Agenda item - Violence, Vulnerability and Extremism

Report of the Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, Communities and Housing (copy attached)

Note: An update will be given at the meeting outlining the work to be undertaken going forward.

75.1    The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, Communities and Housing the purpose of which was to brief the Committee on the threat in relation to child criminal exploitation and gang activity related to county lines, a police term used to describe how gangs from metropolitan areas were now operating elsewhere in the country. The report also outlined the strategy being adopted by the Community Safety Partnership to disrupt activity and to support people in exiting their involvement as victims and perpetrators.

75.2    Councillor Simson referred to the sum of £156,000 which had been allocated in the 2018/19 council budget which would be used to fund a co-ordinator and to fund support to help people out of involvement with organised crime networks and which would include third sector support. Councillor Simson sought confirmation regarding how this would be achieved. The Head of Safer Communities, Jo Player, explained that work was being undertaken in concert with the Head of Children’s Safeguarding currently and advice was being sought from specialist agencies regarding the most appropriate means of delivery. The Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, Communities and Housing, Larissa Reed confirmed that discussions were on-going. Councillor Simson stated that it would be helpful if Members could be provided with a detailed breakdown of how this sum would be used when the arrangements put into place had been finalised.

75.3    It was noted in answer to questions, that the Community Safety Partnership had developed and was refining a flexible violence, vulnerability and exploitation strategy which would seek to prevent vulnerable people being drawn into organised crime relating to drugs and criminal exploitation by working with third sector youth service providers in order to develop safe exit strategies and pathways for young people who had become involved as victims or perpetrators. A copy of the Strategy was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. The Action Plan which would support the strategy was being developed at present and would become more detailed as it progressed.

75.4    Anusree Biswas Sasidharan, MBE Police Engagement Group, stated that in her view it was important that additional powers were embedded into the strategy in order to ensure that robust safeguarding measures ensured that young people whether victims or perpetrators were completely protected. Anusree stated that she was concerned that there had been no mention of the Modern Slavery Act considering that it was important to consider the way that Modern Slavery legislation could be used particularly in work around county lines. The Modern Slavery Act had been used successfully earlier in the year in London in a county lines case. It was essential that good links were set up with partner agencies to explore those options fully.

75.5    Chief Superintendent Lisa Bell who was in attendance representing Sussex Police confirmed that the Police and all relevant agencies were working together pro-actively to address this and were investigating strategies used elsewhere across the country to assess what could be usefully replicated across the city and its wider environs, 9 separate strands of work had been identified which needed to feed into the process overall. Public Protection issues were paramount and it was acknowledged that input by those with who had specialist knowledge and experience was often key.

75.6    Councillor West stated that he understood that mobile phones in use in this country were available from which calls could be made but not traced although he understood that exchanges made via social media were traceable. Available technology and how that could be utilised was an area which needed to be explored further. He considered that it was important to bring pressure to bear on Central Government to ensure that this issue continued to be given a sufficiently high profile and was kept under constant review. Councillor West stated that in his view this should be the subject of a Notice of Motion. The Chair noted that stating that it was understood that following work undertaken by Parliament, and feedback by the LGA and from London boroughs that guidance would be forthcoming from the Home Office in the near future.

76.7    Councillor Peltzer Dunn referred to the co-ordinator role enquiring as to the timing of appointment to that post and whether it was envisaged that there could be “slippage” given that the job description and other details remained to be finalised. The Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, Communities and Housing, Larissa Reed stated that officers were confident that would not occur.

75.8    A vote was taken and the Committee voted unanimously that the recommendations set out in the report be agreed and forwarded to Full Council for approval.

75.9    RESOLVED – (1) That the Committee notes the Violence, Vulnerability and Exploitation strategy developed by the Community Safety Partnership; and

            RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND - (2) That the Committee recommends to Full Council that the Council’s Community Safety Strategy is updated to incorporate the Violence, Vulnerability and Exploitation Strategy (attached as Appendix 1 to the report).