Agenda and minutes

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  None were declared.

It was reported that there were no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Members considered a report that summarised the North Yorkshire Police, local Safer Neighbourhood Team Priorities that had been set for the current and previous quarters and which provided crime data for the York Safer Neighbourhood Team area.  Members were asked to note and comment on the new priorities and the crime data.

Some concerns were expressed regarding York’s ranking in the data comparing crime rates within areas classed as being in a similar family grouping.  Officers explained that the number of cycle thefts was likely to have skewed the figures and that this remained a priority. The rates of cycle theft per 1000 residents were, however, lower than in other cycling cities such as Oxford and Cambridge.  Officers confirmed that it would be possible to provide a more detailed breakdown of the statistics to better enable the impact of cycle crime to be identified.  

Members agreed that, although it was useful to receive national comparative data, it would also be helpful for crime statistics to be provided at ward level to identify issues relating to specific areas of the city.

Members noted that anti-social behaviour also continued to be a priority for the Safer Neighbourhood Team.   It was agreed that consideration should be given as to whether this was an issue into which a scrutiny review should be carried out.

RESOLVED:       (i)      That the report be noted.

(ii)      That North Yorkshire Police Authority be requested to note the Committee’s comments, as detailed above.

REASON:           In accordance with the Committee’s responsibilities for the functions conferred by sections 19 and 20 of the Police & Justice Act 2006, in relation to the scrutiny of community safety issues, the Police and the work of the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

This item had been covered at the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on 27 June 2011.

Members received a report that provided information on the North Yorkshire Police Force restructure. 

Members noted that the grant funding settlements for police forces in England and Wales incorporated a 5.1% reduction.  For North Yorkshire Police, this equated to a reduction of approximately £24m by 2014/15.  North Yorkshire Police force was undergoing a significant restructure to maximise efficiency whilst protecting frontline delivery. 

Members were informed that officers now had a more geographical focus, which would improve their knowledge of their area and its priorities. Maps were tabled that illustrated the Safer Neighbourhood Areas, each of which would be managed by an Inspector.  Ward areas also had designated Beat Managers.  Details were given of changes to shift patterns, which would enable there to be greater flexibility.   

Members asked if there had been a negative impact resulting from the reduction in officer numbers.  Officers stated that, although it had only been in place for a relatively short period of time, York would be serviced well by the model.  Academic research had shown that the model worked well in urban areas. An initial review had already taken place and a further review would be carried out in due course.

Referring to the reduction in back office staff, clarification was sought as to how this had impacted on frontline officers and whether this had led to them being removed from working with the community.  Officers stated that PCSOs were still in place and that hours had been protected.  There had been some changes in the way in which they were utilised, for example they were spending time working alongside police officers who were responding to incidents, but they were still working within the community.

Officers were asked about the implications of centralising the Force Control room in York and closing the main control room in Northallerton.  They stated that there was a service charter in place which included targets such as timescales in which calls should be answered.  Any anomalies arising from the revised arrangements could therefore be identified.

Requests were made for the following information to be provided for the next meeting:

·        Details of Police officer hours

·        Number of officers within the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (including a breakdown detailing numbers patrolling and those within specialist operations teams)

·        Data in respect of performance against the Service Charter.

RESOLVED:       (i)      That the report be noted.

(ii)      That the information requested above be

          provided for the next meeting.

REASON:  In accordance with the Committee’s responsibilities for the functions conferred by sections 19 and 20 of the Police & Justice Act 2006, in relation to the scrutiny of community safety issues, the Police and the work of the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

Members received a report that presented a brief history of a proposed topic on CCTV in York, and asked Members to consider whether they now wished to proceed with a review of the provision and usage of CCTV across the city.

For the benefit of the new members of the committee, Councillor Fraser explained the background to the topic registrations and the reasons why a decision on whether or not to proceed with a review had been deferred.  It was agreed that copies of a presentation that had previously been received by the Committee would be circulated to the new members.

It was noted that consultants were currently tasked with producing a business case for the inclusion of CCTV as part of the Local Government North Yorkshire and York Board shared service project.  The report was not due to be made public until it had been considered at a meeting of LGNYY scheduled to take place in September.  Members also noted that it was intended that the CCTV control room would be relocated to the new council building and hence it may be an opportune time to carry out a review.

RESOLVED:       That, following the publication of the consultants’ report, an item be included on the committee’s work plan to consider a remit for a review on CCTV.

REASON:           To progress the work of this Overview and Scrutiny Committee, in line with scrutiny procedures and protocols.

Consideration was given to the committee’s work plan.

It was agreed that the committee should give consideration to the following issues:

·        A possible scrutiny review on anti-social behaviour.

·        A possible scrutiny review on recycling and waste collection.

·        A report on the restructure of CANS and roles supporting Safer York Partnership, and proposals for the restructure of Community Safety in North Yorkshire Police.

Members also requested that, in due course, information on Police and Crime Commissioners be circulated via email.

RESOLVED:       (i)      That, in view of the number of items on the

work plan, an additional meeting of the committee be scheduled to take place in September or October 2011.

(ii)      That the committee’s work plan be updated to reflect the decisions detailed above.

REASON:           To progress the work of this Overview and Scrutiny Committee, in line with scrutiny procedures and protocols.