The Safer Communities Partnership Board met on Friday 18 September 2026 to discuss a wide range of community safety issues, with a particular focus on crime trends, the work of the new Community Protection Team, and initiatives to combat domestic abuse and serious violence. Key updates included noting the performance update for the first quarter of 2026/27, which highlighted increases in several high-harm crime categories, and receiving updates on the ongoing efforts to tackle drug supply, improve treatment services, and enhance community cohesion.

Community Safety Partnership Update

The Board received a comprehensive update on the Community Safety Partnership's performance for the first quarter of 2026/27 (April to June). While overall Barnet experienced increases in high-harm crime categories such as violence, personal robbery, shoplifting, and hate crime, positive trends were noted in business burglary, vehicle crime, drug trafficking, and domestic abuse violence with injury. Community safety activity remained high, with significant work undertaken by the CCTV team, Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) enforcement, and the Prevent programme.

North West BCU Police Update

Acting Chief Inspector Tom Hinson, from the Barnet Community Policing Team, provided an update on policing activity. He acknowledged the challenging period Barnet had faced, referencing the Hatsola ambulance attack and the subsequent terrorist attack in Golders Green, which led to a protective security posture across the borough. Superintendent Tanya Lloyd, the new local policing lead for the North West BCU, introduced herself and expressed her commitment to working with partners. Chief Inspector Mark Cash detailed the role and expansion of the new Community Protection Team, which focuses on protecting vulnerable communities, particularly the Jewish and Iranian communities, from anti-Semitism, terrorism, and hostile state activity. The team provides visible patrols, responds to hate crime incidents, and works to build long-term partnerships with residents and community organisations.

The Board was presented with detailed crime statistics for various categories, including:

• Business Burglary: A 23% decrease compared to the previous year, with a 6.7% decrease in the last quarter.
• Residential Burglary: A 1.1% decrease over the last 12 months, with a 22.5% increase in the last quarter, though overall figures remain static. Plans are in place to address the seasonal increase in darker months.
• Robbery of Personal Property: A 22.6% increase over the last 12 months, with proactive operations leading to arrests and reductions in specific hotspots like Brent Cross and Burnt Oak. Work is also underway with Trading Standards to target second-hand shops selling stolen phones.
• Shoplifting: An increase in reported incidents, viewed positively as an indicator of improved retailer confidence in reporting and police action. The detection rate has significantly improved from 9% to over 30%.
• Violence without Injury: An increase of 13.3% over 12 months and 19.3% in the quarter, though Barnet showed a less pronounced incline than the London average. A significant drop of 20% has been seen since the end of June.
• Violence with Injury: A slight increase of 0.9% over 12 months, with a 3.8% increase in the quarter. However, Barnet ranks third lowest out of 32 boroughs for this crime type, indicating it remains a safe place to live and work.
• Interviews with a Motor Vehicle: A decrease of 6.1% over 12 months, with good work undertaken to disrupt organised vehicle thefts, including the recovery of parcel shelves and the disruption of knife importation.
• Theft or Unauthorised Taking of a Motor Vehicle: A decrease of 1.8% over 12 months, with efforts ongoing to see further reductions.
• Knife Crime with Injury: An increase of 8% over 12 months and 23.8% in the quarter, largely linked to increases in robbery.
• Knife Crime Primary of Injury: A decrease of 15.4% in the quarter, with numbers remaining very small.
• Possession of Weapons: An increase of 36.4% over 12 months, which is seen as a positive indicator of increased detection rates through targeted stop and search.
• Drug Trafficking: A significant decrease of 20.5% over 12 months, attributed to successful police operations disrupting supply chains.
• Possession of Drugs: An increase of 30.4% over 12 months and 11% in the quarter, viewed positively as an indicator of increased detection.
• Domestic Abuse: An increase of 4.8% over 12 months and 5.4% in the quarter, seen as a measure of increased victim confidence in reporting. The detection rate has nearly tripled.
• Rape: An increase of 7.4% over 12 months and 20.7% in the quarter. Barnet has the best outcomes for rape and serious sexual offences in the country, with a detection rate of over 23%.
• Other Sexual Offences: A decrease of 7.3% over 12 months and 12.3% in the quarter.
• Hate Crime: A significant increase of 36.4% over 12 months and 63.5% in the quarter, with a notable peak in May. Detection rates have steadily increased to around 25%, coinciding with the introduction of the Community Protection Team. Antisemitism, while still a concern, is showing a downward trend.
• Lethal Barrel Discharges: A rare occurrence, with a statistical anomaly in June due to an audit of prior crimes.
• Homicide: Three incidents in recent months, with arrests and charges made in all cases. Investigations suggest no links between these tragic individual events.
• Stop and Search: An increase of 34.9% over 12 months, with a detection rate hovering around 30-35%, indicating more searches are being conducted and more items are being found.

Community Safety Team and ASB Tools

Maggie Higton-Brown, Head of Community Safety, Enforcement, CCTV & Intelligence, provided an update on the Community Safety Team's activity. In the first quarter, over 346 new e-CINS cases were opened, with 258 closed, leaving over 2,300 live cases. The team continues to use tools such as Community Protection Warnings, Notices, Closure Orders, and Criminal Behaviour Orders. The most common reason for case closure was insufficient evidence for prosecution. 77 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued, with fly-tipping offences being the most common. Two ASB Case Review applications were received, neither meeting the threshold for a review.

CCTV Update

Jo, the new CCTV officer, reported that 2,070 incidents were recorded in the first quarter, an increase from the previous year. The highest incidents recorded were for begging (34%), obstruction of pathways (12%), street drinking (8%), rough sleepers (6%), and fly-tipping (5%). Redeployable cameras logged 127 incidents, with fly-tipping and begging being the most frequent. 17 new redeployable cameras have been distributed, with 10 more to be deployed within six weeks. The highest incident rates per ward were in Burnt Oak (18%), Cricklewood (14%), West Finchley (11%), and Woodhouse (11%). Proactive reports rose, and the peak time for CCTV incidents is between 8 pm and 10 pm.

Prevent and Hate Crime

Jasper Perryn, Prevent Coordinator and Hate Crime Lead, reported the highest number of Prevent referrals since records began, with a 130% increase on last year. Over 50% of referrals were for individuals without a clear ideology, often linked to trauma, a need for belonging, or grievance. There was a significant increase in referrals for adults over 18, particularly those influenced by right-wing ideologies. Islam-inspired referrals were low, while far-right ideologies accounted for 25%. Perrin also highlighted Hate Crime Awareness Week and the upcoming recruitment of an early intervention hate crime officer.

Family Services Update

Karen Popely, Assistant Director of Children's Safeguarding, presented the Family Services update, covering Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Youth Justice, and Serious Violence. Significant progress has been made in delivering the DA & VAWG Strategy, including the mobilisation of the Barnet Domestic Abuse Support Hub (BDASH) and expansion of early intervention activities. Referrals to BDASH increased by 24% over the past year, with self-referrals up by 68%. Demand has also increased across MARAC, housing, and One Stop Shop services. Barnet Youth Justice Service continues to show strong performance, with a reduced First Time Entrant rate and reoffending rate, and a maintained zero custody rate. However, children in the youth justice cohort present with increasingly complex needs. Serious violence incidents involving young people increased in Q1, disproportionately affecting those experiencing exploitation and vulnerability. The partnership has strengthened its violence reduction response through various projects and initiatives.

Combating Drugs Partnership Update

Councillor Alison Moore provided an update on the Combating Drugs Partnership, highlighting a stable three-year funding settlement and additional grant funding. Louisa, a senior strategist in the Public Health team, presented the annual report, detailing progress in transforming the drug and alcohol treatment service, enhancing harm minimisation, and expanding outreach. The Rise and Recover programme has been a significant success. Challenges include emerging threats from synthetic opioids and reaching those not accessing treatment. The partnership is developing a five-year substance misuse strategy and exploring the use of lived experience in treatment services.

Health Partners Annual Update

Lucy Naden from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) provided an update, noting that despite significant organisational change, the ICB continues to discharge its statutory safeguarding functions. Across all age groups, there is an increasing unmet need in mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, intersecting with vulnerability and exploitation. The transition to the new West and North London Integrated Care Board, the largest in England, is underway.

Communications and Community Cohesion Updates

Candice from Communications outlined priorities to raise awareness of hate crime and Islamophobia, working with Jewish and Muslim communities to develop targeted literature. Will Cooper from the Community Participation team detailed a cross-council programme to foster cohesion, accelerated by recent hate crime incidents. This includes the recruitment of two new officers: an Early Intervention Hate Crime Officer and a Community Cohesion Engagement Officer. Funding will support short-term interventions, with initial workshops focusing on Jewish and Muslim community priorities, including education, tackling misinformation, and promoting communal mixing.

Barnet Homes Update

Greg Terefenko, ASB Manager for Barnet Homes, reported that the team continues to go from strength to strength, with 18 new ASB cases opened in Q1, the highest being drugs. There were two closure orders issued with police support. New reporting lines for ASB are having a positive impact, with an increase in reports received. Key priorities include maintaining tenancies and taking a robust approach to enforcement, working with partners to support these activities.

Probation Update

Kareem from the National Probation Service provided an update on changes resulting from the Sentencing Act, which will fundamentally alter how they work with sentenced prisoners, including mandatory electronic monitoring for all licenses. He reassured the Board about the preparation work for early release cases, noting that historical iterations of early release have been managed well. The numbers of Barnet cases being released early are small, and pre-release checks with police and safeguarding colleagues are ongoing.

Forward Work Programme

The Board noted the forward work programme. The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Friday, 27 November 2026.