Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Police 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 issues and engagement activity noted in the report were:

1. ASB and dangerous driving on Fen Road

2. Street based drug dealing

3. Youth and knife crime

 

Members of the Public (MOP) and Councillors asked a number of questions as set out below.

i.               MOP raised the issue of increasing numbers of cycle thefts, and noted that incidents may not be being reported to the police as much as they should be so crime figures may not reflect the true situation. Asked whether this could be a priority or work could be undertaken to look into this.

 

Sergeant Emms confirmed he had looked into bike theft figures and noted that between April 2019 and August 2019 there were 1460 bike thefts reported and between April 2020 and August 2020 there were 892 bike thefts reported. The reduction in bike thefts being reported could be due to COVID-19. Reports of bike thefts had increased during August but were still not at the seasonal level would usually expect. There was an operation earlier in the year which specifically targeted cycle crime predominantly in the east and south of the city. This targeted both the people taking the bikes and also those who handled/sold them. There were a number of successful outcomes. He was happy to discuss further if there was a particular area of concern.

 

ii.             The MOP also raised the issue that they thought cycle racks at Cambridge North train station could be unbolted from the ground.

 

Sergeant Emms commented that he thought this issue had been resolved.

 

The Committee discussed the following policing issues:

i.               Had had communication from the North Cambridge Community Partnership about anti-social behaviour (ASB) and drug taking in the park at the back of St Kilda Avenue. Ward councillors had encouraged them to report incidents to the police and asked whether this issue was on the police’s radar.

 

Sergeant Emms confirmed his Team scanned incidents daily but he wasn’t aware of the specific issue at St Kilda Avenue.

 

ii.             Thanked the Team for the work undertaken regarding the ball bearings. Queried whether the police.uk data could be broken down into ward level, they were only able to find the whole of the North area data. Asked if the High Street could be mentioned within the Fen Road local area of concern. Also asked if the NO2 canisters and associated ASB could be included as a local area of concern.

 

Action: Sergeant Emms to check whether crime data on www.police.uk was available at ward level. 

 

iii.            Thanked the Team for the work undertaken regarding noise issues and also the work undertaken on county lines. Noted that speed reducing measures were needed on Fen Road.

 

Sergeant Emms responded that speed restrictions measures were not something that the police could initiate, it was a highways matter. He thought that raised speed restriction bands (sleeping policemen) were not used on Fen Road as heavy vehicles used the road and this would create noise concerns. 

 

iv.           Noted new cyclists were on the road because of COVID-19. Queried whether bike thefts were a priority for the police if the value of the bike was low.

 

Sergeant Emms confirmed that cycle thefts would be investigated where there were viable lines of enquiry.  It was difficult to investigate bike thefts unless there was a witness or CCTV to assist with an investigation.

 

v.             Referred to ASB at shops at Carlton Way and asked whether there was the possibility for the redeployable CCTV cameras in the area.

 

The Anti-Social Behaviour Officer confirmed that an application had been submitted for the redeployable CCTV cameras and they were waiting for a feasibility survey to come back.

 

vi.           Asked if there was an increase in ‘cuckooing’ and targeting of vulnerable residents as a result of COVID-19. Asked whether s60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 had been used for stop and searches locally.

 

Sergeant Emms commented that initially lockdown presented county lines dealers with a bit of a problem as they were a lot more prominent on the street and there were concerns that this would lead to an increase in cuckooing, however they believed the levels were still the same as pre-COVID-19.

 

Action: Sergeant Emms to confirm whether any stop and searches had been undertaken under s60 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

 

vii.          Appreciated work undertaken with student bike thefts and asked what work was done with students when they moved into the area to advise them about bike thefts.

 

Sergeant Emms confirmed that there was an officer who provided bike security advice to Cambridge University students, Anglia Ruskin University students and foreign language students although he wasn’t sure how this would work because of COVID-19 circumstances.

 

Action: Sergeant Emma to report back on how advice would be provided to students regarding keeping / storing their bike safely during the current COVID-19 circumstances.

 

viii.        Asked for drug dealing in Fitzgerald Place, Ashfield and Bramblefields and Maitland and Mortlock to be looked at. Asked if the ASB Team could look into ASB by a group of people at Ashfield by the car park. Asked if the deployable CCTV camera could be put back up at Grumpy’s. Councillor Bird who brought this up said that she would email the ASB Officer with more details.

 

The Committee were asked to nominate their local issues for focus over the coming months.

 

The following local issues were agreed (unanimously):

 

1. ASB and dangerous driving on Fen Road and the High Street and NO2 cannisters.

2. Street based drug dealing

3. Youth and knife crime