Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from Sergeant Ian Wood of South policing team for Cambridge.  Sergeant Wood introduced himself; he had been a police officer for 14 years in various places, including London.  He was now part of the Cambridge South policing team, which covered the whole of the city south of the river apart from Market ward.

 

The report outlined actions taken since the Committee on 7th July 2016. The current emerging issues/neighbourhood trends for each ward were also highlighted (see report for full details).

 

Previous priorities and engagement activity noted in the report were:

i.     Continue to target the supply of controlled drugs

ii.    Continue to target street based anti-social behaviour (ASB) in and around Mill Road

iii.   Retain speed checks.

 

The recommendations to EAC were now:

i.     Safeguarding vulnerable residents (including Mill Road ASB)

ii.    Road safety

iii.   Combatting violent crime and theft.

 

In relation to Roxanne de Beaux’s earlier comments, Sergeant Wood said that they had done some work with Outspoken about 18 months ago.  A day of enforcement had been held, but had not yielded the results expected; police had been looking at motorists passing cyclists too close on Mill Road bridge, but had ended up giving advice to unlit cyclists.  He said that police officers on patrol would in general always be keen to speak to cyclists, motorists and pedestrians about road safety.  Any traffic offence reports would be referred to the central ticketing office, which would check what contact the police had already had with that cyclist, motorist or pedestrian, and consider what action was appropriate in each case.

 

In relation to earlier comments about speeding, Sergeant Wood said that he ran Community Speedwatch in Cambridge, and would welcome any expressions of interest in the scheme, particularly from schools.  He was aware of the situation in Tenison Road, where a speed indication device had been placed to give an accurate picture of speed.

 

Members of the public asked a number of questions, as set out below.

 

In relation to anti-social behaviour in Mill Road, a local resident said the bus shelter on the Addenbrooke's-bound side near the Salvation Army premises acted as a focal point.  He asked whether the Salvation Army could be asked to encourage the people they helped to enter into a verbal contract whereby, in return for being given food, they would agree not to beg and not to drink in the vicinity of the premises; this would help to bring a sense of responsibility to the people receiving help.

 

Jim Chisholm drew attention to current ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) guidance, according to which enforcement action would be taken where there were complaints about speeding.  He suggested that more attention should be paid to enforcement where complaints about speeding were being received, and quoted the example of a local resident who had refused to pay a taxi driver who persisted in driving him up Tenison Road at 30mph in a 20mph zone.  In answer to a question from Sergeant Wood, he said that as far as he knew, the passenger had not reported the taxi driver to the City Council.

 

Roxanne De Beaux recalled that, at EAC over a year ago, she had been promised action about the issue of close passes of cyclists by drivers on Mill Road bridge.  This action was to have been over more than one day, and to have included news coverage and education, and she was to have been told about it in advance.  This had not happened; instead, the action taken had been of very brief duration, and behaviour had not changed.  She asked that the action be done properly, using Facebook and news coverage to publicise it, and offered her assistance.  She added that Camcycle did a lot to educate cyclists about the importance of being visible, but unlike drivers, cyclists did not kill people.

 

In answer to a comment from a member of the public that the Council said it was up to the police to enforce the speed limit, Sergeant Wood explained that the incident recounted by Mr Chisholm was a matter of taxi licensing.  He had links to the Cambridge Hackney Carriage Association and the taxi licensing team, both of which took complaints from the public seriously.  Police officers were also aware of the need to enforce speed limits with taxi drivers. 

 

Chief Inspector Paul Ormerod (Chief Inspector: Operations, Cambridge City) said that he had been attending Area Committees around Cambridge to give a consistent explanation of the police’s approach to enforcement of the 20mph limit.  It was a question of ACPO guidance and whether the limits were appropriate or not.  The guidance was clear on not supporting 20mph limits that were not clearly signed or indicated.  He was not saying that the police would never enforce 20mph; those deliberately breaking the limit would be targeted.  The police wished to promote road safety and reduce casualty numbers, and were keen to work together to reduce the speed of traffic.

 

The Committee discussed the following policing issues:

 

i.     Urged members of the public to report any taxi or hire car seen doing something it should not; details would be passed to South Cambridgeshire if it was a vehicle registered there.  Persistent Cambridge offenders would be brought before the Licensing Committee.

 

ii.    Sought an explanation of the large recent increase in violent crime and crime figures in the report.  Sergeant Wood said that there had recently been a focus on ensuring that national crime recording standards were being followed ethically and appropriately.  This had led to some incidents being recorded as a crime that would not have been so recorded a year ago.  He offered to bring a further report to the next EAC meeting.                                                                            Action: Ian Wood

 

The Deputy PCC confirmed that there was a nationwide rise in violent crime because of changes in recording, though it was known from health and other data that it had not increased in Cambridgeshire.  He and the PCC had been assured by the Chief Constable that the rise was due to recording changes.  The Chief Inspector added that future reports to Area Committees would break down the violent crime figures into those with and without injury.  There was an issue of violent crime in Cambridge linked to drug supply, and evidence that vulnerable people in the East Area were being targeted by dealers.             Action: Ian Wood

 

iii.    Returned to the question of enforcing 20mph speed limits.  The Chief Inspector explained that 20mph might not be appropriate for long, straight roads with nothing to prevent drivers from travelling at what they perceived to be a safe speed, but was appropriate for many side streets. 

 

Frank Gawthrop, Secretary of South Petersfield Residents’ Association, pointed out that at residents’ request humps had not been installed in Tenison Road, but other changes to the road environment had been made; was this or was this not an appropriate road environment for 20mph, and would the police enforce the limit.  Councillor Benstead suggested that the 20mph limit in Coleridge Road was suitable because of the park, routes to schools, and elderly residents, though the road was long and straight.

 

Chief Inspector Ormerod undertook to look at enforcement of the 20mph limit on different roads, especially on those EAC perceived as highest risk, including Coleridge Road.                         Action: Paul Ormerod

 

Following discussion, the Committee resolved (unanimously) to agree the following amended priorities:

i.     Safeguarding vulnerable residents (including Mill Road ASB)

ii.    Road safety for all road users including enforcement of speed limits

iii.   Combatting violent crime and theft.