Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from the Chair Councillor Lee David-Sanders. In his absence the Vice-Chair, Councillor Daniel Anderson chaired the meeting.

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting and introductions were made. Apologies were also received from Councillors Anne Brown, Katherine Chiba and Dino Lemonides. Councillor Glynis Vince was substituting for Councillor Lee David-Sanders.

Further apologies were also received from A/Superintendent Alex Kay, (Safer Neighbourhoods), North Area BCU, Superintendent Farooq Sheikh, Borough Commander Steve West, (London Fire Brigade) and Askin Erozkal, (Parent Engagement Panel Member). 

Members of the Council are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to the items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest

To receive an update from the Police on issues of safety and vandalism.

RECEIVED an update from Acting Chief Inspector Chris Byrne.

NOTED:

i)             The report details the breakdown of crimes recorded within parks and green spaces in the Borough of Enfield from 01 January – 31 August 2019.

ii)            The national crime recording standards are used in order to ensure accurate recording of offences whereby a victim has confirmed that a crime has occurred.

iii)           Research has identified a variety of offences committed which include: Offences against the persons (assaults), thefts including robbery, possession of drugs, weapons, dangerous dogs, sexual offences and criminal damage.

iv)           The data is broken down by park location and the number of crimes committed within the review period. These offences have been identified through investigations that have taken place in order to establish any opportunities to identify the suspects involved.

v)            There have been 168 recorded crimes that have taken place within parks and the data has established that the majority of the offenders in the crimes committed are male.

vi)           There was an increase in crime within the month of July whereby 43 crimes were recorded within parks in the Borough. This is believed to be linked to the increase in warm weather and in some cases, events taking place.

vii)          Further details were provided on the parks within the Borough where the most offences had been recorded, namely; Broomfield Park, Ponders End Park, Pymmes Park and Trent Park.

viii)        The majority of offences in Pymmes Park revolve around drug possession and dealing and within Ponders Park the offences vary from ABH, drugs, ASB and drugs stop and searches. Offences at Broomfield Park often involved youths coming into the area from across the borough.

ix)           The offences in Trent Park are all attributed to private music events which occur annually; the 51^st State Festival which occurred on the 3/8/19 and the Elrow Town Festival which occurred on the 17/8/19. These events are privately organised and involve the organisers renting out the park from Enfield Council and attract significantly large numbers of crowds in excess of 20,000 per event. Due to the significant large numbers of attendees it is believed that crime occurring is mainly opportunist.  

Following Acting Chief Inspector Chris Byrne’s update, the following questions/comments were made:

·         Councillor Anderson questioned the data and the different spelling of the same individual parks throughout the report. It was acknowledged that this was an error and apologies were given. He also drew attention the fact that in Broomfield Park three of the incidents appeared to have taken place on the same day and so suggest that the same culprit was responsible.

·         The influx of youths coming into certain areas can be from across the Borough as well as out of Borough, with an increase in activity from 4pm-8pm. The Police work closely with their Safer School colleagues who, through their work with schools and Headteachers, can often provide the intel that the police are not able to obtain.

·         Although most of the crimes in Trent Park are attributed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 229.

To receive an update from Andrea Clemons, Head of Community Safety.

Andrea Clemons Head of Community Safety presented this report.

The Chair, Councillor Anderson began by saying how shocked and dismayed he was by some of what he had seen in the report. The figures are very concerning with the increases in crime significantly more than across the whole of London (the decreases are significantly less too).  He had serious concerns regarding these figures and was most interested to hear what is being done to address this situation.

i)             Andrea acknowledged Councillor Anderson’s comments and thanked the Committee for the opportunity to provide the performance update. She reminded Members that it is framed to support Enfield’s Partnership Plan (4 years – 2017-2021).

ii)            The report analyses the five priorities identified in the Borough of Enfield and discusses the performance compared to other London boroughs.

iii)           The measures reflect the priorities in our own Partnership Plan which are:

·         Reducing burglary and keeping people safe at home;

·         Tackling violent crime – in all its forms

·         Keeping young people safe and reducing their risks from crime;

·         Promoting cohesion and tackling hate crime;

·         Dealing with anti-social behaviour.

iv)           The report demonstrates progress in crime figures against the five bulleted priorities above.

v)            In the year ending July 2019, there were 414 Serious Youth Violence (SYV) victims in Enfield compared to 390 the previous year ending July 2018. This equates to a 6.2% increase in the Borough. London experienced a minimal 0.05% decrease in the same period.

vi)           Enfield is currently the 2^nd highest borough in London for Serious Youth Violence victims out of all the 32 London boroughs, marginally ahead of our bordering borough Haringey recording 413 victims.

vii)          Enfield has the 4^th largest youth population aged 1-19 in London accounting for just over a quarter of the total population. When considering the rate of SYV per 1000 population aged 1-19, Enfield recorded a rate of 5 over the last year.

viii)        Residential burglaries in Enfield have increased by 9.1% in the year ending July 2019.

ix)           Domestic Abuse Violence with Injury has increased in Enfield by 5.4% in the year to July 2019.

x)            ASB calls have increased in Enfield by 4.2% in the year ending July 2019, compared to the same period in the previous year.

xi)           Knife Crime in Enfield has increased by 10.4% in the year ending 2019 compared to the previous year. London has experienced a small decrease in Knife Crime of 0.9%.

xii)          Knife Crime offences have continued to rise month on month since April 2019, with June recording 81 offences the highest number of offences this year, falling to the 2^nd highest level of 68 offences in July 2019.

xiii)        Non-Domestic Knife Crime victims under 24 make up 49% (n=78) of all knife crime injury victims in Enfield and overall there has been a reduction of 14.3%, with 78 victims in the last year, compared to 91 the previous year.

xiv)        There were 2,622 Residential Burglaries in Enfield in the year ending July 2019, compared  ...  view the full minutes text for item 230.

To receive an update from the London Fire Brigade on the work they are doing to reduce crime.

Carl Cooper from the London Fire Brigade provided a brief overview on the various initiatives currently being undertaken by the LFB in an attempt to reduce crime. He state that they work closely with all their blue light partners and the Local Authority and detailed information was provided on the five schemes currently in place. These are:

·         LIFE- Local Intervention Fire Education 

This is an intensive four-day course facilitated by Fire and Rescue staff and firefighters at fire stations for young people between the ages of 14 and 17. The course is based on the role of the firefighter and participants take part in a range of activities. The programme also offers the opportunity to develop a range of skills which include leadership, social skills, communication and team work. The aim of the course is to develop skills and experience to deter young people from anti-social behaviour, as well as learn skills to enable them to succeed and live safe and healthy lives.

Since 1^st April 2019, 3 LIFE courses have been held at Tottenham Fire Station covering the boroughs of Enfield and Haringey.

·         Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Scheme (JFIS)

This education-based programme works with the child and their family to address fire-setting behaviour through identifying its cause, looking at the consequences of such actions and providing one to one, tailored fire safety education and advice. This scheme is targeted to potential arsonists or those children showing that tendency. The team are currently working with four young children in Enfield.

·         Safe Drive, Stay Alive (SDSA)

SDSA is an annual road safety theatre production education initiative. The main method for safety message delivery is through five speakers who share stories of personal experiences with road traffic collisions. It is aimed at young people (aged 17-25 inclusive) pre-learner, learner, newly qualified drivers and their passengers. This initiative seeks to influence young peoples’ attitudes and behaviours toward five risk-relevant driving practices. The London Borough of Enfield have been a long-time deliverer of SDSA in partnership with LFB, LAS and the Met.

·         Visual Audits

The Brigade has a continued focus on reducing the number of deliberate fires in London. In order to achieve even further reductions, staff will carry out regular visual audits to areas where communities have suffered a high number of deliberate fires. The aim of visual audits is to protect people (both the public and fire-fighters), property and the environment from harm by using statutory responsibility to prevent fires.

·         Junior Citizens Events (JC)

These events are multi-agency run by the Police and/or Local Authority. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been participating at borough level in JC events for many years. The events target schoolchildren between 9-11 years and take them through interactive scenarios from which they learn important safety information.

Carl then went on to provide information on the upcoming work taking place. This included:

·         The first Enfield Fire Cadet Unit for 14-17-year olds will open in early 2020 at a fire station to be confirmed. The year long course  ...  view the full minutes text for item 231.

To agree the minutes of the meetings held on the 28^th March and 13^th June  2019.

AGREED the minutes of the meeting held on 28^th March 2019.

AGREED the minutes of the meeting held on 13^th June 2019 subject to the following amendments:

Minute No: 18: Welcome and Apologies

·         Councillor Mustafa Cetinkaya was listed as a member of the Panel even though he was in the event, not in attendance.

·         The Chair (Cllr Lee David-Sanders) had declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he is the Enfield and Haringey Greater London Assembly Conservative Candidate for the 2020 Mayoral Elections.

To note the Work Programme 2019/20.

NOTED the Work Programme 2019/20.

Members agreed that the Work Programme priorities should align well with the SSCB priorities.

Councillor Daniel Anderson suggested in reference to the comments raised above about the presentation of the crime figures that a broader analysis of the  statistics may be useful in order for the Panel to obtain a clearer understanding of the current situation in the Borough. He would welcome a conversation with Andrea Clemons, Head of Community Safety outside of the meeting.

To note the dates of future meetings as follows:

·         28^th January 2020

·         17^th March 2020

These meetings will start at 7:30pm.

NOTED the dates of future meetings as follows:

28^th January 2020

17^th March 2020

Meetings will commence at 7:30pm