Agenda item

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships is to bring to members’ attention an update of the work which the Communities Team is engaged in, based on priorities identified by the Community Committee. It also provides opportunities for further questioning, or to request a more detailed report on a particular issue.

(Report attached)

The report of the Head of Locality Partnerships submitted a report which brought to Members’ attention an update of the work the Communities Team is engaged in, based on priorities identified by the Community Committee.

Inspector Gill attended the Community Committee at the start of the meeting as he was needed as elsewhere. His update was part of this Update Report and updated the Members on the work that the Police have been involved with in the Inner West Community Committee area.

Inspector Gill informed the Members of the following points:

·  Charge Supervisor Carl Robinson has moved from Bramley. Dan Bell is the temporary officer until recruitment can take place for this role.

·  Work has been on going in the Armley ward on Town Street on a large open space in relation to street drinking. It was noted that this has been successful, and the closure order has been extended until January 2022.

·  Work with local business and Trading Standards had seen £35,000 of illegal tobacco being seized.

·  Issues had been raised in relation to an area in Armley and 3 warrants had been issued. 2 large bags of Spice and 2 knives had been removed and arrests made. It was noted that these arrests had been made through community intelligence. The Inspector further encouraged the community to contact them in relation to any other issues.

·  BARCA had reported anti-social behaviour near their premises, and this was still being checked.

·  Bonfire period had passed without any major issues. Police and other agencies had worked together to identify any issues. Some warnings had been given and the young people were given support.

·  Traffic in Bramley is still an issue.

·  Police are continuing to patrol area round Cardigan Fields.

Members were advised of crime data for the Inner West area for the period

1^st April 2021 to September 2021 in relation to burglaries, robberies, theft from vehicles and anti-social behaviour. It was noted that in most areas there had been a significant reduction in these crimes compared to the previous year.

Members’ discussions included:

·  Speeding issues in the Inner West area. It was noted that the police had targeted an area and issued a number of tickets. Members were of the view that this had been successful and reported that residents had welcomed this action.

·  Community Safety Days. It was noted that these had been successful.

·  Reported that the work in Armley had been well received by the residents. Members requested a press release on the recent events. The Inspector said that community intelligence was important to the work of the police.

·  Graffiti is an issue and Members were advised that it was difficult to catch those who do graffiti, it was also dependent on budget and resources how much time can be given to this issue. The police acknowledged that it was an issue, however it was a low priority.

·  Digital Fraud was an issue, and Combined Authority’s Deputy Mayor was currently looking at how to tackle this.

The Chair thanked Inspector Gill for his attendance.

Members were advised that an email had been sent to all Children’s Services Champions advising that Youth Summits for this year would not be going ahead. This was due to concerns raised by Public Health in relation to numbers of young people from different schools across the city getting together at this time whilst cases of Covid are increasing. Members were also advised that due to staffing changes there was a loss of expertise to assist with the Youth Summits. The Communities Team had been asked to look at potential models for delivery for Youth Summits going forward.

Members were understanding of the issues at this time but were disappointed that the Youth Summits would not go ahead this year. They were of the view that the Youth Summits should go ahead next year and suggested that BARCA or other agencies could assist with the summit.

RESOLVED - To note the content of the report.