TITLE OF REPORT: End of Year Assessment of Delivery and Performance 2014/15
REPORT OF: David Bunce
Strategic Director, Care, Wellbeing and Learning
Summary
This report provides an overview of the key activities that have been undertaken by Gateshead Council services and partner agencies between October 2014 and March 2015 to address the Community Safety Board’s strategic priorities, as set out in the Partnership Plan for 2014/15.
1 Background
1.1 The Community Safety Board is a stand alone themed partnership that has the statutory obligation to address the crime, disorder and substance misuse issues that are impacting upon the Borough.
1.2 As a reminder for councillors, the Board produces an intelligence-led Strategic Assessment on an annual basis to help assist in setting the community safety priorities for Gateshead. The Partnership Plan is subsequently produced and sets out how the Community Safety Board intends to deliver against these strategic priorities in the forthcoming year.
1.3 The strategic priorities identified for 2014/15 were:
· Tackle domestic abuse
· Support vulnerable victims (including victims of hate crime)
· Address substance misuse
· Reduction of crime and anti-social behaviour
· Reducing re-offending
· To improve community engagement and increase community confidence
Councillors were provided an update on performance in the first half of 2014/15 and this report provides councillors with an overview of some of the activities that have been delivered since October 2014 linked to each of the strategic priorities.
2 Current Performance – Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour
2.1 Overall recorded crime figures for Gateshead show that in 2014/15 there has been a slight increase of 2% in recorded crime, with 9,398 crimes reported between April 2014 and March 2015 (compared to 9,169 crimes reported in the previous year). This is lower than the average recorded throughout Northumbria (+4%). Reductions have been noted across most major crime categories, with the largest reductions seen in the number of robberies (-6%), vehicle crimes (-12%) and burglaries (-16%) reported. However, reports of violent crime across the Borough have increased by 36% compared to the previous year, with an additional 548 offences reported. This is the biggest rise throughout the Northumbria Force area.
2.2 Gateshead continues to perform well among its peers. In the last 12 months, Gateshead has recorded a rate of 47.0 crimes per 1,000 residents (compared to the average of 71.7 crimes against its 14 most similar Community Safety Partnerships).
2.3 However, the number of anti-social behaviour incidents reported to Northumbria Police increased by 8% (684 additional incidents) compared to the same period last year. There were 8,805 incidents at year end 2014/15 compared to 8,121 incidents at year end 2013/14. Adult-related ASB continues to account for the largest proportion of ASB incidents, equating to 78% of all calls; whilst youth-related anti-social behaviour has increased slightly, up 2%.
3 Tackle Domestic Abuse
3.1 During 2014/15, 1023 referrals have been received by the Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy (IDVA) service. Referrals into the service have increased by 38% in the last 12 months. There has been an improvement in the percentage of domestic abuse victims engaging with the IDVA service during this period, up to 56% of victims compared to 55% in 2013/14.
3.2 We have worked to raise awareness and understanding of domestic abuse issues in Gateshead through promotional campaigns and events. In the last six months we have taken a partnership approach to delivering campaigns such as the White Ribbon campaign, which was led by Tyneside Women’s Health.
3.3 A Domestic Abuse Champions Network has been set up in Gateshead and across Northumbria. Nominated staff have been trained and supported to become Domestic Abuse Champions, to be the link between their agency and the Network. The aim of the Champions Network is to improve community and organisational responses to domestic and sexual violence; currently, there are 31 champions across Public Sector services in Gateshead.
4 Support Vulnerable Victims (including hate crime)
4.1 The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) has been implemented in Gateshead. The focus of the MASH, which is a first for Northumbria, is to support vulnerable adults (including victims of domestic abuse). Funding has been secured which has enabled us to commission Victim Support, Tyneside Women’s Health, Oasis Aquila Housing, Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company to provide support to vulnerable adults in the MASH process.
4.2 As part of the MASH we have worked closely with schools to facilitate the roll out of Operation Encompass in Gateshead, linked with the sharing of information on domestic violence incidents to support children and young people. All of Gateshead’s schools have signed up to the initiative, which is due to be launched on 1st April 2015.
4.3 There have been 233 incidents of hate crime reported to the ARCH Hate Crime reporting system in the last 12 months, an increase of 9% compared to the year end 2013/14 at 213 incidents. The vast majority of incidents continue to involve racism, which is present in two thirds of incidents, while verbal abuse remains the most common type of abuse perpetrated.
4.4 GemArts have been commissioned to work with pupils from Joseph Swan School to develop awareness and understanding of the different faith and cultural communities within Gateshead. The project involves approximately 30 pupils creating artwork that promotes anti-discrimination messages and that can be disseminated across the Borough.
4.5 A Members’ Seminar took place in November 2014 with colleagues from Special Branch, Northumbria Police, to further raise awareness of the Prevent agenda.
5 Address Substance Misuse
5.1 Partners have developed a multi-agency action plan to address Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS). The action plan concentrates efforts on raising awareness of the issue through education and training, improving recording and reporting of incidents, identifying enforcement tactics linked with the sale and supply of NPS as well as actions designed to increase resilience of treatment provision.
5.2 A series of workshops were held for professionals across Gateshead to educated frontline staff on overdose prevention and NPS.
5.3 The Drug-related Death Protocol has been refreshed to improve the process and ensure timescales for information sharing are shortened. The approach used in Gateshead has been identified as a best practice example by Public Health England.
5.4 Officers from Community Safety and Public Health have supported the development of a Substance Misuse Strategy, which will set out an ambitious vision for addressing drug and alcohol issues in Gateshead.
5.5 During Alcohol Awareness Week which took place in November 2014, a successful programme of engagement was undertaken. Throughout the week information and advice on alcohol misuse was given to more than 500 people at venues across Gateshead including Metro Centre and Gateshead College.
6 Reduce Re-offending
6.1 Due to the significant changes the transforming rehabilitation agenda has had within the reducing re-offending arena, a task and finish group has been established with representatives from the National Probation Service, Northumbria Community Rehabilitation Company, Northumbria Police and the local authority to drive forward this new agenda in Gateshead. As a result of these changes, councillors are reminded that there is no data available relating to the indicator “Reduction in the Proportion of Proven Re-offending of Adult Offenders”.
6.2 Developed a Restorative Approach framework and provided detailed training to more than 20 frontline officers to be able to use restorative approaches effectively to support victims of low-level anti-social behaviour.
6.3 Developed an interim approach to Integrated Offender Management (IOM) arrangements linked with the changes to the Probation Service.
7 Reduce Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour
7.1 A draft ASB Policy and Procedural framework for Gateshead, including a range of practice guidance notes, to reflect the new ASB tools and powers as set out in the ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 are being developed.
7.2 Worked with a range of partner agencies and services to refresh the ASB practitioner guides to tackling ASB effectively.
7.3 Officers from Gateshead led on the development and implementation of a pilot for the Community Trigger and Remedy across Northumbria, which led to a similar model being used in other local authorities throughout the area.
7.4 As part of the multi-agency Neighbourhood Tasking Groups and Safer Neighbourhoods Groups, a range of early intervention, prevention and enforcement activities have been carried out to address crime and disorder and improve confidence in local communities.
7.5 Northumbria University’s student accommodation welcomed its first residents in autumn 2014. The university worked closely with Northumbria Police and Gateshead Council services to help integrate the new student population in the area effectively, and without any associated anti-social behaviour or crime-related issues.
8 Improve Community Engagement and Increase Community Confidence
8.1 We have recruited a number of residents to be part of the Safer Communities Service Improvement Group that will provide an opportunity to work with residents on a regular basis to monitor service delivery and identify possible service improvements/developments.
8.2 Awareness sessions have been delivered to a range of local community groups around the role of Community Safety. An engagement event is also being planned to allow partners to explain how they work with communities to keep them safe.
8.3 Developed a Community Tensions framework to ensure a more co-ordinated and structured response to how Community Safety partners in Gateshead respond to tensions. The framework will help to prevent breakdown in community relations and heightened tensions, which could result in increased fear of crime and disorder and reduced feelings of safety.
8.4 Engaged with the ShopWatch schemes operating in Gateshead and the North East Retail Crime Partnership to identify any additional support required by retailers. In particular, we have worked closely with Trinity Square to support retailers following the arrival of the student population in the Town Centre.
9 Future Actions
9.1 Over the next six months partners will carry out a range of activities linked to community safety issues, including:
· Revising the ASB framework and refreshing the current graded response approach.
· Developing and ASB toolkit for practitioners.
· Working with partners to develop the joint Substance Misuse Action Plan for Gateshead.
· Working with young people to provide opportunities for personal and social development in relation to healthy and respectful relationships.
10 Recommendations
10.1 The Committee is asked to:
(i) Comment on the activities that have been undertaken in relation to the strategic priorities of the Community Safety Board;
(ii) Agree to continue to receive regular updates;
(iii) Agree that this report is submitted to Communities and Place OSC for approval.
Contact: Louise Rule Ext: 2353