To receive a briefing on crime, disorder and policing in North Norfolk during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minutes:
The Chairman invited Chief Inspector Matt Dyson (CI) and Sergeant Toby Gosden (PS) of Norfolk Constabulary to provide a briefing on crime and disorder in relation to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Briefing, Questions and Discussion
i. The CI began the presentation on matters relating to Covid, and noted the Pandemic’s significant impact on policing since restrictions began in March 2020. He added that a key aim of the Constabulary throughout the pandemic was to continue policing by consent, using the four principles of engage, explain, encourage and enforce. The CI noted that from a policing perspective, there had also been more serious hidden risks such as increased levels of domestic violence and exploitation.
ii. The CI provided a heat map of the District showing the reported health order incidents, and noted that there had been over 4000 reported, with concentrations mainly in town centers. He then referred to the level of policing activity over a three month period from 1s January to 20th March, and noted that there had been 183 fixed penalty notices issued, 150 formal Covid warnings, and 327 engagement events.
iii. The CI referred to the anticipated change in Covid legislation from 27th March 2021, and noted that there was general consensus that the guidance sought to minimise travel where possible, and from 12th April further easing of restrictions would allow shops, self-contained holiday accommodation and campsites to open. The CI reported that he was yet to see clear guidance on cross-county travel or restrictions on mileage, though a busy year of domestic travel was expected.
iv. The PS informed Members that his Team was responsible for visibility and engagement across the District, with Beat Managers in all seven towns who had responsibility for engaging with schools, hard to reach communities and hospitals. He added that from the start of the Pandemic, the Team had also taken on responsibility for Covid patrols, which involved working alongside partner agencies such as NNDC to aid Covid wardens. It was reported that a decline in normal crimes such as burglaries, had meant that there was spare capacity for Response Teams to help with deployment plans, which included the use of a dedicated Covid patrol vehicle.
v. The Chairman referred to domestic abuse and asked whether there had been any trends that might help the Council’s response, in order to deliver better support services. The CI replied that the trend did show an increase in reports of domestic abuse of approximately 20%, and the PS added that reports could be cross referenced with issues reported to the Council, to ensure that concerns were not overlooked.
vi. A slide on performance was shown which outlined the average number of crimes taking place per month, and it was reported that crime rates in North Norfolk remained low relative to other districts. The CI provided further details on crime categories and noted that the 183 monthly violence against person crimes included injury and non-injury, stalking and harassment offences. It was noted that these figures were higher due to some incidents being counted as several separate crimes, such as harassment, criminal damage and assault. The CI reported that robberies were particularly low in North Norfolk, at just 4 in a twelve month period, whereas residential burglaries took place on average, once every three days. It was noted that there were challenges on more rural crimes such as arson, criminal damage and agricultural crime, though this only equated to approximately 10 per month. It was reported that there were no tier 1 or 2 county lines crimes impacting North Norfolk.
vii. The CI stated that domestic abuse was always a high priority for the Police, and noted that body cameras were being used to capture the context and evidence of potential crimes, with a focus placed on early intervention, where possible. It was noted that 54% of domestic abuse victims did not support prosecution, which necessitated flexibility in supporting victims, and careful consideration of evidence to support potential prosecutions. The CI reported that unfortunately only 5% of domestic abuse cases ended with a positive outcome.
viii. The CI referred to harassment and noted that there had been 273 harassment investigations in North Norfolk, of which 33 were domestic related incidents, with 48% of victims not supporting police action. He added that harassment cases had increased by approximately 32%, though some cases related to non-prosecutable offences. The CI reported that 21% of harassment reports related to online harassment, though this was often part of a wider case with additional issues such as phone calls. It was noted that body warn video had helped to provide evidence to lawyers to support cases. The PS added that crime numbers were also influenced by varied reporting standards, and that allegations of crimes were still counted towards statistics, even if they did not constitute a chargeable offence.
ix. Cllr W Fredericks stated that she had been involved in supporting victims of domestic abuse, and said that it was evident that there significant gaps in support. She suggested that with the support of the Communities Manager, the Council should echo the Government’s call for a taskforce to review these gaps with stakeholders. Cllr W Fredericks asked the officers in attendance whether they would be happy to be involved, to which the CI confirmed that they would support all efforts to improve victim support with a more holistic approach. Cllr L Withington stated that she was supportive of the proposal, and hoped to understand more about what was needed to improve prosecution rates for domestic abuse crimes.
x. The CI introduced a slide on the Op Radium operation, which aimed to address courier fraud, described as cold callers impersonating Police Officers to defraud victims into sending large sums of money. It was noted that 159 incidents had been reported in North Norfolk, which was relatively high. The CI stated that the Police response was aimed at suspect identification and raising awareness of these types of crimes with residents, local businesses and banks, which had seen reasonable success. The PS added that Police Digital Investigators had also been employed by Norfolk Constabulary, to work with network providers to help identify suspects.
xi. Cllr W Fredericks asked how best to contact the Police regarding any concerns for Norfolk residents. The CI replied that 101 was suitable for concerns unless an actual crime had taken place, in which case 999 would be more appropriate. The PS added that concerns could also be raised online to specific Stations via email.
xii. Cllr L Withington asked whether WI’s had been considered as a means to communicate with a wider audience, to raise awareness of fraud. The PS replied that this had been considered and would be pursued.
xiii. Cllr G Mancini-Boyle suggested that more media attention should be applied to help educate elderly residents on the risks of fraud and scam calls.
xiv. The PS introduced a slide on ANPR and informed Members that there were five live locations in North Norfolk, with plans to install an additional camera soon, as they were a valuable intelligence tool. He added that the cameras were considered a covert tactic used reactively to look for known offenders, and pro-actively to aid officers with responding to new crimes. It was noted that the cameras were third party funded to help decrease crime, but could also help officers to predict the routes of offenders. The PS reported that there was a dedicated Moonshot Team that closely monitored the ANPR cameras in order to intercept vehicles, often in relation to drug or drink driving offences.
xv. The PS introduced the last slide on engagement and stated that the loss of PCSOs had made it more difficult to maintain a Police presence on streets, and it was therefore helpful to work with the public to gain intelligence. He added that a key means of developing this engagement at a Parish level was SNAP meetings, which were now hosted online, with increased attendance. It was noted that research in advance of meetings had been increased to develop a better understanding of issues effecting underrepresented groups. The PS stated that online meetings would likely continue alongside physical meetings, once Covid restrictions had come to an end.
xvi. Six monthly parish meetings were discussed as a notable success for engagement, and it was stated that these would continue. The PS referred to Parish newsletters and noted that embedded information was contained, such as links to information on the number of crimes in local areas, as well as an update from the local Beat Manager. He added that local Teams also engaged with community organisations to ensure that any concerns were addressed and factored in to Police activity. It was noted that this approach had increased trust in local Beat Managers, which allowed them to develop improved local intelligence, leading to more successful operations.
xvii. Cllr H Blathwayt referred to reports of Council provided license holders breaking Covid restrictions, and asked whether the Council shared this information for intelligence purposes. The PS replied that the Police did have an information sharing agreement with the Council, and stated that this was used on a regular basis.
xviii. Cllr C Cushing referred to online engagement events and asked whether the Police could in any way adapt to using Zoom to increase engagement. The CI replied that there were ways around the issue that could be considered locally, if required.
xix. Cllr A Brown referred to visitors from outside the District, and asked whether there was a problem of clarity with enforcement on this matter. The CI replied that the lack of a clear definition did require local interpretation, and that it would help if there was more clarity on the issue.
xx. The CE stated that the Council had a strong working relationship with the Constabulary and regular contact was maintained to help police the District. It was noted that there were also Police Officers embedded within the Council, that sat within the help hub to provide support to residents.
RESOLVED
To note the briefing.
ACTIONS
Cllr W Fredericks to contact Chief Inspector to explore further opportunities for increased partnership working to tackle domestic abuse, reporting progress back to the Committee.