The Committee will undertake a Spotlight Session with Borough Commander and Cabinet Member which will outline policing priorities for 2022/23 including an outline of achievements and challenges and a  focus on rising youth violence in the Borough and actions taken to  address this.

The Committee received and commented on a presentation on the progress of community safety priorities including tacking serious youth violence.

The Committee:

v  Agreed that women felt most unsafe when alone and no one should fear being alone or accepting this situation as normal.

v  Agreed on the importance to actively promote women’s night safety and help to make more women and girls to feel confident around Tower Hamlets after dark. Therefore, women and girls need to know what to do if they experience harassment when working, going out or travelling; encouraging reporting by victims and bystanders; offering training to ensure that all who report are believed; and designing public spaces and workplaces to make them feel safer at night as well as shining a light on those areas where there is still a need to do more work.

v  Agreed that recent events has highlighted these concerns and that the  fear of women and girls is not irrational. It comes from a deep acknowledgment that women in the community do not feel safe and addressing the misogyny is necessary.

v  Acknowledged the grave levels of public concern following a number of deeply troubling incidents and allegations. It was felt that the bond of trust between residents and the Metropolitan MPS Service (MPS) locally as well as corporately has been broken.

v  Stated that they were committed to collaborating with Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett and his Team to rebuild the trust and confidence of Borough’s communities in the Metropolitan MPS Service.

v  Recognised that the Borough has huge numbers of wonderfully professional officers and staff but recognised the actions of some are of serious concern and fall far below the high standards of the Metropolitan MPS Service.

v  As mentioned above wished with work with the Detective Chief Superintendent Barnett and his Team to rebuild trust, raise standards, and ensure the Boroughs MPS Officers work in a positive, supportive, and healthy culture that sets an example for others to follow.

v  Noted that (i) many residents particularly in Limehouse have told the MPS that antisocial behaviour linked to the use of nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, is a significant concern, (ii) the (MPS)and its partner agencies have received complaints that it can be intimidating seeing groups of people taking it; and (iii) nitrous oxide causes a noise nuisance and the small metal canisters that hold it are often left on the floor as litter, which creates a mess on the Boroughs streets.

v  Noted that women are constantly worried about their safety when walking at night, walking to their car at night, using an elevator or stairwell in public spaces, taking public transportation, or traveling.

v  Agreed that the (MPS) locally as well as corporately should (i) ensure that the way they deal with violence against women and girls needs to be effective and as assertive as it can be and (ii) make sure that allegations are being thoroughly investigated.

v  Was please to noted that (i) the locally as well as corporately clearly understood what has happened and what action needs to be taken, and (ii) has the absolute determination to do what is necessary to start rebuilding the trust that has been lost.

v  Welcomed the knowledge that the (MPS) locally as well as corporately recognises that it has to be listening to the communities in Tower Hamlets that they seek to serve, to give residents the confidence that if they report an incident something will happen, and they will be taken seriously.

v  Noted that the (MPS) locally as well as corporately are running a significant campaign on inclusion, diversity, equality throughout the organization to talk about and to increase levels of standards. Understanding what officers and staff need to know in terms of the (MPS) values, the code of ethics, what is expected of officers on duty and off duty as this is a job like no other, officers have to work to a higher standard which is the public expects.

v  Welcomed the ongoing dialogue within the (MPS) locally as well as corporately with Female, Black Asian Minority Ethnic; and Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (or questioning) LGBTQQ+ officers looking at everything from policy process, fair working practices, and making sure that the MPS is a safe place to work and to have a zero tolerance to inappropriate behaviour, criminal acts, and ensuring that those people leave the organization (e.g., address misogyny, sexism, and racism within the MPS).

v  Agreed that crime and antisocial behaviour are a top concern for residents and wanted to see the Council to work ever more closely with the MPS to increase high-visibility patrols and target criminals, but also to make sure people can access support when they need it.

v  Noted the MPS are working very closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.

v  Accepted that there are many resolute people in the MPS and CPS who were unwavering in their efforts to do the right thing for victims of crime often in difficult and challenging circumstances.

v  Hoped that this commitment and resolve to make improvements are to be commended and are worthy of note.  However, Members felt that there needs to be a profound, and fundamental shift in how cases are investigated and prosecuted, as currently this is having a significant impact on victims of crime.

v  Noted that whilst within the current judicial legal framework it can take several months to investigate a really serious crime and gather the required forensic evidence.  There is work ongoing to improve the process from all agencies working within the judicial process.

v  Noted that within Tower Hamlets there are some of the best detection rates across London around drugs, domestic abuse, hate crime, rape; sexual, knife crime and people who have been stabbed but not murdered.

v  Agreed the MPS locally as well as corporately have got work to rebuild trust and confidence as policing by consent has continuing relevance to present day policing because it marks out an important way in which officers can fulfil their core mission.

v  Agreed that by thinking broadly in terms of ‘institutional trust,’ it is possible to demonstrate that, by improving public perceptions it will enhance the legitimacy of the MPS which will help in its efforts to reduce crime.

v  Agreed that local policing needs to remain at the heart of the work that the MPS does locally as well as corporately and the dedicated Ward Officers are known to and part of the communities they serve and strong links with the communities are vital to help the MPS gather intelligence, detect crime, and retain the confidence of Londoners. In addition, high visibility patrols in the Boroughs various wards provide reassurance in those particular locations.

v  Noted with concern that (i) women do not feel confident in coming forward to statutory agencies to report offences, (ii) the sanction detection rate in the past four years for domestic abuse and sexual offences has been at an all-time low, (iii) actually going through the court process is really, really difficult for victims of sexual abuse and domestic abuse as they have got to relive what has happened to them.

v  Agreed that having independent domestic abuse support workers is really key, as well as independent sexual violence advisors to support victims through the court process.

v  Agreed that where women do feel unsafe in the Borough then resources should be deployed there.

v  Welcomed the Councils close collaboration with dedicated Ward Officers to address the concerns of women who feel unsafe in particular wards.

v  Agreed that developing male allyshipis really important to create a culture of mutual respect and consideration has never been of more importance to ask men to change their behaviour rather than asking women to change theirs.

v  Agreed that it is of important for the Police and the partners across both children and health services to tackle the crimes that cause most harm to children and young people e.g., knife crime, gang-related crime, sexual exploitation, and serious youth violence. The approach to such crimes to focus on preventing crime, intervening with those already involved in criminal activity, and taking tough enforcement action against those who persist in breaking the law.

v  Noted that the MPS Cadets have assisted with test purchasing visits in a joint operation with Tower Hamlets Council where they have visited various premises who are selling cigarettes and alcohol and those premises who failed to challenge the underage purchaser would face proceedings because they also failed a test purchase.  The use of the MPS Cadets is very much dependent on their availability and subject to intelligence and activity that there are irresponsible licensees or license holders.

v  Noted that County Lines is a drug supply business model, in relation to Class A, that in turn stimulates the activity within the middle market drugs supply linked to organised crime.  The scale of the current complex threat posed by county lines in relation to the exploitation of children and other vulnerable persons to facilitate drug dealing is extensive and affects every police service area.

v  Noted the Borough Command recently had a meeting with Kit Moorhouse (Minister of State for Crime and Policing) when he came to the Bethnal Green where officers presented to him the work that they are doing centrally around County Lines, and as part of a bid for more resource to dismantle some of those County Lines and more, importantly stop the harm to those young people who participate in this activity.

In conclusion, the Chair thanked all those attendees for their contributions to the discussions which had provided a good sense on the progress in regard to community safety priorities within the Borough.