Inspector John Swan has been invited to provide an overview and answer questions about policing and any community safety matters in the Castle Morpeth area. (Councillor Swan’s attendance at the meeting is still to be confirmed.)
Minutes:
Inspector John Swan and Sergeant Les Robson were in attendance to provide an update on policing and community safety within the Morpeth area. The following information was noted:
· Police in Morpeth had received a total of 8,259 incidents during the past year, which was low in comparison to some other areas, with the majority in relation to public safety and welfare. There had been 2,307 crimes reported however at least one third had been from the two mental health institutions and HMP Northumberland which meant that 1649 in total from residents within the Castle Morpeth area which was low in relation to other areas with the same population.
· Liaison Officers had been attached to the Morpeth Police Station to work with St Georges and Northgate Hospitals to build relationships and work to resolve issues. This work would also cover the new housing estates in proximity to the hospitals ensuring residents felt safe.
· There had been issues within the Hadston and Widdrington areas with Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) and off road biking with some vehicles involved in being seized.
· Work had been undertaken in relation to ASB within Morpeth town centre and Carlisle Park, and homelessness and begging issues working with NCC Safeguarding teams to get help and support to remove the issue.
· Youth ASB warnings and letters had been issued throughout the year and work was undertaken with housing providers. There had been a slight increase in reports of ASB following the end of lockdown, however this often related to young people just sitting chatting without any ASB occurring.
· Cameras had been adjusted to take account of the reopening of the night-time economy with an increased police presence and work undertaken with door staff and licensees.
· Morpeth was a safe place to live with a lower crime rate than other areas however the Neighbourhood Team would continue to work to make improvements for residents.
In response to questions from Members of the Committee the following information was provided:
· Morpeth Police Station had never been closed during the panedemic, however the reception area was no longer open to the public.
· The Police were aware of cars using the underground area of the Morrisons car park at night and the ASB occurring with a number of arrests made and warnings provided. Any video evidence of ASB should be forwarded to the Police to allow action to be taken.
· Information would be forwarded to colleagues in relation to vodka bottles and security tags from Asda being thrown from cars between Loansdean and Clifton on the A197.
· Strategies have always been in place in relation to any domestic violence (DV) and positive action taken. The Specialist Investigation Unit (SIU) takes on all DV incidents with specially trained officers in place. There was an awareness of the potential for an increase in DV incidents during lockdown and extra contact was made by the Neighbourhood Team to known victims at medium risk and work was also undertaken with partners and foodbanks etc to ensure identification of potential problems at an early stage.
· Any child concerns were reported through the Multi Agency Safety Hub (MASH) with the appropriate support put in through the partnership approach.
· The Neighbourhood Teams linked in with each other across the force and resources would be moved to where needed and there was a borderless policy in place.
· Regular updates should be provided to Town and Parish Councils with regular updates from their Neighbourhood Teams although attendance in person had not been possible during Covid. It was important that any issues were reported as they happened rather than waiting for a Parish Council meeting and contact should be made with the local teams whose details were available on the website.
· In relation to speeding issues contact would be made with Councillor Dunn regarding problems in Lynemouth and Ellington. Speeding issues in other areas should continue to be reported through the Neighbourhood Teams and would be passed to traffic.
· The use of speedwatch volunteers had been paused due to Covid however work was underway as to how volunteers could feel better valued.
· Notification of any cycling events / time trials being held should be being provided to the Police in advance.
· Planning for darker nights operations which included additional patrols targeting ASB was underway, however any incidents should continue to be reported either by calling 101 or on the Northumbria Police website.
· Any incidents of vehicle ASB should be reported as above as action could be taken under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act and where registrations were provided these would be added to the database and the vehicles targeted. If this was happening in specific areas at certain times then extra resources could be utilised to look for the vehicles and details could also be passed to Operation Dragoon for their attendance.
· The Community Engagement Van visited villages to provide education regarding speeding and work was to recommence in association with the Fire and Rescue Service and Ambulance Service on this.
· It was anticipated that “Cuppa with a Copper” would be reintroduced.
· More would be done to share with the media the good work that was being undertaken. Issues with social media perpetuating stories from other areas of the country had been recognised and moderators were being asked to remove stories which were no longer relevant.
Inspector Swan and Sergeant Robson were thanked for their attendance.