Meeting documents
Cabinet
Wednesday, 4th September, 2002
Report to Management Board
Date |
July 2002 |
Reporting Area |
Community Safety and Drugs Action Team Performance Report |
Lead Director |
Jane Ashman |
SCOPE OF REPORTING AREA: The Local Authority has a duty to work in partnership with the Police and others including health and probation to reduce crime and disorder in the district. This includes the duty to produce an Audit of Crime and Disorder issues and a three year Strategy. This duty is discharged through the Community Safety Partnership, for which the Council provides the main support through its community safety staff team. The Authority also has a duty under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act to take into account in all its decisions the impact on crime and disorder. This duty applies to all council services, although the community safety team have an advisory and support role.
The Local Authority is also a partner in the Drug Action Team (DAT). The DAT is responsible for planning, co-ordinating and monitoring the delivery of the national anti drugs strategy. This strategy four main areas: to reduce problem substance misuse by young people, to increase access to treatment for people with substance misuse problems, to reduce drug related crime, and to reduce the impact of drugs issues on local communities. The Community Safety Team and Social Services Finance provide the main officer support for the DAT.
1. PROGRESS/ISSUE REPORTING
|
Progress Made |
Issues to be addressed |
Status/Who ? |
|
|
Leadership |
Community Safety is an agreed corporate priority of the Council and as such should be incorporated into all major plans and strategies, where appropriate, and into annual service plans. This has been summarised in the Council's corporate community safety strategy. The Community Safety Partnership has a wide membership with most of the key sectors and interests involved. The Community Safety/DAT/YOT structure works well under the direction of the Responsible Authorities Group. |
The membership and role of the CSP is being reviewed to improve its effectiveness within the new LSP structure |
District Audit for LSP |
People Management |
The current staff team comprises the Community Safety Officer, Development Worker and Administrator who all work 50% on community safety and 50% on drug action. The Joint Commissioning Officer is a 0.5 post working for the Drug Action Team. There is also a Council funded but jointly managed Community Safety Research Officer based at Bath Police Station. The workload and demands on the current staff team remain very high. However the proposals for new staff should improve the position. Funding is being sought from the Home Office for an additional development worker to work full time on community safety issues supporting the Local Task Groups and Local Action Groups. |
The Directors Group have agreed to part fund a new Manager post which will take responsibility for the overall management of Equalities, Corporate voluntary sector and Community Safety work. This now needs to be implemented Current post holder has recently been promoted. Recruitment for replacement commencing August Funding plan submitted end July, with the expectation that this will be supported. Recruitment to commence September. |
Jane Ashman Inspector Paul Bright Inge Shepherd |
|
Policy and Strategy |
The Community Safety Strategy for 2002-5 has been agreed by all the main partners and the Community Safety Partnership. The Drug Action Team Annual Return which includes the Adult Treatment Plan was submitted in April. The Young People's Substance Misuse Plan has also been completed. It is now compulsory to have a crime reduction target for the Council's Public Service Agreement. Reducing Vehicle Crime has been agreed as the target. Figures for the first quarter show that this is a challenge. A conference on domestic violence for health professionals was held in June with the aim of ensuring that they are able to respond effectively to people experiencing domestic violence. This was linked to the launch of a new information booklet and helpline card A policy is being developed to reduce rough sleeping by a clearer approach to people coming into the area with no local connection. |
Security improvements to the Council's car parks, and measures to reduce vehicle crime in Royal Victoria Park need to be considered if we are to achieve our Best Value and PSA target. |
Inge Shepherd/ Beth Nelson John Evans Barbara Selby |
|
Resources |
Funding is available within the council budget to commission community safety projects. Recommendations were agreed by the Executive on 12th July. There are three sources of funding from the Home Office to the Community Safety Partnership: The Safer Communities Initiative is to fund projects to help implement the Strategy. The Partnership Development Fund is to fund the infrastructure for effective partnership working. Communities Against Drugs is to fund projects to reduce drug related crime and nuisance in the community. |
Implementation Plans are currently being developed for the approved projects Avon & Somerset Police have agreed to manage the Community Warden scheme and will commence recruitment at the beginning of September. A steering group will be established to direct the work of the wardens as a sub group of the Bath City Community Safety Task Group. . An application has been submitted for PDF funding to cover the new post of Development Officer. There will be some underspend this year and it is proposed to use this to fund consultation with disabled people on community safety issues, which is in the Community Safety Strategy as a priority. This will be organised in partnership with WECODP Somer Community Housing Trust are managing two projects with CAD funding - the Community Development Worker took up post in June. The Anti Social Behaviour Officer is currently being recruited. A post to work with Persistent Offenders with drug problems is currently being commissioned. |
Inge Shepherd |
|
Process |
Action Plans are in place to implement the Community Safety and Drug Action Team Strategies. A commissioning process is in place for all services funded through the Community Safety Budget and DAT Pooled budgets. A system for quarterly monitoring of the DAT pooled budget has been established. |
First quarter report on action plans currently being produced. |
2. RESULTS AGAINST TARGETS
Reporting on commitments made in the Council Strategy and Performance Plan.
Summary of Performance
|
Performance Targets |
No. |
% |
|
RED |
1 |
20 |
|
AMBER |
1 |
20 |
|
GREEN |
3 |
60 |
|
NOT KNOWN |
|
Origin |
Ref. |
Indicator |
1999/00 Actual |
2000/01 actual |
2001-2 actual |
2002/3 Target |
2002/3 Estimated Out-turn |
Status |
Comment |
|
126 |
Domestic burglaries per 1,000 households |
11.3 |
13.2 |
21.6 |
19.4 |
18.42 |
Green |
On target for first quarter |
|
|
128 |
Vehicle crimes per 1,000 population |
16.3 |
17.3 |
22.6 |
20.1 |
26.92 |
Red |
Seriously off target for first quarter - now included as a PSA stretch target |
|
|
174 |
Number of racial incidents recorded per 100,000 population |
N/a |
N/a |
44.2 |
50 |
36 |
Green |
This only records incidents reported to the Local Authority, which represents only a proportion of those reported to all agencies in B&NES. 9 incidents so far - all in schools |
|
|
175 |
% of racial incidents that resulted in further action |
New Indicator |
96% |
100% |
100% |
Green |
One incident in 2001-2 could not be investigated as all parties had left the local authority |
||
|
176 |
Number of domestic violence refuge places per 10,000 population which are provided or supported by B&NES |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
Green |
No change is planned for this target unless additional resources are made available |
