Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Environment and Communities which outlines the draft Safer Leeds ‘Community Safety Strategy’ (2018-21) for consideration by the Scrutiny Board

The Board considered the report of the Director of Communities and Environment which presented the draft Safer Leeds Strategy 2018-2021 in line with the Council’s requirement for key strategies identified in the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework to be made available for Scrutiny, before they are agreed by full Council.

The report outlined that as part of the city’s Community Safety Partnership, the Safer Leeds Executive (SLE) has a statutory requirement to prepare and implement a local Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy, referred to locally as the Safer Leeds ‘Community Safety Strategy’ (appendix 1). The Executive Board considered the draft Community Safety Strategy 2018-21 on 25^th July 2018.

The following were in attendance for the item:

·  James Rogers - Director of Communities and Environment

·  Paul Money – Chief Officer, Safer Leeds

·  Councillor D Coupar, Executive Member for Communities

Having reviewed the draft Strategy, the Board discussed the document and made the following comments:

·  Measures to encourage speed reduction to be given greater prominence; specifically information on the enforcement of Leeds 20 MPH. The Board were advised that Roads Policing falls under the remit of West Yorkshire police however vehicular anti-social behaviour fell within the remit of the ASB Board which reported directly to the Safer Leeds Executive. The Board therefore sought to ensure that the Strategy clearly identified the responsibilities of each Board and their links to the SLE.

·  Whether the Strategy should further emphasise work done with schools/education settings regarding sexual harassment education; noting that “Safer Schools” had developed a focus for secondary provision, with further work ongoing to develop a primary age approach

·  Clarity to be provided on the statistics for domestic burglaries, setting the information in context.

Additionally, the comments submitted by Councillor J Bentley regarding the impact of vehicular ASB on estates and defining this as a community safety issue, rather than a road safety matter, were shared with the meeting

The Board noted the following during discussions:

-  The intention to improve links to the Scrutiny Board to promote its influence

-  Recognition that the Strategy needed to clarify links to other services

-  The overarching Strategy was not intended to be prescriptive, but responsive, with the Boards established to support the Safer Leeds Executive to respond to emerging issues.

-  As speeding/vehicular ASB was one of Safer Leeds top 3 local priorities; in areas where this was a significant issue; strong links needed to be established with Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Liaison with LCC Community Committee Community Safety Champions was suggested to consider the opportunities to tackle this, and Members were encouraged to communicate their concerns to local NPTs.

RESOLVED

a)  Having considered the draft Safer Leeds ‘Community Safety Strategy’ for 2018-21 as part of the consultation phase; the comments made by Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) were noted for action.

b)  To note the funding allocations from West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, as outlined in the report, for 2018/19

c)  To prepare a statement of the Scrutiny Board’s conclusions and recommendations for consideration by decision makers as the strategy progresses through the Budget and Policy Framework progress.