DONCASTER
METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
COMMUNITIES AND
ENVIRONMENT
(in
it’s capacity as Crime and Disorder Committee)
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
PANEL
6th
NOVEMBER, 2014
A
MEETING of the COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY PANEL was held
at the CIVIC OFFICE, DONCASTER on Tuesday, 6th November 2014, 2pm.
PRESENT:
Chair – Councillor
Jane Kidd
Councillors Iris Beech and Mark Houlbrook.
Also in
attendance:
Karen
Johnson – Assistant Director of Communities;
Bill
Hotchkiss - Head of Service for Community Safety
Helen
Conroy - Public Health Specialist;
Gill
Gillies – Assistant Director for Environment;
Councillor
Joe Blackham – Cabinet Member of Community Safety and Neighbourhoods;
Karen
Hanson - Head of Service Environmental Protection;
Chief
Inspector Jakki Hardy (South Yorkshire Police);
Linda
Mayhew – Local Criminal Justice Board (and also the Substance Misuse lead
within the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner)
APOLOGIES:
Apologies for absence had been
received from Councillors Cynthia Ransome, Richard Cooper-Holmes, Deborah Hutchinson, Kevin Rogers and
Yvonne Woodcock.
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ACTION |
1. |
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST |
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There
were no declarations of interest made. |
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2. |
PUBLIC STATEMENTS |
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Mr Tim Brown
attended and made reference to the Professor Gus John report ‘Tired of
Fighting’ and the issues around inequalities that were raised in the the
report. He commented that inequalities
still exist and stated that less that 1% of Black, Minority and Ethnic Groups
are working for Doncaster MBC. Mr Brown
pointed out that Hate Crime had risen but that detection rates were low and
questioned what statutory agencies were doing about this. Mr Brown
referred to Councillor Blackham acknowledging that the Due Regard Statement
for the Community Safety Strategy was produced after the Strategy went to
Cabinet and that this was not acceptable. Mr Brown
stated that there were no longer BME forums (of which he had been Chair) where
individuals could articulate their concerns. Mr Brown
expressed that he was also a parent and asked for an explanation as to why
there had been a lack of progress in addressing the inequalities raised in
the report 12 years ago. He commented
that he wanted family members to have fairness in Doncaster. Reference was made to the proliferation of
organisations such as the English Defence League and Mr Brown said that he does
not feel that he can go out to certain areas of Doncaster. It was added that people should not get
jobs in accordance to the colour of their skin. Mr Brown asked for an explanation as to why
employment of BME group was so low since being initially raised in the Gus
John report 12 years ago and stated that nothing tangible is being acted
upon. Mr Brown
made reference to the Police and Crime Commissioner who had a statutory duty
to meaningful engage with BME communities.
It was added that responses had not been received to requests for
information and that he was still chasing DMBC Officers. A
mention was made to an Information Commission tribunal that Mr Brown went to in
order to access information. Mr Brown
questioned why it had taken 12 years to release this information and referred
to the money that had been spent on a Barrister (of which was stated as being
£10,000) which would have gone a long way being used in communities being for
the prevention of drug abuse. Mr Brown
asked what was being done to get the message out. Mr Brown
went on to speak about being a parent of a 12 year old daughter and his
concerns about the recent issues raised in relation to child sexual
exploitation. Mr Brown
later referred to the unfairness his generation has experienced and expressed
hope that someone could say that there had been some meaningful and
proportionate efforts made. |
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3. |
DRUGS AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE WITH A
PARTICULAR FOCUS ON ENFORCEMENT. |
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Members
received a presentation which provided an overview of Safer Stronger
Doncaster Partnership actions in relation to drugs and substance misuse with
a particular focus on enforcement. The
presentation covered: - ·
Prevention ·
Education ·
Treatment ·
Enforcement The Panel
was informed that the picture in Doncaster was similar to other metropolitan
areas. It was noted that there were
now new performance indicators which included Successful exits from treatment. The Panel
was informed that improvements could be made in making drugs and substance
misuse services more attractive to a more diverse population. Members heard
that it was a challenge encouraging more people to access treatment and that
for some communities there were cultural barriers. It was
explained that there was a three year strategy in place with a one year
delivery plan; it was offered to the Panel that this could be circulated. Members were also informed that children’s
services delivery is separate and a new strategy for Children and Young
People is under development. During a
discussion around prevention, the Panel was informed that the approach was now
far more coordinated and focused. The
Panel was informed about the work of the Substance Misuse Theme Group. Members
were informed that GPs are undertaking more screening as part of their work. In
respect of training, more frontline staff including St. Leger, South
Yorkshire Police and Community Teams were being trained to recognise people
with drink or substance misuse problems.
It was commented that alcohol is often an issue seen within incidents
of domestic abuse. The Panel was
informed that frontline staff were being made aware of the pathways that are
available. It was recognised that family
members and partners also may wish to access help and support for themselves. The Panel
was informed that patterns of drinking had changed with more people having
drinks in the home before going out into town and that licensed premises in
the town centre were now thriving later on in the night and continuing until
4/5 am in the morning. In
relation to underage drinking, Members were told about measures in place such
as: - ·
a new Education Officer for
Alcohol and Tobacco ·
DMBC Enforcement Officers
working with South Yorkshire Police; ·
Regular review of licences
including licenses regularly reviewed by main statutory bodies. ·
Test purchases co-ordinated
throughout the year (including supermarkets). ·
Challenge ‘21’ Campaign. The Panel
was informed that some family members were purchasing alcohol for younger
members of the family and that certain families deem it acceptable for
children to drink. It was commented
that shoplifting of alcohol was also an issue. It was
noted that the Police were very active right through to the early hours of
the morning and that they routinely visit places frequented by young people
drinking. In relation to shops, the Panel was informed
that if they failed the test purchase three times then further action would
be taken. It was confirmed that all
premises, including supermarkets, that sold alcohol would be subject to test
purchases. Members were also informed
about the work being undertaken with A&E departments and information
being gathered as to where underage drinkers or those intoxicated had been
and then targeted those establishments. Reference
was made to garages and Members were informed that although they were often
used by young people they were not perceived as a problem regarding the selling
of alcohol to those underage. The Panel was told about the Amelix Youth Project, trialed at Danum
Academy and delivered targeted messages in a fun interactive way which had
received positive feedback. Members
also learnt that Children and Young People Services was about to
re-commission a School Nurse. During
the discussion, concern was raised about whether volunteers of youth clubs had
received relevant training. The Panel
was told about a piece of work that had been undertaken mapping voluntary
sector including Youth Clubs, and that although volunteer training was
offered there needed to be a more systematic approach in place. Members were also
informed that this point was also raised during a Project 3 Away Day by a
foster carer. In
relation to criminal acts, the Panel was informed that mandatory drug testing
was only carried out for certain offences and that only specific drugs can be
tested for. During a
discussion about those with long term drug addiction problems, Members were
informed that it was about catching individuals at the right time. Initiatives taking place included a needle
exchange, drop-ins, peer mentoring and one-to-one mentoring that supported
individuals to come to terms with life challenges and move forward. In
respect of mentoring, Members were informed that RDASH ran an accredited peer
mentoring training course for people in recovery, which could lead to
providing peer mentoring and treatment support work themselves. It was
noted that individuals had recovered through support from mentoring and
community/support groups. It was
recognised that what areas of importance to recovering users included
accessing jobs/volunteering opportunities.
An example of this was the work being undertaken through the Rovers Fund. It was
explained that the Council and partners were looking at a whole service
approach. A Member expressed concern
that the wheels were being reinvented and made reference to previous schemes,
which included; the Bungalow project at Moorends and Streetreach that had provided
a ‘holistic approach’. Members were
informed that a new ‘Changing Lives’ project had taken over the Streetreach
project and that treatment services were still available. The issue of addiction to prescribed medication
was raised and it was noted that this was something that generally begins in GPs
practise and that GPs could do more. Members
were informed that it was something being monitored and was a national issue
costing billions. It was noted that the level of abuse of prescription drugs has spread throughout the prison
system. During a discussion about trends in drug use, Members
were told that there had been a move away from heroin abuse but in recent
years cannabis cultivation had rocketed.
Members were told that intelligence was collected providing
information on local areas and demographics and that locally investigative
and neighbourhood teams worked side by side.
Members were informed that there was an interactive approach to
enforcement through mechanisms that encouraged reporting through: - ·
Community Teams ·
Crimestoppers ·
Ward Members Members were informed that work was being undertaken linking
neighbouring councils that identified any significant connections and delved
deeper to assess any other criminal activities. Regarding the use of social media, Members were
informed that it had been trialed previously on ‘Mad Friday’ which was the
last Friday before Christmas Eve.
During the trial, the four Yorkshire and Humberside Police forces tweeted
details of incidents that were reported to them to help local residents
understand the variety and quantity of calls that officers deal with at that
time of year. It was acknowledged that
in respect of social media and technology which was moving so fast, further
progress could be made in the way that it is used. Members
were informed about new trends in Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS). There was a debate
around the growing trend of NPS and Members were informed that there had been
a Government Select Committee held on this issue. It was also noted that NPS was becoming
increasingly common in prisons.
Members were told that the Substance Misuse Theme Group was being very
proactive in this area and had appointed a representative from the Prison
Service to it. Research was also being
undertaken in what was happening further afield in Scotland and Belfast. In respect of the selling of NPS, the Panel was told
that the Regeneration and Environment directorate was reviewing their
policies with Market Traders. Although
there was no age restriction in relation to the sale of NPS, communications
had taken place with market traders asking them not to sell it to young
people under the age of 18. It was
noted that there was a big challenge with shops selling the products but that
the product included a ‘not for human consumption’ statement which covered
sellers. Members were informed that
there had been deaths and ill health that were related to NPS and data was
being received from Accident and Emergency departments to monitor this. It was also recognised that it was a
growing trend in prisons due to it being cheap and replicating the effect of
illegal drugs. Members were advised
that until there was Government legislation in place in respect of NPS there was
little that can be done in terms of enforcement. There was a brief discussion in what could
be done by the Panel to raise their concerns in relation to NPS. The
Chair thanked officers for the information and concluded that the issue went far
beyond a set of figures. |
Bill
Hotchkiss - Head of Service - Community Safety All to
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RESOLVED that the Panel recommend in respect
of the dangers and concerns around NPS: - 1.
That the Mayor gives consideration to writing on behalf
of the Council to local MPs. 2.
That the Panel in their capacity as the Crime and
Disorder Committee raises this issue as a priority to the South Yorkshire
Police and Crime Commissioner and Policy and Crime Panel as appropriate in
due course. 3.
For an all Member awareness raising seminar on NPS to
be delivered as soon as possible. |
Senior
Governance Officer Senior
Governance Officer/Chair of Communities and Environment Panel Assistant
Director of Communities |
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4. |
SOUTH YORKSHIRE POLICE AND CRIME PANEL –
JOINT WORKING PROTOCOL. |
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This
report provided the Panel with a proposed joint working protocol between the
four local authority crime and disorder scrutiny committees and the South
Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel. The
Scrutiny Officer sought the Panels agreement to the proposed working protocol
as attached in Appendix A of the report and to report back to the Police and
Crime Panel as appropriate. |
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RESOLVED: 1.
That the Panel agree the proposed working protocol. 2.
That the Scrutiny Officer reports this agreement back
to the Police and Crime Panel as appropriate. |
Scrutiny
Officer |
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5. |
COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND
SCRUTINY WORKPLAN |
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The
Scrutiny Officer updated members of the Communities and Environment Overview
and Scrutiny on the updates on the workplan including the new dates for the
Waste Review meetings in December 2014, February and March 2015. The Panel was informed that they would be
notified in due course about the Voluntary Strategy review which had yet to
begin. |
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RESOLVED That the Panel:- 1. Note the updated work plan for 2014/15; 2. Note the minutes in relation to the
Panel’s meetings held to date that took place on the 6th, 21st August and
23rd September 2014 in relation to the Waste Review. |
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