Issue - meetings

Detective Sergeant Mazur presented a report which outlined policing and safer neighbourhood trends and outlined actions taken since the last reporting period. 

 

The committee had previously recommended addressing the following local areas of concern:

• Serious street-based violence, targeting offenders

• Serious street-based violence, youth-based interventions

• Drug related crime and acquisition crime related to drugs 

 

Executive Director of Camcycle:   Cambridge residents are fed up with cycle theft. Police statistics suggest cycle theft rates have been lower over the last few months compared to last year, however, the number of anecdotes seems to be higher than ever. We know that many people do not report the theft of their cycles as they do not see the point when nothing is done. Cycle theft has also had a lot of attention in the media lately and the negative impact on people's lives has been well documented. People are giving up on cycling and it is not surprising when their cycles (often multiple cycles in a family) are repeatedly stolen and they can no longer afford to replace them or keep up with insurance premiums. Cycle theft is estimated to cost Cambridge residents over £1.5 million a year. 

 

The Cyclepoint is the worst spot in Cambridge for cycle theft and many now avoid using this facility altogether. It is in a shocking state of disrepair and recalls a graveyard of broken bike bits and destroyed cycle stands. 

 

What can be done to encourage the police to take more action to target cycle theft?

 

How can we ensure local organisations, businesses etc are supporting police by providing CCTV footage in a timely manner?

 

What is the city council doing to get Greater Anglia to meet their conditions for the Cyclepoint? They are not providing the police with CCTV in a timely manner. They have known since before the Cyclepoint opened that their stands were insecure and have not done anything to fix this. They are not keeping the Cyclepoint tidy and in good repair. People using the security intercom have had no response. Station staff give inconsistent and at times incorrect information about reporting cycle theft and requesting CCTV footage. They state there are regular security patrols but many question whether this is happening as security staff are not observed visiting the Cyclepoint. They have weaselled out of their commitment to provide another 1,000 cycle parking spaces by 2020. They have not established the cycle stakeholder group for the area. 

 

What is the city council doing about their own cycle parking facilities to make them more secure against cycle theft?

 

More information in Camcycle's blog post here: https://www.camcycle.org.uk/blog/2020/08/it-is-time-for-police-to-take-cycle-theft-in-cambridge-seriously/

 

Detective Sergeant Mazur responded with the following:

      i.         Acknowledged cycle theft and associated cycle crime was an issue in Cambridge which the police did take seriously; understood there was a frustration with the lack of positive outcome to cycle crime investigation.

    ii.         More was being done on the matter of cycle crime than in the past. The neighbourhood teams now had the responsibility to ensure a dedicated focus on this issue. This would improve the ability of Neighbourhood officers across the City to identify and disrupt offenders and handlers of stolen property.

   iii.         Police did not have any control on Cyclepoint but had met with Greater Anglia and suggested several recommendations and advisory points to increase security. However, any changes had to be done by Greater Anglia.

  iv.         Cycle theft statistics had been lower over the last few months compared to last year, this was not a sign that the problem was going away but they were aware this was due to lockdown as there had been fewer people in the city.

    v.         The best prospect of enforcement against those individuals involved in cycle theft was when the police were able to act against intelligence and recover large number of cycles.

  vi.         Requested the public kept reporting cycle theft via police channels, including 101 and online; if cycles were recovered there had to be evidence to show they had been stolen and this needed to be shown on either the police systems, nation bike register or media appeals to link the cycles with the crime reported.

 vii.         This year there had been positive outcomes on the matter of cycle crime with several people arrested and some resulting in custodial sentences.

 

Councillor Massey:

      i.         The city council had held meetings with Greater Anglia and since lockdown had ended was trying to engage further to discuss the security of the Cyclepoint site. Discussion had also taking place with the police and she would continue to liaise with Greater Anglian for updates on what improvements had been made.

    ii.         The city council was in the process of arranging a cycle safety task force; this would concentrate on cycle theft in the short term working with external agencies such as the police and Camcycle.

   iii.         Believed cycle theft had increased during lockdown and continued to be a problem particularly when the students returned and whose main transport were bicycles.

  iv.         Had been working with the Superintendent on how the online reporting pages for cycle theft could be made more accessible and user friendly.

 

In response to questions and comments from the Committee, Detective Sergeant Mazur said the following:

      i.         Noted the committee’s thanks for the work that had been undertaken with the city council and county council on street drinking and anti-social behaviour in the community.

    ii.         Would talk with the Acting Police and Crime Commissioner’s office on the scope the police had to undertake work regarding e-mail scams and what was being done across the county that could be tailored for the city.

   iii.         Would speak with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary representative who sat on Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime to enquire what work was being undertaken with banks; fraudulent correspondence was very similar to the account modelling used by banks.

  iv.         When a crime was reported (including cycle theft) online this was read and inputted by an individual who would acknowledge the incident; these were monitored continuously so it would be possible for an acknowledgement to be sent late or in the early hours of the morning.

    v.         Noted the comments regarding anti-social driving in Abbey Ward particularly on the Whitehill Estate and Peveral Road; had been made aware of these issues very recently and had looked at the issue log. Would have expected a higher number of reported incidents.

  vi.         Anti-social driving would be tackled city wide at local level as the same concerns had been raised at West, South and North Area Committees. Additional training on the use of the decameter would be given to the local teams to assist with enforcement action.

 vii.         To request additional support from the Road Policing Unit (RPU)  which consisted of three police forces, evidence was needed to show why they were required; would encourage members of the public to report these incidents of anti-social driving to either the police or the city council’s anti-social behaviour team to increase the number of reported incidents.   

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved unanimously to approve the following as local areas of concern:

 

      i.         Anti-social driving

    ii.         Cycle theft

   iii.         Drug dealing and the protection of local young people – child criminal exploitation