The Hounslow Community Safety Partnership Board convened to discuss crime trends, drug strategy achievements, and community safety initiatives. The board reviewed the Safer Communities Dashboard, highlighting crime levels and public perception, and discussed the progress and future priorities of the Hounslow Drug and Alcohol Partnership Board. Members also acknowledged the successes of the White Ribbon Action Plan and agreed to proposed initiatives for its third year.

Safer Communities Dashboard

Joe Sanders-Wilde, Policy and Insight Analyst, and James Rawlinson, Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), presented the Safer Communities Dashboard, which offers a detailed insight into crime levels within Hounslow, including comparisons with other London boroughs.

The dashboard indicated that Hounslow is a lower-crime borough, with a crime rate lower than London's average. However, it also revealed a gap between the fear of crime and actual crime rates, with 50% of residents worried about local crime.

Councillor Pritam Grewal, Chair of the meeting, asked how residents can meet ward officers. James Rawlinson responded that public meetings advertised online via Met Engage under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is an option.

Three Years of the Drug Strategy

Claire Gomm, Principal Public Health Strategist, presented a report on the achievements and future priorities of the Hounslow Drug and Alcohol Partnership Board, focusing on the local implementation of the national drug strategy, 'From Harm to Hope'¹. The report also covered the use and status of the supplementary drug treatment grant.

From Harm to Hope emphasises strengthening joint working, bringing together treatment, prevention, and enforcement. The three strategic priorities outlined are:

• Delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system
• Achieving a generational shift in the demand for recreational drugs
• Breaking drug supply chains

The report highlighted that Public Health in local authorities were asked to form Partnership Boards to lead on the local delivery of the strategy. Steven Forbes was agreed to be the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for Hounslow's Drug and Alcohol Board.

A new three-year (2022-25) Supplemental Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant (SSMTRG) was announced by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), for Public Health to invest in improved treatment services and systems.

The allocations for Hounslow were:

• 2022/23 - £429,859
• 2023/24 - £463,888
• 2024/25 - £661,874

Public Health were asked to submit clear plans for each grant year, and targets were agreed with OHID to:

• Increase the number of adults and young people in treatment
• Increase the number of adults coming from prison (with a treatment need) into treatment ('continuity of care')
• Increase the use of residential rehabilitation

By the end of March 2025, performance was as follows:

The latest performance (May 2025) shows 1227 adults in treatment and 82 young people; the highest number of people receiving support since the pandemic.

The SSMTRG has now been renamed the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Improvement Grant (DATRIG). The allocation for year 4 (2025/26) remains the same as 2024/25 - £761,452.

Quantitative targets have been kept at the 2024/25 level (numbers 'in treatment' and continuity of care); however, due to the recognition Hounslow has a successful Recovery Day Programme, the rehab target has been lowered slightly to 10.

As of 2025/26, the service will also be measured against quality outcomes including retaining adults in treatment for 12 weeks or more and on the percentage of people making 'substantial progress' whilst in treatment.

Hounslow performs well in both areas:

A significant proportion of the grant supported an increase in the workforce at the treatment service 'ARC Hounslow'². During 2024/25, the grant funded 10.3 posts including criminal justice workers, group facilitators, a recovery day programme team and additional analytical capacity.

In addition to new staff, the grant has funded the introduction of 'BoB' – the new Lived Experience Recovery Officer (LERO), run by people with lived experience, to provide a weekend support service. It has also allowed them to provide important clinical and harm reduction consumables including increased provision of naloxone³ and the long-acting opiate substitute Buvidal.

The Recovery Day Programme (RDP) has been a particular success, offering a 12-week psychology informed group programme which has provided a successful alternative to rehab for many. 201 residents accessed the programme in the first three years, with many going on to employment, or to volunteer for the service.

Aside from the initiatives paid for via the grant, the last three years has seen changes in Hounslow's drug and alcohol services and overall partnership approach. Examples include:

• The introduction of the Partnership Board and increased visibility of the agenda, including through the production of recovery films featuring service users.
• A dedicated trainer has provided bespoke and generic drug and alcohol courses to multiple partner professionals.
• The introduction of the police Adder team has improved communication with the Met, including with the LDIS process and with custody referrals.
• Increased service user involvement, including the introduction of the Hounslow Heroes – our peer-to-peer naloxone project.
• ARC became the first service to achieve Hep C micro-elimination status and to retain it two years on.
• ARC became award winning, with their recognition of 'team of the year' at the BJN awards.

A project to highlight in addition, is the multi-disciplinary 5-person Alcohol Care Team (ACT), (including a peer support worker) which has now been in place for over 3 years, based out of West Middlesex University Hospital. The project was originally BBP funded but due to the successful outcomes achieved, has now been mainstreamed with joint funding agreed between Public Health and ChelWest for a minimum of 5 years.

Key highlights in the initial evaluation included:

• A reduction of alcohol-related admissions of an average of 21% from the baseline.
• A reduction in readmissions (within 30 days) of 56%.
• 377 people entering structured treatment with ARC in three years.

A new 2025/26 plan was agreed with OHID, setting out an overview of local priorities, as well as a detailed spending plan and targets (as previously outlined).

The grant has continued to fund important posts including two new additions; one day a week of a clinical psychologist input to oversee the Recovery Day Programme (and complex case work) and an additional young person's worker in HYPE to ensure better coverage of not just treatment provision but schools prevention work and the hidden harm agenda. The grant will also continue to fund 'BoB' and the clinical consumables mentioned previously.

Additional priorities for this coming year include:

• New recovery hub – there will be a new recovery hub in Oxley House;
• Reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths – they will continue to build on the new drug and alcohol-related death learning panel and develop a near miss protocol with the LAS;
• Service user involvement – they aim to improve service user involvement including through the co-production of a tackling stigma campaign.
• Met police joint working – they will continue to build the joint work with Adder, as well as local policing teams.

Future funding will be announced towards the end of the year, with the hope that this is a three-year settlement. There is an additional risk related to this late announcement around staff retention, which continues to be a priority locally and regionally.

White Ribbon Action Plan

Jacqueline Duke, Head of Safer Partnerships and VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls), provided a brief background on the creation of the White Ribbon initiative⁴. The team is preparing to apply for the next White Ribbon accreditation in March 2026 to align with the Community Strategy and VAWG plan. Jacqueline Duke highlighted achievements over the past three years, noting that notable progress has been made, with key milestones achieved. The White Ribbon Plan has been formally approved by White Ribbon UK as well as Councillor Ajmer Grewal, the lead portfolio holder for VAWG.

The Board acknowledged the successes delivered during the first two years and approved the initiatives proposed for year 3 of the Action Plan.

James Rawlinson suggested helping with a plan to create safe spaces during the event seasons, and Permjit Chadha suggested that licensing agreements could include or encourage safety measures as standard.

James Rawlinson focused on safety by default with measures to address Violence Against Women and Girls at all borough events, highlighting that such measures could help reduce fear of violence among attendees.

Safer Communities Strategy

Shahernaz Kargar, Safer Communities Manager, informed the board that the Year 1 delivery plan report has been shared and asked the board to note successes from year 1 and come to an agreement on activities outlined in the year 2 plan. The board confirmed agreement on the Year 2 initiatives, with the aim of delivering and reporting on successes at the end of the year.

Shahernaz Kargar outlined that priority 1 includes supporting victims & reducing reoffending through:

• The police will target Hounslow's three key areas to keep residents and businesses safe. These are Hounslow Town Centre, Feltham and Chiswick/Brentford.
• Police will continue collaborating with statutory agencies and community voluntary services to support Integrated Offender Management (IOM) participants
• Continue to deliver their comprehensive Violence and Vulnerability Reduction Action Plan (VRAP), aiming to reduce violence and vulnerability through safeguarding victims and early intervention through education and community engagement.
• Police will continue collaborating with partners on the Police Project ADDER team through neighbourhood policing and court liaison to improve treatment diversion
• Maintain regular patrols across public spaces borough-wide, aiming to reduce neighbourhood crime.
• The council will increase its presence in key locations with higher reports of antisocial behaviour by arranging regular engagement events with residents to improve the perception of safety across the borough.

Shahernaz Kargar further outlined priority 2, focusing on the following key outcomes:

• Continue the detached outreach service, funded through repurposed resources from the previously commissioned Youth Outreach Service and holiday activity funding.
• Launch a new role to support men and boys affected by violence.
• Address online crime within the training being developed regarding identifying predatory behaviours.
• Encourage ongoing client feedback post-intervention by creating a survey for victims participating in therapeutic groups.
• Strengthen feelings of safety by ensuring timely access to specialist, trauma-informed support.

Shahernaz Kargar stated the focus for priority 3 includes:

• Increase engagement with diverse and inclusive groups in the community.
• Hold focus groups and collaborate with various cohorts to increase vulnerable residents' perception of safety in the borough.
• Organise events to engage young people, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to enhance their personal safety.
• Deliver London's Violence Reduction Unit MyEnds Project, led in partnership by Perfectly Imperfectly, Can You Challenge, and Hounslow Council.
• Improve the availability and accessibility of information regarding reporting safety concerns and ASB, with a focus on enhancing the online interface.

Community Safety Partnership Statutory Duties

Shahernaz Kargar provided background on the legislation linked to the review, noting that there have been no new legislative changes since May 2024. Statutory legislation was reviewed for board analysis to identify strengths and updates. Shahernaz Kargar informed the board that they would be updated when legislation makes any changes. Much of the Community Safety Partnership Statutory duties were identified as a Strength, Work in progress, Opportunities, Threat analysis (SWOT). Majority of the strengths were highlighted to the board as the board remained consistent with legislation.

Shahernaz Kargar informed the board that the work in progress included the Information Sharing Protocol which is being updated in line with current legislation. A draft has been sent to the board for comments and feedback has been collated, with the aim for sign-off at the next Community Safety Partnership meeting.

The work in progress also included the reducing reoffending plan. The existing plan is from 2021 and is to be refreshed. Conversations are at the initial stages with Integrated Offender Management (IOM) colleagues, Police, and National Probation Service to develop the new plan.

Shahernaz Kargar highlighted the opportunity that emerged from the SWOT review, proposing that assessing the skills and knowledge of the partnership's members will embed good practice.

James Rawlinson emphasized the importance of the opportunity to review the boards skills as it will help to strengthen the structure in place to ensure delivery is effective.

Violence Against Women and Girls Plan

The board was informed that papers regarding the Violence Against Women and Girls Plan were sent a week prior to review and agree the planned activities.

These have been reviewed, agreed, and authorised by the Councillor Ajmer Grewal, the Violence Against Women and Girls Portfolio Lead. The board was asked to acknowledge the Year 2 report and agree the year 3 delivery plan.

MyEnds Project

Siobhan Donoghue, CEO of Perfectly Imperfect, and Khalid Abbas, CEO of Can you Challenge, gave an update on the MyEnds Project.

Siobhan Donoghue introduced the MyEnds Project and was joined by Darren Beecroft, support worker, and a parent and young person who is supported by the project. Siobhan Donoghue provided background information about the Perfectly Imperfect programme and shared that 80% of the project staff are from the borough or have lived experience.

Siobhan Donoghue provided an in-depth explanation of the causes and use of violence, shared statistics on interventions, and outlined activities delivered through outreach, mentoring, events, and engagement with schools and families. Siobhan Donoghue shared statistics that detailed engagement levels with young people and then broken down by gender, ethnicity, age, and disability status.

Siobhan Donoghue informed the board that the funding was shared between outreach work and events, 1-1 mentoring, trips & residential breaks, school engagement and family support. Feedback from young people and parents about the project has been positive and encouraging.

Siobhan Donoghue informed the board that their year 2 aspirations are for stronger connections between primary and secondary schools, supporting transition stages, increased early intervention and empowering young voices to drive change.

The young person said that the project has helped them in being able to concentrate and focus on improving skills and that through the different projects available they were able to recognise what they felt most passionate about and what they aspire to do going forward. The young person's parent said that the project and support from the Perfectly Imperfect Team had made a vast difference to the young person's outlook, they were more positive, able to focus and was happier, and that their relationship had also improved.

Khalid Abbas explained the aim of Can you Challenge as football sessions with life coaching as an integral part of the support. Khalid Abbas explained that the project provides football activities with the added support to improve life skills including self-discipline, motivation, encouragement, positivity, teamwork and commitment.

Sessions are being delivered in Inwood Park and Feltham Park. Uptake of the sessions in both parks are high. Khalid Abbas explained how the project had also enabled a young person to progress from attending the sessions and participating to becoming a coach and assisting with the sessions.

Khalid Abbas said Year 2 plan will be to focus on maintaining regular attendance with children and young people, encourage self-growth and to continue community engagement, and will also include exploring sports fixtures and events with other teams and community-building through positive use of public spaces.

Permjit Chadha, Assistant Director, Safer Communities, agreed to send contact details to Khalid Abbas to explore potential collaboration with Friends of Inwood Park.

Hounslow Youth Justice Plan

Phil Hopkins, Head of Adolescent Service, presented on the Youth Justice Plan, highlighting how Perfectly Imperfect and Can you Challenge support young people's aspirations, encourages positive personal development and builds a protective relationship with adults and peers.

Phil Hopkins emphasised that partnership working is always effective especially when collaborating with community programmes and statutory services, and that there are programmes which are part funded through grants and some through Hounslow Council.

Phil Hopkins informed the board that The Youth Justice Plan includes extensive data but notes that trends can change quickly with an example of non-domestic offences increasing from 0% to 10% and possession of a bladed article/weapon remains one of the most common offences.

Phil Hopkins discussed next steps to align community-led initiatives with Youth Justice priorities and monitor evolving data trends and respond proactively through partnership strategies, exploring deeper integration of family engagement approaches in frontline programmes.

The board had an ongoing discussion around overrepresentation and underrepresentation of specific groups in the Youth Justice System highlighting the importance of equitable service delivery and culturally competent outreach to address disparities.

The board discussed the difference between community perceptions of violent crime and actual reported incidents, and that there are legal challenges around child exploitation and those involved in criminal activity, particularly for those under 18. It was highlighted that restorative justice is important in addressing low-level and disproportionate offences, and the perception that violent crime is often linked with young people, even though youth custody and remand population is very low.

Jacqueline Duke advised that reviewing domestic abuse links with non-attending children is over 300 which is more than 50% who are consistently absent.