SUMMARY/PURPOSE
1.
Full Council is asked to endorse the Isle of Wight
Crime and Drug Strategy.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To
endorse the ‘Safer Communities
Partnership Crime and Drug Strategy’ giving support to the Safer
Communities Partnership in its delivery.
BACKGROUND
2.
As a responsible body under the terms of the Crime and
Disorder Act 1998 the Isle of Wight Council together with the other responsible
bodies and co-operating organisations is required to consult the public and
audit crime and disorder within their area and based upon the results of that
process develop and implement a three year crime and drug strategy for the
Island. This is the third such strategy
produced and runs from April 2005 to the end of March 2008 unless the review of
the Crime and Disorder Act dictates change.
This
process began in 2004 with a crime audit carried out for the partnership by the
University of Portsmouth this process involved the collection of both qualitative
and quantative data which included public surveys conducted with adults young
people and the business community and secondary analysis of work done by
Connexions here on the Island in addition to this process crime and disorder
data was collected from partner agencies.
During
December 2004 the partnership met to discuss the issues raised and to agree a
number of emerging and overarching themes to form the basis of the Crime and
Drug Strategy these themes are:
·
Managing the Night Time Economy
·
Violence
·
Overall Crime
·
Anti Social Behaviour and Disorder
·
Partnership Development and Communications
·
Young peoples issues
Having agreed the priorities
the partnership has gone on to develop a range of actions which over arch and
fit within these themes.
Delivery Groups have been
established, the first three priorities sit with the newly formed Joint Agency
Action Group (JAAG). The anti-social
behaviour process is managed through a multi agency working protocol. The Youth
Justice forum currently delivers the young persons element of the strategy.
Partnership development and communication is managed centrally within the
‘Safer Communities Unit’.
This strategy has a funding
stream attached to it which forms part of our local area agreement it is known
as the Safer Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF) our performance within this
strategy is also linked into our local area agreement.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
3.
This strategy is designed to reduce crime, tackle the
supply of controlled drugs, provide measures to deal with alcohol fuelled
disorder, to address anti social behaviour for the benefit of all island
residents and visitors, and by so doing contribute to reducing the fear of
crime. These priorities link directly with the outcomes contained in Aim High
and form part of the ‘Golden Thread’ process leading also to the performance
measures contained in the ‘Safer & Stronger’ block of the Isle of Wight
Local Area Agreement.
This strategy directly affects the
strategic plans and responsibilities of the council in the following
sense. It is the delivery arm of
actions designed to deal with a significant number of council targets and best
value performance indicators it also evidences the key lines of enquiry for CPA
surrounding empowerment problem solving, safety and reassurance. These link to
the following key areas plans and strategies.
·
Local
Area Agreement (LAA) -
Delivery mechanism surrounding fear of crime community engagement crime
reduction and anti social behaviour issues and link to LPSA grant bids.
·
Corporate Plans (Aim High) - delivers to
performance targets contained therein again around crime reduction agenda. Also
forms a part of the ‘2006/7 Safer Communities Objectives’
·
Service Plans – This Strategy is picked up
as a golden thread for delivery across directorate service plan and on down
into team plans and into personal development plans.
·
Local, National and Regional Plans & Strategies
Delivers to the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the Safer
Stronger Communities Plan agreed with Government Office for the Southeast and
the ‘British Crime Survey’ crime reduction targets 2005 – 2008. The Local
Delivery Agreement 2006/7 with Government Office for the Southeast.
·
This plan also effectively demonstrates compliance
with Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (statutory duty) to take
these issues into account when delivering services to the community.
By
supporting this strategy the Isle of Wight Council is clearly stating how it
will work in partnership with other agencies and with the community to deal
with the issues surrounding crime disorder anti-social behaviour and substance
misuse here on the island.
CONSULTATION
4 Extensive consultation carried out with
the public in terms of qualitative and quantative surveys in adult, young
peoples and business groups. Consultation also carried out with partner
agencies over data collection, strategy development and action allocation.
FINANCIAL/BUDGET
IMPLICATIONS
5 Financial year 2006-2007: £146,000 Funded through the Safer
Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF) from
the Treasury via GOSE There are services already provided by the council which
support the delivery of this plan as a part of their service function but this
has not been counted as a specific cost for the purposes of this report.
LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS
6.
Relevant legislation is the Crime and Disorder Act
1998 which places a statutory duty upon the authority and other partner
agencies to audit crime and disorder including consulting the public, and from
those results develop and implement a three year ‘Crime and Drug
Strategy’. In turn this links to
sections 17 and 115 in terms of taking crime and disorder implications into
account when the council is planning or delivering services; and around sharing
information in order to effectively tackle crime and disorder. This strategy will also have a wider impact
upon the proposed extensions to section 17 detailed in the Crime & Disorder
Act review, that is to say the impact upon antisocial behaviour and drugs.
There are no detrimental implications under the Human Rights or Race Relations
Acts as the strategy has proportionality at its core and delivers within the
law at all times the strategy provides protection of these rights for others.
OPTIONS
7.
This paper is presented to invite elected members to
support aims and delivery of this strategy to the benefit of the Island
Community.
The
options available are:
·
Do nothing
·
Partially adopt the strategy
·
Fully adopt the strategy
EVALUATION/RISK
MANAGEMENT
8.
This option is being put forward with a positive
recommendation as it contains the measures that the council has identified in
collaboration with its partners as providing an effective response to the
responsibilities placed on it and other partners in terms of the Crime &
Disorder Act 1998. It will also
contribute to the performance measures contained within the Safer Stronger
Block of the Local Area Agreement and the priorities surrounding safety and
security contained within Aim High and the Councils Corporate Objectives.
9.
Risks: This project carries a low risk; this mainly surrounds failure to
deliver its priorities. This is small due to the management tasking and
co-ordinating process adopted through the ‘Task Groups’ deviations from
delivery plans being quickly identified and action plans implemented.
The
risks associated with the performance management will be monitored through the
council’s performance management system CorVu and the police performance
management systems The Safer Communities Partnership Board will also address
performance issues where appropriate.
10.
This strategy will also support the Prolific
Offenders, Antisocial Behaviour, Youth Justice and injury prevention plans.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
To
endorse the ‘Safer Communities Partnership Crime and Drug Strategy’ giving
support to the Safer Communities Partnership in its delivery.
|
BACKGROUND
PAPERS
11.
Related and supporting documents:
·
Aim High
·
Local Area Agreement
·
2004 Crime and Drug Audit
·
Service and Team Plans Safer Communities
·
Anti Social behaviour protocol
·
Isle of Wight Council Corporate Objectives
Contact
Point: Bill Pearce, Strategic Lead
Crime and Disorder
Tel: 01983 550980
e-mail: [email protected].
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SUE LIGHTFOOT
Director of Safer
Communities
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CLLR BARRY ABRAHAM
Cabinet Member for
Safer Communities
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