Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

 

In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea, the following interests were declared:

 

Councillor Susan Jones – Minute No. 99 – Son is an employee of South Wales Police

 

Councillor Wendy Lewis- Minute No. 99 - Son is an employee of South Wales Police

 

Councillor Sam Pritchard – Minute No. 99 – Member of the Fire Authority

 

Councillor Terry Hennegan – Minute No. 99 – Member of the Fire Authority

In accordance with the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, no declarations of Whipped Votes or Party Whips were declared.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the previous meeting(s) as a correct record.  

 

Resolved that the Minutes of the Scrutiny Programme Committee held on the 18 January 2022 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Questions must be submitted in writing to Democratic Services democracy@swansea.gov.uk no later than noon on the working day prior to the meeting. Questions must relate to items on the agenda. Questions will be dealt with in a 10 minute period.

There were no public questions.

Representatives from South Wales Police and the Council attended to provide a progress report on Safer Swansea Partnership, and answer questions which both organisations jointly chair.

 

A presentation was provided which included the following:-

 

·                     Background

o    Partnership Vision

o    Partnership Purpose

·                     Current Safer Swansea Partnership Governance

o    Public Services Board

o    Safer Swansea Partnership Steering Group

o    Strategic Priorities

·                     The Partnership

o    Organisation

o    Role

·                     As a Partnership review where we have been during the last period

o    Understanding the impact of the Pandemic – Hidden harm / Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) / DVA / Violence against Women, domestic abuse and sexual violence (VAWDASV)

o    Increased flashpoints for Tension

o    SA1 / Voice of Wales (VOW)

o    Homeless – Temporary Housing

o    Substance misuse

o    Social economic impact of lockdown

·                     Outline the progress, challenges and opportunities that we have faced against the priorities that we have set. 

o    Omicron Variant Impact

o    Strategic / Tactical implications

o    Reduction in Demand

o    Resource and Service Implications

o    Strategic Priorities Remain Unchanged but there were additional areas of focus such as hidden impact of the pandemic, community tensions and public safety / well-being / resilience / recovery

·                     Strategic Priorities Overview Update

o    VAWDASV

o    Substance Misuse

o    Stronger Communities

o    Evening and Night Time Economy

o    Hate Crime and Community Tension Monitoring 

·                     Challenges 

o    VAWG - Spiking

o    Tension – BLM / Reclaim The Streets / VOW / Cinema and Co / Asylum / Anti-Vax / Clydach

o    Mayhill – Op Morano

o    Impact of Homeless in Temporary Accomodation

o    Covid Context – The 4 E’s continue  - Hidden Impact / Public Apathy

·                     Response

o    Safer Street – Help point / protocol / Student

o    Open Dialogue / PLO / Openness & Transparency / Facts before Facebook

o    Independent Review / lessons learnt / robust prosecution

o    Monitoring, Support and Partnership intervention

o    Resources / licensing / Economic and Personal Wellbeing

·                     Continued Focus for the Future

o    Community Problem Solving – Focus on outcome and escalation

o    Drug Enforcement – County Lines – CL intensification / Op Tilbury result / Naloxone / project Adder

o    Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) – Staged interventions / ASB referral / Robust and auditable process / Escalation to CBO’s / Partnership Yos / Public Space Protection Order

o    Hate Crime – Cohesion / Response  Narrative

o    Knife related crime – Op SCEPTRE / Week of Action in November / Follow the 4 p’s / Education / Youth  / SLO’s / dedicated team – response and intel led

o    Vulnerability – Early Intervention and Prevention / Restructure to RIT and Op Soteria / Continued work on Swan and Swot / Continued focus of Suicide Rapid Response Groups / Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation focus. 

·         The Future

o    Dealing with the present as the present

o    Community Cohesion and Resilience – challenge to pre-empt and educate

o    Safeguarding / Disruption / Enforcement in all areas of vulnerability

o    Partnership to continue to draw on its joint strengths to meet current and future challenges

o    Partnership to continue to work to link community needs and priorities with sustainable and visible change and to escalate where necessary

·         Performance and Crime Statistics

o    Violence against Women and Girls

o    Recorded Crime – All Crime – Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot Monthly

o    Drug Trafficking

o    OP Sceptre – Knife Related Crime  Incidents

o    ASB figures for Swansea November 21 to January 2022.

o    Hate Crime

·         Swansea Neath Port Talbot – Neighbourhood Policing Priorites

o    Gorseinon / Penlan

o    Gower / Townhill

o    City Centre

o    Morriston / Eastside

o    Neath / Pontardawe

o    Port Talbot 

 

Questions and discussions focussed on the following topics:

 

·           Relationship between Safer Swansea Partnership (SSP) priorities, individual Police priorities and Council priorities

·           Relationships and communication between the police and ward members – noted arrangements for monthly meetings and feedback, working well in some areas but some room for improvement

·           Police & Crime Commissioner’s Reduction Plan and Chief Constable’s Delivery Plan – key set priorities

·           The extension of the current Safer Swansea Partnership Strategy for 6 months whilst working on developing a new Strategy

·           The role of the Serious Organised Crime Board within the overall SSP Governance Structure - a partnership group to problem solve issues on organised crime 

·           Response to the Mayhill riot in May 2021 and implications for the SSP of findings of the Independent Learning Review and progress on the recommendations – noted an Extraordinary Safer Swansea Partnership meeting to be held at the end of February to look at the recommendations made in the inquiry; some concern regarding disparity in support through different areas following the riot in May 2021; noted there would be an internal review of the riot within the police and re-structure to address the issues raised

·           Current police resources / staffing levels

·           Addressing the findings of the Child Sexual Exploitation IICSA Report – work ongoing around profiling and data completeness

·           Extent of Hate Crime in Swansea and addressing the reluctance of some individuals to report such crimes; the commitment to Human Rights’ City and increasing public trust

·           Continued impact of the pandemic and the effect on crime and disorder and SSP activities

·           Work on addressing violence against women / domestic violence: successful grant bids in respect of domestic violence; investment into female safety in the night time economy; Creation of Safe spaces – 20 + businesses and some fire stations; approach to improve a worryingly low rate of complaints in relation to sexual offences leading to charges being brought against alleged offenders; development of remote site for victims to give evidence securely

·           Improved partnership working resulting from the Pandemic

·           Extent of breaches of Covid rules over the past year, and take up of resources in the enforcement – work in moving away from ‘breaches’ to ‘education’

·           Levels of knife crime – difference in statistics to public perception; measures to tackle knife crime and anti-social behaviour - campaign for 11-16 year olds

·           Issues with off-road bikers around Swansea

·           More joined up approach to social media across SSP partners

 

The Chair thanked all those present.

Councillor Chris Holley, Convenor, presented the Service Improvement & Finance Performance Panel Update Report.

 

Resolved that the update be noted.

The Chair presented a report on the Membership of Scrutiny Panel and Working Groups. No changes were indicated.

 

Resolved that the report be noted.

Discussion on:

a)       Committee Work Plan.

b)       Opportunities for Pre-Decision Scrutiny.

c)       Progress with Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups.

The Chair presented a report on the Scrutiny Work Programme.

 

The next Scrutiny Programme Committee was scheduled for 15 March 2022, and would be the final Committee meeting of the municipal year. The main items scheduled were:

 

·                Procurement Scrutiny Inquiry – Final Report

·                Annual Work Programme Review 

 

An additional item, the Annual Complaints Report 2020/21, would also be scheduled for the Scrutiny Programme Committee on the 15 March 2022.

 

The Chair provided an update in respect of Regional Scrutiny and reported that the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee had met and an Overview and Scrutiny Sub Committee, which would be serviced by Neath Port Talbot Council, was in the process of being set up.

 

Resolved that the report be noted.

The Chair presented a report on ‘Scrutiny Letters’ for information.

 

It was noted that the Equalities Inquiry Panel met on the 26^th January 2022 and were happy with the implementation of recommendations and the positive impact the Inquiry had made. The Panel had suggested that a one off working group could be set up to follow up on the development of a corporate Co-production Strategy, and ask questions about how well co-production is being embedded within the Council, etc. This would be noted and discussed as part of the work plan for the next municipal year.

 

Resolved that the Scrutiny Letters be noted.

The dates and times of the upcoming Panel / Working Group meetings were noted.