Agenda item

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 4 December 2019.

In considering the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2019, the Committee was advised that work was underway to identify how Brexit was likely to affect EU Nationals currently or at risk of being affected by homelessness and rough sleeping and that this would be reported to the next meeting of the Sub-Committee on 21 April 2020.

In response to a question from a Member, The Superintendent, City of London Policy confirmed that following consultation with partners, it had been decided to maintain the existing arrangements for mental health triage nurse patrols which operated between 3.00pm-2.00am every day, as this was the time period during which people in distress were most likely to present for support.

With regard to Item 11: Any Other Business, Members were advised that the ‘Doctors of the World’ Mobile Clinic pilot scheme commenced on 3 December 2019 and that consideration was being given to extending the initial pilot for a further 6-month period if resources could be identified.  The Severe Weather Emergency Plan (SWEP) had been activated for a four-day period in January 2020 and sufficient provision had been available to meet the level of need.

A Member requested that paragraph 3 of Minute 7: Rough Sleeping Performance Report be amended to state:

“The regular Parkguard officer had a very good relationship with the homeless population, who generally viewed the presence of uniformed officers as helpful, rather than intimidatory, although a Member observed that some rough sleepers were reluctant to interact with the Outreach Team when they were accompanied by Parkguard officers, which she considered could be limiting the opportunity for engagement.”

It was noted that Parkguard was not accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme within the City of London but did hold this accreditation in other areas where it could use a range of delegated powers under the Police Reform Act 2002.  

RESOLVED, that the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 4 December 2019 be approved, subject to the above amendment.