Agenda item

The Panel was provided with an update on the work being undertaken in support of the Police and Crime Plan objectives to reduce harm caused by drugs and alcohol namely; Objective 2 'to reduce the volume of violent crime with an emphasis on addressing the hard caused by alcohol through partnership working, and; Objective 3 'to reduce the harm caused by drugs with a focus on treatment, and targeting those that cause the most harm.

In discussion the following points were made and responded to:

•      How worried was the Commissioner about the harm caused by drugs and alcohol?  The Commissioner stated that drugs had been identified as a problem early on and there had been a significant increase in arrests and large scale raids in recent times.  It was acknowledged that whilst there had been a spike in the 12 month figures, the overall four year trend was decreasing.  There had been a growing confidence by the public of reporting crimes such domestic violence, race crimes and sexual crimes, which was positive in itself, but which contributed to the increased figures

•      Was there a mechanism for those members of the public who reported potential crimes (such as drugs dealings) to be made aware, discreetly, of the outcome of the investigations?  The Deputy Chief Constable stated that many of the operations carried out were visible in the local communities and that social media was also now widely used to report policing activities, as well as reports in local papers.  If the members of the public provided contact details, the police would, in most cases, report back

•      Responding to a comment that multi-agency working was key to the prevention of crime and anti-social behaviour, the Commissioner emphasised the importance of working across agencies and sectoral interests to deliver solutions which were not necessarily about enforcement.  The example of St Paul's Hostel was provided, where a 'wet room' was provided as a safe place for individuals to drink during the daytime so reducing the possible instances of anti-social behaviour and harassment

•      It was commented that good work was being done by the Police in Herefordshire to divert 'pre-loading' i.e. where individuals consume alcohol at home prior to going out to pubs and clubs.  This work supported the well-established 'Herefordshire Against Night Time Disorder' (HAND) initiative.  Hereford had also benefited from a re-design and investment in the city centre which had impacted positively on the centre's use during the evenings.  Concerns were expressed that the figures showed an increase in violent crime in parts of the region which needed to be addressed, but the Panel were assured that the long-term trend was a reduction in violent crime

•      Responding to a question about Crimestoppers, the Panel was advised that the charitable organisation continued to be active.  Leaflets and other information was available about Crimestoppers and the public could contact them in a variety of ways (www.crimestoppers-uk.org) 

•      Following reductions in the provision of youth services across the region, and given that prevention was a key priority for policing, was there any monitoring of crimes which resulted from the effects of drugs and/or alcohol on young people?  It was stated that monitoring did take place and consequential impacts which were noted would need to be considered as part of the on-going discussions with local authorities.  It was suggested that the concerns be raised at appropriate governance structures such as Safeguarding Boards and Community Safety Partnerships

•      Given that a rise in violent crime recorded was not necessarily due to alcohol, what was the reason for the increases in Shropshire and North Worcestershire specifically?  The Deputy Chief Constable stated that records for each area were analysed and links considered (e.g late Saturday nights into Sunday mornings).  There was now a greater emphasis on ensuring the integrity of reporting statistics (e.g domestic abuse reporting), which in part contributed to the rise in recorded crimes

•      Was there any pressure to consider the decriminalisation of drugs?  In response it was stated that the Government's view was there was no case to decriminalise drugs.

•      What was being done to prevent the take up of drug use and abuse of alcohol especially amongst young people?  It was stated that 30 schools had Community Support Officers based within them.  There were educational programmes and prevention initiatives, however it was important to question whether enough was being done to support young people who may be swayed by peer pressure.  It was additionally stated that testing and treatment were also important.  The restorative justice strategy was being developed and it was stated that community involvement could have an impact

•      It was important that local authorities had robust licensing processes and policies and that good practice was pursued across the region's councils.

RESOLVED that the Panel notes the update report.