Agenda item

Presentation by the Community Safety Coordinator.

The Community Safety Coordinator delivered the presentation to the task group.

He explained how mental health was a prevalent driver for the commission of anti-social behaviour and that it was a complicated issue to resolve.  He outlined the community safety partnership’s structures for dealing with mental health issues and how Watford was regarded as having best practice in this respect.  He discussed how the work of the Community Protection Group (CPG) lessened any adverse impact mental health had on communities and the value of having a representative from the Community Mental Health Team as a member of the group.  He also discussed the benefits of the Watford Community Housing Trust forming part of the CPG.

The Community Safety Coordinator explained the mechanism for forwarding cases from the CPG to the Joint Agencies Group (JAG) for further action and discussed how age had an impact on different types of mental illness.  He concluded that the increase in instances of mental health issues in Watford was likely to be the result of such matters as the increased population in the area.

In response to questions from members, the Community Safety Coordinator:

·       Explained the option of sectioning individuals with more serious problems and discussed issues around people continuing with treatment when not compulsory patients.

·       Outlined how performance had been measured historically and how a Hertfordshire County Council document now compared year on year data. 

The Community Safety Coordinator then presented on the community safety partnership’s response to drug misuse.  He explained how Watford’s drug profile had evolved and how this had changed the behaviours of the individuals using substances.  In particular, he discussed the use of cannabis by younger people and the relationship to the commission of anti-social behaviour – such as the erratic riding of mopeds.  He outlined how the partnership tackled this issue through the instigation of Operation Capitan in the more prevalent localities.

In response to questions from members, the Community Safety Coordinator:

·       Clarified that whilst the police did visit schools to provide crime prevention talks to students - they did not have dedicated resources to do so.

·       Explained the motivations of offending by children under the age of 13.

The Community Safety Coordinator continued by explaining how street drinkers in the area, in some instances, had a preponderance to misuse certain types of drugs.  He discussed how the partnership made use of Acceptable Behaviour Agreements in the first instance to moderate their behaviour and how Vagrancy Act powers could then be used to take individuals before the courts.  Ultimately, Criminal Behaviour Orders could be applied to prevent the individuals from entering Watford.  The Community Safety Coordinator concluded by outlining how drug misuse varied between differing age groups in the population.

Members discussed whether unsupervised play areas may have an impact on drug misuse and also the apparent increased use of substances in prisons.   In response to questions from members, the officers:

·       Explained how drug dealers were targeted.

·       Outlined how recent issues at the town centre flyover had been resolved and how the individuals concerned had been supported.

·       Clarified that drug addiction was not regarded as a mental health issue by definition.

RESOLVED that –

·       the presentation be noted.