Blackpool Community Safety,
Drugs and Alcohol
Strategic Assessment
2009
Lead Officer- Paolo Pertica
Head of BSafe Blackpool,
Blackpool Council
Executive Summary
Introduction
The 2009 Strategic Assessment for BSafe Blackpool is the third Strategic Assessment to be undertaken by Blackpool Community Safety and Drugs Partnership (BSafe Blackpool).
This annual refresh of the 2008 Strategic Assessment identifies the priorities for 2010/2011, identifying key threats and opportunities within the crime and disorder area.
BSafe Blackpool’s vision is “To reduce crime, disorder and substance misuse in Blackpool, addressing the fear of crime and providing reassurance to communities and to provide a first class service to key stakeholders within the Blackpool Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, with the aim of achieving a safer and stronger community in Blackpool.”
Priorities
Community safety covers a wide range of issues. Therefore, priorities have been ranked to help focus on the areas where the greatest difference can be made. These priorities include:
Local Priority 1 – Violent Crime
Local Priority 2 – Anti-Social Behaviour (including Criminal Damage and Arson)
Local Priority 3 – Substance Misuse
Local Priority 4 – Serious Acquisitive Crime
A summary of the analysis relating to the key priority areas for 2010/2011 is outlined below:
Local Priority 1 –Violent Crime
Blackpool has the highest levels of recorded Serious Violent Crime and Assault with Less Serious Injury in Lancashire. Blackpool sits at the top of its Most Similar Group (MSG) Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) on Iquanta (see Appendix 2) for violent crime. Of all reported violent crime, domestic abuse accounts for 25.1%, with alcohol often being a significant factor. Of all violent crime in Blackpool, 48% is concentrated in the three wards of Talbot, Claremont and Bloomfield.
Violent crime, particularly serious violent crime, tends to be widely reported within the media and contributes greatly to public perception of crime.
Local Priority 2 –Anti-Social Behaviour (including Criminal Damage and Arson)
Reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) accounted for 24% of all incidents reported to the police in 2008/09, with 39% of incidents concentrated in the three wards of Talbot, Claremont and Bloomfield. ASB in Blackpool accounts for 14% of all reported anti-social behaviour in Lancashire.
With an ASB perception rate of 24.2%, Blackpool is above the mean average of all Lancashire CDRPs (19.8%), but falls in line with the mean average of our other MSG CDRPs (24.1%).
ASB affects many members of society and is often a precursor to more serious incidents and crime. Environmental issues such as fly tipping and graffiti are considered ‘signal crimes’, in that if not removed expeditiously can reflect negatively on neighbourhood image and resident wellbeing and can lead to actual crime occurring.
Blackpool has the highest level of recorded criminal damage in Lancashire and the third highest level of our MSG members. Of all criminal damage (including arson) in Blackpool, 33% is concentrated in the three wards of Talbot, Bloomfield and Claremont.
Criminal Damage is the single largest ‘signal crime’ that influences how people feel about their neighbourhood, their perceptions about levels of crime and their fear of becoming a victim of crime.
Although the numbers of deliberate fires have remained relatively static throughout 2009, the severity and size of these deliberate fires has significantly worsened. The detrimental impact of these fires on the local community, environment and business sector has been significant.
Local Priority 3 –Substance Misuse
The rate of problematic heroin and/or crack cocaine use in Blackpool is 25.69 per 1000 population. This suggests that Blackpool has the highest prevalence rate across the North West Region, and the 6th highest prevalence nationally. The number of wards containing off street drug markets is considerably higher than the Lancashire average.
Although it is not a signal crime as such, drugs misuse is often a pre-cursor to anti-social behaviour, acquisitive crime and violent crime.
Blackpool has the highest level of alcohol related mortality in the country and some of the worst levels of alcohol related harm (health, disorder and violence) in the region. Of all Lancashire licensed premises, 40% are located in Blackpool. Blackpool is consistently worse than both the England average and the regional average when comparing local alcohol profiles.
Alcohol is often a pre-cursor and catalyst for crime and disorder, in particular violent crime and criminal damage.
Local Priority 4 –Serious Acquisitive Crime
This crime category includes offences of Burglary, Vehicle Crime and Robbery. Dwelling burglary is one of the few crime categories which have shown increases in Blackpool over the analysis period (an increase of 1.3%). These crimes cause financial loss, personal upset to victims and can affect all sectors of the community.
The threat from both local prolific offenders and offenders travelling from other areas impacts significantly on this crime category.
In addition to the identified local priorities, the partnership will retain a focus on the three mandatory Government Home Office priorities. These are as follows:-
Mandatory Priority 1 – Violent Extremism
Mandatory Priority 2 – Serious Sexual Offences
Mandatory Priority 3 – Prolific and Priority Offenders