[To provide a presentation relating to the consultation outcomes and invite comments from the panel]
Minutes:
Superintendent Keith Frazer provide a presentation ‘Committed to preventing gang related harm and youth violence, Together: 2016-19.
The Superintendent celebrated the success of the strategy to date in Wolverhampton and outlined key achievements. He indicated that without a strategy in place and excellent partnership working arrangements the reduction of recorded offences, many targeted interventions and development of a community reference group would not have been possible.
The Superintendent presented three case studies:
• Managing the on-going risks
• The changing face of ‘gangs’
• Prevention to harm
In each case study the Superintendent outlined the issues and explained how the measures in place and partners were working together.
The Superintendent identified eleven key challenges associated with gang culture and individuals affected by gangs. He referred to better partnership work and how this is improving the prevention of gang related harm and youth violence in the City.
The Superintendent outlined the four ‘P’s’ as follows:
• Prevent
• Protect
• Pursue
• Prepare
He summarised each of the points highlighting that in order to prevent there is a need to protect the community against gangs, fear of crime and gang crimes; a need to identify and enforce against those in gang related activity and a need to identify instances and take early action.
The superintendent identified the objectives of the strategic vision and activities that are key to moving from reducing to preventing.
The Superintendent outlined the strategy consultation process and invited the Councillors to participate in the consultation process.
There followed a period of questions relating to the presentation.
Cllr Bishan Dass referred to the crime reduction figures provided in the presentation and asked if, in addition to guns and knives, a record of other weapons was kept. The superintendent indicated that pointed objects were recorded in the knives category.
In response to a question about risks to women, girls and other elderly people living on their own, the Superintendent informed the Panel that this highlighted the ‘fear of crime’. He explained that there may be a high degree of fear of crime for women girls and elderly people but that they are not likely to be the most likely to be directly affected by gang related activity, they are actually the least likely to be affected.
Cllr Ian Claymore asked questions relating to the membership of the community refernece group and about young people with mental health issues getting involved in gang activities. In response the Superintendent confirmed that the community reference group are a non-statutory community based group from the locality who report to the local prevention team. He advised that they are able to deal with the lower level activity using intervention measures, he clarified that they are not told what to do but do have a link into statutory bodies. In relation to youth mental health issues, he advised that currently a number of the Parliamentary committees are looking at youth and mental health provision and that there is some evidence to suggest those young people with mental health issues are more likely to get involved in gang activities.
Cllr Patricia Patten asked what more can be done to prevent people buying weapons on the internet. The Superintendent advised that activities to educate young people in schools and in the wider communities are taking place in addition to wider communication with retailers about age limits and responsibility. He confirmed there is a key drive around education.
Cllr Linda Leach referred to work in her community neighbourhood to provide a knife and gun bin and she asked the Superintendent if in his opinion the bins work. He responded that yes he did and that this was evident by the number of weapons being recovered. He clarified that the demand for weapon bins was driven by the community and that this is a key challenge to get community support and buy in to encourage weapon amnesty.
Cllr Paula Brookfield asked if schools were providing weapon bins. Cllr Jasbir Dehar confirmed that a bin is provided at a secondary school at which she works and that the amount of weapons recovered was surprising. Cllr Linda Leach advised that supermarkets also provide weapon bins.
Cllr Rita Potter asked about the legal status of the cannabis drug. Superintendent Keith Francis advised that cannabis is a banned substance and confirmed that although it had been reclassified it had not been decriminalised.
Cllr Daniel Warren referred to resource cuts to public sector bodies and what impact they would have on the forward plan. He asked the Superintendent if delivery of the strategy would be achievable on today’s budget and in the future. He indicated that budget cuts have already had some impact on his Bushbury ward particularly relating to neighbourhood intelligence gathering. The Superintendent noted the concern and advised that the plan would have to be delivered within the parameters of the budget and that this may mean delivering the plan in a different way to that currently presented. He advised that the partners are in the best place to deliver the strategy with the budget they receive from Government. He indicated that the development of the community reference group and use of social media to broaden intelligence flow will provide different ways of intelligence gathering.
Cllr Lynne Moran welcomed the information provided by the Superintendent and highlighted that this is not just a job for the police but for partners and the community. She referred to local concerns about drug related activities in the Whitmore Reans area, the Superintendent agreed to take the issue away and look into it, he indicated that the overall approach in the area may need to be different. Karen Samuels, Head of Community Safety advised that safeguarding is not just a policing matter and this is why it has been built into community strength.
Cllr Jasbir Dehar referred to gangs in secondary schools and asked if the Superintendent can identify where the gangs are. The superintendent indicated that intelligence gathering has improved but that improved links from schools and communities would be helpful to keep intelligence updated and fed into the partnership. He clarified that all intelligence is important to get a better understanding about where things are. Cllr Pauls Brookfield highlighted that better intelligence will help to target resource to the best place of need.
Cllr Bishan Dass voiced concern about the reduction of resource. The Superintendent advised that reduced resources will have an effect but reassured the Panel that the strategy is built around partnership working and at this time there have not been reductions, but realignment of boundaries.
The Head of Community Safety reassured the panel that in the last five years the work relating to gang related activities has progressed a long way and there is a good structure on which to take the strategy forward.
Resolved:
That the presentation be noted and that the comments of the Scrutiny Panel be taken into account as part of the consultation process’