To question the Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Eugene Ayisi,
on current developments arising from his portfolio.
Minutes:
Councillor Ayisi, the Cabinet Member for Communities, reported on recent developments in respect of his portfolio as follows:
· The Community Safety Partnership had not been meeting regularly but had been relaunched and was now functioning with renewed vigour. All relevant stakeholders were now involved. Some joint meetings had taken place with the Health and Well Being Board to consider issues of mutual interest;
· Young people who came into contact with the justice system were often vulnerable and the gaps that there were in providing support needed to be acknowledged. There was a clear link to secondary exclusions. In respect of academic achievement, a specific group had been set up by Councillor Weston, the Cabinet Member for Children, to look at how levels amongst Black and Minority Ethnic communities could be improved;
· Some parents did not have the time to attend parents’ evenings at schools due to their work commitments. In addition, some young people had no space to study when they got home. School could provide an escape for them;
· A study that had been undertaken of the 20 most prolific offenders in the borough had identified a number of common characteristics such as bereavement, having an older sibling involved in crime and domestic violence. A large percentage had experienced trauma.
In answer to a question, Joe Benmore, the Strategic Manager for Integrated Offender Management, reported that the increase in moped enabled robberies had now levelled off. There had been a pan London response with a dedicated Police squad set up. Operation Venice had been set up by the Police to address the issue. The strategy involved both enforcement and intervention. There was now a centralised hub for dealing with moped enabled crime as well as Police officers on motorcycles. However, there were also safeguarding issues that needed to be considered in respect of any pursuit. Many of the mopeds used were stolen and there was a security issue that manufacturers needed to consider.
Panel Members commented that moped theft was the root cause of the issue and felt that work should be undertaken with moped owners to encourage them to secure their vehicles properly. Mr Benmore reported that this was part of the overall strategy by the Police.
In answer to a question, the Cabinet Member stated that community safety work within the borough was financed by funding from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), which all London boroughs received. Anything additional to this was a bonus. However, the underlying issues were covered by other Council priority areas, such as Regeneration and Children’s Services. Mr Benmore commented that MOPAC had reduced the amount of funding for boroughs by 30% and it had therefore been necessary to look for savings. This was being addressed in part by bringing together boroughs that faced similar challenges and aligning services. The aim was to build resilience into the system and there was confidence that the cuts could be accommodated.
In answer to another question, the Cabinet Member reported that action had been taken in response to recent violent incidents in the borough. The Metropolitan Police’s Territorial Support Group (TSG) had been deployed and stop and search was being used more widely. 40 additional Police officers had also been provided for the borough in order to provide reassurance to residents. Social media was also being monitored closely. There was a lack of recognised community leaders in the Wood Green area, which meant that it was difficult to engage with young people from the area regarding the disorder that had taken place.
The Panel noted that there was a perception amongst some young people that they were safer if they carried a knife. In addition, they could also be reticent to call the Police if under threat. Most knives were ordinary kitchen ones as these were small, concealable and of no value. Drugs and money were the motivation behind most gang activity. Young people wanted jobs that could fulfil their ambitions and lacked enthusiasm for apprenticeships. Gangs could become a surrogate family for them but it was difficult for them to exit if they so wished. The Cabinet Member commented that although signposting was provided for young people, there was a lack of effective careers advice and guidance.
In answer to a question, Mr Benmore reported that there was a national strategy around drugs that focussed on tackling organised criminal networks. There had been a lot of activity and some notable successes. It was a national issue though and not just confined to Haringey.