The Safer Communities Partnership Board noted updates on crime rates in Barnet, the work of the multi-agency partnership to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and the progress of the Violence Reduction Plan. The partnership will continue to develop new strategies and interventions to address issues raised in the meeting.

Crime Performance

Superintendent Lorraine Busby-McVey of the Metropolitan Police reported decreases in most crime categories across the borough. This follows the implementation of several successful partnership initiatives, including:

• Operation Woodson: A series of interventions to tackle drug addiction in Burnt Oak. Chief Inspector Paul Condren of the Metropolitan Police reported that the operation, which has seen an additional 3,000 police hours in the area, has led to a 63.7% decline in burglary, a 16% decrease in robbery and a 13% decrease in violence with injury. Councillor Sara Conway noted that antisocial behaviour had also decreased by 65-70%.
• Clear Hold Build: An ongoing operation to improve community safety on and around the Grahame Park Estate.

The police are also undertaking a number of operations to tackle vehicle crime, theft and burglary.

Antisocial Behaviour and Community Safety

The Community Safety Team reported a decrease in the use of tools and powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, although this was attributed to delays in receiving data from the Metropolitan Police.

The partnership has dealt with an average of 15 ongoing cases referred to the Community Safety Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) every month.

Domestic Abuse

Karen Popely, the Interim Assistant Director of Children's Safeguarding, reported that Barnet is ranked the fourth lowest in London for domestic abuse offences. The meeting also heard that Barnet has a 9% positive outcome rate for domestic abuse offences, which is lower than some other boroughs such as Southwark and Camden, where the rate is 12%.

The partnership discussed a number of initiatives designed to tackle domestic abuse, including:

• Operation Encompass: A joint project between the Metropolitan Police and Barnet Council that provides support to children who have experienced domestic abuse.
• IRIS (Identification and Referral to Improve Safety): A programme that provides training and support to GPs in Barnet to help them identify and respond to domestic abuse. 30 out of 50 GP surgeries in Barnet are now fully trained.

The partnership is also working to increase referrals to support services for survivors of domestic abuse.

Youth Justice

The partnership discussed the work of the Youth Justice Service, which is working to reduce the number of young people entering the criminal justice system. Barnet has a lower than average rate of youth custody, and the service is committed to providing alternative forms of supervision and support for young people who offend.

London Fire Brigade

Peter Johnson, Borough Commander for Barnet for the London Fire Brigade, provided an update on the work of the fire service in Barnet. The service attended 5,500 incidents in the borough in 2024, and has been working to reduce the number of false alarms it attends. The service has also been working to raise awareness of the dangers of e-bike fires, which have increased by 78% in the last year.

Barnet Homes

Andy Nye, Antisocial Behaviour Manager for Barnet Homes, provided an update on the work of the housing association to tackle antisocial behaviour. Barnet Homes is currently dealing with over 50 open antisocial behaviour cases. The organisation has been working closely with the police and the council to tackle antisocial behaviour on the Grahame Park Estate and the Bellevue Estate.

Substance Misuse

Councillor Alison Moore, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, and Louisa Songa, Senior Public Health Strategist, provided an update on the work of the Combating Drugs Partnership Board. The partnership is currently in the process of procuring a new substance misuse service provider, and has been awarded a grant of almost £1 million to fund its work.

Communications

Candice Lake, from the council's communications team, provided a verbal update on the work of the partnership to communicate its work to the public. The partnership has been working with Middlesex University to develop a campaign to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. The partnership is also working on a community cohesion campaign, which will be launched in the summer.

Victim Support

Caroline Roberts, from Victim Support, provided a verbal update on the work of the charity in Barnet. Victim Support is commissioned by the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) to provide support to victims of crime in London.