This meeting was called to discuss a range of local crime data and police responses to it, and to consider new funding proposals and an updated set of Terms of Reference for the board.

Crime and Antisocial Behaviour in Wandsworth

The meeting was scheduled to receive a report on crime in the borough. The report, which covers the period November 2024 - January 2025, showed that total notifiable offences were down 2.9% on the previous quarter, compared to a decrease of 2.7% across London as a whole.

The report identified the top three wards for total crime in the past 12 months as Tooting Broadway, Battersea Park and Wandsworth Town. The most common categories of crime were acquisitive crimes (like burglary and robbery), and antisocial behaviour.

The report also identifies the top three wards for particular types of crime, including:

• Residential Burglary: Balham, St Mary's and Battersea Park
• Personal Robbery: Tooting Broadway, Balham, and Battersea Park
• Vehicle Crime: Thamesfield, Balham and Northcote

The reports pack included minutes from the previous Safer Neighbourhood Board meeting, which took place on 10 December 2024. These minutes record a discussion of the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) data pack for the previous quarter. That data pack had shown that public perception of policing in the borough was above the average for London. The minutes record that the board discussed the need for the public to report crimes directly to the police, rather than just discussing them on social media.

The minutes of the previous meeting also record that Superintendent Gani Rajan of the Metropolitan Police reported that a dedicated team had been established to deal with antisocial behaviour, and that his team were applying to use Criminal Behaviour Orders that would ban repeat offenders from the whole of the South West Basic Command Unit, which includes Wandsworth, Richmond, Merton, and Kingston.

Ward Panel Chair Reports

The meeting was also scheduled to consider a series of reports from the Chairs of the Council's Ward Panels, who reported on a variety of local crime concerns. A number of the reports highlighted issues with anti-social behaviour and drug dealing. The Chair of the Nine Elms Ward Panel, Charles Hyde, reported that residents and businesses in his ward were spending £150,000 a year on private security patrols because they did not believe that the police were adequately responding to their concerns.

Terms of Reference

The board was scheduled to discuss an updated set of draft Terms of Reference, which had been circulated to board members for their consideration before the meeting. These included a change to the board's membership, to their roles and responsibilities, and an increase in the maximum tenure of the Chair and other officers of the board from 3 years to 4.

The draft terms of reference included a requirement that:

Members of Safer Neighbourhood Boards will...Conduct yourself in a way that does not bring the Board or MOPAC into disrepute.

The draft terms of reference also included a proposed code of conduct.

SNB Funding Proposals

The meeting was scheduled to consider a number of proposals for projects that the board could choose to fund in 2025-26. These included:

• A series of workshops and 1-2-1 sessions for elderly residents, to help prevent them from becoming victims of scams and other crimes.
• Funding for materials and promotion for the VAWG Safe Space in Clapham Junction.
• Funding for an additional 220 SelectaDNA kits for use by residents, as well as 20 signs to advertise their use. SelectaDNA is a forensic marking system that can be used to help police identify stolen property.
• Funding for bike marking kits to be used at events and in burglary hotspots across the borough.
• Funding for Wandsworth Neighbourhood Watch to support their work in the borough, including the purchase of signage and materials.
• Continued funding for the Furzedown Youth Café, which works with around 100 young people every Wednesday. The café is in a robbery hotspot, and the funding proposal argues that the café helps to prevent crime.

The meeting was also scheduled to consider an update to the previous round of funding proposals. The updated proposals include funding for:

• The purchase of two 'Message in a Bottle' kits for every ward in the borough. These kits, which are designed to be kept in people's homes, include a form that people can use to list their important medical information. They are designed to be kept in people's fridges so that emergency services can easily find them in the event of an emergency.
• Training from the organisation 'Street Doctors' for up to 20 young people who are care leavers. The Street Doctors programme trains young people how to provide first aid in the event of a violent incident.