Agenda item

(Report of the Assistant Director, Partnerships)

The Chair welcomed the Portfolio Holder, Councillor M Summers and the Assistant Director Ms Jo Sands to the meeting to present this item.

It was reported that the Tamworth Community Safety Plan 2020-2023 was a three year rolling plan which outlined how partners are going to collectively tackle community safety issues in the Tamworth borough. The 2022 refresh highlighted what had been achieved against the outcomes set in the previous year and outlined priorities moving forward identified in the Community Safety Strategic assessment (Appendix 2).

The Assistant Director provided an overview of the key achievements and challenges faced during 2021, and outlined that the priorities for 2022 were unchanged form 2021.  

The Committee welcomed the report and made the following comments and sought and received clarifications in the following areas:

1.    The importance for Tamworth to be and to be perceived to be safe, given the wider work within the borough to regenerate the town centre and make Tamworth a destination, and the role that the presence of the police had as a deterrence and in supporting Tamworth to be and to be perceived to be safe.

2.    The statistics included in the report, which stated that there had been a fall in serious violent crime by -48%, and in all crime by -22%, and fully understanding whether these statistics were fully representative (given sample sizes) and the impact that COVID lockdowns had on these statistics.

3.    Litter and fly tipping figures, where there appeared to have been limited enforcement action undertaken.

4.    The all members seminar on community safety was welcomed as a forum for broader discussion with relevant stakeholders which was planned to become an annual event.

5.    The Portfolio Holder reported that he would be holding quarterly meetings with the Chief Inspector and that if members had areas which they wanted raising the Portfolio Holder would be happy to receive those.

6.    Welcomed the return of the command to Tamworth with a response team based from Tamworth and the additional officers expected for Staffordshire Police, and how this would translate locally for Tamworth.

7.    Sought clarification of the statistics for Castle, which it was noted were based on the Police data, and covered both the town centre and more residential areas, and the need to drill down in the data and if possible split the data.

8.    The role of the Tamworth Business Crime Reduction Partnership and the activities it undertook, which the Assistant Director, Partnerships confirmed covered retail and other businesses as well as the night time economy and offered training for its members.

9.    The importance of the public reporting incidents to the police, or using Crimestoppers, and the importance of the police engaging with the community as well as councillors and the ward PCSOs connecting and engaging on local issues.

RESOLVED that the Committee  

1. Considered the Tamworth Community Safety Plan 2022 Refresh for recommendation for endorsement  by Cabinet
2. Considered and recommended that Cabinet continue to endorse the main three year overarching plan only from 2023 following review by Scrutiny.
3. Recommended the endorsement of the annual refresh of the Community Safety plan be considered at Scrutiny only for publication from 2024.

(Moved by Councillor Dr S Peaple and seconded by Councillor T Clements)