Meeting documents
Cabinet
Wednesday, 4th December, 2002
Report to Directors Group
Date |
November 2002 |
Reporting Area |
Community Safety and Drugs Action |
Lead Director |
Jane Ashman |
SCOPE OF THIS REPORT. 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 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 has four main objectives: 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 Team provide the main officer support for the DAT.
1. PROGRESS / ISSUE REPORTING
|
PROGRESS MADE |
ISSUES |
STATUS/WHO? |
Leadership |
||
|
Quarterly meetings of the Community Safety Partnership and Drug Action Team were held in September. The Community Safety Partnership reviewed progress on the strategic objective `support for victims of crime'. Members also agreed priorities for the use of Home Office funding. The Drug Action Team reviewed progress in implementing the Adults, Young People's and Community Plans |
||
|
People Management |
||
|
A new Community Safety Research Officer took up post in October. Interviews will be held in November for the new posts of Group Manager, Equalities and Community Safety and Local Community Safety Development Officer |
Jane Ashman Inge Shepherd |
|
|
Policy and Strategy |
||
|
All the services commissioned through the adult treatment plan are operating, although there have been problems in recruiting some specialist staff, which has had an impact on waiting times. At the end of September 723 people were receiving treatment. |
Waiting times for some services remain above the national targets. Action is being taken to address this, but this remains a priority for the DAT |
|
A Needs Assessment and review of capacity for drug treatment services for adults is currently being undertaken in order to plan services for next year. Good progress is being made in implementing the Young People's Substance Misuse Plan, with action being taken against all five Operational Outcomes 100% of state maintained secondary schools and 90% of primary schools have drugs policies and education in place. Further work is being undertaken to ensure that this meets national standards. School nurses are delivering drugs prevention work in primary schools, and all primary schools have been funded to visit the Life Skills Centre for drugs education. An information leaflet on drugs services has been widely circulated. Projects have been commissioned to work with vulnerable young people. There is now more capacity to provide support to young people with substance misuse problems, with an additional full time worker Good progress is being made in implementing the Community Safety Action Plan for 2002-3, against the six Strategic Priorities. A worker has been appointed to work with persistent offenders whose offending is drug related. A pilot outreach project is now operating in rural areas, making contact with young people misusing alcohol and other substances to provide information and link to support services. Test purchasing operations have been undertaken for retailers selling alcohol to under 18s. An agreement has been reached to expand the Bobby Van scheme providing home security to older and vulnerable people. A new service providing support for parents of young people at risk of offending has been established. One Truancy Watch initiative has taken place and another is planned. The anti-graffiti and Car Clear Initiatives are continuing successfully. |
The Drug Action Team meeting in December will have to prioritise proposals for service development. Some additional funding is expected from the National Treatment Agency, but this will not meet the full range of needs likely to be identified |
Inge Shepherd/ Rosanna Cowan Beth Nelson A wide range of partners are leading on and contributing to these initiatives |
Resources |
||
|
Progress in being made on implementing the schemes agreed in the Council's Community Safety Budget. As noted above one Test Purchase Operation has been carried out. The Bobby Van scheme is operating and due to expand in the new year. Development work is taking place with young people in Twerton to design and locate the youth facilities agreed The service to victims of Racial Harassment has been expanded. A proposal is currently being developed for a short term project to promote the Retail Crime Initiative with a view to it becoming self-sustaining. |
There has been slippage in implementing the Community Warden Scheme due to the difficulties in recruiting suitable staff. |
|
Process |
||
|
Consultation is taking place on the DAT Treatment Plan, including participation in a stakeholder workshop organised by the Primary Care Trust. A bi-annual survey of residents concerns about crime will be included in the next Voicebox. Young People's services have been involved in development work for a new substance misuse screening and referral tool. |
. |
2. RESULTS AGAINST TARGETS
Reporting on commitments made in the Council Strategy and Performance Plan.
|
Performance Targets Summary |
No. |
% |
|
RED |
0 |
0 |
|
AMBER |
2 |
40 |
|
GREEN |
3 |
60 |
|
Ref. |
Indicator |
1999/00 Actual |
2000/01 Actual |
2001-2 Actual |
2002/3 Target |
2002/3 Actual (April- Sept) |
Status |
Comment |
|
126 |
Domestic burglaries per 1000 households |
11.3 |
13.2 |
21.6 |
19.4 |
17.63 |
Green |
There has been a further reduction in the rate in the second quarter |
|
128 |
Vehicle crimes per 1000 population |
16.3 |
17.3 |
22.6 |
20.1 |
25.07 |
Amber |
This is still above target but there has been an improvement in the second quarter. |
|
174 |
Number of racial incidents recorded per 100,000 population |
N/a |
N/a |
15 |
15 |
24.71 |
Amber |
This only records incidents reported to the Local Authority, which represents only a small proportion of those reported to all agencies in B&NES. 21 incidents so far - all but one in schools |
|
175 |
% of racial incidents that resulted in further action |
New |
96% |
100% |
100% |
Green |
One incident in 2001-2 could not be investi-gated 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 Bath&North East Somerst |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
Green |
No change is planned for this target unless additional resources are made available |