Agenda and minutes

To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 22 June 2017 (attached) and authorise the Chairman to sign them.

The minutes of the meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 22 June 2017 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Report attached.

It was confirmed that neighbourhood police teams remained based in Havering wards. There would be two dedicated ward officers for each ward and other neighbourhood officers could be tasked around the borough. Safer neighbourhood teams worked on all a rolling sift pattern to avoid all three officers being off duty at the same time. A Member felt that this was not the case in the Harold Wood ward where all officers did sometimes appear to be off at the same time. It was suggested that problems of this type should be reported to the Community Safety team.

The figures reported to the Sub-Committee indicated that Dedicated Ward officers spent around 90% of their time on ward-based duties. It was acknowledge that these officers had spent a considerable amount of time on training recently but this was likely to reduce.

Average response times for I and S calls had deteriorated from 21 to 28 minutes for I calls although this was also a problem in other areas of London. The Chief Superintendent added that separate response lines for each of the three local boroughs would be reintroduced from September 2017 and the relevant performance information would be brought to each meeting of the Sub-Committee. The relevant was to respond to 90% of emergency calls within 15 minutes for I calls and 60 minutes for S calls although this was only currently being met on 40-50% of occasions.

Response times had improved slightly in recent weeks and an extra Superintendent would be introduced in September. Performance was also scrutinised by the Tri-Borough Project Board and by the Mayor of London. The Tri-Borough model was being evaluated and the pilot would not be rolled out to the rest of London if performance was not considered to have been good enough.

Resources had been increased during the handover period in order to reduce the number of missed calls and this had led to the I-call target now being met on 67% of occasions. In the first quarter of 2017/18, only 11 of 1,050 calls received had related to Traveller incursions. It was confirmed that a group of Travellers who had recently entered the car park of Tesco Gallows Corner had been evicted within 24 hours.

The Chief Superintendent confirmed that he would consider requests to close roads to prevent flytipping but considered this to be a last resort.

The Sub-Committee noted the report on performance indicators.

Report attached.

A director of Healthwatch Havering explained that the organisation’s report on the NELFT street triage scheme had been referred to the Sub-Committee by the Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee. This was in order to seek to obtain a response from Police representatives to the issues raised in the report.

It was explained that in response to a large number of people with mental health problems being taken into police custody, NELFT had established a scheme whereby police could call out NELFT triage staff if they found a person having a mental health crisis. The scheme operated throughout Havering and Outer North East London.

The Healthwatch report had made recommendations to the Council, NELFT, London Ambulance Service as well as the Metropolitan and British Transport Police. The recommendation made to the Police (prior to the introduction of the tri-borough model) asked the Police to support the street triage scheme.

It was noted that, if the scheme was not used, officers had to stay with patients until they were assessed in hospital etc which could take up a large amount of Police time. It was suggested that a similar scheme to that used for people who had fallen could be established whereby a nurse was sent with a paramedic to the scene. It was further suggested that nurses could be used to drive ambulances in certain circumstances but this would require a change in the existing law.

The scheme had run for last 18 months and was the first such street triage scheme to operate in the UK. The Chief Superintendent confirmed that Police officers received enhanced safeguarding including on mental health issues. There was also a mental health team included in the safeguarding team. It was noted that the street triage service did not yet operate on a 24:7 basis. Healthwatch would discuss with the Chief Superintendent the operation of the scheme on a tri-borough basis.

The Sub-Committee noted the report by Healthwatch Havering and the responses given by the Chief Superintendent.  

Report attached.

The revised structure included four Superintendents leading different functions which included Safeguarding, Emergency Response, Neighbourhoods and Investigations, as well as the introduction of a fifth Superintendent to cover HQ functions. A Chief Inspector would also be introduced back into the model to cover across all the functions. It was clarified that the HQ function pulled issues such as Police resources and performance together across the three boroughs. The Council was represented on both the Pathfinder Project Board and the Oversight Board that reviewed the tri-borough model.

The figures on total Police sickness days applied only to the three boroughs overall and the Chief Superintendent had asked for the equivalent details for Havering only. It was noted that the overall figures had improved in recent months. There were a total of 47 Police officers on long term sickness of a total staff of 1,341. A forty hour week was worked. Between 15 and 25 Havering officers were absent through sickness on any given day.

A total of 556 officers were available on emergency response. This did however include some 39 staff on maternity leave, suspension etc. There were also approximately 30 staff on restricted duties. The Chief Superintendent felt that the staffing resources were broadly sufficient and that leadership was an issue to improve performance.

The Sub-Committee noted the update.

Attached.

It was noted that the Metropolitan Police was required to make savings of £400 million by 2020. The tri-borough model had been introduced but arrangement at a local level were still bespoke to each borough. This was felt to be a more efficient way of working but required a cultural change whereby officers would retain ownership of a whole investigation. This way of working had not been used by the Metropolitan Police for the previous 20 years.

Officers emphasised that the three boroughs wished to work under the new model but also wanted to use the local neighbourhood model.  The focus for neighbourhoods would be at the individual ward level and Havering had not lost any Inspectors who dealt with partnership and neighbourhoods work.

The partnership and prevention teams would cover a number of local issues including anti-social behaviour and licensing issues. The schools and youth section would be launched in September 2017 and efforts were being made to reduce sickness levels in this team.

There were plans to give each officer a laptop or tablet in order that more work could be carried at the crime scene.

The Sub-Committee noted the update regarding neighbourhoods.

Attached.

The use by Police of a safeguarding car allowed the correct officer to attend incidents quickly. This allowed better crime scene management and meant assistance could be given to vulnerable victims more quickly. Numbers of outstanding suspects were increasing and it was felt this was due to more victims pressing charges and a higher number of occurrences of domestic abuse.

Due to funding issues, it was not possible to use electric bicycles in Safer Neighbourhood Teams. Even the bicycles used by the Teams cost £200 per year to maintain. Many members of the public also preferred local Police to be on foot.

The Chief Superintendent agreed that there was a movement of people into East London. He wished to maintain existing resources but felt this was unlikely. Members agreed, feeling that Police numbers were not keeping pace with the rising population. It was clarified that the failure to meet response time targets was about equal across the three boroughs.

The Sub-Committee noted the update on protecting vulnerable people.

Report attached.

In quarter 1 of 2017/18 there had been 565 domestic abuse offences in Havering compared to 575 in the same period of the previous year. A domestic abuse incident is captured even if no crime had been committed. It was also noted that a review of the law on domestic violence was expected to be announced by the Government.

The Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy was in its final year and the new strategy was expected to be brought to the Sub-Committee and to the Community Safety Partnership in October 2017. A more preventative approach was planned with work undertaken in schools on healthy relationships etc. Issues such as trafficking, modern day slavery and child sexual exploitation would also be covered in the strategy.

Officers agreed that most victims of domestic violence wanted to stay in their homes which was not easy to resolve at times. Resources for services to deal with VAWG had been maintained. A refuge was currently provided by Havering Women’s Aid and this contract was due to be recommissioned this year. The SOLACE Women’s Aid charity provided support groups and counselling.

The existing victim support scheme in key services was funded until at least July 2018. It was confirmed that around 20% of domestic abuse victims were male. A total of sixty domestic abuse champions had been trained to advise colleagues on this area and an annual conference was planned to be held in November.  

Officers added that all domestic violence cases were risk-assessed and the most high risk cases were referred to the domestic violence Multi-Agency Risk assessment Conference (MARAC) which comprised representatives of the Council, Police, Probation Service, the health sector and other agencies. There had been an increase in the number of MARAC referrals but fewer cases were now referred more than once. There had not been a domestic violence homicide in Havering since 2003 – an indication that risks were managed well.

Police looked at the frequency and severity of domestic abuse carried out by repeat perpetrators and sought to manage high risk individuals. Sarah’s Law whereby a an individual’s history of domestic violence could be disclosed to a family was used in Havering. Refuges were situated locally and had good facilities.

The Sub-Committee noted the position.

To consider any other item in respect of which the Chairman is of the opinion, by reason of special circumstances which shall be specific in the minutes that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business raised.

By a majority vote (Councillors de Wulverton and Eagling in favour; Councillor Durant against) it was resolved that the public should be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceeding, if members of the public were present during those items there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph 7 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Report attached.

Report attached.