Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 November 2015, copy attached as an Appendix.

The minutes of the meeting held on 3 November 2015 were agreed as a correct record.

Members to declare any interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Committee will receive a presentation on Domestic Violence and Abuse from Buckinghamshire County Council.  The Domestic Violence and Abuse Strategy 2015-2018 is attached.

Contact Officer: Kay Aitken (01296) 585005

The Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee received a presentation from the Community Safety Manager who gave an update on Domestic Violence and Abuse in Aylesbury Vale.  It was noted that domestic violence was underreported.  It was estimated that a person would be the victim of an average of thirty five incidents of domestic violence before making an official complaint.  Buckinghamshire County Council led on domestic violence, and employed a Domestic Violence Coordinator.  Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVA) were also available to assist victims through the court process.

One Councillor questioned whether there was budget sharing between the authorities regarding preventative work.  The ongoing cost of the effect of domestic violence was huge and impacted on many service areas.  Reducing the demand on these services by investing in preventative measures could lead to future savings.   It was noted that there was no calculation regarding investment in prevention, but that strategies highlighting risk areas were developed.  The Police and Crime Commissioner funds most of the work.  Aylesbury Vale District Council would contribute to services within the district, and would also take part in awareness raising campaigns.  Council employees would be made aware of warning signs of domestic violence, as many services areas interacted with members of the public.

It was questioned whether the Fresh Start initiative could be considered a success.  Councillors were advised that the scheme was being evaluated.  Officers would ask that Buckinghamshire County Council Officers share the results of the evaluation with the scrutiny committee. 

Support was available for victims of domestic violence and abuse.  IDVAs would support victims before the trial, as a victim may change their mind during the time it may take for a case to be heard in court.  It is possible for prosecutions to take place without the testimony of the victim, but it was noted that this was difficult.  It was noted that of 637 reported domestic violence cases in Aylesbury Vale since April 2015, 36% had resulted in a positive outcome with the offender being charged.  This was higher than the average in the Thames Valley Police Area. 25% of incidents were reported by repeat victims. 

Domestic violence and abuse was noted to impact every level of society, and it was not possible to label a particular age, race or social class as being at a higher risk.  It was asked whether there was a correlation between domestic violence and drug and alcohol use and Councillors were advised that there was no evidence that drug or alcohol use caused domestic violence.

In cases where a victim decides not to prosecute the individual would remain on the police radar.  Information and evidence would be retained, and this included footage from police body worn cameras.  Victims would also be referred to partner organisations.  Work was also undertaken to contact hard to reach groups.  Women’s Aid employed an outreach worker from the Asian community to carry out work with the Mosque.

Children were often present in homes were there were incidents of domestic violence, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Contact Officer: Kay Aitken (01296) 585005

Members received a report providing information about current crime levels in Aylesbury Vale, a summary of activity on the delivery of the Aylesbury Community Safety Partnership (AVCSP) Plan in 2015/16 and an update on some of the recent and future changes taking place in connection with community safety.   Chief Inspector Neil Kentish was in attendance at the meeting.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 required Aylesbury Vale Community Safety Partnership to produce a three year partnership strategy and annual action plans to achieve the priorities set in the strategy.  The Committee noted that the current strategy (2014-2017) had two key priorities, which were;

(i)  Safe and secure town centres

(ii) To reduce ASB and crimes that are of most concern to the public and to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.

Several project had taken place in 2015/16, including supporting the Thames Valley Police campaign #consentiseverything, which likens consent to a cup of tea, Chelsea’s Choice, a play about how a young girl becomes the victim of child sexual exploitation (CSE), and R U Safe, which would follow the play to give practical advice to young people with concerns about themselves or friends.  In addition to this, Aylesbury town centre had applied to renew its Purple Flag status relating to its night time economy, which it had held since 2010.  A waste amnesty project had also been carried out alongside the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust, which aimed to raise awareness about fly tipping and contaminated waste.  Councillors were advised that there were several upcoming projects, including the annual wintertime burglary campaign, which would run through to January 2016.  The Community Safety Partnership would also be launching the Barnardo’s ‘Say Something’ campaign, which aims to raise the awareness of local businesses about how to spot risk factors associated with CSE and what to do if they suspect CSE related activity.  The Community Safety Partnership would also be working with housing providers to raise awareness of partners about e-safety by arranging some session for tenants.

The Committee were advised that the new community safety action plan for 2016/17 was being drafted and would be in place by 1 April 2016.  A strategic assessment (2014-15) identified that the points of the strategy currently in place were still valid.  It was noted that violent crime accounted for 20% of all reported crime in Aylesbury Vale, which was an increase of 6% on the previous year.  Sexual offences rose by 36% compared with the previous year.  5% of all crime in Aylesbury Vale took place in Aylesbury town centre.  24% of the crime in the town centre was violence related and primarily occurred at the weekends between 1 and 4am.  Emerging areas of crime included Child Sexual Exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation and other forms of exploitation such as slavery.  Work was being undertaken to help the partnership understand the scale of these crimes in Aylesbury Vale.

Crime figures had been falling annually in the Vale for the last few years however it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Contact Officer: Charlotte Gordon (01296) 585060

Members of the Environment and Living Scrutiny Committee considered the work programme, and

RESOLVED

That the work programme be noted.