Agenda item

Superintendent Rhona Hunt Neighbourhood Policing North Area BCU; Brian Ellick (Head of ASB Enforcement and CCTV); Sarah Hart, (Senior Commissioner-Public Health);  Helidon Topulli (Head of Support and wellbeing Haringey Housing); Maddie Watkins (Housing related support).

Presentations were provided by Mr Sandeep Broca, Mr Joe Benmore, Mr Brian Ellick, Mr Helidon Topulli, Ms Maddie Watkins, Ms Sarah Hart and Mr Ian Davey and observations were provided by Mr Shane Roberts, Mr Eubert Malcolm, Mr Russell Symons.

The meeting welcomed the presentations and heard that:

·      An ASB forum across the borough facilitated idea exchange and discussions on common themes, potentially petitioning for additional powers under the 2014 Act. Their efforts ensured consistency in London, emphasizing strong partnerships and prevention which would establish mechanisms to reduce anti-social behaviour.

·      The Home Office undertook a review on ASB (Anti-Social Behaviour) powers at the national level. A consultation had taken place, and were exploring whether the current powers were appropriate and had the desired impact in preventing anti-social behaviour.

·      The Council worked closely with the police and other council services like homelessness, outreach, or substance misuse teams to address emerging areas of ASB and crime. Meetings were organized to focus on community engagement, acknowledging the importance of involving residents and improving communication to address issues effectively.

·      Haringey Partnership Problem Solving Group (PPSG) main focus was to work on concerted plans by analysing performance data at ward and street level to determine the most effective allocation of resources.

·      The Clear, Hold, Build programme, emphasised in reducing incidents of ASB by 24-49% across seven cities in the UK including Liverpool, Bradford and Luton.  Protocols were implemented in Suffolk to hold HMOs owners legally and financially responsible for activities inside their premises. It was also commented that community subgroups organised clear ups, collaborated with private skip companies for rubbish disposal, and combined efforts with graffiti clearing and weapons searches. It was suggested to implement this approach to addressed drug-related anti-social behaviour in Haringey.

·      The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) had awarded a national contract called CAS3 to the Housing Action Management group. This contract was in relation to prison leavers. This contract granted prison leavers with an up to eighty-four nights of accommodation. It was emphasised that every London borough would have properties, and the issues related to accommodating prison leavers would be addressed through this contract.

·      There were challenges in identifying residents placed from other boroughs, particularly in properties with multiple occupants. Issues related to ASB varied from minor nuisances to serious drug-related problems. There were cases that showed cooperation between councils, however, there were instances of challenging collaboration between boroughs.

·      Data from the Community Safety team was used by the PPSG to inform where the resources were allocated. This data identified areas related to fly-tipping, noise, police data, and ASB, particularly in the North East of the borough. The strategic partnership focused on addressing these issues, taking into consideration input from councillors, partners, and residents. The Council used a Volta analysis tool to determine resource utilisation based on victim, offender, location and time. They utilised resources such as CCTV cameras to collect evidence where necessary and it was highlighted the importance of community engagement for behaviour change.

·      Tenancy management team were working on matching individuals with suitable accommodations and addressing their needs, by considering their lifestyle and preferences. The workforce was increased to conduct thorough tenancy checks, risk assessments, and vulnerability evaluations.  It was mentioned that the objective was to make appropriate decisions to ensure people were placed in accommodations that best suited their requirements.

·      An experimental program took place at Larry House in collaboration with residents to deal with anti-social behaviour in supported housing. However, the experiment did not completely achieve its intended goals, and no similar initiatives were used in other parts of the borough. Subsequently, a budget was allocated to enhance communal spaces within the buildings, leading to the refurbishment of eight hubs throughout the borough. This was aimed to establish areas where residents could socialize and avoid feelings of isolation.

·      Bubic and Chestnuts Park, a neighbourhood watch group, collaborated to address drug dealing issues in their area. Bubic conducted regular outreach and set up a cycling group using facilities at Chestnuts Community Centre. It was mentioned that this strategy could be used in areas such as Chapman's Green’ pavilion where drug and ASB relating issues had moved into.

·      In the last 15 years the areas of Fore Street and the High Road had been the main locations for on-street sex work. It was noted that occasional sex workers might have been present in various locations, but the long-standing issue of on-street sex work remained confined to the mentioned areas.

·      There was a steady reduction of about 30% in the sightings of on-street sex work. The issue of trafficking victims being groomed and transported into the country for sex work, under the control of others, posed challenges in identifying them as victims. It was explained that ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking were underway.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.