Agenda item

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

Andrea Clemons, Head of Community Safety presented this report and highlighted the following:

·         The performance paper reflected what used to be called the MOPAC 7 suite of crimes that measured crime whether they happened or not. There was now a new plan and MOPAC 7 was not being used any more.

·         As detailed on page 1 of the report, the table highlighted 2 red areas against:

a.    Theft from person

b.    Violence with injury

Theft from person had gone up 12.9% and the MPS, as an average for the rest of London, was down by 12.9%.

·         As detailed on page 2 of the report, the London Borough Ranking Tables highlight the percentage change in notifiable offences from last year’s figures as compared to this year. Enfield’s figures had reduced by 0.41% over the 18 month period. As a comparison, Haringey had gone up by 10.69%. The victim based offences show the result of police pro-active activity.

·         As detailed on page 3 of the report, highlights Serious Acquisitive Crime (SAC) and that robbery, burglary and vehicle crime showed notable reductions.

·         As detailed on page 4 of the report, violence against Women & Girls showed a reduction in both rape offences and recorded domestic violence. Serious Youth Violence figures showed an increase of 4.55% with London experiencing an overall increase of 12.32% to the year end 7 march 2017.

The following questions were raised:

Q: When we are told that crime figures have increased or decreased, are there any particular groups of people that do and don’t tend to report crime or are less or more involved in reporting crimes?

A: The Community Safety Unit did not think that there was any identifying factor that would say that there was dis-proportionate reporting of crime. Their estimate would be that the majority of cases reported would be from white women. Where there were dis-proportionate areas of low crime reporting, the unit would encourage those areas to report. A recent ‘He doesn’t love you campaign’ targetted messages to very young women (14-30) through social media.

Q: Regarding the London Borough ranking tables (page 2 of the report) Haringey was mentioned as being the red, up by 10.69% and that Enfield were doing better. How were Barnet doing and were there any obvious differences?

A: This was around the density of population between the border with Enfield and Haringey as opposed to the west of the borough, which is more sparsely populated.

Q: With regards to the burglary statistics on page 3 of the report, are Met Trace, alley gating scemes continuing to be implemented across the borough and is there funding for these?

A: Both these initiatives are funded centrally by the Met police. The Council contribute to this by the provision of signage on lampposts warning burglars of Met Trace/smart water is being used in that area. Alley gating funding still currently available, the next year’s budget would need to be looked at as this was not the Community Safety Unit’s budget area.

Q: Gun crime had risen to 96% as opposed to 76% for the previous year. What is gun crime?

A: Gun crime includes but is not limited to a dis-charge of a gun. Numbers of these had increased and are serious but are low with 16 incidents in the last 12 months.

Q: What age groups are involved in gun crime?

A: This information would be available where arrests have occurred which would establish age. This was very much a measure of demand  on the police and not an actual totality of gun crime. If the police find out more on a particular gang then figures for gun crime would go up.

Q: With regards to page 1 of the report and the crime type ‘Theft from person and violence with injury’ were these figures due to an increase in serious violence or other violent crime types?

A: Violence with injury might have an overlap with serious youth violence. So they are not two distinctive crime types. They can be different but there may be an overlap.

Comment from Member of the Public:

With regards to ‘Violence Against Women and Girls’ it would be useful if the statistics for ‘1^st reporting of victimisation’ was presented separately. The table (page1) shows the number of offences being reported as going down, however this couldn’t guarantee that violence had not gone down. Figures reflect what is being reported.