The Community Safety Partnership met on Wednesday 2 April 2025 to discuss strategies for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), review statistics on Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), and receive updates on various community safety initiatives. Key decisions included noting the revised timeline for the VAWG strategy and agreeing to a more detailed report on PSPO enforcement for the next meeting.

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy Update

The partnership reviewed the ongoing development of the VAWG Strategy for 2025-2028. This strategy aims to be a public-facing document to educate residents on VAWG, its causes, and available support mechanisms. The timeline for its publication has been revised to align with the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) consultation, with a target of summer 2025. This alignment is intended to improve coherence and secure future funding opportunities. The strategy will focus on four key priorities: partnership collaboration, addressing root causes, victim support, and perpetrator accountability. Engagement with the Women's Safety Forum and local organisations has been undertaken to gather data and inform the strategy. The board will receive an update on the strategy's progress in July, with a review of the draft action plan planned for that meeting.

Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) Statistics and Update

David Rhodes, covering for Qais Ghafar, presented statistics on the enforcement of PSPOs introduced in November 2024. Since their implementation, 17 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have been issued for street drinking, 19 for begging, one for public urination, and three for amplified noise. A significant number of verbal warnings were also issued, including 79 for street drinking and 3,047 for begging. Councillor Syed Ghani emphasised the need for more joint patrols between the police and local authority in PSPO areas, particularly in new locations like Beacontree. It was noted that while officers are trained to issue FPNs, community safety officers sometimes face difficulties in obtaining names and addresses without police assistance. Superintendent David Rhodes highlighted the success of 14 Community Behaviour Orders (CBOs) issued since November, noting the strategic approach involving impact statements from both the local authority and police. A more detailed report, including a joint perspective from the police and local authority, will be presented at the next meeting, along with a broader approach to tackling anti-social behaviour in town centres.

Partnership Delivery to VRU Serious Violence Plan

Katie Jones provided an update on the serious violence duty strategy, which was published last year and outlines six priorities based on the borough's needs assessment. The strategy is currently being refreshed with a new strategic needs assessment to identify any gaps and tailor support. A workshop for leads is scheduled for April 28th to discuss the action plan and ensure the duty's requirements are met. Funding is available for delivering the duty, including a roadshow to communicate priorities to communities and schoolchildren, covering topics such as vaping, exploitation, and knife crime. The serious violence duty is a statutory requirement for all partners, who are urged to attend workshops and understand its implications.

Prevent Update

Adele Norman, the new Prevent lead, reported that the terrorism threat level in the UK remains substantial. Barking and Dagenham is assessed against eight benchmarks for preventing radicalisation. The borough is considered low risk and no longer receives dedicated Prevent funding. Previous data indicated two arrests and two convictions, with 2% of London's Prevent referrals originating from the borough. Despite low referral numbers, the activity in neighbouring areas is being monitored. An improvement plan is in place to meet Prevent assurance and quality assurance benchmarks. A briefing workshop on Prevent is being developed for the partnership. Challenges in obtaining information from mental health services have been noted, and efforts are underway to improve referral pathways. The first Prevent steering group meeting was held in February 2025.

Combatting Drugs Partnership Review

Amolak Tatter provided an update on the supplementary grant for 2024-2025. Challenges in recruiting a supporting commissioner role were overcome by engaging a consultant to work on specific tasks, including developing a delivery plan for the Combatting Drugs Partnership (CDP) and updating the drug market profile. The funding for the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant (DATRIG) for 2025-2026 has been confirmed at the same level as the previous year, ensuring continuity. However, increases in National Insurance contributions and the cost of living wage may impact service delivery from 2026-2027 onwards. There is uncertainty regarding future funding beyond 2026-2027, which could affect the sustainability of current service levels. A further update will be provided at the next CSP board meeting.

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA)

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA) are being updated to align with the Working Together guidance. The local authority, police, and Integrated Care Board (ICB) are the lead strategic partners. The role of an independent chair is being replaced by an independent scrutiny officer for critical oversight. The new structure includes an annual meeting for strategic direction, an executive board, a partnership board, and three committees focusing on core business: Learning from Practice, One Panel, and Quality Assurance and Performance. Priorities include child exploitation, child sexual abuse, neglect, and domestic abuse. Key learning points emphasise information sharing, professional curiosity, and whole-family working. Next steps involve embedding the work of committees and working groups, strengthening links with other partnerships, and enhancing communication.

Schools Officers Update

A review of the schools officer role has been undertaken to bring officers closer to neighbourhood teams, enhancing their visibility and accessibility while maintaining school partnerships. There will be no reduction in staffing, with the 10 schools officers complementing ward teams. Officers will split their time between school roles and wider ward matters, and while schools will retain a dedicated contact, officers will no longer be permanently based at schools. Officers will be assigned to specific wards based on threat and risk assessments. These changes will be implemented from May, with head teachers briefed and further meetings scheduled. An escalation process for raising issues will be established, and a governance board will review the changes and identify best practices.

Funding Update

The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) projects funded by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and the London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF) have been approved, though finalising projects is ongoing. There is a slight reduction due to the loss of the capacity building fund, offset by the MyEnds offer for Barking. Turnaround funding from the Ministry of Justice has significantly reduced, impacting support for children arrested and released under investigation, leading to the loss of turnaround workers. Uncertainty regarding mayoral funding has also significantly impacted the voluntary sector, with organisations like Lifeline facing reductions in youth workers and mentoring programs. The board was urged to bring funding issues to its attention, as reductions in one area can affect outputs and resource allocation elsewhere. KJ will discuss with Councillor Ghani the possibility of lobbying for funding prioritisation due to the borough's high levels of young people and poverty.

Forward Plan

The board reviewed the CSP forward plan and agreed on the items for the next meeting, incorporating additional requests made during this meeting. An update on CCTV projects will be added to the next agenda.

Any Other Business

KJ noted recent changes in the operational format for the prison and probation service, including the appointment of Amy Reece as interim permanent secretary for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Sarah Coccia as interim Chief Operating Officer for prisons. An official letter regarding this change will be logged with the minutes. Councillor Ghani and KJ expressed their gratitude to David Rhodes for his contributions over the past two years, highlighting improvements in partnership and achievements during his tenure. David thanked everyone for their support and acknowledged the strength of the partnership in facing challenges, particularly concerning funding and uncertainty.