Issue - meetings

It was proposed by Councillor L Fairbrass, seconded by Councillor Crow-Brown and Members agreed:

“That Members approve the focus areas in the Thanet Community Safety Plan 2016/17 as set out in Annex 1.”

The draft Community Safety Plan for 2016/17 was developed through a process of data analysis, consultation and joint planning by the agencies that make up the Partnership. The Portfolio Holder for Community Services said that a new approach had been adopted in drafting the Plan, which saw the format of the Plan being changed to focus on the following there themes:

1.  Reducing re-offending;

2.  Safeguarding our most vulnerable people;

3.  Improving community confidence and agency collaboration.

Each of the themes will be detailed out into specific Action Plans by a Delivery Task & Finish Group. The three thematic action plans will be shared with the Community Safety Partnership Working Party and Overview and Scrutiny Panel in the early part of the 2016/17 municipal year.

Members were asked to note an amendment to the report. Paragraph 2.3 on page 60 of the agenda pack, the crime figure should read ‘a reduction of 4.9%’ and not 4.3%.

Councillor Campbell and Councillor Game spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

Councillor L. Fairbrass proposed, Councillor Crow-Brown seconded and Members agreed that, taking into consideration any recommendations from the Community Safety Partnership Working Party from 01 February 2016, and Overview and Scrutiny Panel on 09 February 2016, it is recommended to Cabinet that the focus areas in the Thanet Community Safety Plan 2016/17 as set out in Annex 1 (to the report) are approved and recommended to Council for final approval.

Penny Button, Head of Safer Neighbourhoods gave a rundown of the key aspects of the new format for the draft Thanet Community Safety Partnership Plan for 2016/17. The main features of the new approach are that the Plan now highlights key priorities for three themes which are:

1.  Reducing offending and reoffending;

2.  Safeguarding our most vulnerable people;

3.  Improving community confidence and agency collaboration.

Each of these themes will have a delivery group whose initial task would be to provide details of the action plan for their respective theme priorities. The officer then requested the Panel to offer suggestions and recommend the draft Plan to Cabinet for onward submission to Council.

Members acknowledged that this was a new approach and it would take them some time to get used to it. They were concerned that no action plans had been identified at the early stages of drafting the Plan and that there were some community safety concerns like crime and antisocial behaviour where the Partnership ought to show that they have a proactive Plan to tackle these issue as opposed to having a reactive approach.

Members reiterated the point that the Plan ought to address perception issues that the Partnership was proactive and not reactive to fighting crime in the district. Penny Button said that the action plans would be ready in May 2016. She said that the new approach would offer flexibility to the Partnership in order to reactive to emerging issues during 2016/17. One Member advised that officers could consider inviting the Thanet Independent Police Advisory Group to the Partnership’s stakeholder meetings and in response officers said that they were aware of the Group and would be inviting them to future stakeholder meetings.

The Chairman said that officers would need to reword some sections of the draft Plan to include Member suggestions so that the Plan is viewed as being proactive.

Councillor Campbell proposed, Councillor Parsons seconded and Members agreed to that subject to the suggested changes to the wording of some sections of the draft Plan, that, taking into consideration recommendations from the Community Safety Partnership Working Party meeting on the 01 February 2016, the Overview and Scrutiny Panel recommends to Cabinet the focus areas in the Thanet Community Safety Plan 2016/17 as set out in Annex 1 for onward submission to Council.