The Safer Communities Partnership Board met on 01 March 2024 to discuss a range of issues concerning community safety in Barnet. Key topics included a quarterly performance update from the Metropolitan Police, an update on family services including the Victim Care Hub and Restorative Justice projects, and the adoption of a new Serious Violence Strategy for 2024-2027.

Quarterly Performance Update

The Metropolitan Police provided a performance update for October to December 2023, reporting 488 cases of residential burglary and 597 cases of violence with injury during that period. While overall violence with injury saw a slight increase of 1.8% over the preceding 12 months, knife crime with injury saw a decrease of 10.7% in the last quarter compared to the same period last year. There were no recorded instances of gun crime with a lethal barrel discharged in Barnet during the quarter.

North West BCU Police Update

Chief Inspector Marc Cash and Superintendent Lorraine Busby McVey gave a verbal update, noting the release of the Sarah Everard Report (Angiolini Inquiry), with an update on its impact to be provided at the next meeting. Inspector Andy LeGeyt presented an update on Stop and Search, highlighting a decline across the Metropolitan Police Service. He detailed the ongoing development of a Stop and Search Charter, created in partnership with Londoners to improve trust and transparency. Barnet Council, through Clair Green, Executive Director of Assurance, confirmed they would promote and circulate the survey related to the charter. Detective Chief Inspector David Le Rivere provided an update on child exploitation, noting 11 recommendations from a report and immediate local changes implemented.

Family Services Update

Christopher Kelly, Strategic Lead for Tackling Violence and Exploitation, presented an update on the work of Barnet Family Services. The report detailed the progress of the Victim Care Hub, which supports victims of reported and unreported crime, and the Restorative Justice Programme, which aims to provide training in conflict resolution skills. Since April 2023, the Victim Care Hub had received 64 referrals, slightly below its target. The Restorative Justice Programme reported a 75% satisfaction rate among victims in Barnet, higher than the MPS pan-London average.

Serious Violence Strategy

Christopher Kelly introduced the draft Serious Violence Strategy 2024-2027, developed by the Safer Communities Partnership. The strategy is informed by a Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA) completed in October 2023, which analysed the local profile, causes, and contributing factors of serious violence. The strategy outlines key recommendations including strengthening partnership working, supporting universal and standardised support in schools and communities, and developing targeted support for vulnerable groups. It also emphasises the need to monitor and tackle disproportionate representation in communities affected by violence and to engage local people in co-producing solutions.

Barnet Homes Update

Amanda Quinn from Barnet Homes provided an annual update, highlighting the work of their Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) team, which managed 94 cases in the past year, with drugs and harassment being the most common classifications. The report detailed successes on the Grahame Park Estate, including the implementation of the 'Clear, Hold, Build' strategy (Operation Dakota) which led to over 300 arrests and the use of block closure orders. The estate is moving towards the 'Build' phase, focusing on community-driven action. Barnet Homes is also developing a Good Neighbourhood Management Policy in response to a Housing Ombudsman report on noise complaints.

Victim Support Annual Update

Latoya Ridge from Victim Support presented their annual update, outlining the charity's role in providing free, confidential support to victims of crime and traumatic events. The London Victim & Witness Service (LVWS) received 12,137 referrals from the North West BCU area (including Barnet) between April and December 2023, with acquisitive crime, fraud, and domestic violence being the most common categories. Victim Support aligns with Barnet's Community Safety Strategy priorities, offering support for domestic abuse, violent crimes, exploitation, and hate crime, and has provided evidence to select committees on fraud and the Victims Bill.

London Fire Brigade - Annual Update

Ryan Kerby, Station Commander, provided an annual update on behalf of the London Fire Brigade. The brigade attended over 3,000 incidents in Barnet over the year. Public opinion polling shows increased positive sentiment towards the LFB. The brigade has rolled out new equipment for responding to marauding terrorist incidents, with crews trained to assist the London Ambulance Service and Metropolitan Police. Joint training exercises have been conducted with Hatzola and Borough Resilience colleagues to improve response and build relationships. The borough also ran a successful Fire Cadets programme.

Barnet Safeguarding Adults Board - Annual Update

Fiona Bateman, Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board, presented the annual report for 2022-23. The report highlighted an increase in safeguarding concerns and enquiries, partly due to an ICT process change to improve timeliness. 'Own home' remains the most common location for abuse. The report detailed findings from thematic reviews on financial abuse, the cost of living crisis, and the Reframing Safeguarding project, which aims to improve community understanding and reporting of safeguarding concerns. The Access to Justice group provided oversight of the Hate Crime Project, reporting on incidents and the delivery of awareness workshops and the establishment of Hate Crime Reporting Centres.

Modern Slavery

Ramisa Yazdani Biouki, Strategy Officer, provided an update on the development of Barnet's Modern Slavery Strategy. In response to a council motion in October 2023, the draft strategy focuses on three priorities: prevention, protection, and prosecution. It aims to create better synergy between internal services and external partners. The strategy proposes training for staff and partners, a dedicated email for reporting concerns, and a referral mechanism pathway. The Metropolitan Police data indicates 106 reported cases of modern slavery in Barnet between November 2021 and October 2023.

Safety in Parks

Cassie Bridger, Assistant Director Greenspaces & Leisure, introduced a document on Safety in Parks and Greenspaces. This follows a request from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to explore safety in parks. A study will examine 'Design, Management and Maintenance' principles to understand factors influencing feelings of safety. The Serious Violence Strategy's objectives to strengthen partnership working and engage local people are noted as relevant. An update will be presented to the Safer Communities Partnership Board in June.

Forward Work Programme

The Board discussed the Forward Plan programme and members were encouraged to notify the relevant officer of any items they wished to be included.

The meeting concluded with the date of the next meeting set for 7 June 2024.