Agenda item

There will be a verbal presentation by Inspector Deborah Yeates

The NP received a verbal presentation from Inspector Deborah Yeates which set out the following key issues:

Graffiti (Operation Block)

Operation Block continues to run, though PC Stuart King remains on partial hours owing to a medical condition since summer 2016.    The council is working on a policy which will bring clarity over permission walls, which is awaited.  The local Neighbourhood Teams are undergoing a restructure where it will be possible to review the resources and skills required to dedicate to tackling graffiti in the city. 

Prostitution (Operation Boss)

In the last quarter, Operation Boss has engaged with 60 women (some repeat – 60 women seen) and 37 men were dealt with for kerb crawling offences.

Massage Parlours (Operation Breakthrough)

Officers across Bristol are now receiving upskilling training about identifying brothels on their areas and procedure to follow when carrying out a visit to the premise.  There are regular operations taking place in East Bristol, although these are not by means of uniformed officers and therefore not immediately visible to the public. 

Days of Action  - Enforcement, Engagement and Reassurance (Operation Blueline)

The Operation has undergone an inter-agency and independent review one year on.  All agencies involved have seen or are seeing major organisational change since the start of the operation and as such future plans will be tailored to make the most of collaboration between teams.  More focus will be placed on community engagement via dedicated PCSOs at the time the operation is running.  Since inception the operation has seen almost 100 arrests for drugs offences.

Street Drinking

Wade Street remains a focus for street drinking and has seen several incidents of hate crime linked to the mosque.  A small working party has been created to bring residents, businesses and the mosque together to bring a street management plan into being.

Burglary

In the last quarter Dwelling Burglary crimes are as follows for the ward:

St Pauls – 2

Montpelier & St Werburghs – 8

Barton Hill – 3

Easton – 9

Trinity (Lower Easton) – 6

There were a total of 117 offences across East Central Bristol within the same time period.   The focus remains on crime prevention and detection of high value gold offences.  

In response to a member’s question, Inspector Yeates confirmed that a report concerning hate crime had previously been sent out to NP members towards the end for 2016 but no feedback had been received. However, she confirmed that a Working Group had been set up to deal with this issue involving Bristol City Council, Business Representatives and local mosques. She also confirmed that, if the Police heard any information about future EDL marches, they would ensure that this information was passed on as appropriate.

Action: Deborah Yeates to bring a report back as appropriate to the NP – Gill Calloway to co-ordinate

NP members made the following points and Inspector Yeates replied as indicated:

(1)   The Police were not aware of any recent murder in the Old Probation Services building. A murder had taken place several years ago

(2)   Police had not been proactive enough following a recent taser incident – as result, there was antagonism towards them in some sections of the community and anti-Police tagging in the area. Inspector Yeates noted these concerns but pointed out that in view of the current IPCC investigation, the Police could not comment on or been seen to influence what was in the public domain already. However, a high visibility patrol had taken place immediately after the incident and the Police could examine what increased community engagement they could provide. Action: Deborah Yeates

(3)   Following the last restructuring, it had become less common to see a Police officer on the beat and engagement with the community had been lost. Inspector Yeates confirmed that the previous restructuring had taken officers away from the quantity of beat work. However, the current restructure was intended to reverse this process and it was hoped that this would improve the situation;

(4)   In response to a member’s question, Inspector Yeates confirmed that the Police could provide diversity training;

(5)   Inspector Yeates noted concerns about the fact that cameras in Villiers Road had not been switched on to record a recent criminal incident. She pointed out that cameras were operated according to crime figures and that a permanent presence would need 2 CCTV cameras and require both funding, as well as the support of local residents. Nevertheless, she said that this could be investigated. Action: Deborah Yeates