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Decision Maker: North Area Committee
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Advise on the priorities to be adopted for the next period of Neighbourhood Policing.
The
Committee received a report from Sergeant Wragg regarding Policing and Safer
Neighbourhood Trends.
The report outlined actions taken since the
North Area Committee of the 6 February 2014. The current emerging
issues/neighbourhood trends for each ward were also highlighted (see report for
full details).
Members of the public made the following
comments:
Leila Dockerill: Who is assessing the 20mph zones, do you need to
have a Traffic Warden as the Police do not have much time to do this?
Sergeant Wragg explained that the scheme for
20 mph compliance was still in the early stages but with the data that was
being received, problem areas could be identified, allowing the Police to
better engage their resources, ensuring more visible enforcement where
required.
Kay Harris: With
the lighter evenings will there be an increase in surveillance? The figures in
the report showed Kings Hedges as having the highest crime rate. Will we see a
higher percentage of surveillance in this area, particular in the evenings?
Kay Harris: Having
listened to Sir Graham Bright at a recent meeting of the North Area Committee
regarding future plans, are we going to see more people on the beat?
Sergeant Wragg advised that he could not
answer those questions.
Timothy Sykes:
Would like the Committee to note that I am supportive of the proposed
priorities. I am aware how short staffed the Police are and would like to thank
them for all their hard work.
Sergeant Wragg thanked Timothy Skyes for his comments
Richard Taylor: Would like to see a more formal consultation
brought into the public domain regarding how anti-social driving can be tackled
on Fen Road, not just discussed within the Fen Road Steering Group.
Councillor Manning pointed out that that Fen
Road Steering Group was a public meeting, advertised at both proceeding Area
Committees. Councillor Manning also stated that he had repeatedly told Mr
Taylor this personally, as well as in public.
Richard Taylor: I
attended the Kings Hedges Anti-Social Behaviour meeting on 2 April and am
surprised to note that there was no reference to that meeting in the Police
report. Two areas of concern raised at
the meeting were:
i.
Dog Fouling (It
would be nice to know the outcome of the poster campaign in the area).
ii.
Littering left on Campkin Road outside Tesco (an allegation was made that the
litter was caused by students and members of the meeting were informed that the
Police did not take action as they did not give out enforcement notices to
young people).
Councillor Price informed the Committee that he also attended the same
meeting where he had advised attendees that it was City Council Enforcement
Officers not the Police who did not issue enforcement notices to under 18’s for
a number of reasons. It was important not to blame the students entirely for
littering but it had been recognised there was more littering during term time.
Michael Bond: I
was delighted to see the team in Arbury Road
enforcing the 20mph speed limit which did have an effect on driver’s behaviour.
I acknowledge that it is difficult to keep to the 20mph limit.
Sergeant Wragg thanked Michael Bond for his comments.
Kay Harris: Police
enforcement for speeding is needed overnight, perhaps cameras are needed to
combat this problem.
Sergeant Wragg stated that the Police did
carry out enforcement at night but had to prioritise their resources. Greater
Police presence was required at the most vulnerable times such as the school
run when the roads / pavements were being used being used by a high proportion
of people as opposed to late at night or the early hours of the morning.
Colin Davidson: As more Police presence is
needed to enforce the speed limits set in the North Area perhaps cardboard cut
outs of Police Officers could be used.
Sergeant Wragg replied that there were some
Police Forces that had used cardboard cut outs as deterrents in empty shops
that seemed to have a positive effect.
But queried where the cut-outs could be positioned without being
vandalised.
Timothy Sykes: What percentage of the Crime
Figures were hate crime, in particularly disability hate crime?
Sergeant Wragg replied that this was very
low.
The Committee made the following comments:
Councillor
Ward acknowledged that there were a number of roads in the North Area which
would benefit from the road safety priorities, such as Arbury
and the top end of Histon Road.
Councillor O’Reilly stated that she
supported the three priorities and would like to highlight Roseford
Road and the top end of Histon Road as hot spots for
police enforcement.
Councillor Todd Jones queried if there was a
time period before drivers started to feel comfortable after the introduction
of 20mph before enforcement started particularly on persistent hot spots.
Councillor Wragg acknowledged that it did
take time for drivers to get used to the changes and to become aware of new
signage and their environment. The Police were working on educating the public
to those 20mph changes as this was still in the early stages. More details
could be supplied at the next North Area Committee when Police Priorities
Settings were on the agenda.
Councillor Manning referenced Nuffield Road
as a hot spot for enforcement, particularly outside the School. He then asked
if the Police would be able to report back to the Committee those areas where
signage, particularly for 20mph, needed to be improved.
Councillor Bird recommended that County
Council work with the Parking Enforcement Officer to try to elevate some of the
issues during the school run on Nuffield Road.
Councillor Ward advised that signage issues
should be reported to the Environment Improvement Manager who advised the
Committee that there were restrictions on where signage could be placed.
Councillor Tunnacliffe
stated that he believed Gilbert Road to be a hot spot with the issue of people
cycling on the pavement. He had also received a number of complaints about
motorbikes and scooters being driven that do not have silencers on and create a
high level of noise.
Sergeant Wragg acknowledged that Gilbert
Road was a problem and that there were a number of issues with the road,
including the design. If Officers did spot or hear a motor cycle breaking the
noise level the driver would be stopped.
Councillor Bird inquired where the domestic
violence figures had been recorded in the Crime Figures and noted that fly
tipping had increased and questioned the reason why.
Sergeant Wragg advised that the domestic
violence figures had been recorded in Violent Crimes. With regards to fly
tipping he could not offer any explanation.
Councillor Brierley asked for the crime
figures to show drug related offences in a separate column. This would give
visibility to those crimes and assist in identifying trends. He also suggested
that Kings Hedges Road should also be included as a hot spot and queried if
collaboration working would be beneficial and had been considered.
Action: Councillor Pitt.
Councillor Price stated that he was in
agreement with the recommended priorities. But the crime figures in King’s
Hedges showed an increase in many areas and queried if the priority settings
took away from the day to day police presence in Kings Hedges. With only one PCSO in the area did the Police
hope to recruit more?
Sergeant Wragg advised that the recruitment freeze for PCSO’s had been
lifted so there should be a visible increase in the area in the near future.
Councillor Pitt asked that the list of hot
spots identified during the meeting be minuted. These were:
Top end of Histon Road
Roseford Road
Orchard Park
Gilbert Road
Nuffield Rod
Kings Hedges Road
Arbury Road
The
Committee:
Resolved (unanimously) to prioritise the
following:
1.
Combat drug dealing in the North Area
2.
Road safety issues (including 20mph limit
compliance) in the North Area.
3.
Anti-social behaviour in the green areas in North
Area.
Publication date: 28/05/2014
Date of decision: 08/05/2014
Decided at meeting: 08/05/2014 - North Area Committee
Accompanying Documents: