Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED: That there were no Reserve Members in attendance.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item 8 – Safer Harrow Annual Strategic Assessment 2009

Councillor Mitzi Green declared a personal interest in that she currently worked for the Crown Prosecution Service.  She would remain in the room during the discussion and decision making on this item.

Councillor Mark Versallion declared a personal interest in that he was currently a Non-Executive Director of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust.  His uncle was also head of the Metropolitan Police’s dive team.  He would remain in the room during the discussion and decision making on this item.

Councillor Janet Mote declared a personal interest in that her daughter currently worked at Northwick Park Hospital.  She would remain in the room during the discussion and decision making on this item.

Councillor Brian Gate declared a personal interest in that he was married to a health professional based at St Peter’s Medical Centre.  His daughter also currently worked part-time at two medical centres.  He would remain in the room during the discussion and decision making on this item.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 February 2010 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 February 2010 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received.

(if any).

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no references.

Report of the Divisional Director Partnership, Policy and Performance.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Safety and the Borough Commander, Dalwardin Babu, introduced the Annual Strategic Assessment. The Committee were informed that the assessment had been developed to enable partnerships to remain responsive to their local communities. By developing a better understanding of local crime trends, Harrow Police and its partners were able to prioritise and allocate resources effectively. The Committee were informed that:

·                    residential burglaries in 2009 had increased by 11% in comparison to 2008.  Approximately 50% of those arrested for burglary were not from Harrow;

·                    there had been 1247 recorded cases of domestic violence in 2009, a 13% increase from 2008.  The previous year had seen an increase of 26%.  It was felt that the increase in recorded cases of domestic violence was due to increased confidence amongst victims that their allegations would be taken seriously;

·                    there were 1623 cases of theft from vehicles in 2009, an increase of 3% from 2008.  Number plates were the item most frequently stolen and there were plans to use SmartWater to tackle the problem;

·                    vehicle theft had decreased by 31% from 2008, with 335 cases reported.  In order to achieve this reduction, the Police had worked closely with Safer Neighbourhood Teams;

·                    the Police were working closely with partners to combat alcohol related crime and disorder, with troublesome premises being threatened with closure.  Football events at Wembley Stadium often resulted in many individuals coming into the borough to drink and, on such days, Harrow was provided with additional resources to deal with any disturbances;

·                    drug possession offences had decreased by 12% from 2008, with cannabis remaining the most commonly detected drug.  The number of cannabis factories in the borough had increased in recent years, and the Police were working hard to target the individuals involved;

·                    between October 2008 and September 2009 there were 788 incidents reported on trains and at train stations in Harrow.  The Police were working closely with the management of transport hubs to tackle the problem and progress was being made;

·                    the Police were working closely with the Council to encourage victims of hate crime to report incidents;

·                    Harrow currently had the third lowest violent youth offending statistics of London’s 33 boroughs.  Specialist Youth Offending Officers targeted young individuals that were considered at risk of offending;

·                    there were 404 robberies against the person in 2009, a decrease of 18% on 2008.  This decrease followed a concerted effort by the Police to reduce incidents;

·                    in order to reduce anti-social behaviour, the Police actively shared data with the Council.  The Police and the Council were also looking to change the way in which anti-social behaviour was dealt with on estates.  It was expected that perceptions of anti-social behaviour would improve once the Neighbourhood Champions scheme was fully implemented;

·                    the Council would be offering SmartWater to all 85,000 houses and flats in Harrow.  Trained Police Officers would mark valuables with a solution which was almost impossible to remove and only visible under UV light.  The SmartWater used in each  ...  view the full minutes text for item 700.

Report of the Divisional Director Environmental Services.

The Committee received a report which outlined the way in which the Council dealt with leaf collection.  In response to questions from Members, an officer and the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Safety stated that:

·                    in order to prevent root damage to nearby structures, all new trees were planted in deep tree beds.  In cases where individuals reported root damage to their property, the Council would investigate and, if necessary, install root barriers.  It was not always possible to remove a tree as doing so had the potential to cause further problems such as increasing the amount of excess water in the surrounding soil and damaging underground cables;

·                    as part of the contract the Council had secured, any new tree that was reported to have caused problems would be replaced free of charge within the first 2 years;

·                    staff from different areas were drafted in to assist with leaf collection including the street cleaning and ground maintenance teams.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)               it be noted that the winter leaf fall had been addressed successfully;

(2)               all those involved in the successful collection be congratulated on their accomplishment.