Agenda item

To receive an update on the Community Safety Partnership – its Priorities and Action Plan from the Head of Housing and Health.

The Group had before it and NOTED a *report from the Head of Housing and Health (Chair of the East and Mid Devon CSP).

The East and Mid Devon Community Safety Partnership (CSP) was a statutory function under the Crime and Disorder Act. It was a multi-agency group that came together to look at community safety and crime in a particular area. The group comprised; the Police, the upper and lower tier Local Authorities i.e. Devon County Council (DCC) and the District Councils, the Fire and Rescue Service, the Probation Service and the NHS. They were the statutory partners that made up the board of the CSP. The CSP had its group terms of reference which were updated this year and the role of chairing the partnership could be met by any of those statutory partners.

Two key initiatives and key areas of work that the CSP had focussed on in the last 12 months had both focussed on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). The use of the Council’s powers had been expanded and they had equipped Mid Devon’s housing team to do more ASB work directly and work specifically with young people and the intervention panel around young offenders and young persons engaged in ASB.

The following was highlighted:

·         There was a link at the bottom of the report that would take readers to the Devon County Community Safety Partnership full report, which included the Community Strategic Assessment.

·         The CSP had seen the second highest increase in crime after South Devon and Dartmoor CSP, proving that there was a rural nature to some of the crime in addition to the city and town nature.

·         Crime numbers were quite low so any change in them led to fairly high percentage changes.

·         There had been a double figure increase in domestic abuse so that type of crime would be a priority for the CSP.

·         Martyn’s Law – The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill 2024. The Security Industry Authority would be the regulator and it would not be for the Council to enforce.

·         The new Police and Crime Bill would include changes around how shoplifting was treated as a crime. There would be a broad focus on anti-social behaviour with particular emphasis on young people and street related ASB.

·         Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls. This would include a focus on young people and harmful sexual behaviours including misogyny and harmful sexual content.

·         Exploitation with an emphasis on young people which again led back to ‘County Lines’, drugs and modern slavery.

·         Statutory Duties on the CSP irrespective of where they set their own priorities included: a serious violence duty; domestic homicide reviews; and safeguarding adult reviews which was about particularly complex cases where there had been a failure to protect a vulnerable adult (learning lessons from the past and applying those going forward).

·         The CSP had no direct funding other than ad-hoc specific grants for particular projects and so was largely a facilitating body. It was about the people in the room rather than the money they could spend, it was about partnerships. The CSP also facilitated groups in accessing Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) funding and some of the community grant work that the PCC had stood up. There was a small local authority budget to cover those statutory duties mentioned earlier.

Discussion took place regarding:

·         A Community Alcohol Partnership had been set up in Tiverton to educate young people around the dangers of alcohol misuse and to help promote healthier activities. Recently they had held a family day and invited a wide range of families that had been struggling and had young adults and children that had been associated with some of the local problems, there they were offered support and encouragement. The Coordinator had expressed an interest in developing similar partnerships in Crediton and Cullompton.

·         Public Space Protection Orders (particularly a new order under review in Crediton).

·         Respect Orders may be a new power coming through central Government later in 2025.

·         Street related ASB in young people included drug taking as well as alcohol and anything else happening on the streets, in the town centres and in the communities that focussed on young people.

·         Causes of and trends in Domestic Abuse.

·         Home Office funding through Devon County Council to fund sessions in schools around appropriate relationships and appropriate behaviours.

·         Lack of early intervention caused by lack of resources.

·         Domestic Violence from the child on the parent. Members of the family were often in the front line.

·         The age at which young people may need to be engaged with. There were 2 key age groups. Those pupils transitioning from primary to secondary school (10-12 years old) and those who were 15 to 17 years of age were also particularly vulnerable.

·         Provision of Youth Services outside the school remit was largely left to voluntary agencies.

Note: *Report previously circulated.