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Contact: Helen Conway 0191 433 3993 Email: helenconway@gateshead.gov.uk 

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CSS70

Minutes pdf icon PDF 95 KB

The Committee are asked to approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 16 October 2018.

Minutes:

RESOLVED - that the minutes of the meeting held on 16 October be approved as a correct record.

CSS71

Tackling Drug Supply in Gateshead pdf icon PDF 64 KB

Report and Presentation by Inspector Alan Pitchford (Harm Reduction), Northumbria Police and Nicola Johnson, Community Safety Coordinator, Gateshead Council

Minutes:

 

 

The Committee received a report to provide an update on how partners tackle drug supply in Gateshead and across the Northumbria Police area.

 

The Committee were advised that the social and economic cost of drug use and supply to society is estimated to be around £10.7bn per year, of which £6bn is attributed to drug-related crime.

 

A number of key documents have been published over the last few years which has drugs as their key focus.  The National Drugs Strategy is about building recovery and getting into prevention and restriction of supply.

 

Gateshead have established the Central Drugs Alliance with Newcastle which is a partnership across the two local authorities, police, treatment services and supported accommodation providers.  The partnership looks at what is changing in terms of support and ensures a consistent approach to addressing drug supply across the Central area and is in line with the National Drug Strategy.  Its aim is to better link and share information across all drug partnership within the area.  The group has acted as a catalyst to bring the drugs agenda to the forefront of agencies work.  Four meetings have taken place to date where there have been intelligence gathering sessions looking at what’s happening with regards to supply on the ground. 

 

The plan is to extend this forum to make it Northumbria wide.

 

It has been identified that practitioners have access to a huge amount of intelligence linked to drug supply.  In a scoping exercise the alliance identified an inconsistent approach in terms of the sharing of the intelligence, it was either shared with police but with different officers based on relationships or not shared at all.  Some practitioners didn’t know what was useful to share and therefore didn’t.

 

A framework has been developed to make sure of a standardised approach to sharing information in Gateshead and some training has been rolled out to facilitate this.  All housing officers and some commissioned services have received a briefing from community safety and the intelligence department at the police about what information is useful to pass on and the appropriate routes to do this.  Further sessions are planned for supported accommodation providers, the DWP and GPs.  Sessions are also planned with Councillors in 2019.

 

The police have undertaken a number of operations under the umbrella of Operation Sentinel, there are also other means of information gathering which inform the operations:

 

·         Operation Sentinel – this is an umbrella operation with the main aim of disruption of serious and organised crime.  All of partners have been involved looking at a number of different ways of disrupting criminal gangs.

·         Intelligence Unit – there is a dedicated unit within Central command who process all of the intelligence which comes in.

·         Dedicated Source Unit – this is a specialist unit of highly trained officers who handle personal intelligence sources.  This information comes in as these people are closely associated with criminal gangs.

·         Covert Operations – this is a unit of highly trained people, they were responsible for Operation Falkland  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS71

CSS72

Strategic Assessment 2018 pdf icon PDF 67 KB

Report and Presentation by Gemma Thompson, Community Safety Analyst, Gateshead Council

Minutes:

The Committee received a report and presentation to provide an update in relation to the findings outlined within the Strategic Assessment that has been carried out within Gateshead to help identify Community Safety priorities for 2019/20.

 

The Community Safety Partnership has a statutory duty to produce an annual assessment and must seek views of the public and responsible authorities on the assessment and proposed priorities.

 

The current priorities for 2018/19 are:

 

·         Anti-Social Behaviour and Environmental Crime

·         Domestic Abuse

·         Mental Health

·         Restricting Supply – Drug Misuse

 

It was also agreed that the following workstreams would be monitored:

 

·         Hate Crime and Tension Monitoring

·         Preventing Violent Extremism

·         Serious and Organised Crime (Disruption)

·         Repeat Victimisation Vulnerability

·         Reducing Re-offending

 

In terms of 2019/20 whilst there is still some uncertainty around Brexit, it would be foolish to ignore that there maybe issues.  What will happen if a lot of non-British workers decide they don’t feel welcome here.  We are already one of the most deprived areas in the country will this make us worse.  Will there be further demands on food banks.  What if there are food shortages, how will this impact on crime and disorder, what about community tensions, we already know there was a rise in hate crime after the referendum itself and if and when we leave will that give credence to right wing groups.

 

Other issues to consider include:

 

·         Operation Dovetail – this has implications for the local authority, lots more demand place on us with regards to preventing radicalisation and supporting those who have already been radicalised.

·         Prison Sentences Review – what impact will that have on probation services, bearing in mind how stretched the services are already.

·         Domestic Abuse Bill – will hopefully see increasing numbers of victims reporting issues and being adequately support, but we need to have capacity and capability to deal with this.

 

The 2018 Strategic Assessment identified 21,597 crimes recorded, an increase of 10%, in particular increases in violence against the person, criminal damage and burglary.

 

There has been a 28% increase in the number of victims of crime in Gateshead.  52% of victims are female (this differs depending on the crime type). 

 

Police has recorded anti-social behaviour has fallen by 16%, youth related anti-social behaviour has fallen by 13%.

 

3525 crimes recorded as domestic-related which is an increase of 93%.  Three in ten violent crimes are classed as domestic, referrals to domestic abuse service are increasing.

 

Increases in the number of hate crimes reported to the police, two thirds of hate crimes are racial, six in ten offences are public order offences.

 

Fires attended have fallen by 2%, there was a massive spike in July 2018 (+262%) which was linked to youth disorder.  Attacks on firefighters have been highlighted nationally and there have been several reports of this locally but it is really difficult to identify perpetrators, they tend to be youths but we need to think about how this can be improved for officers.

 

The draft priorities which have been identified are:

 

·         Anti-social behaviour  ...  view the full minutes text for item CSS72

CSS73

Progress Update on Families Gateshead pdf icon PDF 65 KB

Report and Presentation by Susan Butler, Service Manager, Gateshead Council

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received the Families Gateshead Performance Report.  Families Gateshead is the local model for delivery of the national Troubled Families programme funded and overseen by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).  Families are identified against the following nationally-set criteria.

 

1.    Parents and children involved in a crime or anti-social behaviour

2.    Children who have not been attending school regularly

3.    Children who need help

4.    Adults out of work or at risk of financial exclusion and young people at risk of worklessness

5.    Families affected by domestic violence and abuse

6.    Parents and children with a range of health problems

 

The programme uses a Payment by Results (PbR) model which allows the Local Authority to claim a financial dividend where outcome for the family have been achieved.

 

Currently the number of families Gateshead have allocated are as follows:

 

122 families currently subject to CIN assessment within referral and assessment

1897 phase 2 families allocated since September 2014

831 phase 2 families that remain open to services and in receipt of package of support

358 phase 2 families currently in monitoring (where successful outcomes have been achieved but not sustained for the required timescale to make a claim).

 

There are currently 382 families in phase 2 who have a Gateshead Housing Company Tenancy, 177 of these families are in monitoring.

 

298 families are suspended due to none engagement, this has increased by 21 families since October.

 

52 families have been suspended as no assessment has been completed with the family.  It was noted that this is a voluntary programme and families cannot be forced to take part.

 

There are 617 families who have re-entered into the FamiliesGateshead programme.  This is an increase of 20 families since October.  431 of these families are re-entry monitoring families.  186 of those families are re-entry claimed.

 

We still have 50 Phase 1 families open to services and are in receipt of a package of support.  The payment by results claims window closed on 28 December 2018.  804 claims have been made so far.  The Local Authority are 1126 family short.  The Local Authority can claim £830 for each family.

 

Gateshead were 47th of 141 Local Authorities Performance Table which was distributed in November. 

 

RESOLVED -  (i)         that the contents of the report be noted

                        (ii)        that the OSC receive further updates at future OSC meetings.

 

 

CSS74

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 58 KB

Report of the Strategic Director, Corporate Services and Governance

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report setting out the Work Programme for the municipal year 2018/19.

 

The appendix tabled to the report sets out the work programme as it currently stands.

 

RESOLVED -  (i)         That the work programme be noted.

                        (ii)        That future reports on the work programme will be brought to the Committee to identify any additional policy issues, which the Committee may be asked to consider.

                         

CSS75

Exclusion of the Press and Public

The Committee may wish to exclude the press and public from the meeting during

consideration of the following items on the grounds indicated:-

 

Item No           Paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972

 

8                      1 & 7

 

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED -              That the press and public be excluded during consideration of the next item, subject to paragraphs 1 and 7 of the Local Government Act 1972

CSS76

Domestic Homicide Review - Progress Update

Report and Presentation by Adam Lindridge, Community Safety Manager, Gateshead Council

Minutes:

The Committee received an update on the outcome of a Domestic Homicide Review undertaken since April 2017.

 

The Community Safety Board established the review under the provisions of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 which requires partner agencies to come together to review domestic-related homicide to identify any lessons learnd.

 

RESOLVED -  that the information in the report and presentation be noted.

 

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