Issue - meetings

An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Bernice Vanier, on developments within her portfolio.

Councillor Vanier, the Cabinet Member for Communities, reported on the key areas and developments within her portfolio as follows:

·         Haringey was one of three boroughs that had been selected by the MOPAC to take part in a specific programme aimed at addressing the issue of gang violence.  This was referred to as Operation Shield;

·         The borough’s Safer Neigbourhood Board was working well and had wide representation from across the borough;

·         In response to anti semitic chanting on tube trains by West Ham supporters before a recent football match at Tottenham Hotspur, she had written to the British Transport Police asking what action they were planning to take;

·         There had been effective partnership work with the Police to address anti social behaviour and drug dealing on the Love Lane estate in Tottenham.  The ASBAT team had put up cameras and obtained evidence that had enabled action to be taken against several people.  There had also been issues with prostitution.  There had been no reports so far of people who action had been taken against returning to the area;

·         A response was being prepared by the Community Safety Partnership to the issues raised by the recent report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham;

·         Statistics for levels of non domestic violence with injury within the borough were still high compared with similar local authority areas.  Operation Equinox had been launched to address the issue.  In particular, this had included an SOS bus that was aimed to assist victims.

The Panel were of the view that the partnership approach that had proven successful on the Love Lane Estate needed to be replicated elsewhere.  It was noted that the joint action on the estate had taken three years to achieve its objectives.  Individual organisations now had fewer resources and therefore needed to pool them in order to address issues effectively.  A similar process was being developed in Northumberland Park and the Department for Communities and Local Government had recently provided grant funding for capacity building work in the area.  The model developed as part of this was intended to be transferable to other areas. 

The Borough Commander commented that partners wished to have a model that fitted everywhere.  The intention was to promote support and engagement with communities, as well as enforcement.  It was important that any model was not over reliant on Police intelligence and was informed by wider local information.  Prioritising particular areas facilitated the identification of resources to address issues.  Although the model was intended to be transferable, it might be necessary for it to be adapted to fit local circumstances.

The Panel noted there had previously been issues with drug dealing in the Ladder area of Harringay.  Action had been taken to address this, including the use of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs).  However, the problem had re-surfaced in recent months and there was some frustration amongst local residents that it had not been possible to deal successfully with it.  The perpetrators often disappeared before the Safer Neighbourhood Team attended the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5

An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Stuart McNamara on developments within his portfolio.

An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Bernice Vanier, on developments within her portfolio.

An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Stuart McNamara on developments within his portfolio.