Agenda and minutes

To approve as correct the minutes of the meetings held on 27 February 2020 and authorise the Chairman to sign them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 27 February were agreed as a correct record and would be signed by the Chairman at a later date.

Presentation attached.

The report and presentation before Members detailed a Covid – 19 update for Environmental Services.

The presentation highlighted the timeline of what had taken place since the national lockdown.

Over 1,200 additional hours had been committed to encouraging public compliance with COVID19 regulations.

The lockdown had commenced on 23 March and by 9 April The Council’s COVID19 Compliance Team started with a remit to Engage, Explain and Encourage.

In the middle of May restrictions began easing allowing open-air recreation and the meeting of a member of another household.

At the beginning of June outdoor sports amenities and outdoor non-food markets  reopened.  People could leave home and gatherings outdoors of up to 6 people were permitted.

On 15 June there was re-opening of non-essential retail shops and public-facing businesses apart from specified business, mainly hospitality and entertainment businesses. On 4 July the re-opening of pubs, bars and restaurants could take place.

During the above time over 1,200 compliance visits done, 80 extra weekend shifts had been done and 115 Health & Safety  Inspections done since the end of August which had resulted in 7 instances of  non compliance with revisits and action taken.

From the end of March Business Continuity plans had been enacted across services and from late March, all office based staff were told to work from home where possible. Some staff were moved to support other work areas within the Council and a percentage of staff were unable to work which had in turn reduced service levels and had stopped some services which had lead to the use of agency staff

Demand for some services reduced due to reduced public movement and there had been a loss of income and a loss of external funding mainly from TfL

The current position in relation to Public Protection was that Licensing hearings were being held virtually. Officers were leading on a Outbreak Management Plan for Havering. Officers continued to support businesses as they were allowed to reopen and it was now only night clubs that were closed. Pavement Licensing was now available to businesses.

HMO licensing had been paused during the lockdown period however officers had been able to carry remote enforcement on previously issued licences.

Members were advised that the current situation with regards to Enforcement was that transition to the new enforcement structure had begun on 1st June which had resulted in front line resource increase of 55%. Officers continued to provide a front-line response to complaints, enquiries and undertake investigations.

Members noted that with regards to Community Safety where possible services continued to be delivered remotely and Support services had adapted their method of delivery to be remote where appropriate. Although there had been a reduction in crime during the initial lockdown crime levels were now increasing back to normal levels.

From a police perspective infection rates were high in the command area and a protocol had been signed by all Chief Executives across London to establish a joint local authority and police partnership enforcement.

Both formally and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Report attached.

The report before Members provided information on performance against the indicators previously requested by the Crime and Disorder Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee during Quarter 1 (1 April to 30 June 2020)

The report detailed Response time to Immediate (I) and Significant (S) Grade Incidents.

The report showed the weekly response times for quarter 1 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Havering had seen a 0.73% reduction in response times for I grade calls during this period. The Havering average was above the BCU average of 83.35%.

In respect of S calls the weekly response times for quarter 1 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Havering had seen a 2.54% reduction in response times for S calls during this period. The Havering average of 77.68% was above the BCU average of 71.12%.

Havering has seen a 33.2% reduction in Non DA VWI during qtr.1 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, a reduction of 94 crimes.

From 26 March, the start of COVID19  lockdown, which included restricting the movement and gathering of people and an immediate closure of all licensed premises resulting in a reduction in alcohol related violence in Romford Town Centre.

In relation to violence Havering had seen a 33.2% reduction in Non Domestic violence during qtr.1 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, a reduction of 94 crimes.

From 23 March, the start of Covid=19  lockdown, which included restricting the movement and gathering of people and an immediate closure of all licensed premises resulting in a reduction in alcohol related violence in Romford town centre.

During lockdown many London boroughs had seen an increase in domestic abuse. To address this, Havering moved its DV MARAC to a weekly virtual meeting to ensure that risk was adequately managed.

The level of burglary experienced within Havering had reduced by 289 burglaries when comparing quarter 1 2020-21 to quarter 3 2019-20, a reduction of 56.5%

Residential burglary reduced during lockdown, as the majority of homes remained occupied as many people continued to work from home.  There had been a month on month rise as more people returned to the workplace.

The report concluded by detailing the level of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) calls the police experienced within Havering in quarter 1 of 2019-2020 compared to the same period in 2020-21. There had been an increase of 2680 ASB calls when comparing quarter 1 2020-21 to quarter 1 2019-20, an increase of 197%.

In response to a question relating to the early closing of pubs and restaurants adhering to the new 10.00pm closing time and compliance. The police and officers advised that compliance had been good and effective and there had been little issues of crime in town centres bit it was early days.

In relation to drug offences the police advised that due to new initiatives convictions for drug related violence had risen from 51 offences to 233.

The Sub-Committee noted the contents of the report.

Report and appendices attached.

The report before Members presented information regarding the progress of the mobilisation of the new Enforcement and Safety structure which commenced on 1 June 2020.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and all aspects of environmental nuisance was a priority for the community and for Members and it was identified in 2017 that the Council’s approach to enforcement had been fragmented and inconsistent.

After completing a detailed review and consultation it was agreed in December 2019 to proceed with the implementation of a new unified intelligence based enforcement and safety structure.

Implementation of the new structure was slightly delayed due to a change in personnel in February and March and the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic. However preparation for the mobilisation continued in April and May.

Mobilisation of the new structure commenced on 1 June 2020 and all staff were assimilated or appointed to new roles within the new structure.

Appended to the report were appendices showing the new structure, a training matrix and examples of performance indicators.

An Enforcement and Safety Lead Officer matrix, had been established and shared with relevant Council and Police staff to enable the transition to the new structure to be as smooth as possible.

A review of the new structure is scheduled to commence after the first 6 months has concluded to ensure it is meeting the new requirements or to allow for adjustments if not.

The Environmental Enforcement Teams were split into three areas (North, Central and South. Each team looked after 6 wards and each team had 4 officers who worked shift rotas between 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday.

The Daytime Tactical Team had a borough-wide remit which focused on parks and open spaces. The team operated Monday to Sunday with officers working 5 of 7 days and worked between 10am and 8pm depending on the seasons.

The Night Time Tactical Team worked from Monday to Saturday between 1pm and 11pm and had a borough wide remit which concentrated on high footfall areas predominantly town centres.

In response to a question relating to devices and equipment, officers responded by advising that some staff had previously not had mobile devices so they had been unable to receive emails and reports, body cameras for some staff and a uniform provision.

Police representatives responded to a question relating to the increased use of electric scooters by advising that it was not a targeted priority but if it was a problem in a particular area then officers would intervene.

The Chairman asked that if possible both officers and police representatives also advise the Sub-Committee going forward of any good news stories.

The Sub-Committee noted the contents of the report and appendices.

Report attached.

The report before Members presented the activity of the Havering Joint Task Force, agreed under S.92 of the Police Act 1996, in their first 6 months of operation in Havering.

Launched in January 2020, the Havering Joint Task Force consisted of one

sergeant and five constables.

Tasked regularly by the Council to address a range of issues across the borough and continuing to focus on tackling the identified Havering Priorities in their first 6 months of operation the team have arrested 104 individuals, including the boroughs most wanted Burglary suspect, and recovered 45 stolen vehicles with an estimated value in excess of £1million.

As a unit the Havering Joint Task Force currently stopped and searched more people and vehicles than any other in Havering. Since its formation, the Task Force had conducted 279 stop and searches, accounting for 20% of the boroughs total number of 1,365 stop and searches.

The report also detailed the areas in which arrests had been made including residential burglaries, drug supply/possession and possession of offensive weapons.

Members noted the success of Operation Gambler which was a cross border initiative with Essex Police, which took place two nights a month. This operation targeted those criminals who crossed the  Havering/Essex border with the sole intention of committing crime. The team specifically targeted high harm offenders such as gang nominal, habitual knife carriers, robbers, burglars and drug dealers.

Also noted was the success of Operation Columbia which targeted a group of young burglars that had been identified by Essex Police. It was established that this group of males were predominantly all from Havering. The team not only identified these males at numerous crimes they made 10 arrests for residential burglary offences. The team also found numerous stolen vehicles across Havering which were linked to the group. A successful operation saw several males given custodial sentences.

Members also noted that the Task Force regularly used social media to promote good new stories which led to an increase in public confidence that the partnership was targeting areas of public concern.

In response to a question relating to funding Members were advised that the Council only funded the 5 police constables.

In response to q question regarding the “drifting” problem that was occurring in the south of the borough officers advised that investigations were taken place including looking at re-surfacing the road with a high friction surface. Investigations in to introducing a PSPO were also ongoing.

The Sub-Committee noted the contents of the report.

Report and appendix attached.

The report before Members detailed possible options for the Sub-Committee’s work programme.

The Chairman advised that she had email other Members of suggestions for topic groups and other areas of work the Sub-Committee could study.

The Chairman asked if Members could respond by email on the subject of the topic groups suggested and whether they agreed with them.

The Sub-Committee noted the contents of the report.