The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “L) which gives an update of some of the work undertaken by the Bradford South Area Neighbourhood Policing Team and an overview of the Bradford South Constituency Performance data.

Recommended –

(1)       That Bradford South Area Committee notes the work undertaken         by the Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing Team from April     2021 to November 2021 that contributed to addressing priorities   within the ward plans for the Bradford South Area.

(2)       That the Bradford South Area Committee notes the positive       partnership working that has been established with Elected          Members, Council Officers, community organisations, volunteers           and residents within the Bradford South Area.

Overview & Scrutiny Area: Corporate

(Mick Charlton – 01274 431155)

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “L) which gave an update of some of the work undertaken by the Bradford South Area Neighbourhood Policing Team and an overview of the Bradford South Constituency Performance data.

The Inspector for the Bradford South Neighbourhood Policing Team was present at the meeting to give an overview and respond to Member’s questions.  During his presentation he highlighted the following:

·         That the Covid pandemic had had a profound impact in terms of behaviours, leading to an increase in the incidents of violence against a person and criminal damage.

·         That incidents of domestic violence had also seen an upturn during the pandemic, leading to a more coordinated approach on how we tackle this particular crime, with a focus on victim support and recording of historic abuse.

·         That there had been an increase in the recording of non-violent crime, particularly in the sphere of online abuse and malicious communications, as more time had been spent online, during the period of the lockdown.

·         That there was an effort to increase the number and visibility of PCSOs in each of the wards.

·         During the pandemic the force had struggled to maintain community contact, and there was now a concerted effort to rebuild community contacts.

·         Work within schools was an important area of work, in order to build on relationships and trust in the Police and deter young people from criminal behaviour, with a particular focus on knife crime.  In addition working with Council Wardens to address the issue of parking near schools.

·         Antisocial Behaviour was another key area of activity, particularly with regards to incidents on Broadstone Way, Holme Wood, with some good work done to address ongoing issues, however problems remained, with attacks on delivery drivers an area of concern.  Work was also ongoing in the Wibsey/Royds area to deal with incidents of burglary and theft.

The Domestic Violence Coordinator was also present at the meeting and stated that the Pandemic had seen increases in the incidents of domestic violence and the work of the Unit, with its increased funding from the Council, was very much focussed on supporting victims and campaigns to ensure people sought the right help.  Prevention and Early help was very much an area of focus, as well as working with perpetrators and intergenerational work,  to break the cycle of violence and change behaviours.  

Community based approaches were crucial in tackling the issue, and to this end creating more safe spots was another area of focus; working with organisations to provide the necessary training so that appropriate responses were provided to victims.

During the discussion Members asked a number of questions, the questions together with the responses are set out below:

A Member thanked the Police and the work undertaken by the Domestic Violence Unit and suggested that the Police are proactive in ensuring that details of the location of Safe Spots are widely disseminated.

A Member commended the Police on a recent raid on a Cannabis Farm.

A Member ascertained the impact the return of some Covid restrictions will have on the Police.  In response it was acknowledged that face coverings will now be mandatory in certain settings, however the Police response will be proportionate in terms of enforcement.

A representative from Public Health was also present and gave a brief update on the pandemic, drawing attention to the new variant of concern, and that infection and hospital admissions rates remained stable, although there had been a slight increase since the last update in October. 

In response to a question regarding adequate levels of PPE and supporting business, it was stressed that although Covid Hubs were winding down, they would be redeployed as appropriate.  In terms of PPE, there were adequate stocks and supply issues were not foreseen at this stage.

The Chair thanked the Inspector and the Domestic Violence Coordinator for attending the meeting and responding to Members’ questions.

Resolved –

(1)       That the work undertaken by the Bradford South Neighbourhood         Policing Team from April 2021 to November 2021 that contributed            to addressing priorities within the ward plans for the Bradford       South Area be welcomed.

(2)       That the positive partnership working that has been established          with Elected Members, Council Officers, community          organisations, volunteers and residents within the Bradford South            Area be welcomed.

ACTION:       Area Coordinator

Overview & Scrutiny Area: Corporate