To receive the report of Jonathon Toy, Head of Community Safety.
Minutes:
Cllr Gina Needs, Cabinet Member, Community Cohesion & Enforcement, provided an introduction noting that the report sets out the key highlights from crime data for Enfield up to August 2024. The report also provides a deep dive into the Community Safety Partnership Programme in the Upper Edmonton and Edmonton Green area and sets out the rationale for the approach, progress to date and next steps.
CI Rob Gibbs, Neighbourhood Policing provided an overview of the deep dive- Clear Hold Build Operation Pisces – Upper Edmonton and Edmonton Green. The Stronger Communities Board Community Safety Plan 2022-25 has three broad priorities: - Crimes that cause direct harm to people, Theft or damage to property and Harm caused to neighbourhoods.
There is one part of Enfield, the Upper Edmonton and Edmonton Green area, that accounts for 20% of the total crime for the Borough. It is an area dominated by organised criminality, drug supply, street sex trade, violence, and street harassment, which blights the lives of the local community and legitimate businesses.
The National Police Chiefs Council have developed an approach called Clear, Hold, Build, aimed at addressing organised criminality in defined local areas and its long-term impact. Clear, Hold, Build is a place-based, 3-phases operational framework designed to simultaneously tackle the totality of Serious Organised Crime Groups (OCGs), their business models, what is enabling their model, locally exploited vulnerabilities, and highest harm hotspots. It provides an integrated partnership approach that delivers tactical options which are systematic, proportionate, and targeted.
The long-term aim is to empower and galvanise the community’s own voice to ‘claim back’ communities blighted by OCGs and build longer-term resilience and confidence to tackle future Serious Organised Crime threats. To achieve this the programme brings together the very best of investigative capabilities, multi-agency disruption opportunities and community-based problem-solving skills in a collaborative way.
Operation Pisces is a multi-agency programme which is focused on the Northumberland Park, Fore Street and Edmonton Green area. In May 2024 the crime analysis of the Fore Street (including Joyce and Snells Estate) and Edmonton Green area indicated that from June 2023-May 2024 Fore Street recorded the biggest hot spot within Enfield for Robbery offences. There were 236 robberies in and around Fore Street in this period, 24% of all the Borough’s offences. There were twenty Lethal Barrel Weapon Discharges, 26% of Enfield’s total and Fore Street had by far the highest rate of anti-social behaviour in the borough during the above 12-month period. Hot spots also appear around Fore Street for robberies, knife crime and drug trafficking.
Operation Pisces Clear phase commenced in June 2024 and the Police have committed a significant level of resources including the 5 local Safer Neighbourhood Teams, Territorial Support Group, the Specialist Crime North proactive teams and Specialist Crime Central Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation. Enfield Council has also established a Partnership Tasking and Enforcement Group bringing together the council’s operational and enforcement services as well as Police leads. The group is chaired by the Head of Community Safety and meets fortnightly, tasking services based on the most current intelligence.
Information was provided on partnership action and activity that has taken place including Police foot patrols, carrier-based patrols, Automatic Numberplate Recognition (ANPR), live facial recognition, passive drugs dogs, use of CCTV, warrants and covert tactics. 213 arrests have been made as well as 226 stop and searches for drugs, firearms, knives and offensive weapons. There has also been the closure or disruption of 3 drug lines.
The Partnership Tasking and Enforcement Group co-ordinated a Week of Action at the end of July with activity including but not limited to: Food Safety Officers carried out a total of 17 food hygiene inspections and issued 7 formal hygiene improvement notices, Private Sector Housing Officers carried out visits to 28 properties with 8 flats occupied by single families requiring a selective licence, and 4 flats being used as HMO’s requiring an HMO licence.
Members were further advised that since the commencement of the Operation Pisces the crime profile for both the area and Enfield has seen significant improvements, with the average daily crime in the borough having reduced from 146 crimes per day to 113 crimes per day, a 23% reduction since the start of the operation.
There has been a great number of police and council deployments and investment in Operation Pisces as the Clear phases progresses and planning activity begins for the Hold phases. Police leads will continue to bid for central police resourcing with a specific request for the Territorial Support Group. The intention is to continue the enforcement action until the end of December 2024.
The report also set out the key highlights from crime data for Enfield up to August 2024 which Members NOTED
Supporting documents: