Agenda item

The new Chief Inspector for Watford to make his introductions to the committee and the Community Safety Manager to provide an overview of current community safety objectives.

The committee received a presentation from the Community Safety Manager and Chief Inspector Andy Wiseman.

The Chief Inspector made an introductory presentation to the committee. The key points from his presentation were:

·                 Previous roles in Watford and elsewhere had underlined the importance of partnership working and collaboration.

·                 Hertfordshire was one of the safest counties in the country and the police were well-trained and resourced and well-funded compared to other areas.

·                 Watford’s policing team structure which included response teams, local crime unit, safer neighbourhood teams and community safety team.  Currently based at Shady Lane, the teams would be moving to a new premises at George Street which would serve them well.

·                 There had been overall reductions in crime including criminal damage, theft from motor vehicle and antisocial behaviour. 

·                 Initial areas of focus were street robbery and violence against women and girls.

·                 Key facets of the approach were problem solving, targeted activities and community engagement.

·                 Social media provided an opportunity to publicise the good work that went on. Feedback was also welcomed and the Echo portal gave residents an opportunity to set out areas to focus on.

The Community Safety Manager provided a further update to the committee on statistics and the approach taken by the partnership. Key points made were:

·                 Crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) had seen a 10% reduction on 2019, the most recent comparable year. ASB had seen a huge reduction on 2012 levels from 6200 incidents to 2200 (this data was clarified following the meeting). It was anticipated that this fall would level out.

·                 The data had been scrutinised to ensure it was accurate. Factors identified in the fall are the work of partners, including WCH, in undertaking a prevention first approach and seeking resolutions with residents.

·                 Community triggers were well-used in Watford to ensure responses to issues were timely, proportionate and effective.  Often the outcome was that the actions were effective but could have been more timely with better communication. Victims were given the opportunity to set out all their concerns and there had never been an appeal on the outcome of the triggers.

·                 One key priority remained around ‘reassure and inform’. There was still a need to address perceptions of crime and community days were an important part of this.

·                 The crime data for the previous year was under review and would be used for the forthcoming year’s planning. Violence against women and girls would remain a priority as would violent crime due to the high impact and community wellbeing.

During questions following the presentation, the following points were discussed:

·                 There had been 52 community triggers since they were introduced in 2014 which was higher than other areas. Undertaking 10-12 per year would be proportionate for Watford.

·                 How a narrative was built following a high impact incident. Members were advised that more was shared on social media than in official statements. These statements had to be carefully checked and sometimes took longer.

·                 The role of the council in reassure and inform. A new communications and engagement plan had been drafted and there was a focus on combatting violence against women and girls and raising awareness of the actions people could take. There would be some renewed communications around the town centre safe zone and other safety initiatives such as Ask for Angela.

·                 Police presence on the streets. The Chief Inspector responded that a greater presence on the streets was always desirable. However there were significant demands on the police and finite resources.  Officers dealing with incidents were no longer visible. Measures to improve police presence included the use of PCSOs who were not abstracted in the same way, proactive patrols by plain clothes units, the use of volunteer police officers and targeting specific areas with short high visibility presence at regular intervals. Improving social media engagement would also provide reassurance around positive activities.

The Portfolio Holder, Councillor Dychton, added that she worked regularly with the Mayor, the Police and Crime Commissioner and others to work for a greater police presence in Watford.

The committee discussed street lighting and how to address areas where the lack of lighting made people feel unsafe. The police were able to feed back to the county council areas where there were needs for additional lighting. The police were happy to assess locations where there were concerns and to make representations. The Chief Inspector agreed to provide details for the neighbourhood teams so councillors could share any areas of concern.

The committee expressed their thanks to the Chief Inspector and Community Safety Manager for their presentation and input.

RESOLVED –

that the report be noted.