Joint Strategic Assessment 2014
Acknowledgments
Bexley Community Safety Partnership Joint Strategic Assessment prepared by:
Nicola Couchman, Policy & Performance Manager, London Borough of Bexley
The following agencies, partners and organisations have provided data and/or comment on the content:
Metropolitan Police Service
London Borough of Bexley
London Ambulance Service
London Fire Brigade
British Transport Police
Transport for London
London Probation Service
The Big Bexley Crime survey
Contents
1. Introduction Page 4
2. Executive Summary Page 4
3. The Local Context Page 6
4. Significant Change in London in recent years Page 6
5. Caveat Page 7
6. Progress against the current action plan Page 7
7. Quick facts – Total crime in Bexley Page 9
8. Total crime - year on year comparison Page 10
9. Sub-ward level data Page 12
10. Quick facts – Anti-social behaviour Page 14
11. Matters identified by the Residents of Bexley Page 15
12. London Ambulance Service data Page 16
13. British Transport Police Data Page 16
14. Transport for London Data Page 17
15. London Fire Brigade data Page 17
16. Road traffic collisions Page 18
17. Environmental crime Page 18
18. Neighbourhood services team – Casework data Page 19
19. Drug and alcohol related data Page 20
20. Alcohol data Page 21
21. Test purchasing data Page 22
22. Youth Offending Team – Data Page 22
23. Probation data Page 24
24. Adult Re-offending Page 24
25. Progress against MOPAC priorities Page 25
26. Metropolitan Police Force Survey Page 26
27. Appendix A – Glossary of Terms Page 27
28. Appendix B – Analysis of the Big Bexley Crime Survey Page 28
1. Introduction
Bexley Community Safety Partnership (BCSP) is made up of the London Borough of Bexley, Bexley Police, London Probation, London Fire Brigade and Health partners. With the co-operation and participation of other key stakeholders, their objective is to reduce crime and disorder including anti-social behaviour, combat the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances and reduce reoffending.
This is the annual BCSP Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) for 2014 which informs the planning process for the coming year. The assessment provides a profile of crime and disorder in Bexley identifies high risk places and people and the actions that BCSP are taking to tackle the issues identified. Priorities for tackling crime and disorder, directed by the evidence within this assessment, will be reflected in the BCSP Action Plan for 2014/15.
2. Executive Summary
The analysis provided in the JSA is very positive and overall crime is low in Bexley at a rate of 50.8 per 1000 population. For 11 of the 12 months in 2013 (January to November) Bexley was the safest borough in London with the lowest crime rate, falling into second place in December 2013 due to a marginal improvement in another borough.
The analysis identifies that crime and anti-social behaviour is more prevalent in the north of the borough and in the centre of Bexleyheath. Higher levels of deprivation in the north of the borough compared to other areas may be a contributory factor to this. Bexleyheath is situated where the main shopping area and night time economy are located. Levels of crime peaked in the months of December, January and July.
Burglary continues to be a top concern for both the BCSP and the people who live and work in Bexley. It has increased by 6% from 2012 to 2013 and this increase is mainly due to an increase in residential burglary in 2013. The Partnership has progressed a substantial number of projects and initiatives to tackle Burglary and has secured funding for Neighbourhood Watch, St Giles Trust and the purchase of technical equipment for Police proactive operations. Actions to prevent Burglary have continued to be developed and delivered on an on-going basis through the multi-agency Burglary Action Group. As burglary has continued to increase and has been identified as a top priority by people who live and work in Bexley it is recommended that BCSP continue to make burglary a priority for 2014/15.
Robbery was also identified as a top concern for people who live and work in Bexley and this has increased by 17% with 41 more crimes in 2013 that there were in 2012. There were 28 more crimes of robbery against the person in 2013 than 2012 and 13 more crimes of robbery against business. It is recommended that BCSP consider robbery as a priority for 2014/15.
Sexual offences were not identified by the people who live and work in Bexley but have increased overall by 14% (25 more crimes than in 2012). This crime type includes the offence of rape where a significant increase of 82% should be noted with 73 crimes in 2013 compared to a much lower level of 40 crimes in 2012. However there has been an increase in historic reporting and a small increase in the number of stranger rapes. Sexual offences remain amongst the lower level of crime types in Bexley and were not identified as a matter of concern by people who live and work in Bexley.
The people who live and work in Bexley identified motor vehicle crime as a top priority and it went down by 5% from 2012 to 2013. During 2012 an operational group was put in place to tackle the problem of motor vehicle crime and was supported by BCSP and it is recommended that this continues to be a priority for the coming year.
Although violence against the person has gone down by 1% compared to 2012 and violence with injury has reduced by 9%, domestic crime has increased by 6% with a rise in crime from 1174 in 2012 to 1244 in 2013. The Council’s Crisis Intervention Team continue to deal with a high level of referrals for domestic violence and information collected at the point of assessment for children’s social care has shown that domestic violence is a key factor in children’s safeguarding in Bexley. Therefore tackling domestic crime is recommended as a priority for BCSP.
The analysis shows a significant decrease of 19% in offences of racist and religious crime and therefore this is not recommended as a priority; however the BCSP will continue to monitor and take action if necessary.
With regards to alcohol related crime Bexley has very low rates of alcohol attributed crime compared to the rest of London. However the impact of drug and alcohol use or dependency on crime and anti-social behaviour is recognised. Latest figures for drug testing of adults on arrest showed that during 2013 48% of adult offenders arrested in Bexley use drugs. Therefore it is recommended that combating drug and alcohol related offences remains a priority.
Anti-social behaviour is of concern to people who live and work in Bexley however it has decreased by 5.1% since 2012. The most common type of call in respect of anti-social behaviour received by the police relates to rowdy inconsiderate behaviour and anti-social behaviour peaked in July and August coinciding with the end of the school year and school holidays. The Council’s Neighbourhood Services Team has identified rowdy behaviour, neighbour disputes and vehicle related anti-social behaviour as the most prevalent complaints with the majority originating in the north of the borough where higher levels of crime and deprivation are seen. It should also be noted that enviro crime in the borough is rising with an increase in calls about noise, fly tipping and abandoned vehicles. Due to the impact on quality of life for the residents of Bexley anti-social behaviour and enviro crime are recommended to be priorities.
The neighbourhood services team have worked hard to identify vulnerable young people and educate them regarding the issue of gangs. Through the work of the serious violence prevention panel the team have been sharing information and working with individuals to prevent escalation of their behaviour. A neighbouring borough serious youth violence panel is also attended to increase awareness of current issues and anyone from Bexley who is coming to notice elsewhere. A regular gang prevention strategy group meeting and regular gangs training sessions have been established and the training has been well attended. Therefore the issue of gangs and youth offending is not recommended as a priority for 2014/15.
Data provided by the youth offending team (YOT) shows a significant decrease of 42% for offences committed by young people aged 10-17 compared to 2012. The YOT and Police jointly deliver an arrest and diversion service, which includes out of court disposals, aimed at keeping young people out of the criminal justice system. Through this work, young people engage in a restorative process to make amends to the victim and/or community and participate in an assessment. If any unmet needs are identified, services are offered and quickly put in place for the young person and their family. The most recent arrest and diversion re-offending data for the period July 2010 to March 2013 showed that just 6.4% (20 young people from 312 referrals) went on to re-offend after being referred to the service. In addition the partnership has developed two projects; Enhanced Community Reparation and Intensive Supervision and Surveillance, which has contributed to reduced re-offending.
The JSA therefore recommends the following priorities for the BCSP to focus on:
• Burglary and Robbery
• Drug and alcohol related offences
• Domestic crime
• Anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and Enviro crime
• Motor vehicle crime
It should be noted that crime and disorder not identified in the JSA will continue to be resourced, responded to and investigated in line with the core business and responsibilities of the police and other agencies represented in the BCSP.
3. The Local Context
Bexley is situated in the south east of London and borders the Thames to the north, the boroughs of Greenwich to the west, Bromley to the south and County of Kent to the east. It covers an area of 23 square miles (6400 hectares) and has four major district centres – Crayford, Erith, Sidcup and Welling. Bexley is one of the greenest boroughs in London with over 200 parks and open spaces and has nine Primary Employment Areas (not all of which are located in town centres).
According to the 2011 census Bexley has a population of 232,000 (an increase of 6% since the 2001 census) and of this 48% were males and 52% were females. Bexley was a predominantly White British borough in the 2001 census and this is still the case in 2011 at 77.3% however this has decreased by 7% since 2001 highlighting the need to ensure that engagement with diverse communities takes place. With regards to dwellings in the borough 76 % are houses or bungalows, 24% are flats and less than 1% are caravans or other mobile or temporary structures and the average household size is 2.5 people per household.
There are many factors that will impact on ‘Keeping Bexley Safe’ in coming years:
- A challenging economic climate driving up the demand for services against a backdrop of cuts to budgets and resources
- Changes to and the development of Government Policy in key areas
- Restructuring and change across the public sector
- Effectiveness and value for money of services under increasing scrutiny
Bexley Community Safety Partnership is well placed to meet these challenges with an established evidence-led service planning and delivery process ensuring that resources are targeted where they are most needed.
4. Significant Changes in London in Recent Years
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) was set up in response to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 which reformed the accountability of police services and replaced police authorities with elected individuals. MOPAC was established on 16 January 2012. It is led by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and supported (since 1 June 2012) by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime. Through MOPAC the Mayor and Deputy Mayor are accountable for policing performance in London, setting the Metropolitan Police Force’s strategic direction and allocating resources whilst operational policing remains the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
Community safety funding that used to be provided by grants from central government now has to be applied for from MOPAC so that it can be used to prevent crime and reduce re-offending. The Mayoral priorities are to:
• Strengthen the Metropolitan Police Service and drive a renewed focus on street policing
• Give victims a greater voice
• Make London safer for women
• Develop smarter solutions to alcohol and drug crime
• Help London’s vulnerable young people
• Tackle business crime.
The 20/20/20 challenge up to 2016 is to:
• Cut crime by 20% for 7 key neighbourhood crimes (MOPAC 7).
• Boost public confidence by 20%
• Cut costs by 20%
A summary of performance in Bexley for the MOPAC 7 key crimes that should be cut by 20% by 2016 can be seen later in this report in section 26.
It should be noted that Mayoral priorities are taken into consideration when deciding on funding allocation and local authorities need to provide good evidence that a different focus outside of the Mayoral priorities is needed. Therefore whether an issue is linked to one of the MOPAC priorities is a critical factor to be considered when deciding on local priorities.