Local democracy

Agenda item

BRADFORD DISTRICT SAFER COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP PERFORMANCE REPORT AND DELIVERY PLAN

The Strategic Director place will present a report (Document “W”) which provides the details of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) performance report for the twelve months to 30th June 2018. The report also presents the annual CSP delivery plan.

 

Members are asked to consider the Plan on a Page and the performance data contained within Document “W”.

 

(Ian Day/Rebecca Trueman – 01274 431364)

Minutes:

 

The Strategic Director Place presented a report (Document “W”) which provided details of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) performance report for the twelve months to 30th June 2018. The report also presented the annual CSP delivery plan.

 

A member challenged the content of the report, considering there to be a disconnect between the priorities within it and the priorities of his constituents. He expressed concern that the credibility of the Police would be adversely affected by this and also had concerns about the use of data within the report, citing that there was only one reference to burglary but that far more reference was made to hate crime. He considered that such priorities needed to be reconsidered and gave a personal example of extreme violence against a family member which he considered had not been investigated properly.

 

In response, a representative of the Police stressed the seriousness of the impact of hate crime. She also highlighted that violent crime did not necessarily have to result in injury to a person to have an impact. She undertook to discuss the example given by the Councillor privately. She also concurred that crime such as burglary had an impact on people’s lives and stressed that a lot of work was being done to make people feel safer.

 

The Chair also stressed how much hate crime affected people’s lives and stated that it should not be belittled. He highlighted that hate crime was increasing nationally.

 

A member noted that improved the reporting of crime may have the unintended effect that targets to reduce crime were not met. The Police representative agreed that data was difficult to manage and that it could sometimes appear contradictory.

 

Another member returned to the issue of hate crime as compared to other types of crime and expressed concern that the public felt that not enough was being done to resolve crimes which were not hate crime related. In response, the process of investigating burglaries was explained and it was stressed that, while such crimes were very distressing, they were not of the same nature as hate crime which was an attack on an individual simply for who they were. It was also noted that hate crime often had a high element of violence involved.

 

Members noted that this report contained some extremely important topics and considered that it would be worthwhile examining those separately and in greater depth.

 

Members also recounted examples of hate crime and abuse via social media which had resulted in very serious impacts on people’s lives and stressed that it was an important topic which should not be considered less significant than other types of crime.

 

In response to a question regarding the impact of crime on mental health and anxiety, members were advised that how crime was dealt with depended on individual circumstances. The process of making an impact statement by victims of crime was explained as was the restorative justice process which had proven extremely beneficial. It was stated that there was no routine pathway for mental health support.

 

A member suggested that publicity could be given to the conviction of prolific offenders, including to those who may have been victims of that individual, in order to give comfort that such an individual was no longer operating in an area.

 

A member explained her concerns in respect of this report and young men who lived in an environment of low level crime and who had little prospect of meaningful work to take them out of that situation. She considered that this group of youths were excluded from growing and maturing and that it was a significant issue for the City to deal with. Member colleagues and the Police representative concurred with those concerns and considered that the issues of behaviours and relationships should be meaningfully challenged.

 

A member then turned to the issue of the anti social use of motor vehicles and was advised that it was already on the work programme for consideration at a future meeting. 

  

Resolved –

 

(1)  That a schedule of scrutiny reviews into the areas raised in Document “W” be developed.

 

(2)  That the above schedule include a detailed scrutiny review into the effectiveness of Bradford Council and its partners in addressing hate crime across the District.

 

(3)  That the above schedule include a detailed scrutiny review into the effectiveness of Bradford Council and its partners in tackling domestic abuse across the District.

 

(4)  That this Committee requests that quarterly electronic performance reports be provided, with the opportunity to raise any concerns which may  require addressing.

 

 

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place/Overview and Scrutiny Lead

Supporting documents: