Cumbria Community Safety Agreement

Cumbria Community Safety Agreement

Community Safety Agreement

2012/2013

Chairman’s Foreword

As Chair of the Safer Cumbria Action group, I am pleased to present the Community Safety Agreement for 2012-13, which has been drawn up and prepared by all the partners to continue to make Cumbria one of the safest places to live in the country.

The Agreement has been developed from the findings of the Cumbria Strategic Assessment and the strategic assessments of the four sub-county Community Safety Partnerships which were undertaken in 2011 and include direct consultation with the communities of Cumbria.

It builds upon the successes we have already achieved for local communities, including significant reductions in crime, anti social behaviour (ASB), reoffending and addressing the issue of domestic violence. All of our successes have been improved still further by our effective partnership working.

The Safer Cumbria board has evolved this year out of the Safer and Stronger thematic partnership, the Domestic Violence board, the Drug and Alcohol Action Team and the Local Criminal Justice board to enable a more coordinated and effective approach to be taken to tackle county-wide issues.

The board has reduced the level of duplication that was previously present in the partnership landscape within Cumbria, and combines strategic insight with the support and encouragement of chief officers to drive the community safety agenda forward.

The introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2012 has also been in our thoughts when setting up the Safer Cumbria board. This foresight means that already we can say that the steps suggested by the Home Office to facilitate the introduction of Commissioners in Cumbria, are in the process of being taken, and I am confident that this approach will lead to a fruitful partnership with the Commissioner where we each respect and build on each others strengths.

The Safer Cumbria board believes that the successes we have achieved so far, especially in these turbulent times would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and commitment of all of our staff, partners and members of the public and we hope that you will continue to work with us to ensure that Cumbria remains one of the safest places in the country.

Dominic Harrison

Corporate Director for Safer and Stronger Communities and Chief Fire Officer

Contents

Introduction3

Purpose of the Community Safety Agreement4

Governance5

County Priorities7

Current Context – Anti Social Behaviour Inc Criminal Damage9

– Domestic and Sexual Violence10

– Substance Misuse13

– Violent Crime14

– Criminal Justice15

Cross Cutting Themes16

Key Actions for Safer Cumbria18

1. Introduction

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 gave statutory responsibility to local authorities, the police, and key partners to reduce crime and disorder in their communities. Under this legislation district level Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) were required to carry out regular audits and to work together to implement crime reduction strategies.

A review of the 1998 Act took place in 2006, which resulted in a change to these requirements. At a district level, the regular audits were replaced by annual Strategic Assessments and public consultation; whilst the crime reduction strategies were replaced by a three year rolling partnership plan refreshed annually. For two tier authorities, such as Cumbria, a statutory Community Safety Agreement was introduced as well as the creation of a countywide strategy group

The introduction of the Police Reform and Social responsibility act in 2011, along with new guidance introduced by the coalition government, reiterated the requirement for Strategic Assessments and Community Safety Agreements, however gave partners a lot more discretion as to how priorities are addressed locally.

The act also paved the way for the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners and created a protocol which lays out how Community Safety Partnerships should work in conjunction with the Police and Crime Commissioner to address similar areas of priority concern

2. Purpose of the Community Safety Agreement

To deliver the statutory duty under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, two tier authorities are required to prepare a community safety agreement for the County. Section 17 recognises that there are key stakeholders that have responsibility for a wide range of services to the community that can deliver community safety solutions.

To develop a more joined-up approach to public service delivery; enable more effective and co-ordinated strategic planning across partner agencies and to ensure sustainable and lasting improvements in delivering outcomes. This agreement recognises that community safety issues do not always respect district boundaries, and that coordination of effort can lead to economies of scale, joined up working, and more effective outcomes.

To contribute to the delivery of the four countywide aspirations as set out

in the Cumbria County Council plan; to make Cumbria a place with a thriving economy, a great place to be a child and grow up, a place to enjoy an independent and healthy life and a place to live in a high quality and sustainable environment.

3. Governance

In 2011 it was recognised that within the current climate, both financial and political, the existing Criminal Justice/Community Safety, DAAT and Domestic Violence Board Structures were in need of review to ensure they were fit for purpose. Under the auspices of the Safer and Stronger Thematic Partnership a working group was set up to look at possible new structures that met all the anticipated needs going forward.

Following a series of consultations and a workshop, a new amalgamated board was created. This board is called Safer Cumbria. Safer Cumbria combines countywide working with the skill sets of other partner agencies in ensuring that the needs of local people are met; that partners work together effectively on the ground and that local knowledge adds value to any initiative.

Safer Cumbria will replace the Safer and Stronger Thematic Partnership and will sit alongside the Health and Wellbeing Board, Children’s Trust and the LEP.

Safer Cumbria is responsible for the delivery of the Cumbria Community Safety agreement, with a wide membership taken from all those partners who contribute towards the delivery of community safety priorities within Cumbria.

Safer Cumbria aim to deliver effectively and efficiently the priorities outlined in this agreement and to comply with their statutory responsibilities

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Cumbria Community Safety Agreement

The Safer Cumbria group is structured as follows

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Cumbria Community Safety Agreement

4. County Priorities

The Community Safety Agreement is a combination of the strategic assessments undertaken annually by the four local Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) across Cumbria, combined with an assessment that covers Cumbria as a whole. These assessments have been carried out by the Cumbria Intelligence Observatory and look at a wide variety of data, not just criminal but other pertinent data sources from other agencies such as Health and socio economic data.

As well as quantitative data, a wide cross section of the people of Cumbria is consulted as to what they consider their issues of concern to be.

The following table outlines the priorities chosen by the relevant Community Safety partnership.

As well as locally identified priorities, under statute, Safer Cumbria must have regard to substance misuse, the reduction of reoffending and the reduction of crime and disorder.

Based on these district level priorities and combined with the countywide strategic assessment. The priorities to be addressed through Safer Cumbria are:

• Anti Social Behaviour including Criminal Damage
• Substance Misuse both drugs and alcohol
• Violent Crime, including Alcohol related violent crime
• Domestic and Sexual Violence

Cutting across all these priorities are themes which should be addressed. These are

• Early Intervention, Prevention and Education
• Criminal Justice including reoffending
• Ensuring vulnerable people receive the support they need and improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged

Several of the identified priorities already have existing multi-agency partnership arrangements in place that are ensuring a coordinated approach across organisations at a strategic level. These arrangements can be further enhanced with linkages to the Cumbria Community Safety Agreement and where necessary suitable co-operative arrangements and joint interventions can be established to deliver shared priorities or issues.

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In conjunction with all of the priorities and cross-cutting themes identified throughout this process, is the importance of building stronger communities through community engagement and the themes of the Localism act - helping people to come together to improve their own lives and ensure their communities are safe and supportive places in which to live.

5Current Context

Anti Social Behaviour including Criminal Damage

Anti-social behaviour describes a range of everyday nuisance, disorder and crime, from graffiti and noisy neighbours to harassment and street drug dealing. It is sometimes dismissed as trivial, but anti-social behaviour has a huge impact on victims’ quality of life.

Reducing anti-social behaviour is a government priority and a priority for the police and other agencies as well, particularly where it is criminal or targeted at vulnerable victims. Unchecked, anti-social behaviour can be linked to increased disorder, low-level crime and fear of crime in a Neighbourhood.

In spring 2010, a countrywide review of anti-social behaviour by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) concluded that the public perceive no real difference between crime and anti-social behaviour highlighting how important it is for partners to tackle it.

During 2010/11, Cumbria Police recorded approximately 32,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour, a reduction of over 11% on the previous year. Combined with similar reductions the previous year, Cumbria currently has extremely low levels of anti social behaviour, however it is still of cause for concern for the public. Whilst criminal damage has reduced, compared to our peers it is still too high and needs to be addressed.

Youth disorder makes up nearly a third of all anti social behaviour incidents

In the last year, a new methodology for addressing anti social behaviour has been introduced across Cumbria. Driven in part by the Pilkington case, this methodology allows more vulnerable victims of anti social behaviour to be identified and to receive a more intensive partnership based intervention that will resolve the issue.

This new process entitled the Multi Agency Anti Social Behaviour Risk Assessment meeting (MAASBRAM) has been incredibly successful at dealing with the high risk cases.

Domestic and Sexual Violence

Domestic violence can be perpetrated by family and extended family members, including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and so-called ‘honour crimes’. Domestic violence is rarely a one off incident, and should instead be seen as a pattern of abusive and controlling behaviour through which the abuser seeks power over their victim. Children are also affected, not only are many traumatised by what they witness, there is also a strong connection between domestic violence and child abuse. Victims of domestic violence suffer on many levels, health, housing, education, and lose the freedom to live their lives how they want, and without fear.

On average 2 women nationally are killed every week as a result of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a serious public health issue. 25% of women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes and between 6-10% of women suffers domestic violence in a given year. When there were more than 4 incidents (i.e. ongoing domestic violence or sexual abuse) 89% of victims were women, however we also know that domestic violence can affect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and male victims. It has more repeat victims than any other crime.

Almost a quarter of young adults in the UK have witnessed domestic violence in their childhood, and almost 1 in 20 children and young people in the UK have experienced severe forms of domestic violence. 70% of children on child protection plans have domestic violence as a significant factor and 55% of children and young people in care are from domestic violence households. A survey by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) revealed that 20% of teenage girls have been hit by their boyfriends, 4% were subjected to regular attacks by their partner and a further 16% had been struck at least once.

There were over 6500 incidents reported to the police last year in Cumbria, a 15.3% increase on the previous year, around 60% remain unreported. 41% of incidents had repeat perpetrators. Data shows a correlation between the number of domestic violence incidents and the proportion of children living in poverty and where there are high levels of deprivation, unemployment, low incomes and high levels of alcohol related crime. Police statistics recorded 126 rapes in 2010/11

Home Office Statistics estimate that over 15,000 women and girls were victims of domestic abuse in the last year in Cumbria and that there were over 5000 victims of sexual assault. The cost to Cumbria of domestic violence is estimated at £48m in direct costs and in addition the human and emotional cost is £151m

The partnership has delivered significant change over the last 6 years under the leadership of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board, leadership for this work and the developing strategy now sits with the Safer Cumbria Partnership. Cumbria has a specialist domestic/ sexual violence lead/ coordinator based within the Safeguarding Section of Children’s Services.

Partnership work has included;

• the implementation of 3 Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) in north, south and west of the county,
• the introduction of four accredited Specialist Domestic Violence Courts in Barrow, Workington, Kendal and Carlisle (SDVC),
• the commissioning of an integrated Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) and support service (Let go, Impact Housing).
• Working with Children’s Centres and Let Go to deliver Recovery Support groups for victims affected by domestic violence.
• Champions Networks across the county to improve organisational responses to domestic violence.
• Multi agency working and procedures around safeguarding adults and children affected by domestic violence.
• MARAC and information sharing protocols and draft procedures for dealing with domestic homicides.

IDVA services support around 750-1000 high risk cases per year and 500 victims were referred to MARAC in 2010/11 with 620 children identified by MARAC as being affected by domestic violence. In Cumbria, in a snap shot of 15 case conferences 13 involved domestic violence as a significant factor and domestic violence is a significant factor in the majority of serious case reviews.

National evaluation, and local outcome data provides empirical evidence that the IDVA approach keeps victims of severe abuse and their children safer. In 70% of cases, the abuse had ceased and 76% of victims felt safer after support from an IDVA. Analysis shows that following intervention by MARAC up to 60% of domestic abuse victims report no further violence. For every £1 spent on MARAC’s at least £6 of public money can be saved annually on direct costs to agencies such as the police and health services.

This investment in services and systematic change is reflected by the increase in incidents and the number of convictions, as more victims are confident to report.

Domestic and Sexual Violence priorities and vision 2012 -2015

Nationally the Government is committed to tackling domestic and sexual violence and has recently published several key strategic documents. These documents highlight the overlap between different areas of gender based violence and recommend that a holistic approach is taken to tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Although the national strategy is rightly focused on gender violence, Cumbria will continue to promote the need to support male victims within relationships and male victims of rape and serious sexual assault. The partnership work to date has focused primarily on domestic violence this remit will be broadened to meet the new national framework to include sexual violence, rape, forced marriage and honour based violence. There is an understanding and acceptance that VAWG is best tackled in a unified way. Safer Cumbria is committed to a joined-up approach and integrated framework to tackle domestic and sexual violence which supports the principles of the Government’s vision to;

• prevent violence from happening by challenging the attitudes and behaviour which foster it and intervening early where possible to prevent it
• provide adequate support where violence does occur
• work in partnership to obtain the best outcome for victims and their families
• take action to reduce the risk to women and children who are victims of these
• crimes and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice

Prevention will be at the heart of the developing strategy around domestic and sexual violence. Safer Cumbria will take the joint action necessary to provide protection and support to those who experience violence but also ensure that we work to transform the cultures and attitudes that perpetuate domestic and sexual violence. There will be a continued focus on the provision of IDVA and support services, MARAC and the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts. Key priorities will include the development of services and interventions for children and young people affected by domestic and sexual violence, preventative work with young people and the development of interventions to tackle perpetrators of domestic violence who may not be in the criminal justice system.