Cabinet Member –
Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn
Report submitted by Delivery Manager Community Safety Gwynedd and Môn on the strategic
development of the Partnership
Minutes:
a)
Dyfrig
Siencyn (Cabinet Member for Community Safety), Catherine Roberts (Delivery
Manager – Gwynedd and Anglesey Community Safety) and Chief Inspector Mark
Armstrong (North Wales Police) were welcomed to the meeting.
b)
The Cabinet Member highlighted that the
partnership's work remit was extensive and complex and the main aim was to keep
our communities safe. Attention was
drawn to the report that traced the background of the services and the
resources together with the partnership's work. It was noted that
accountability was challenging as it was necessary to work jointly with the
Local Services Board and the Regional Partnerships. He added that there was
good collaboration with Anglesey.
c)
It was explained that the Partnership was required
to formally report to the Committee on an annual basis providing an overview of
the Partnership's main strategic developments over the year together with the
commissioning work that sets the framework for priorities. This ensured that the
Partnership delivered its obligations in accordance with sections of the
Criminal Justice and Police Act 2006.
ch) In response to
questions from Members directed to the Partnership following the preparatory
meeting, the following observations were given:
·
Untaxed cars. Reference was made to the relevant
website where details could be inputted. It was noted that it was the Police
who dealt with untaxed cars with the cooperation of the DVLA.
·
Parking unused cars - did not appear to be a Police
priority, however, the Chief Inspector highlighted that this was incorrect and
the Police collaborated with the Council's Enforcement Services and the DVLA to
resolve these issues. The Police were encouraged to collaborate with Housing
Associations
·
Availability of a Local Police Officer - it was
highlighted that Police station phone number were not shared - this was
implemented centrally. It was agreed
that paperwork dominated police work but every effort was being made to improve
the local situation. One of these
improvements was the presence of PCSO's on our streets.
·
The OWL (Online Watch Link) Scheme - It was noted
that approximately £30k of the scheme's cost was funded by the Police. It was reported that the scheme had ended as
insufficient numbers had registered with the scheme and that social media such
as Twitter and Facebook worked better
·
Schemes supporting the priorities. It was reported
that 26 schemes in 2015/16 were green, eight were amber and one was red. It was noted that a number of the amber
schemes had transferred to the 2016/17 scheme.
·
Nuisance Calls.
It was reported that the Police had cooperated with the Trading
Standards Department to try and safeguard older, vulnerable people. It was noted that the 'Truecall' device had
been promoted and had been successful.
·
Antisocial behaviour powers had been adopted. It
was reported that Gwynedd, like Anglesey, had now completed the process of
adopting these powers since July 2016.
·
Transferring the WISDOM Team (which included
officers from the Police and Probation Service) to work from the Penrallt
Council Building. This was a Service
where the two agencies collaborate closely to manage the most dangerous
criminals in our communities. In terms
of the time-scale, it was hoped to move the team to the building in November.
·
Time-scale for completing analyses of training
requirements within the domestic abuse field. It was reported that the training
was to raise awareness and it was accepted that the Welsh Government time-scale
was ambitious.
d)
In reference to the Partnership's work and
priorities, it was highlighted that the 2016/17 Plan aimed to build on the
extensive work that had occurred over the last few years that led to a
substantial decrease in Crime and Disorder in the Counties of Gwynedd and
Anglesey. The Plan would focus on work
areas, based on the strategic assessment, and on the guidance and priorities
established by the Regional Board. The
Partnership would continue to look at work areas that had already been
established and contribute to focus areas.
Attention
was drawn to the Partnership's main milestones that had been included in the
report.
dd) In response to a question regarding concerns
about serious sexual offences, the Chief Inspector noted that the events in the
news were historical incidents. In the
context of 'numbers' it was noted that this was 'significant' as the number of
recorded incidents suggested that people had faith in the police to come
forward with a complaint. The Community
Safety Delivery Manager added that there had been a huge increase in support
work over the last 10 years and an increase in the number of children
reporting. It was added that the change
in culture was to be welcomed and a healthy discussion was being conducted
about this field at a regional level.
e)
The WISDOM Plan was welcomed and in the context of
the PREVENT element it was noted that the Council had a duty to address the
needs.
f)
In response to a question regarding ending the OWL
Scheme, the Chief Inspector highlighted the need to make better use of funding
and reaching the majority. It was
accepted that the resource was valuable, however, unfortunately insufficient
use was made of it.
ff) In response to a question regarding an
increase in the county's population during July and August and how services
forward planned in terms of resources, the Chief Inspector noted that the
services did try to respond to demand by using resources differently as there
were no additional resources.
g)
The Cabinet Member thanked the Members for the
observations. He added that perhaps the area did not get sufficient attention
and suggested the need to conduct a briefing session with all Members in order
to share basic information about aspects of this field.
The
Cabinet Member thanked the Community Safety Delivery Manager for her expertise
in this field and for the work that the small team achieved.
The
Cabinet Member, the Chief Inspector and the Community Safety Delivery Manager
were thanked for their contributions.
RESOLVED to accept the report.
Supporting documents: