Agenda item

Examination of crime statistics received from MOPAC to include:

a)    Recorded Crime

b)    Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

c)    Public Confidence & Victim Satisfaction

d)    Complaints against Borough Officers/ Staff

e)    Stop and Search

CI Ian Kibblewhite gave the following update on crime statistics:

 

Recorded Crime

 

Incidents of Violence with Injury had increased substantially over the past year; this remained the most significant concern.

 

All crimes involving violence (for example, hate crimes, knife crime) had experienced increases.

 

Many violent incidents were related to gang tensions but were not necessarily gang on gang crimes.  There were currently 250 gang nominals in Enfield which was one of the highest numbers in the Metropolitan Police area.

 

Much work was being undertaken to address the problem and to target gang members to disrupt their activities.  This included initiatives such as the Gang Call-In which aimed to disincentivise gang members by exposing them to the consequences of gang life through testimony from doctors, former gang members, the Police and families of deceased gang members. 

 

The Borough Commander was due to publish an article in the local press on what contribution the wider community could make to ensuring young people were not becoming involved in criminality.

 

Operation Trident had recently widened its remit to include all gang related crime.

 

Given the above, it was acknowledged that the newly agreed priority of Serious Youth Violence for the Board was a positive step.

 

CI Kibblewhite then commented that the Police were also now concentrating on targeting ‘wanted persons’.  These included, for example, offenders who had breached bail conditions or who were wanted as named suspects.

 

The following questions were then taken:

 

Q:        How was the recent incident of a man being stabbed and his laptop stolen recorded?

A:        It was recorded as both a robbery and a murder; both crimes would also have had ‘knife crime flags’.

 

Q:        Isn’t it still the case that MOPAC does not yet separate out new and repeat Domestic Violence incidents in its statistics?

A:        This may be the case, however, the Police in the Borough do hold fortnightly review meetings which include looking at potential repeat victims and offenders of Domestic Violence.

 

Q:        Are Officers receiving any training in combating radicalisation?

A:        The Borough currently has two Officers who have good links to the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Unit.  A lot of work is being undertaken with faith communities, and with the wider family to help prevent radicalisation.

 

Public Confidence and Victim Satisfaction

 

Public Confidence – Levels of Public Confidence in Enfield had decreased to 60% over the year.  It was acknowledged, however, that levels were difficult to measure and results may not be truly reflective of the wider population since the number of respondents to the survey was usually low.

 

It was acknowledged that recent high profile incidents had probably impacted on public confidence and that Police visibility and contactability were important factors.

 

Visibility may have reduced as a number of PCSOs had now become PCs with expanded remits and bigger shift patterns.  The closure of Ponders End Station may have also reduced perceptions of visibility.  It was acknowledged, however, that such closures delivered the savings needed, avoiding the need to reduce Police numbers.

 

The following questions were then taken:

 

Q:        Will there be a greater reliance on technology to detect crime if Police numbers are reduced?

A:        Technology, such as CCTV, is an important first line of enquiry in many crimes; however, there is no Government policy to replace Police officers with such technology.  CCTV is of great assistance to the Police and we are increasingly reliant on it to help resolve investigations.  Enfield undertakes fortnightly meetings to review the condition and positioning of CCTV cameras.

 

The introduction of body cameras has also been a positive step in Enfield and was undertaken before the Metropolitan Police implemented it on a wider basis.  Body cameras can be a useful tool in providing evidence for, say, Domestic Violence incidents or Taser deployment. 

 

Q:        Have the number of Parks Police been reduced?

A:        The Police provide a Sergeant and 2 Officers to the Local Authority; who in addition pay for 15 PCSOs to patrol parks.  5 of these have now left the Police.  There are currently no other PCSOs in the Borough that can be redeployed to Parks.

 

A Board member commented that, on page 8 of MOPAC’s report, although all of the graphs indicated a reduction in percentage points compared to the MPS average, all but one of the graphs showed ‘green’.  The Board member would raise this with MOPAC ACTION: Adrian Bishop-Laggett.

 

Victim Satisfaction – this measure related to how victims felt their investigation and concerns were dealt with.  Areas for improvement included providing more practical help, for example, providing Victim Care Cards.

 

CI Kibblewhite would circulate an electronic Victim Care Card to the Board ACTION: CI Kibblewhite/Jane Juby.

 

Complaints again Borough Officers/Staff

 

It was acknowledged that there were higher numbers of complaints against the Police in Enfield than a number of other London Boroughs, however, the time taken to conclude investigations had been reduced and levels compared favourably to neighbouring boroughs such as Waltham Forest and Haringey.  There were currently 36 open complaints.  It was noted that numbers of complaints would impact upon satisfaction levels.

 

Stop and Search

 

The Police were currently aiming to reduce the number of Stop and Searches, but increase the number of positive outcomes.

 

In the last 12 months, 24% of Stop and Searches had resulted in a positive outcome (for example, arrest).  This compared favourably to the overall Metropolitan Police target.

 

There had been a significant increase in searches undertaken for weapons in June.  Stop and Search may also be undertaken as part of the ‘Catch and Convict’ initiative which targeted gang nominals. 

 

The success of Stop and Search was dependent on the confidence of the community; if the community felt it was a positive tool being used in the right way then community members would be more likely to assist the Police in providing intelligence and feedback.

 

Stop and Search remained an important tool in combating knife and gun crime.

 

It was noted that there were different categories of weapon which may include other, less obvious, items such as blocks of wood.

 

CAPE Chair Attendance

 

The issue of the attendance of Chairs at CAPEs was then discussed.

 

It was noted that Inspectors had been asked for their comments. 

 

It was noted that the re-election of Chairs could be undertaken if appropriate.