Building Strong Communities Dear Commissioners, Please find enclosed the evidence pack for ‘Building Strong Communities’, which is due to take place on 21 July, 6-9.30pm in Redbridge Central Library. This month’s evidence pack includes: • An overview of the work of the Community Safety Partnership • An overview of crime and ASB in Redbridge • Age Concern Door Step Crime Report • British Crime Survey 2015 • Unit costs of crime used in Integrated Offender Management VfM toolkit • Outreach Advocacy and Case Study • Homerton University Hospital Needs Assessment • Strategy Overview • Overview of Community Cohesion • RECC report for Building Strong Communities • Cumulative submissions received from the Call for Evidence • The results of consultation with relevant community groups and frontline staff. • Outcomes of the Open meetings • Outcomes of the Schools’ Fairness Conference Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries or concerns, and I look forward to meeting with you next Tuesday. Best regards, Jon Owen Executive Policy Officer 1 Fairness Commission: Building Strong Communities Evidence Pack Fairness Commission Evidence Pack Executive Summary Community Safety Overview The evidence pack details the work of the Community Safety Partnership. It also highlights the challenges and the areas where service provision could be strengthened or delivered differently. The evidence pack is divided into a number of interrelated areas of activity or priority. Each area details the work that is undertaken, the challenges and the potential gaps in service provision. The sections are as follows: • Community Service Overview • Crime Overview; • Emerging issues; • Partnership working; • Health and Well Being; and • Areas of particular interest. Section 1: Community Safety Service Overview: 1.1 The Community Safety Service sits within the Environment and Community Services cluster along with other service areas that have interlinked priorities. The objectives of the Service are achieved through operational delivery, strategic planning, and commissioning and policy development with key partners. These include carrying out enforcement of statutory requirements, providing advice, information and direct service provision to meet local priorities for the Council. 1.2 To meet the key themes and ensure Community Safety is aligned with the Corporate Strategy, the following objectives have been set: • To reduce crime and anti-social behaviour; • To improve the quality of life of residents through the provision of effective regulatory and enforcement services; • To develop effective services for victims and to reduce repeat victimisation; • To implement new legislation; • To develop and implement a Service Area Transformation Strategy; 1.3 Community Safety offers a wide range of services to people who live in, work in and visit Redbridge. Service customers are potentially everyone who lives in, works in or visits the borough. 1.4 The Equality Framework represents the Council's undertaking to the Borough's residents, our partners and our employees to take positive steps to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good community relations. The Community Safety Service works to the equality framework. Page | 2 Fairness Commission Evidence Pack Current Service Provision: 1.5 The Community Safety Service is currently divided into four Functional Units: • Safer Communities, including CCTV and Emergency Planning; • Community Protection and Environment; • Environmental Health; and • Lifeline/Telecare and Business Services. 1.6 The Community Safety service area is also responsible for developing and/or contributing to the following strategies: • Crime, Disorder and Substance Misuse Partnership Plan, Safer Redbridge Strategy 2013-16; • Reducing On-Street Prostitution Strategy, 2012-15 • Taking action to end Violence against Women and Girls in Redbridge, Strategy 2015- 18; • Redbridge Prevent Strategy; • Redbridge Major Incident Plan; • Community Safety Business Continuity Plan; • Contaminated Land Strategy; • Air Quality Plan; • Food Law Enforcement Service Plan; • Health and Safety Law Enforcement Plan; • Gambling Policy; • Licensing Policy; and • Enforcement Policy. The Community Safety Service – Revised Structure: Transformation: 1.7 A review of enforcement services and other activity across the newly formed Community Safety and Enforcement Service is being undertaken. The outcome from the review will impact on service delivery and changes will affect some areas of work; this may be by way of reduction or increase in activity. The full impact of these outcomes will not be fully realised until the transformation process reaches conclusion. 1.8 The following services are in scope for the review, Anti-social Behaviour, Licensing, Trading Standards, Street Scene, Environmental Protection, Food and Health and Safety, Page | 3 Fairness Commission Evidence Pack Safer Communities Partnership Team, Housing Standards, Housing Improvement, CCTV, Lifeline and Telecare and the Redbridge Community Police Team. 1.9 The review began in November 2014 and it is proposed that the review’s recommendations will be implemented by the end of September 2015. The Transformation Review Team has engaged with staff throughout this process and workshops were held with all the services in scope. The Transformation Review Team also engaged with residents and businesses, benchmarked other local authorities (Waltham Forest, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Barnet) and reviewed outsourcing options. 1.10 The review will look to meet the aspirations of the Administration to create a dedicated uniformed on-street presence, where officers, who are accredited by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, will have increased powers to crack down on environmental crime such as littering, fly tipping and dog fouling. It will also create a data function to enable targeted, intelligence-led enforcement activity. 1.11 The aims of the review: • Customers will see an operation that targets its resources in a cost effective and intelligence led manner, resulting in cleaner, safer streets, and the residents will see enforcement officers who have a closer working relationship with the police. • Intelligence led strategy will be integral to the new approach and will enable strategic decision making across the new service area. • Tactical decisions and priorities will be set on a more frequent basis, with day-to- day decisions taken at a regular tasking meeting. • Through collaboration with the Customer Access Programme customers, businesses and Members will notice a significant improvement when reporting issues. • Through a joined up enforcement approach, appropriate resources will be further targeted at changing the behaviour of those repeat offenders who are causing real problems. • On-street, there will be a uniformed presence with more powers than are currently available. • Managers will have access to data that enables improved and timely decision making. • Removal of silo enforcement activity. • The new service will work with local communities and institutions to promote civic pride in the local area. 1.12 The new Enforcement Team will provide a visible presence to help deter anti-social behaviour and begin the process of establishing civic pride within our communities. The team will also provide first response, working alongside colleagues in other services to tackle issues. Enforcement will therefore be targeted and will not disrupt those who are legally interacting with the borough. Page | 4 Fairness Commission Evidence Pack Organisational considerations: The following table explains how the review fits into the corporate strategy: Priority Met Why / how Increase fairness and Yes Reduced inequality through safer, cleaner areas respond to the across the borough aspirations of the Focus on ASB hotspots that affect people’s lives Borough Access to safe clean services and locations Public requesting cleaner, safer streets Empower our Yes Focus on community engagement communities to help Focus on civic pride and community cohesion shape our Borough and Continual resident engagement throughout the the services we deliver project Working with residents to enable better outcomes Improve the quality of Yes Key project driver life and civic pride Working with customers to understand how civic amongst our pride can be fostered communities Main outcome will aim to make Redbridge a cleaner, safer place Transform our Council Yes Technology and process will increase responsiveness in tough times to be Customers may use the same technology as officers dynamic and Key challenge is to respond efficiently and responsive to the effectively challenges of the future 1.13 The Safer Redbridge Strategy: 1.14 Section 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires the Council, together with the other responsible authorities comprising the Safer Communities Partnership to formulate and implement a strategy for the reduction of crime and disorder and for combating the misuse of drugs Those responsible authorities are; Metropolitan Police Service, Community Rehabilitation Company, Public Health England, Metropolitan Police Authority, London Fire Brigade, Redbridge Equalities and Community Council, Redbridge Victim Support, Redbridge Council for Voluntary Services, Redbridge Magistrates Court, National Probation Service, Redbridge Chamber of Commerce The obligation of the partners is to: • Develop a Crime Reduction Strategy; • Include a strategy for tackling anti-social behaviour; • Ensure