Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were made.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 10 March 2020, be received and approved as a correct record.

The Service Manager, Scrutiny and Democratic Services introduced the item to the Panel and welcomed everyone present to the meeting.  Unfortunately, the invitations extended to the Chief Inspector, Mark Dixon and Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Kate Long, had been declined due to conflicting work requirements but both had expressed their desire to attend a future meeting and take part in the Community Protection Service review.

Members reacquainted themselves with the previous work undertaken by the Panel to set the framework in place to facilitate the review.  Presentations had previously been given by the Service Manager, Community Safety alongside the Anti-Social Behaviour and Triage Team Manager to enable Members to gain an insight into the current role of the Community Protection Officer (CPO) and preliminary discussions had set parameters to achieve the desired outcomes to the review.

Community Protection Officer Role

To assist the Panel further, the Service Manager, Community Safety reiterated the responsibilities of the CPO’s and explained the many strands to the role which required both a reactive and proactive approach.  A schedule was shared on screen to enable the Panel to get a sense of the diverse range of requests that CPO’s were tasked with including:

·       foot patrols;

·       dealing with incidences of anti-social behaviour;

·       assisting homeless people;

·       untaxed vehicles;

·       fly tipping and evidence searching;

·       delivering food packages;

·       neighbour disputes;

·       children playing in unsafe buildings;

·       dispersing groups on parks and open spaces;

·       litter picks with former offenders.

The Panel’s Vision for the CPO Role

The overarching requirement of the review was to establish clear service objectives for the CPO role that were fit for purpose and mirrored the vision of both the Council and its Members for a robust, effective community safety service for the District.

Members were asked to consider what they believed to be the right mix of responsibilities for the CPO role, taking on board both the more reactive enforcement side of their duties and the more proactive approach undertaken as part of their connection and promotion of well-being within communities.

Working in Partnership

Following a question, the Panel considered the current collaborative working arrangements with the Police and how information was shared effectively between the two services.  Daniel Griffin and Jack Harrison, the two CPO’s in attendance at the meeting, spoke positively about the working arrangements and the willingness on both sides to work together to achieve outcomes. 

The airwaves radio system, shared by the Police and CPO’s, was an excellent communication tool and allowed for requests for back up, assistance and information as required. The Council were also working with the Police to enable the CPOs to have access to their ‘safe system’ which would enable a greater level of information sharing to support their work further.

The Anti-Social Behaviour and Triage Team Manager also attended both joint tasking meetings and Police briefings as required.

Community Protection Officer Powers

Members acknowledged some of the powers currently vested in the CPO’s, as follows:

·       Require the name and address of a person who has committed a criminal  ...  view the full minutes text for item SB.3