To receive a verbal report on Burglary from Andrea Clemons, Head of Community Safety.
Minutes:
RECEIVED a verbal report from Rod Bennett on Burglary in the borough.
NOTED:
(i) Currently experiencing an -8.6% reduction (-265) in the rolling 12-months and a -20.3% reduction compared to 2011/12;
(ii) Very seasonal crime with low months (April-September) and a winter seasonal peak (October-March);
(iii) Burglary is one of our higher volume crimes, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 of all MOPAC 7 crimes;
(iv) This work is monitored through the Enfield Joint Tasking Action Group (JTAG);
(v) Burglary initiatives have been developed to deliver further burglary reductions, most notably the Safehouse project, which targets vulnerable victims, neighbourhood watch and the MetTrace project.
(vi) The Met Trace (Smart Water) operation commenced earlier this year and will run for three years;
(vii) In this year, the aim is to deliver 9,348 kits to Enfield residents. Up until early January, 6.699 have been delivered along with additional items we have provided such as timer switches, window shock alarms and leaflets as appropriate;
(viii) Phase 1 covers addresses in 7 wards which have been identified by the Police using their information systems. Enfield Highway, Enfield Lock, Palmers Green, Ponders End, Southgate Green, Southgate and Turkey St;
(ix) We have had a total of 650 kits which residents across Enfield have refused. It is planned that these kits will be re-used in other planned areas of Enfield;
(x) Figures from the Police state that since the 'Met Trace' operation commenced in Enfield in the early summer, there has been a 39% reduction in burglary offences in areas signed up to Smartwater;
(xi) Signs advertising that Smartwater is in use within an area are due to go up soon;
(xii) SafeHouse works to provide support to vulnerable people who are victims of crime. It will provide advice and a lock fitting service to protect our most vulnerable residents from being re-victimised;
(xiii) This scheme works with relatively low numbers of people (2/3 a week on average), mainly those who are victims of burglary or domestic abuse;
(xiv) Burglary is also a focus for our integrated offender management (IOM) service, with this being one of the crimes that we focus on. When we look at our offenders on the IOM cohort, over a quarter are associated with burglary in some way;
(xv) This work is of benefit, with the re-offending rate for acquisitive offences in Enfield (based on CRC data) being around 35% in Enfield compared to around 42% across London (Please note there is a time lag with reoffending data);
(xvi) We also work with other areas and partners wherever possible to prevent burglary. We have provided leaflets in conjunction with trading standards around cold callers and rogue traders to avoid people becoming victims of burglary artifice. We have also had leaflets delivered with ‘meals on wheels to get messages to elderly residents and have worked with council housing to provide stickers on UPVC doors when fitted to remind residents that they must ‘lift and lock’ to ensure their property is safe.
(xvii) Finally, we have run some burglary prevention campaigns to give advice to residents. These were done during early December for maximum impact and included the JCDecaux boards across the borough along with newspapers and online.
The following issues were raised:
· Discussions took place regarding the Smart Water Scheme. Superintendent Carl Robinson said he had been involved the start of this scheme in Brent and had seen some great results. He went on to say that there had been some really positive feedback from residents since the scheme had been introduced in Enfield and he hoped to roll it out to more areas across the borough if and when resources allowed;
· The Chair asked what work took place with our partnerships who deal with the older generation of the borough. Rod advised that his team worked closely with the Over 50s Forum. He also provided further information on SafeHouse and the support this offered. The team also worked closely with Police colleagues to find out about events in the borough to attend and provide advice and support where necessary.
· Councillor Doyle questioned the reasons behind seasonal burglaries and asked why there was an increase in the winter months. Rod explained that the darker winter months provided more opportunities for burglars as they were less likely to be seen, as did Christmas time when properties were targeted for presents. As an example Rod advised that during the summer months approximately 150 burglaries a month were reported as opposed to an average of 250 per month during the winter months.