He stated that the City Corporation has a duty to support victims of ASB, but it was clear that they had not reached the optimum balance in doing so.  He explained to the Group that this had now been addressed.  The Chairman stated his approval that this issue has now been given focus.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the City of London Police

The Group heard a verbal update from a representative of the Commissioner of Police that summarised recent developments for the review period April-June 2017.

The Commissioner explained that seven attempted murder reported crimes occurred in June 2017 as a result of the London Bridge Attack, accounting for a 20% increase compared to May 2017.  There had also been a significant increase in sexual offences from May to June 2017.

The Commissioner explained that the Police had led 11 operations during the Night Time Economy hours to address a range of issues in response to terrorist attacks, and to provide reassurance and advice to business owners.  The Chairman asked the Group’s City Business Representative if he was content with the service provided, to which the City Business Representative confirmed that he was.

The Commissioner explained that there had been an increase in acquisitive crime, mainly consisting of thefts on scooters/mopeds and burglary.  However, there is reason to believe that one or two particular offenders are responsible for a large percentage of these incidents, one of whom may now have been arrested.

The Commissioner explained that a Police operation had been taking place around Middlesex Street following reports from residents of drug dealing in the area.  The operation had been successful, and they were now in communication with BT to attempt to have a phone box removed that was acting as a focal point for criminal operations.  The Chairman noted that Anti-Social Behaviour figures had risen dramatically, almost doubling since last year.  The Commissioner explained that the methods of reporting antisocial behaviour had changed and that this had led to spikes in the figures.  The Chairman noted the importance of recognising this point when we try to interpret the level of success in tackling ASB, and illustrated his support for the work

Report of the Director of Markets & Consumer Protection

The Group received a report of The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection that provided an update on the activity of the Public Protection Service, comprising of Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards.

The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection explained that a significant amount of work has been done to tackle the issue of illegal street trading in the form of ice cream vans and nut sellers around the City of London.  The Chairman asked if this had led to the activity being pushed over into surrounding boroughs, and the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection explained that, although this was a possibility, work is being done with Southwark council to tackle the issue cooperatively. 

A Member noted that the ice cream van and nut seller issues have been ongoing, and suggested the possibility of working towards offering a provision of permanent pitches or licences. The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection explained that legal street trading had been considered previously, however, it was deemed ineffective as it did not resolve the issue of licensees being expected to comply whilst unlicensed traders remained in operation in close proximity.  He reiterated that additional resource had been allocated to tackle the issue, and that the pressure this has created was having a positive effect.

The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection explainedthat the numerous licensing issues occurring since the last update were primarily relating to the proposed opening of new premises in the City, rather than any issues arising from complaints directed towards existing premises.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Community Safety Manager

The Group received a report of the Community Safety Team Manager that provided Members with an update on the City Community Safety Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (CCM) and explained why Anti-Social Behaviour training was required, how the CST went about finding the right provider for officers and what has been achieved so far.

The Community Safety Team Manager explained that the CCM aims to focus not just on single families, but on an entire estate or area.

The Deputy Chairman explained that Prevent training focused on reducing hate crime has led to improved access to and ability to utilise more robust community networks.  The Chairman stated his approval of this, noting that this would also be beneficial in allowing the City Corporation to be more resilient in the face of external challenge.

The Director of Markets and Consumer Protection requested further detail in relation to the point made within paragraph 11, that described situations in which earlier actions may have been able to prevent herm had officers been aware of legal tools at their disposal.  The Deputy Chairman explained that there had been instances in which the collection of evidence had not been comprehensive enough, and as a result had let to an inability to act on cases of ASB.  He confirmed however, that many lessons had been learned from these processing errors.  The Chairman stated that if legislation cannot be used to affect a resolution in certain situations, then there is a need to adjust the approach used – possibly exploring lessons learned in other areas that might be applicable.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Director of Community & Children's Services to be Heard

No representative from the Health & Wellbeing Board was present at the meeting, and therefore no update was received on its behalf.

The Chairman stated his disappointment with the failure to provide a written or verbal update, and requested that a written report be circulated to Members in October on the activities of the Health & Wellbeing board. (3)

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Group heard a verbal update from the Head of Change Portfolio Office of the City of London Police regarding the One Safe City programme and its transition to the Secure City Project.

The Head of Change Portfolio Office reiterated the earlier discussion from the Outstanding References item on the meeting agenda, where it was agreed that a written closedown report detailing the recommendations from the Safer Communities Project would be submitted to the next meeting on 3 November 2017. (2)  This would allow for feedback from recent workshops to be processed and incorporated, leading to a more comprehensive report.

The Deputy Chairman emphasised the crucial importance of publishing the results of the previous work and, in accordance with the discussions involving Members at the recent One Safe City Working Party meeting on 21 July 2017, the recommendations must not be lost.  The PMO Manager explained that there was a desire to give clarity to Members over this work, and that there had been cooperation with the Town Clerk’s department in order to arrange a workshop scheduled to take place over the following two weeks.

The Head of Change Portfolio Office provided Members with a brief overview of the Secure City Project, and its planned developments in reference to the Smart City Programme.  The Chairman explained that during a recent trip with the Commissioner of Police to New York City, USA, it was notable that the local Police Force were able to directly access Corporate cameras from their own control room. 

A Member explained that this works effectively in Manhattan due to the fact that all CCTV cameras are consistent in their brand models – something that is not the case in London, and would thus pose a significant challenge as a result.  He then stated that the priority should

The Borough Commander to be heard.

The Group heard a verbal update from the Borough Commander of the London Fire Brigade on recent activities affecting the service.

RESOLVED – That the Borough Commander be heard.

The Chairman of the Serious Organised Crime Board to be heard.

The Group heard a verbal update from the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection on the developments of the Serious Organised Crime Board.

Director of Markets and Consumer Protection made reference to page 38, paragraph 7 of the agenda that stated that the next meeting of the SOCB had taken place on 7 September.  He confirmed that they had examined and identified a range of threats as stated within the Community Safety Team update report.  He explained that there would be a meeting with the Community Safety Team to identify priorities which would then be brought back to the next meeting.

The Chairman asked if the minutes from the SOCB meeting would be available to Safer City Partnership Members.  Director of Markets and Consumer Protection confirmed that these would be available, and a report would come to the next meeting on 3 November 2017. (7)

RESOLVED – That the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection be heard.

The Senior City Probation Officer to be Heard

The Group heard a verbal update from the City Probation Officer updating them on developments of the City Probation Service since the last meeting.

The City Probation Officer explained that for the most part, business has been continuing as usual, with 10 officers currently active.  He explained that there was not a significant influx of City residents being recruited due to the limited pool available, but that many were brought in from other regions such as Manchester.

The City Probation Officer explained that there had been a big push to meet a target of 60% of probation reports on the day, and that they are currently achieving 80%, with the Central Criminal Court proving to be challenging.

The City Probation Officer explained that some long-standing members were currently on secondment, and that he would be at the Safer City Partnership Strategy Group meetings as a representative until March 2018.

The City Probation Officer explained that the current agenda was to improve assessment training in the team in order to contribute towards terror prevention.

RESOLVED – That the City Probation Officer be heard.

The Chairmen stated his disappointment that a number of reports were submitted late to the agenda, not allowing Members sufficient time to read them before being asked to consider decisions at the meeting.  He stated that, in future, any reports submitted within 48 hours of the meeting should be rejected.

RESOLVED – That the Chairman’s comments be noted.