Agenda item

The Chair gave an outline of current performance against the MOPAC 7 neighbourhood targets set within the context of the four year 20% reduction target including short and long term challenges to delivery. It was advised that the MOPAC 7 targets officially ended in April 2016 and currently the new London Mayor was consulting on a new Police and Crime Plan to inform the determination of future priorities and performance measures in this sector.

Key headlines of current performance included:

·         A significant 54% increase in the last 12 months in theft from person offences related to a rise in moped enabled crime, a trend seen on a London wide level.

·         Violence with injury incidents had seen a 7.8% 12 month increase. This incorporated domestic abuse offences and it was hoped that under the new Mayoral plan, this data could be drilled down further as it was a widespread issue. Street based crimes in this category tended to occur in key town centre hotspots which enabled the targeting of resources such as increasing visible street patrols in these geographic areas.

·         An 43% increase in hate crime reports had been seen over the last year, potentially reflecting increased public confidence in reporting these crimes. A moderate spike in incidents had been seen post Brexit but this was within the context of an already upward trajectory. 

·         Performance around gangs and serious youth violence and knife enabled crime illustrated the importance of a focus going forward on youth engagement and utilising intelligence around risk and early intervention. It was advised that the Police offer to primary schools would be increased going forward via dedicated ward officers to provide a more focussed, targeted approach to engagement around issues such as grooming, knife crime etc.

·         The challenges associated with analysing performance in relation to drugs offences were outlined including the links with organised crime and sensitivities in community engagement in this area around stop and search etc.

·         Sustained success had been achieved in reducing burglary rates including the roll out of the Met Trace scheme and a more visible street Police presence. 

·         An improvement had been seen in confidence levels in policing in the last quarter although it was acknowledged this remained a challenging area going forward and which required greater focus.

The Board raised the following issues in discussion of the report and presentation:

·         The value was identified of unpacking the young people element of some of the performance datasets to help inform a more targeted approach in this area. It was advised that this would be captured within the Strategic Assessment. The Chair also outlined the ability of the Police to subdivide knife crime data into figures for the below 25 years age category.

·         Concerns were raised that an area based assessment of domestic violence (DV) incidents skewed the underpinning narrative and it was commented that the rate of incidence might be a more appropriate measure. It was also recognised that there were data gaps around the ethnicity of DV perpetrators and victims, as it was advised that the recording of this information by the Police was not currently mandatory but that other Council services might hold information in this regard.

·         Drugs were recognised as a key golden thread across crime types and an important area within which to identify vulnerability.

·         It was commented that Bruce Grove was an emerging crime hot spot behind Wood Green and Northumberland Park and could potentially be a focus going forward when looking at vulnerability and victimisation data.

·         Concerns were raised over reliance on the Public Attitude Survey which was based only on a small sample cohort and thereby how accurately this could be said to reflect and capture the local situation. It was also acknowledged that it was difficult to react to the survey results as confidence in policing remained a complex and nuanced area.

RESOLVED

·         That the performance update report be noted.