Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from Sergeant Mazur regarding policing and safer neighbourhoods trends.

The report outlined actions taken since the last reporting period. The current emerging issues/neighbourhood trends for each ward were also highlighted (see report for full details). Previous local areas of concern and engagement activity noted in the report were:

      i.          Traffic [general] and anti-social behaviour by drivers of vehicles and motor bikes in the AURA, Lime Avenue and Hobson Avenue areas of South Trumpington;

     ii.          Support for funding so Police Officers can be trained to use decimetre to monitor decibels of noise from vehicles and motor bikes, as part of general monitoring of speeding and anti-social behaviour by drivers/riders;

   iii.          Drug dealing around the Clay Farm Centre;

   iv.          Drug dealing and anti-social behaviour around Cherry Hinton Hall; and

    v.          Policing of the ‘Cambridge Lakes’.

The Committee discussed the following policing issues:

      i.          Bike theft in Trumpington Ward, such as Great Kneighton.

Members of the public raised the following policing issues:

      i.          Bike theft from:

a.    Ninewells apartments due to poor building security.

                                                   i.     Thieves could break in without leaving signs of doing so.

                                                  ii.     The Police listed Trumpington buildings as exemplars of ‘secure by design’ initiative, which was a misnomer that needed to be corrected as the secure bike areas were not fit for purpose.

b.    City centre and railway station.

     ii.          Drug dealing and anti-social behaviour around Cherry Hinton Hall. The City Council were not installing CCTV cameras at Cherry Hinton Hall.

   iii.          Anti-social behaviour in the Trumpington area.

Councillor Thornburrow (speaking as a Planning Committee Member and Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Open Spaces) said the Planning Committee reviewed general building details when they came to committee, the Police signed off general details, but third party (ie developer) was ultimately responsible for bike storage security as they detailed the materials and construction. Councillor Thornburrow would liaise with Ninewells residents and the developer (Hills).

Councillor McPherson encouraged people to report crimes/issues to the Police either through ringing 101 or other methods such as on-line. The Police would use information to build up intelligence data. Sergeant Mazur encouraged residents to invite the police to attend resident association meetings. She was happy to be the South Area contact.

Councillors requested changes to the recommendations.

      i.          Councillor McPherson formally proposed to add the following priority: Drug dealing, moped riding and anti-social behaviour around Cherry Hinton Rec and Cherry Hinton Hall.

     ii.          Councillor McGerty formally proposed to add the following priority: Bike theft in Ninewells and Trumpington Ward.

The amendments were unanimously agreed.

The following priorities were unanimously agreed:

      i.          Continue work to tackle vehicle-related antisocial behaviour and driving across the South of the City.

     ii.          Continue work (patrols and diverting young people away from crime and antisocial behaviour) across the South of the City, with specific focus on Trumpington Ward.

   iii.          Drug dealing, moped riding and anti-social behaviour around Cherry Hinton Rec and Cherry Hinton Hall.

   iv.          Bike theft in Ninewells and Trumpington Ward.