Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“Relevant Background Information

 

      At the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee (24 April 2009) members agreed the council’s Safer City Framework and Safer City Plan for 2009/10.  A Safer City Strategic Group was set up to manage and lead a mechanism for integrated action across the Council to bring about a ‘one council’ approach and ensure, where necessary, resources devoted to community safety are more joined up.  The Safer City Strategic Group now meets on a monthly basis, chaired by Suzanne Wylie (Director of Health & Environmental Services) and is made up of senior cross-departmental representatives.

 

      This report is therefore intended to provide:

 

1.   A performance report against the 2009/2010 SaferCity Business Plan

2.   The proposed 2010/2011 Safer City Business Plan. 

 

      The 2010/2011 plan has been developed following consultation with elected members at a Councillor Summit on 26^th November 2009 and consultation with departments throughout Council.  Where possible the 2010/2011 Council Safer City Plan has been closely aligned with other inter-agency strategies such as the Good Relations Plan, the Community Safety Partnership’s Safer Belfast Plan and the DPP Local Policing Plans.

 

Key Issues

 

      2009/2010 Business Plan – Key Achievements

 

      In 2009/10 we established a Safer City Framework and Action Plan for the council.  Some of the key achievements of the 2009/10 Plan include:

 

·         the development of corporate ASB information management system (being launched in July 2010) to capture ASB reported incidents across the council

·         delivery of training for frontline staff;

·         the development of an ASB incident diary to be used by members of the public experiencing ASB to help identify those responsible;

·         the development of an Authorisation Policy to ensure effective and appropriate utilisation of enforcement powers for relevant council officers.

 

      Proposed 2010/2011 Safer City Business Plan

 

      In November 2009 a Councillor Summit was held with elected members to identify priorities for our work that would benefit from greater internal coordination.  The proposed 2010/11 Safer City Business Plan reflects the matters raised by members at this event and builds on the achievements of the previous twelve months. 

 

      In addition, the 2010/11 Business Plan links the overarching strategic priorities of the council and is therefore in keeping with the councils strategic aim and objectives, the proposed aim of the Safer City Business Plan 2010/11 is:

 

“To take a leading role in improving the quality of life now and for future generations by supporting our organisation to work together to help people feel safer.”

 

      The proposed SaferCity Business Plan 2010/11 has been circulated.  However the proposed key priorities for this year are:

 

1.   Antisocial Behaviour

2.   Hate Crime & Good Relations

3.   Alcohol Fuelled Crime and underage drinking

4.   Communication & Engagement

5.   Information Management

6.   Policy, Planning & Performance.

 

Resource Implications

 

      Financial

 

      The SaferCity Business Plan aims to make more effective use of existing resources – both internal and external.  For example, it was felt that much of the work to tackle underage drinking could be met through existing Council, CSP and DPP resources.  Other examples of more effective use of existing resources include greater coordination of out of hours work and frontline staff across departments to enforce alcohol bye laws, greater use of council facilities to support community-based information events or development work and administrative savings through the joint allocation of summer intervention funding by Good Relations and Community Safety. 

 

      At a meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 22nd January 2010 a thematic budget allocation of £140,000 was agreed for the delivery of the Safer City Plan. The 2010/2011 Safer City Business Plan outlines how the thematic allocation of £140,000 should be directed in support of a number of the chosen priorities:

 

      Antisocial Behaviour: Allocation - £107,000

 

1.   Support deployment of citywide wardens scheme to areas identified as having high levels of ASB

2.   Deliver ASB training to 40 frontline staff

3.   Explore feasibility of developing a mediation service to assist residents experiencing neighbourhood disputes

 

Hate Crime & Good Relations: Allocation - £10,000

 

1.   Support interventions in and around interface areas

2.   Support inter-agency tension monitoring process and neighbourhood based-interventions

 

Policy, Planning and Performance: Allocation - £3,000

 

1.   To conduct a review of small grants to identify best value practices in order to enhance Safer City outcomes from small grant distribution:

 

Information Management: Allocation - £10,000

 

1.   To support the rollout of new corporate ASB IT system

 

Communication and Engagement: Allocation - £10,000

 

1.   To support communications and media campaign(s) targeting known seasonal peaks in ASB and interface violence.

2.   To hold an event for young people, linked to intergenerational work of Older People’s Officer Group, to debate safer city issues

3.   To ensure Safer City materials are available in requested languages

 

      Human Resources

 

      None – officer time to support both the Strategic Safer City Group and emerging work has been committed by departments within existing resources.

 

Recommendations

 

      Members are asked:

 

·         To agree the SaferCity Business Plan 2010/11

·         To note yearly progress report on the SaferCity Plan 2009/10

 

Decision Tracking

 

      Director of Health and Environmental Services to present half yearly progress reports.

 

Key to Abbreviations

 

      ASB - Antisocial behaviour

      CSP – Community Safety Partnership

      DPP – District Policing Partnership.”

 

            A Member expressed the view that the Council needed to be more proactive in consulting with the local communities regarding some of the issues which had been highlighted within the Plan, particularly in relation to anti-social behaviour, and to have those issues and any proposed actions incorporated into the Plan to ensure that such actions were implemented.  The point was made also that the Council needed to be better co?ordinated in relation to requests from the community to help prevent anti-social behaviour.

 

            In response, the Director indicated that the Safer City Plan, which the Committee was being asked to approve, was an internal document and was aimed at co-ordinating the Council’s own services and responses to help deliver a Safer City.  She indicated that the internal Plan would put in place a mechanism to address the issues which had been raised and ensure that the Council was working cross?Departmentally, working with other agencies and consulting with the communities.  She pointed out that the Community Safety Partnership, in conjunction with other statutory bodies, was embarking on a process to develop a new city-wide plan, which would involve consultation, and the issues which had been raised by the Member could be included within that, as well as being included within the Corporate Planning Process.

 

            After further discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations.