The Leicestershire and Rutland Safer Communities Strategy Board met on Friday 25 September 2026 to discuss a range of community safety initiatives. Key topics included an update on the refreshed LLR Hate Crime Strategy, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner's activities, and performance data for safer communities. The Board also received updates on Victim First services and the ECINS anti-social behaviour system.

LLR Hate Crime Strategy and Delivery Plan Update

The Board noted the refreshed Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Strategy for Tackling Hate (2026-2029) and the updated Terms of Reference for the LLR Strategic Hate Crime Group. Superintendent 2908 Stephen Bunn, Leicestershire Police, presented the strategy, which aims to provide a stable and proportionate framework for local delivery with a strengthened emphasis on victims and survivors. The strategy will be reviewed annually, and the Group will oversee its delivery through a supporting delivery plan. The updated Terms of Reference formally include Probation and Health services within the Group's membership. The Board endorsed the continued delivery of the strategy through existing LLR partnership arrangements.

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Update

Sajan Devshi from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) provided an update on the office's work. He highlighted that while most Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) had begun spending their allocated funds, Oadby and Wigston and Harborough CSPs had not yet started. Mr. Devshi also detailed the extensive public engagement undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner, with 457 engagements recorded since May 2024. Common themes emerging from these engagements included a desire for more visible policing, concerns about anti-social behaviour, young people becoming involved in crime, victim confidence in reporting violence against women and girls, and crime linked to drug and alcohol misuse. The OPCC is working with the Chief Constable to increase visible patrols and has supported the development of the Leicestershire Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan. The report also detailed various funded projects across the region, including support for asylum seekers, homeless individuals, youth programmes, and rural crime prevention initiatives. Two Protect and Prevent events were held in Charnwood, distributing home security items, with 99% of surveyed residents reporting an increased feeling of safety. Further events are planned for Hinckley and Bosworth and Leicester City.

Victim First Update

Chloe Thatcher from Catch 22 presented an update on the Victim First service, which supports victims and witnesses of crime across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland. The service celebrated its 10-year anniversary and has introduced a Victim Pathway Team to improve the handling of domestic abuse referrals. Victim First is also focusing on data analysis to better target its response, with a new data recording system and a recently appointed data analyst. They have launched a Restorative Justice forum in Leicester city, and this service is available county-wide, including for young people. Suggestions were made to align Victim First's Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with their commissioned services and to access existing data from Leicestershire County Council's Business Intelligence function.

Safer Communities Performance

Anita Chavda, Projects and Planning Officer for the Community Safety Team at Leicestershire County Council, presented the Safer Communities performance dashboard for Quarter 1 of 2025/26. The dashboard indicated a slight decrease in the MARAC repeat referral rate, remaining within the recommended range. Domestic crime and incidents showed a higher rate than the previous year, potentially due to increased reporting. Domestic violence with injury rates were down, and sexual offence rates remained the same. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) total figures had increased, with a rise in personal ASB. Overall crime, including total crime, violence with injury, burglary, and vehicle offences, had improved and were lower than the previous year. Hate crime and racially or religiously aggravated crime had risen compared to the same time last year. The insight survey indicated a slight decrease in the agreement that people from different backgrounds get on well together compared to the previous year.

Anti-social Behaviour System - ECINS

Gurjit Samra-Rai, Strategic Lead for Safer Communities at Leicestershire County Council, provided a verbal update on the ECINS (Enabling Collaboration, Information and Engagement for Neighbourhood Services) anti-social behaviour case management system. While it was hoped the system would be fully operational by now, some outstanding issues remain, which are being addressed with the provider. Positively, ECINS now includes a facility to record domestic abuse within a home and links to hate incidents. The recruitment for an Anti-social Behaviour System Governance & Co-ordination Officer is underway, a role deemed crucial for the system's effective management. The system now also highlights domestic abuse and hate incidents, which can escalate the risk of ASB.

Risk Ready Programme

Mark Warden, LLR Resilience Forum and Resilience Partnership Manager, presented an update on the Risk Ready Programme, which aims to support residents and community groups in understanding local risks and preparing for emergencies. The programme, launched in March 2026 and planned until spring 2029, involves webinars, workshops, and local engagement. Board members were encouraged to promote the programme and connect community groups with Mr. Warden.

Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices

Inspector Shaun Wilson from Leicestershire Police provided an update on the use of Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) and Community Protection Notices (CPNs). These are tools to address persistent unreasonable behaviour and anti-social behaviour. The report noted that while CPW usage had increased by 154%, CPN usage had decreased, possibly due to the workload involved. Awareness-raising and training efforts are ongoing to ensure consistent and proportionate use of these powers across agencies.

The Board noted the dates of future meetings and resolved to exclude the press and public for the Groundswell Project - Safeguarding Neurodiverse Young People item, after which the Board noted the contents of the report and presentation.