Safer Neighbourhoods – an Update

Report: 7
Date: 30 September 2004
By: Clerk

Summary

This report updates members about the implementation of the Safer Neighbourhoods programme and provides key performance data about the roll-out to date.

A. Recommendation

That members note and endorse the progress made by Territorial Policing Headquarters in introducing Safer Neighbourhoods teams across London.

B. Supporting information

The Safer Neighbourhoods Programme

1. In April 2004, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) launched its Safer Neighbourhoods (SN) Programme by introducing SN teams in all London boroughs. The teams, comprising of a sergeant, two police constables and three police community support officers (PCSOs) per neighbourhood, aim to enhance public reassurance by working with local people to identify and solve the issues that affect their daily lives.

2. In recent years the MPS has made significant progress in tackling priority crime such as street crime and burglary. Despite crime falling, the public’s fear of crime in their neighbourhood has not shown a corresponding reduction. The establishment of local neighbourhood teams gives the MPS the opportunity to dedicate its officers to providing local solutions to local problems, whilst still maintaining its focus on reducing priority crimes. The public have told us that they want police to tackle the issues that make them feel unsafe: anti-social activities such as graffiti, abandoned cars, minor criminal damage and nuisance neighbours. Dedicated teams provide the platform on which to focus on such local issues, providing the reassurance people want in order for them to go about their day-to-day business feeling safe.

3. The MPS has been involved with the National Reassurance Policing Programme (NRPP), which is jointly led by Assistant Commissioner Tim Godwin and the Chief Constable of Surrey Dennis O’Connor. The NRPP operates across eight different forces and seeks to enhance confidence in local policing and reduce fear of crime. The MPS has four sites involved in the NRPP, and all are now well advanced and have re-branded themselves as SN teams. The SN Programme is assisting in the development of products compatible with the NRPP.

Current progress

4. 100 SN teams have been introduced across London since April 2004 and four are funded by the NRPP.

5. Since the SN teams began to roll-out in April 2004, 172 public meetings or events have been held with a total of 3,919 people attending. 21% of people attending were from visible ethnic minority groups (826 people).

6. SN teams work with the community to identify local priorities and assist with producing sustainable solutions. Since April the consistent response from the public across London has been to deal with:

• Youth crime
• Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in general
• ASB by motorists
• Graffiti
• Drug dealing and using

Appendix 1 highlights ways in which the NRPP sites engage with the public locally.

7. Use of Anti-Social Behaviour legislation is highlighted in table 2 below. Of the 117 local identified issues resolved, 68 have been directly related to ASB.

Table 1: Use of Anti-social behaviour legislation in the first three months of launching Safer Neighbourhoods teams

8. A questionnaire is in the process of being developed by the Corporate Performance Group to establish whether the introduction of the new teams is increasing confidence and security within the neighbourhoods. CPG will ensure that the questionnaire is statistically viable and will use comparisons against the British Crime Survey and Public Attitude Survey.

Impact on crime figures

9. The deployment of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams is having an impact on reported crime levels within their areas. Total Notifiable Offences (TNOs) are down by 3.2% on Safer Neighbourhoods sites compared to 1.8% across the MPS (PYTD – April to June 2004).

10. Table 3 below provides comparisons in reported crimes between Safer and Non-Safer Neighbourhoods areas within the MPS for April-June 2004 v 2003.

Table 2: Crime across London SN areas v non-SN areas

11. Safer Neighbourhoods VAP increase is linked to the offence of harassment, reflecting a higher number of police interventions and of increases in ABH, part of which comprises the new offence of Racial/Religious ABH. Safer Neighbourhoods sexual offences increases are almost all entirely due to exposure offences now being classified as a sex offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Though anecdotal, it is likely that increased reporting reflects an increased confidence in local policing established by the SN teams.

Secondary Benefits

12. The NRPP commissioned Accenture to undertake a study to identify any emerging secondary benefits, in the form of wider benefits to non-police organisations.

13. The study observed emerging secondary benefits in three NRPP sites - Bexley, Enfield (both MPS) and Elmbridge, Surrey. Among the headline findings were:

• Environmental Gains: BT phone box vandalism in Walton North, Surrey, fell more than 50% since the reassurance team was introduced. 30% of store owners in Edmonton’s Fore Street report a reduction in vandalism since the reassurance teams were introduced.
• Economic Gains: In Upper Edmonton, alcohol-related ambulance call outs are almost 50% lower during the two quarters in which the team has been in place than in the equivalent periods last year. In Upper Edmonton presence of the reassurance team (in Middlesex North Hospital) projected to reduce annual hospital vandalism bill by 20%-30% (c£7K).
• Social Gains: Significant increase in voter turnout in Walton North ward (Elmbridge). Significant increase in community participation/consultation – big increase in attendees at Walton North neighbourhood panel meetings (10 to 62) – also Attendance at Upper Edmonton ‘reassurance consultation meetings’ more than doubled (now +150)

Working With Partners

14. In a joint initiative with the National Probation Service, Project Community Payback is being piloted in Enfield. Offenders who have Community Punishment Orders are jointly supervised by probation and SN PCSOs and undertake tasks identified in the public consultation process that require attention in the community. This initiative is likely to feed into the extension of the secondary benefit analysis.

15. Multi cultural faith groups from across London are assisting SN teams with accommodation, community engagement and consultation. The Methodist Church is working with other denominations to identify a faith leader in every London borough who will provide the access into all communities. Enfield has appointed the MPS’s first full time Borough Faith Officer who develops ways that faith groups become more involved with local communities. He also patrols religious schools, synagogues and mosques.

16. Links have been made with the Prolific Offender Programme team to identify ways in which Safer Neighbourhoods team officers can assist in this Government initiative.

The future

17. It is hoped that, subject to agreement and funding, an additional 176 SN teams (an additional five per borough) will be introduced during 2004/05. This will be in line with the Step Change Programme’s projections of increases in staffing.

C. Race and equality impact

1. Twenty-one per cent of staff working on SN teams are from visibly ethnic minority groups and 24% are women. Of the 3,839 people attending the 167 public meetings organised so far this year by SN teams, 816 (21.2% of the total) have been from VEM groups.

2 The SN Unit has engaged with the Black Police Association about a youth engagement project aimed at social inclusion in the black community in Operation Trident hotspot areas. Terms of reference and details for the project are currently being considered so that it is more directly linked to the SN programme.

D. Financial implications

None.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Chief Superintendent Mark Gore, MPS

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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