Issue - meetings

8.20 pm

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.