Leicestershire Police will provide an update on policing priorities in the Ward.
Minutes:
Sergeant Jonathan Jackson, Leicestershire Police, was present to present to provide an update by Police Inspector Nadia Rana on policing matters in the ward and the following points were highlighted:
· At the last meeting, it was noted that drug dealing and bicycle theft had seen an increase in the ward. Bike theft had since declined alongside robbery and anti-social behaviour (ASB).
· It was noted that the children involved in the anti-social behaviour around Haymarket bus station had come from chaotic backgrounds and Leicestershire Police were working with partners to provide support to the children and families involved.
· Leicestershire Police were working with Leicester Riders basketball, with funding from the Leicester City Council and Police and Crime Commissioner, to provide safe spaces to encourage children to become more involved in sport, which had noted a reduction in anti-social behaviour and lower-level crime. Funding had also been received from StreetGames fund and further work with Leicester Tigers and Football Club to get more children in the ward involved in sport.
· Operation Goshawk, an operation that puts police resources where they were most needed, continued after recent sucesses with the aim to increase physical presence in crime hotspot areas. The operation had since extended to nightly patrols from its previous finish at 12pm in hope of tackling serious crime at night.
· Following the cycle operation in improvements from the last meeting, cycle theft had since seen an 83% decrease.
· The Homeless and Disadvantaged scheme, run jointly by the Council and Leicestershire Police, continued to provide support to the street community.
· A new, 9-month operation, Operation Flawless, which tackled drug usage had started enforcement two weeks prior, noting a number of cleared lines across the city centre and £300k being taken off the streets. The operation was in its ‘hold’ phase and police were working with partners to ensure no new influence moves into cleared areas. A ‘build’ phase ensured that people felt supported and safe within the community. A number of actions were identified which included, but was not limited to patch walks, sniffer dogs, engagement with criminal families and beat surgeries.
· ‘Biscuit with a Bobby’ events where members of the public could speak to police officers and receive refreshments were ongoing throughout the city and members of the public were invited to come along and share any concerns.
· Leicestershire Police were working with partners to tackle known issues in the night-time economy.
· Knife crime and robbery in the ward was noted to have reduced.
Sergeant Jackson encouraged members of the public to get in contact with police officers either through calling 101 or through Neighbourhood Link and www.leics.police.uk, and noted that public intelligence drove police work.
Members of the public enquired about whether they could get in contact about suspicious behaviour witnessed and noted that both call times through 101 and online form fill-in had been lengthy and tedious. Sergeant Jackson noted that comments would be fed back.
Members of the public raised concern about the ongoing issues with delivery service cyclists leaving public feeling unsafe walking on pavements. Members of the public suggested for a beat surgery encouraging bicycle lights and for police to speak to delivery cyclists about safe cycling. Councillors noted it to be a known ongoing issue that was hard to address, as delivery companies incentivised faster deliveries, and needed addressing on a national level. ACTION: Sergeant Jackson to take back suggestions to the policing team and consider an engagement event for delivery cyclists, alongside increased engagement with cyclists in public.
Councillors referenced the delivery cyclist concerns and considered ways to make sure satellite maps, such as Google Maps, direct cyclists through cycle routes instead of pedestrian routes. Martin Fletcher, City Highways Director noted that the National Cycle Network had their own cycling map which had become more significant as of late and would check to see if redirecting was a possible avenue.
A member of the public further suggested adult cycle proficiency courses and test to increase cyclist confidence riding on roads.
Sergeant Jackson summarised police priorities which was noted as follows:
· Focus was placed on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), Burglary and Vehicle Crime including theft of and from vehicle. These statistics could be found online on Neighbourhood Link.
· Regarding anti-social behaviour, regular patrols were scheduled on Victoria Park, which was noted as a hotspot for ASB, although reports had noticeably reduced. Calls of ASB during fresher’s week had been reviewed. Patrols had been scheduled around Bonfire night, Halloween and similar high footfall events.
· Reports of nitrous oxide use on Victoria Park had been received and ward police were working on discouraging their use.
· 12 burglary reports had been received since the last meeting. A slight increase was seen in commercial burglary offences.
· Vehicle crime had the expected level of reports for the time of year in comparison to prior years.
· There had been 9 reports of theft in the past 3 months and focus was being placed on educating residents on actions to prevent vulnerability to theft.
· Morrisons car park was noted to be a major hotspot for cycle theft. A significant arrest had been made, who had since been charged.
The Chair thanked Sergeant Jackson for the report.