Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Inspector Gemma Taylor, Borough Commander, on the recent changes which have affected Policing within Surrey Heath, campaigns and ongoing crime trends.

The Committee received a presentation from Inspector Gemma Taylor in respect of the recent changes which had affected Policing within Surrey Heath, campaigns and ongoing crime trends.

Policing in Surrey Heath was primarily undertaken by the Safer Neighbourhood Team, and the Wider Neighbourhood Policing Team, which were response based. The teams were in turn backed up by specialists and other departments.

The Safer Neighbourhood team currently had 4 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), together with 1 in training, which would cover the Town Centre, and one further new PCSO who would be dedicated to the 6 villages.

Following the appointment of the new Chief Constable for Surrey Police in April 2023, the Western Neighbourhood Policy had subsequently been updated to reflect his aims and objectives. This in turn had been reflected in new priorities in the Surrey Heath Neighbourhood Policing Strategy, which comprised of aims to ‘Engage with Communities’, be ‘Problem Solvers’ and to undertake ‘Specifically Targeted Activity’. Specifically, the Neighbourhood Policing Team were now asked to hold one ‘Meet the Beat’, style event each month, with a specific target audience and focussed messaging. Moreover, there was a focus to better utilise the team’s People, Groups and Places meeting and partner and volunteers in order to increase problem solving. On top of this the Neighbourhood Team also supported national campaigns throughout the year, which would now be structured into quarters throughout the 12 months. Moreover, to fulfil the aim to increase charges, a new investigation team had been created out of the borough’s response team, which meant at the point of arrest of a subject, investigations were now handed over to a specialist team, who processed the prisoner and dealt with the case accordingly. It was acknowledged that work had also meant that offenders were being charged quicker and were often no longer released on bail.

Recently ‘Meet the Beat’, events had taken place with Bisley Residents’ Association and sessions were also planned for Places Leisure and at Ballard Court. There were also forthcoming plans to aim to tackle Anti-social behaviour in the Town Centre, which involved a pop-up youth club, to create a different angle in which to tackle ASB.

The Safer Neighbourhood Team had also taken part in the White Ribbon Campaign, and aimed to raise awareness of male violence against women and girls in alcohol- licenced premises in the evening. All hate crime and all non-crime hate incidents were recorded and flagged to ensure patterns could be traced of repeat victims or repeat suspects. Hate and Anti-Social Risk assessments were for each case undertaken to assess risk of each case, and any potential impact on the wider community. This was then reviewed by Inspectors at 72 hours, 7 days and 28 days after the event.

Following on from Members questions and comments the following points were noted:

·         There hadn’t been significant changes over the past year in respect of volumes of recorded crimes. Burglaries and vehicle crimes were perceived to peak when there were clusters of offences. It was excepted that domestic abuse and hate crime offences were likely to rise, but it was deemed positive that people felt comfortable to report these offences.

·         There were approximately 1.5 burglaries per 1,000 population per year in Surrey Heath, as it stood, which was almost the lowest in the entire force, but was perceived to be worse by residents and the public. There was a feeling this could be framed to give confidence to residents that the borough continued to be a safe place to live.

·         Members requested further information in relation to the non-disclosure rates in the borough in respect of Claire’s law. Whilst the Committee were to be furnished with the precise figure, the borough’s numbers were known not to be exceptionally low but also not out of line with the rest of the Western Division. It was acknowledged that there was an opportunity for a joint campaign between the Council and the Safer Neighbourhood Team to promote Claire’s Law.

·         It was noted that there was a 18.2% increase in the solve rate in hate crime and a 19% increase in the solve rate in relation to Domestic Abuse cases. The Committee asked for this to be confirmed on how many cases this equated to.

·         The Safer Neighbourhood Team were working to put in place a framework at Collingwood School to allow members of school staff to deal with lower level hate incidents, to ensure they did not escalate into crimes. The Safer Neighbourhood Teams was working with the School’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team and it was hoped the co-produced framework could be rolled out across Surrey Heath schools and potentially across Surrey.

·         The Safer Neighbourhood Team was due to the work with the Youth Council, the Young People already involved in various instances, and a group at Tomlinscote School in order to consult on the best ways to tackle anti-social behaviour, under a Positive Future approach.

·         Reported burglaries would be attended, but prioritised on the level of threat, harm and risk at that time. Forensics were always considered in every burglary and may result in a Scene of Crime Officer attending the address. The investigation team also proactively investigated each burglary, but would often pair up the information gathered to solve a series of burglaries, as burglaries were now often committed by Serious and Organised Crime groups. An initiative had been put in place recently so that every burglary victim received an individual visit from Neighbourhood Watch, who would offer support and suggestions on how to make their properties more secure.