The local Police team will provide information on policing matters within the Ward
Minutes:
a) Update by the Police
All to note:
· Leicestershire Police is investing heavily in neighbourhood policing and is one of the few forces in the country to be doing so;
· There currently are 19 staff based at the Police office at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, which is an increase on this time last year;
· The landlords of Bombay Nights, the Comfort Inn and the Jubilee Public House are working with the Police to resolve licensing issues. Two other locations are being investigated;
· A Public Space Protection Order is in place for the whole city, which is being used to stop people sitting in public areas drinking, (especially in the early morning);
· An operation is still underway in relation to the murder of Mr Jogia, a jeweller in Belgrave who was murdered earlier this year;
· As part of the Cover Up campaign to reduce jewellery snatches, PCSOs are going in to schools and places of worship, and are distributing leaflets and posters at events. This is proving successful, with the number of snatches having reduced from two or three a day at this time last year to three in total for the whole year to date;
· Festivals such as Navaratri and Diwali are approaching and evenings soon will be getting darker, so a campaign soon will be starting to remind people to leave lights on when a property is empty;
· Approximately 60% of issues dealt with have mental health as a contributing factor. All services are short of resources, so problems have to be prioritised in relation to the likelihood of harm being caused, but the Police still need to know about the issues; and
· All reports of incidents are followed up, although there may not be an instant response, depending on the nature of the incident.
Police asked to vary the times of patrols where possible, to avoid people using the timings to avoid detection when committing crime.
All reminded of the need to report problems to the Police for resolution as early as possible, to enable the Police to deal with the problems swiftly. This includes licensing issues. Various ways of doing this are available:
o ring 101;
o e-mail;
o face to face (there is a lift to the Police offices at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre);
o social media (for example, Facebook and Twitter);
o beat surgeries; and
o stopping officers on patrol.
b) Comments from Residents
All to note that incidences of anti-social behaviour in the Ward reported to the Police include:
o People climbing over the fence at Catherine Junior School and playing football in the grounds;
o Groups in the Allington Street area drinking, littering and intimidating residents;
o Littering and leaving dog waste in Cossington Park;
o Climbing on to the roof of Belgrave library;
o Large groups of people congregating in Cossington Park who are drinking and making a lot of noise.
Police asked to undertake regular patrols, particularly in the Cossington Park area, in view of the above incidents.
Police asked to make a complaint on behalf of this meeting to the Council about the sale of alcohol late at night by news agents to the groups of people congregating in the Allington Street area and to request a review of their licences if considered necessary.