The Communities and Public Protection Scrutiny Committee met to discuss community safety, neighbourhood policing, and review the committee's activities. The meeting included a review of corporate performance regarding community safety, an update on neighbourhood policing in Waltham Forest, and a review of the committee's work, forward plan, and action tracker. The meeting was scheduled to be the final one for the municipal year.

Neighbourhood Policing in Waltham Forest

The committee was scheduled to discuss neighbourhood policing in Waltham Forest, with a focus on how the council and police work together to make communities safer. The report pack included the Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Neighbourhood Policing Action Plan, and the committee was asked to note and agree to the police and council joint commitments and actions in response to the recommendations made by the members of the assembly.

The report pack stated that Waltham Forest is part of a Police Borough Command shared with the London Borough of Newham. It said that neighbourhood teams are divided into three areas (North, Central, and South), each with dedicated Safer Neighbourhoods Teams. The council also facilitates a cluster-based problem-solving approach divided into the same three areas.

The report pack outlined the current neighbourhood policing and community crime fighting cycle:

• Community focused crime fighting
• Ward Panel
• Cluster Problem Solving Partnership Meeting (PSPM)
• Local Tactical Tasking and Co-ordination Group (LTTCG)

The report pack stated that the Citizens' Assembly on the Future of Neighbourhood Policing was a critical part of the council's local response to the findings of the Casey Review¹, as well as local challenges around fear of crime and trust in the police. The report pack stated that the council and police had launched a 'Safer Routes' pilot with funding from the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The scheme was co-designed with young people, and places youth workers on routes around schools to help children and young people feel safer on their way to and from school.

The report pack stated that the police and council have also held workshops with young people to co-design and deliver an inclusive mentoring scheme. The scheme will support young people to mentor policing staff at all levels, sharing their lived experiences of community safety and building opportunities for dialogue.

The report pack stated that the police have completed their review of ward panels, engaging with residents and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve the quality, consistency and inclusivity of panel meetings.

The report pack stated that the police are also producing a ‘Menu of options’ that collates all existing opportunities for residents to engage with the police, to provide residents with a strong voice in shaping and scrutinising policing, leading to positive outcomes for wider community safety.

The report pack stated that the police and council will co-host a borough wide community safety webinar in early April, providing residents with updates on actions the police and council are taking to keep people safe, with an opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns directly with local police and council leaders.

The report pack included the Waltham Forest Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Neighbourhood Policing Action Plan. The plan outlines a set of measurable actions that respond to the ambition of each of the ten recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. The recommendations are:

• Changing police recruitment practices
• Training police in the local area
• Changes in dealing with police wrongdoing
• Effective follow-up with victims of crime
• Engaging with young people
• Funding and expanding youth services
• Building partnerships with local community services
• Engaging with local communities
• Working with varied community groups
• Increasing the visibility of police on our streets

Corporate Performance Overview: Community Safety

The committee was scheduled to receive a report providing an overview of the performance indicators monitored by the council's community safety service. The report pack stated that the indicators are identified corporately as some of the main headline issues in the borough, requiring multi-agency input to effect any change.

The report pack stated that the council’s Corporate Impact Report (CIR) monitors performance against the council’s key priorities and main challenges, with a focus on the impact of the council’s strategies, policies and interventions. It is structured around the council's shared missions for the borough and council as set out in Mission Waltham Forest.

The report pack stated that the Corporate Performance Reporting indicators for Community Safety were initially agreed with Directors in late 2023. It was decided to include a small number of headline metrics, with other indicators sitting underneath and providing further ‘drill-through’.

The report pack listed the Community Safety Corporate Indicators:

• Number of Young Knife Injury Victims (excluding Domestic Abuse) (CPR 07)
• Total Recorded Offences (CPR 09)
• Percentage of residents who are worried about ASB in the area (CPR 10); Percentage of residents who are worried about Crime in the area (CPR 10.1)
• Positive outcomes as a percentage of recorded Domestic Abuse Offences (CPR 86)

The report pack stated that new VAWG indicators have been included into the reporting cycle, however it is important to acknowledge that a a service we routinely monitor these trends along with our key partners on a regular basis through VAWG partnership, MARAC², joint precision policing meetings and problem solving. The report pack stated that there has been some concerned raised about an increase in reported Domestic Abuse, this is a difficult metric, as an increase numbers is often recognised as an increase in reporting, which as a hidden crime is a positive sign that more vulnerable victims and survivors are finding the courage t report, this does not reflect the number of reports that are not recorded as crimes.

The report pack stated that the community service also commission annual strategic needs / intelligence assessments, including:

• Strategic Needs Assessment for Community Safety to consider all crime over the previous 12 Months and identify the key priorities in the borough for the statutory Community Safety Partnership (CSP)
• VAWG Needs Assessment (Pan-London) – Identify the prevalence of VAWG, service priorities and priority areas resources. The needs assessment looks at gaps in service and informs us what commissioned services are required and the response and interventions we design.

The Scrutiny Report

The committee was scheduled to review the forward plan for the ongoing municipal year and make recommendations as necessary. The committee was also scheduled to review the draft summary of committee activity and suggest any amendments or additions.

The report pack included an action tracker that captures all actions required of officers by the committee at the previous scrutiny meeting and provides an update on progress. The report pack also included a recommendation tracker that captures all recommendations made by the committee at the previous scrutiny meeting.

The report pack stated that the council is required by law to public details of all key decisions that will be taken at least 28 days before the decision is due to be taken. All key decisions are published in the Cabinet Forward Plan. The report pack stated that the following decision is on the forward plan:

• Citizen’s Assembly on Neighbourhood Policing: A year on, Decision Maker: Cabinet, Decision Due Date: 6 May 2025.

The report pack included a draft of the Communities and Public Protection Forward Plan 24/25. The forward plan included the following items:

• Forward Plan Discussion
• VCSE – Street Aunties
• Ways of working – data-led community safety
• Safe Streets evaluation and next steps on enhanced problem-solving
• Serious violence strategy
• Civil Contingencies
• Pl84u Al Suffa - VCSE
• YAIG – Presentation
• Trading standards update including Pan-London trading standards initiative on knife sales
• Citizens’ Assembly on Neighbourhood Policing: Major initiative to improve trust, confidence, and community safety.
• Implementation of the borough Drugs Strategy
• Violence Against Women & Girls
• Citizens Assembly, including: Neighbourhood policing and the partnership with the Council
• Performance Item

The report pack listed items suggested during the 2023/24 cycle of meetings:

• ASB Strategy and Community Safety Framework – This will be pre-decision scrutiny as these strategies will be refreshed over the coming year.
• Crime centred on estates.