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MINUTES

Thursday 5th February 2004

The Vestry, St Giles-in-the-Field Church

St Giles High Street, London, WC1

15:00pm – 17:00pm

1.Attendance & Apologies

John Foreman Chair

Inspector Des Rock West End Drugs Partnership Co-ordinator

Inspector Andy LaurieMarylebone Police Station

Chief Inspector Jonathan Brady Charing Cross Police Station

Vivienne Lukey WCC DAAT

Cllr Angela Harvey WCC

Jim Murray Bloomsbury Association

Cllr Louise Hyams WCC

Kim Church In & Around Covent Garden & CGBF

Julian Davies St Giles

Cllr Peter Brayshaw LB Camden – Bloomsbury Ward

Rita A Jones Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association

Tom Preest Head of Street Population Strategy – LBC

Sharon Peppard Westminster DAAT

David Beida Soho Society

Amanda Rigby Covent Garden Community Association

Savvas PanasEquinox (Managers Forum)

Ainsle O’Connor Westminster CDRT

Lucy Dawes GOL – Home Office Director of Crime & Head of Drugs

Mark Rees London Drugs and Alcohol Network

Jamie Taylor Bloomsbury Partnership & LGBT (Camden)

Mark Whitworth LBC – Environmental Department

Dave Francis Camden Drugs Action Team

Apologies

Edwina Mcpherson New Compton Street Association

Megan Jones Camden DAT & COM Safety

Jane Harbord LBC

Shona Beaton London Drug and Alcohol Network

Inspector Peter HughesMPS Camden Police (Holborn)

Janet Haddington WCC Street Population

Yasmin Rehman Community Safety Team (Camden)

Cllr Penny Abraham LB Camden Executive

Cllr Ian Adams

Lina Maslanka Westminster DAAT

Caron Drummond NTA/GOL

Chief Inspector Andy MckechnieMPS West End Central Police Station

Sue Vincent LBC Councillor

Chief Inspector Claire Wynnick Deputy Chair – Camden Police (Holborn)

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2. / Minutes of last meeting 5th February 2004.
Read and agreed
3. / Matters Arising / Action
Action Plan
Chair outlined the importance of having an Action Plan and also looking for information about progress, numerical if possible on the various elements of the Action plan. We should also devote some time to the next meeting looking at it and in due course seeking a revised Action plan.
Project Updates
  • West End Anti Begging Campaign
The evaluation for the Anti Begging Campaign will hopefully be completed for the next meeting. Ainsle O’Conor asked about the evaluation process at the operational campaign and Des Rock explains that he will be going ahead with that and this is done by Metropolitan Police In-House Consultancy at a date to be decided.
  • Removal of Telephone Boxes
Mark Whitworth stated telephone boxes in Endell Street will hopefully be removed on 5th March 2004.
  • Community Council Endell Street
The first meeting has been provisionally made for 12th February 2004.
Community members are -Malcolm Davey - CGCA Michael Wylde – Dudley Court Tennants Association . Steve Foskett – Facilities manager for Shaftesbury PLC who represents businesses in the area.
Sharon Peppard - a local resident
There will be a report for the next meeting.
  • Environmental Changes
Cllr Angela Harvey referred to the £31,000 funding from GOL to complete the Lilac environmental projects and the way it has been communicated to Westminster City Council. In the future if funding is given to the West End Partnership it should benefit both authorities. Angela asked how this grant from GOL was ommunicated.
Chair asked for this issue to be dealt with outside the meeting.
Health Impact Assessment
Chair states that this is still not available. When we do receive it we will devote some time in a future meeting to this. / Des
Rock
Des
Rock
4. / Operation Methane – Des Rock
Des Rock stated he had meetings with Superintendents from Westminster, Charing Cross, West End Central, Marylebone and Camden about the function of the group. Camden and Westminster Police are working all the time at sector level but wanted to build on that with more structured work. Operation Methane will be a week long partnership operation repeated each quarter. The first operation is from 4th – 10th February 2004 with Camden and Westminster working in proactive and reactive way to deal with cross border drug market and associated anti social behaviour
The operation will centred on Soho, Oxford Street, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury and Covent Garden. There will be an Inspector, three Sergeants and eighteen Police Constables working the day shift 11:00am to 11:00pm. plus an Inspector, three Sergeants and eighteen Police Constables working from 7:00pm to 7:00am. These are all additional resources on top of the normal policing arrangements.
We have included our partners from Camden and Westminster.
From Camden and Westminster Street Services Team will be working daily with the Police Officers. Street Wardens and Trading Standards likewise.
There will be an update on Operation Methane for the next meeting.
A discussion took place regarding the initiative.
Jim Murray raised the issue on response times to drug calls after the incident on Bedford Avenue where a large group of users/dealers had congregated. Chair asked if response times to drug calls be made available for the next meeting. / Des Rock
Des
Rock
5. / Criminal Justice Interventions Programme – Cllr Penny Abraham – Camden
Penny Abraham was absent so this update will be postponed until next meeting.
Vivienne Lukey stated that she is Westminster Criminal Justice Interventions Programme leader and would like the opportunity to talk at the next meeting.
6. / Proposal for Night Time Survey – Savvas Panas Equinox (Managers Forum)
Savvas Panas introduced himself and his role and outlined a proposal from WEDP Managers Forum.The proposal is for a night time service survey to investigate street activity and establish whether sufficient services are available to people at this time. The survey hoped to establish what service users were involved in, what services they accessed, how they were linked in with service providers, and if they are not linked in how could this be facilitated.
In addition it would to identify whether persons in night time street activity were also involved in day time street activity.
A general discussion ensued. Those present agreed was that this would be useful and a meeting will be arranged with relevant parties to move this forward. It was agreed that a representative from the community should be involved. / Des Rock
7. / St Mungo’s Hostel Southampton Row – Jim Murray
Jim Murray stated that St Mungo’s Hostel Southampton Row had applied for renewal of planning permission. Bloomsbury Association has written a letter objecting to this. Tom Preest outlined that it was planned to use S106 to impose conditions on any renewal of the planning permission.
8. /
Coordinator’s Updates – Des Rock
Group updated on Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 and particularly power to close crack houses. A Superintendent can serve a closure notice on premises being used for unlawful use, production or supply of Class A drugs which is causing serious concern to local community. This relates to any premises. Within 48 hrs of the closure notice the matter has be dealt with at a Magistrates Court to see whether a full closure order for upto 3 months will be granted. It was noted that special provision is given to protect vulnerable persons whose premises were being used. Community groups expressed support for this legislation.
Cannabis – Reclassification to Class C outlined. It is still an offence to possess cannabis. Camden and Westminster Police outlined their policy. If persons using the drug in public place the presumption is that they will be arrested.
9. /
Media and Communications – Chair
Chair outlined need for media strategy and setting up of a website. After discussion it was agreed that WEDP should have an independent website.
Jim Murray tasked to implement. / JM
10. /
Terms of reference for Steering Group – Chair
Chair noted that terms of reference although discussed previously were never agreed. A paper was circulated with draft terms of reference for members to comment on at next meeting.
/ All
11. /
Any Other Business
Nil
THURSDAY 4th MARCH 2004
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
St GILES-IN-THE-FIELD CHURCH

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