Issue - meetings

To review the Cherwell Community Safety Partnership, including a presentation from the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, Matthew Barber, the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Jason Hogg, and the Chief Superintendent of Thames Valley Police, Benedict Clark, will be in attendance to answer questions from the Committee on their presentation (attached).

Members will have an opportunity to ask questions, please submit any questions to the Democratic and Elections Team in advance of the meeting.

All Members of the Council are invited to attend the meeting for this item.

Resolved 

(1)          That having given due consideration, the Cherwell Safer Communities Partnership Presentation be noted.

(2)          That the Committee recommends that the Executive, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the Cherwell Safer Community Partnership Plan be reviewed and updated and presented to this committee early in the next municipal year.

The Committeeconsidered apresentation fromthe Headof Regulatory Services and Community Safety on the Cherwell Community Safety Partnership (CCSP) detailing its inception as well as its duties and responsibilities. Members were informed of the make-up of the partnership and its seven statutory partners as well as other permanent members.

The Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety updatedthe Committee onthe CCSPPlan 2020– 2023,detailing itsnotable successes in securing a Home Office Safer Streets 4 bid from the Office of thePolice andCrime Commissioner(OPCC) totackle youthrelated violence and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in Banbury, introducing a Public Spaces Protection Order for Bicester town centre, securing funding to support a Young Women and Girls project, working with Takes Valley Police (TVP) colleagues to deliver objectives for an ASB focused operation named OP JANKLE,as wellas theSafeguarding Childrenin Banbury(SCiB) initiative.

The Headof RegulatoryServices and CommunitySafety updated theCommittee onthe proposednew CCSP2025 –2028 priorities:

·           Anti-socialbehaviour (ASB)

·           Modernslavery and exploitation

·           ViolenceAgainst Womenand Girls(VAWG)

·           DomesticAbuse

·           SeriousViolence

·           RetailCrime (includingshop lifting)

·           RoughSleeping.

Members were also updated on the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership (SOP), a thematic group in Oxfordshire that aimed to bring together community safety partnersto work together to deliver joint priorities and emergingthemes, with a focus to make the county a safer place to live, work and visit by providing strategicoversight anddirection forpreventing crimeand anti-socialbehavior across Oxfordshire.

In response to a question regardingthe lack of a CCSPplan for 2024 as well as afull reporton theprevious 2020 – 2024 plan, the Head ofRegulatory Servicesand CommunitySafety advisedthat thechange inthe plans term and lack of a report were caused by the loss of staff as a result of the decoupling from Oxfordshire County Council.

It was proposed by Councillor Lynne Parsons to recommend that the Executive,as amatter ofurgency, ensurethat theCherwell SaferCommunity Partnership plan be reviewed and updated and presented to this committee early in the next municipal year. This was seconded by Councillor Andrew Crichton.

The Committeediscussed themotion. On beingput tothe vote,there were5 votes for, 0 votes against and 3 abstentions. It was agreed that recommendation should be submitted to Executive as soon as practicable.

The Chairmanwelcomed thePolice andCrime Commissionerfor Thames Valley,Matthew Barber,Chief ConstableJason Hoggand Superintendent Benedict Clark, Thames Valley Police, to the meeting and invited them to update the Committee regarding policing in Thames Valley.

The Police and Crime Commissioner updated the Committee on officer numbersand plansfor recruitmentof additionalofficers. Thisincluded plans for increasing diversity and inclusion within the force, with measures being researchedto encouragefemale applicantsas wellas applicantsfrom diverse backgrounds.

The Police and Crime Commissioner gave an overview of the review and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61