Minutes of the Dorset Community Safety Partnership - 19 December 2024

Attendance 

Apologies

• Sunita Khattra-Hall (Children's Services)
• Stewart Dipple (Dorset Police)
• Rachel Young (Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner)

Item

No 1. Minutes of Meeting held on 2 Oct 2024 and Matters Arising

1.1 3.3 Managing individuals who have a disproportionately high impact on anti-social behaviour. Work on this had progressed and it was agreed to bring an update to the next Community Safety Partnership meeting. 

Action - John Newcombe / Andy Frost

1.2 7.5 Domestic Homicide Reviews Risk Register. A risk register had been drafted and an update would be brought to the Community Safety Partnership in March.

Action - Di Evans

No 2. Performance Measures Report

2.1 Ian Denness gave an update on the development of Community Safety Partnership performance measures. A series of questions were asked of partners and the following decisions were made:

• it was decided that local ‘hotspots’ for Anti Social Behaviour and violent crime should be based on existing Police beat boundaries.
• work would be undertaken to identify these based on the relative proportion of total crimes in each beat area rather than just total volume. Work should then be undertaken to map these against partners’ locality areas. 

Action - Ian Denness 

• given the complexities, it was agreed to not measure repeat victims and offenders of Anti Social Behaviour and instead look to complete specific research work on relevant issues.
• a formal definition of ‘rural crime’ had now been adopted and had revealed that concentrations of local instances was fairly rare. For that reason it was decided to abandon any attempt to identify ‘hotspot’ areas of rural crime. 
• the current performance measures were being updated each month. Monthly reports would be made available for operational purposes and quarterly updates provided to the Community Safety Partnership.

Action - Ian Denness

No 3. Strategic Assessments and Plan Refreshes

3.1 Members of the group considered progress with the development of the following strategic assessments:

Community Safety Partnership Partnership Strategic Assessment (PSA). 

3.2 Based on the information gathered, it was agreed to maintain five of the Community Safety Partnership’s current priority areas but remove Fraud. Although local activity is taking place to tackle fraud, including the Friends Against Scams project, it was acknowledged fraud was a national and international issue that required a much larger response.

Domestic Abuse Needs Assessment. 

3.3 Ian Denness explained that the domestic abuse needs assessment was due to be completed by March and used to inform the revised Dorset Domestic Abuse Strategy. Work on the needs assessment was being coordinated through a project group made up of Community Safety Partnership partners and things were progressing well. 

Serious Violence Needs Assessment. 

3.4 Members of the group noted that the current needs assessment was being updated using the most recent data but that serious violence priorities would remain the same.

3.5 Andy Frost explained to the group that the three needs assessments would be used to refresh partners’ plans and strategies.

No 4. Progress Against Local Priorities

4.1 John Newcome ran through partners’ work to tackle local priorities. Headlines included:

• a reduction in Anti-Social Behaviour, particularly in the Weymouth area. It was noted that the Safer Streets initiative had had a positive impact on this issue. 
• a reduction in fly tipping following shared investment into a dedicated resource to tackle the issue. 
• an increase in vehicle theft, some of which linked to organised crime, though this was being tackled by partners. 
• boy racers in West Bay. This was being tackled through a multi-agency plan, lead by Dorset Police, which included a wide range of tactics for short, medium and long-term solutions.
• a review into Anti-Social Behaviour Public Space Protection Orders. 

No 5. Progress Against Strategic Priorities

5.1 Domestic abuse performance data indicated that repeat victim and perpetrator rates had reached a plateau. Although the trend needs to be monitored over a longer period, it could indicate that targeted initiatives to tackle domestic abuse were having an impact. 

5.2 There had been an increase in the number of sexual offences, particularly those involving alcohol. Although an increase could indicate greater confidence to report issues as a result of awareness raising work, members of the group were keen to ensure partners were pushing forward work against this priority.

No 6. Serious Violence Duty Progress Report

6.1 Di Evans gave an update on partners’ response to the Serious Violence Duty. Di explained that work continued to focus largely on prevention and early intervention. She gave an update on the following interventions:

• The Boys Project – Renamed: The Bystander Project
• Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Programme
• Young People Vulnerable to Exploitation
• Night time Economy (NTE)
• Young People Who are Victims of Serious Violence
• Consent and Respect
• Pineapple Project
• Safe Accommodation (Cuckooing)
• Working with High Harm Perpetrators

6.2 Current work to implement the Serious Violence Duty would conclude at the end of March 2025, though it was anticipated there would be further funding made available under the Duty post April 2025.

6.3 It was noted that the interventions being delivered had been designed in such a way to allow them to become business-as-usual.

6.4 Members of the group discussed drink spiking and seeking the views of children and young people to help influence how the spiking kits can be made accessible to them. 

6.5 Members of the group discussed the Government’s proposal to establish Prevention Partnerships (PPs). These would fit within the scope of the Serious Violence Duty and require collaboration across a range of statutory partners.

6.6 Prevention Partnerships would aim to identify and work with young people at risk of being drawn into violence at an early stage, prior to them meeting the thresholds for current services and interventions.

6.7 As with the main Duty, the expectation would be that local areas identify the most appropriate way to establish Prevention Partnerships, including through the use of existing structures. Members of the group welcomed this approach and stressed the importance of building on existing structures where possible. Community Safety Partnership members also highlighted the challenges of identifying individuals. 

6.8 Conversations were being lead by the Home Office and had involved colleagues from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. More details were expected in the New Year but members of the group stressed the importance of involving Community Safety Partnership's in discussions.

No 7. Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) Update

7.1 Di Evans gave an update the on the current status of Domestic Homicide Reviews including those that were marked complete, those currently with the Home Office Quality Assurance Panel, those that were ongoing, and those that did not meet the Domestic Homicide Review criteria or had been passed to other Community Safety Partnership's to deliver.

7.2 As requested at the last Community Safety Partnership meeting, Di presented an analysis of domestic homicide reviews over the past two years. This included setting out the rational for completing reviews, an overview of completed domestic homicide reviews, key learning themes, actions partners had taken and the impact this had had on local practice. 

7.3 Di explained that some recommendations had been difficult to deliver, especially where they related to national practice and were outside of the control of partners locally. 

7.4 There was a discussion around the issue of information sharing, which is often a theme in learning reviews. The group recognised the role of the Community Safety Partnership and the wider safeguarding partnerships in helping drive forward learning to improve front line practice. 

7.5 Di gave an overview of upcoming changes to Domestic Homicide Review policy and an overview of the Domestic Homicide Review oversight mechanism and the role of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner (DAC) which brings opportunities to influence national policy. 

No 8. Forward Plan

8.1 The forward plan was agreed. 

No 9. Any Other Business 

9.1 There was no other business. 

Future Meeting Dates

13th March 2025 at 2pm

All meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams