The Harrogate District Community Safety Hub is showing results.
The initiative was established September 2016 and has helped reduced the demand on the police and a number of associated services from problem individuals.
It established co-located team, now in the newly built Civic Centre, of Police and HBC staff (Safer Communities team).
They have run two-weekly hub meetings to discuss high and medium cases to discuss the demand they are placing on services. The hub meetings are engaged with Housing, Mental Health Service, Fire, Police, RSL (Registered Social Landlord), Prevention Team, Probation & IOM Team (Integrated Offender Management) and the Ambulance Service.
- The aim is to reduce the number of calls and demand on services.
The North Yorkshire County Council Area Committee recently (15 March 2018) heard a combined report from Inspector Penny Taylor and Julia Stack, HBC, Community Safety Manager.
They explained that drug and alcohol was an ongoing issue, especially cannabis use by younger people. There is a problem with mental health related issues and some not wanting to engage with services for help.
From September 2016 to February 2018 they managed:
- 51 adopted cases
- 33 cases specific to individuals
- 15 cases specific to a theme or location
- 3 property specific cases
Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) have also been used successfully used with 3 being put in place, with more pending. Inspector Taylor spoke of a recent CBO that had greatly reduced calls from on individual with, what was, almost daily with a great deal of problems to neighbours.
Acceptable Behaviour Orders (ABC’s) had been used with 20 having finished, 12 with positive outcomes, 7 failed and 1 non-engagement.
Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) has been used to stop street drinking in the town centre of Harrogate and this is due to be reviewed in 2018. The Police had run an enforcement exercise with most becoming more accepting of the greater controls being in place. Local retailers have also given positive feedback on the reduction of street issues.
The group is now looking at where the Hub goes next. As there are particular concerns. there will be a Cannabis Action Plan and the group will go back to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for ongoing funding. When PCC’s came into operation, the funding was changed, making them the fund holder that needed to be bid against.
