The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) met on Wednesday 02 October 2024 to discuss a range of issues impacting community safety in Barking and Dagenham. Key discussions included updates on the Youth Safety Summit, changes to early release schemes for offenders, and the structure of the Combatting Drugs Partnership. The meeting also reviewed police recorded crime figures and discussed the Serious Violence Duty Action Plan.

Youth Safety Summit

The Youth Safety Summit, held on 8th July 2024 at Jo Richardson Community School, brought together 90 young people from local secondary schools and professionals from various sectors. The summit focused on exploring contextual safeguarding, with young people identifying safe and unsafe spaces both online and within the community. Presentations highlighted local positive activities, the upcoming The Rising Generation youth centre in Marks Gate, and the development of the borough's Youth Offer. Young people shared pledges for personal action and requested increased police patrols, improved street lighting, expanded CCTV coverage, and greater involvement in decision-making processes. Concerns were raised about the inclusion of young people with learning disabilities, and the potential for linking the Children's Safeguarding Partnership with future youth summits.

ECSL and Probation Reset

Steven Calder presented an update on changes to early release schemes for offenders, including the introduction of SDS40 (Standard Determinate Sentence), which reduces the custodial period from 50% to 40%. This change, along with the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme, has led to earlier releases for some prisoners. While the impact on Barking and Dagenham has been minimal due to the low number of eligible cases, the Probation Service is experiencing increased workload due to longer sentences being served in the community. Probation Reset measures have been introduced to address staffing issues by front-loading engagement and intensive work at the beginning of sentences, with a shift to reactive management thereafter. A pilot reactive team in Barking and Dagenham is managing these cases. The effectiveness of these changes, particularly in relation to reoffending rates and the impact on local services, is being monitored.

Reducing Reoffending, Substance Misuse and Combatting Drugs Partnership Structure

The partnership proposed a revised structure to integrate the Combatting Drugs Partnership (CDP) more effectively with the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) and Health & Wellbeing Board. This involves combining the Substance Misuse Operational Group and the Reducing Reoffending subgroup under the CDP umbrella, with a strategic group feeding into the CSP. The CDP will be responsible for strategic leadership and delivering drug and alcohol strategies, while the Combating Drugs Operational (CDO) Group will focus on service integration and delivery. The Community MARAC and Integrated Offender Management (IOM) will be represented at the CDO group to ensure closer partnership working. The proposed structure aims to provide a more holistic service, particularly for individuals released early from prison. The board approved the structure, with a commitment to review for duplication and overlap.

Police Funded Team Update

The council contracts the Metropolitan Police for a dedicated team of nine officers and one sergeant who work across Barking and Dagenham, focusing on anti-social behaviour and crime problem-solving. This team supports injunctions, evictions, and closure orders. A review is underway to ensure the contract continues to provide value for money, considering changes in council operations and the Serious Violence Strategy. The review will focus on youth violence, community safety, and anti-social behaviour, and will be presented to the executive board. The funding of these officers by the local authority while remaining police officers is a challenge being addressed through wider work across the Met.

Serious Violence Duty and Action Plan Update

A workshop highlighted concerns around funding impacting the delivery of the Serious Violence Duty Action Plan. Katie Jones is working with Heads of Service to address potential impacts of reduced funding. Partners were reminded that the Serious Violence Duty is a statutory obligation, and feedback on the action plan is essential for its effectiveness and to showcase ongoing work. The Serious Violence Duty Strategy and Strategic Needs Assessment are available on the council's website. Partners were asked to flag any concerns about funding withdrawals to Katie Jones.

Community Safety Partnership Plan Review

The CSP Plan requires a complete overhaul and will be revisited in the new year to align with other relevant strategies, including the new Crime and Policing Plan, which is anticipated to be published in January 2025. Partners were asked to review the action plan and flag any necessary updates or amendments.

Performance Report

Daniel James presented the police recorded crime figures for Barking and Dagenham for the 12 months to August 2024. Total Notifiable Offences decreased by 6.7% compared to the previous year. While most offence types saw a decrease, statistically significant increases were noted in Trafficking of Drugs (+27.9%), Robbery of Business Property (+87.9%), Shoplifting (+12.4%), and Theft from Person (+37.0%). Special flagged crimes, such as Domestic Abuse, Hate Crime, and Knife Crime, generally saw decreases. However, Gun Crime significantly increased by 110.3%, and Theft from Person – Mobile Phone increased by 31.0%. The report also noted limitations of police recorded crime figures, including potential influences from recording practices and police activity.

Youth Justice Service Board Subgroup Update

The Youth Justice Service (YJS) management board met twice in the last quarter. Performance updates indicated that while First Time Entrant (FTE) and custody rates remain higher than national averages, re-offending has decreased to 34.4%. The service has been moved to Quadrant 3 by the Youth Justice Board due to concerns about FTE and custody rates. The board reviewed updates on victim work, with positive feedback received, and discussed children remanded or sentenced to custody, with actions agreed following a multi-agency audit. The YJS is focusing on serious incident notifications and learning reviews. The YJS chief executive visited to showcase the service's work and meet young people. Key challenges include the need for further external audit and embedding improvements following a restructure.

Barking and Dagenham Drug and Alcohol Performance

The report presented an overview of drug and alcohol treatment performance up to May 2024. The number of adults in treatment continues to increase, exceeding the baseline. Adult opiate users in treatment also remain above the baseline. Prison Continuity of Care has improved, with a higher percentage of offenders returning to the borough being engaged with treatment. Alcohol misuse treatment numbers are also showing a positive trend, with more individuals accessing services. The borough has achieved a 52% progression rate through treatment, exceeding the baseline. Barking and Dagenham was invited to present at a joint event on increasing young people's access to treatment and prevention support due to its long-term history of high numbers in treatment. Both CGL (adult services) and VIA (young people's services) were successful in the recent tender process, ensuring service continuity from September 2024.

Safeguarding Boards Update Report

Updates were provided on key items discussed at the Safeguarding Children Partnership (SCP) Delivery Group and the Community Safety Partnership (CSP). The Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) reviewed its strategic plan and annual report. LeDeR reviews, which learn from the deaths of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, were discussed, along with findings from the National SAR Analysis Report, which indicated an increase in reviews concerning domestic abuse and sexual exploitation.

Rapid Review Case of 'SS' - June 2024

A rapid review was conducted into the case of 'SS', a 45-year-old woman who died by suicide in July 2023, having reported incidents of domestic violence. The review, conducted via the 'One Panel' process, concluded that the case did not meet the threshold for a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR). However, significant learning was identified across various agencies, including Children's Care and Support, Housing, CAFCASS, Refuge, GP practices, Change Grow Live (CGL), London Ambulance Service (LAS), and the Mental Health and Wellness Team (formerly BDAABIT). Key learning themes included the adverse impact of limited access to her children on SS's mental health, the need for improved communication and information sharing between services, and missed opportunities for safeguarding and risk assessment. Recommendations included providing emotional support to parents whose children are removed from their care and ensuring all services promptly complete required checks and scoping documents for reviews.