Agenda and minutes

The Chairperson welcomed everyone present and went over some general housekeeping arrangements for the meeting.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor S J N Morgan.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 October 2022 be approved and confirmed.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 2 March 2023 be approved and confirmed.

To disclose the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Other Registrable interests and Non-Registrable Interests relating to items of business on the agenda having regard to paragraph 9 and Appendix B of the Code of Conduct for Members.

(Members are reminded that they are also required to disclose any such interests as soon as they become aware should the need arise throughout the meeting).

There were none.

To receive the views of members of the public, of which prior notification in writing has been received (no later than noon on the Tuesday prior to the day of the meeting).

Should you wish to submit a question please complete the online form at: www.maldon.gov.uk/publicparticipation.

No requests were received.

To consider the report of the Director of Service Delivery, (copy enclosed) and receive a presentation from the Community Safety Manager.

The Committee received the report of the Director of Service Delivery reporting the progress of activities undertaken by the Maldon Community Safety Partnership (CSP) since the last meeting held on 2 March 2023.

The most recent Essex Police performance summary (to July 2023) was attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

The Community Safety Manager (CSM) took Members through the report and provided additional information and further detail by way of a presentation.

The Chairperson then moved the recommendation as set out in the report and this was duly seconded.

A lengthy discussion ensued during which a number of points were raised and in response the following information was provided:

•                  It was confirmed that domestic violence cases since the COVID 19 Pandemic have been on a steady decline and there had also been a significant reduction in high and medium risk offences taking place. This reduction was aided by the ongoing efforts of Essex Police to not only help the victims of domestic violence but also educate the perpetrators. The CSM also wanted Members to note that the #Reflect programme that was launched last year had received an award for its work in challenging people’s perception/behaviour around domestic abuse.

•           The continued presence of Essex Police and partner agencies on the roads along with the use of number plate recognition and the spot checking of waste carrier licenses should drive down any potential fly tipping risk in the area.

•           The youth project run by the Community Voluntary Services (CVS) and funded by the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit has been in Maldon for the past 18 months and is scheduled to be rolled out in Southminster next. Hot spots will then be identified and Subject to funding the availability of volunteers will be pushed out into those areas. The CSM made Members aware that post pandemic there has been a reduction in the volunteers available to aide these initiatives.

•           Due to the costs involved in creating a CCTV network there aren’t currently any plans for extending this into rural hot spot areas. There have been trials in other parts of Essex using mobile data connection to stream CCTV and this could potentially be rolled out in these hot spot areas.

•                  The Minerva Mapping tool is currently for profession use only, however; Essex County Council (ECC) released a mapping tool running from July 2023 to January 2024 that encourages women to pin point locations where they feel unsafe and how these areas could be made to feel safer.

The Chairperson requested that the following link to the aforementioned mapping tool be included in the minutes for the meeting:

•      Commonplace.

There being no further discussion the Chairperson put the recommendation to the Committee and it was agreed by assent.

RESOLVED that the current progress of the initiatives undertaken by the Community Safety Partnership be noted.

To receive a presentation on Police Performance from Chief Inspector Paul Ballard, Essex Police.

The Chairperson introduced Chief Inspector Paul Ballard (CI) from Essex Police.

CI Ballard provided Members with a detailed presentation and highlighted the following areas:

•           Maldon Performance Summary - In the past rolling month to September 2023, all crime was down by 14.4% meaning 557 less offences. Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) was down by 49.4%, which fell from 478 in 2022 to 242 in 2023 which is a difference of 236 incidents. Residential Burglary was down by 11.9% which equated to 13 less offences. These statistics were against an increase force wide of 5.1%. Other areas of note were violence with injury which was down 7.4%, robbery was down by 20% and theft offences were up by 41.8%

•           How we are enforcing the priorities in Maldon – The following was outlined:

•           More officers are being recruited on a rolling basis which means more visibility on the street.

•           Risk assessing all ASB incidents and grading them with emphasis on personal, nuisance and environmental ASB.

•           Police cars marked with Rural Patrol badges concentrating on our rural areas.

•           Tri Service Officer - Providing a visible presence and making early interventions, focusing on protection, prevention and response to the Maldon and Dengie peninsular area.

•           Community Safety Engagement Officer (CSEO) for Maldon.

•           Maldon has a dedicated Town Centre team.

•           Closer liaison with our Neighbourhood Watch teams.

•           Regular operations in and around Maldon targeting ASB vehicle use and speeding.

•           Community engagement with local children clubs such as Cubs and Scouts to offer help and support.

•           Foot patrols in the Maldon District - Maldon Town Team, The Community Policing Team and the CSEO’s provide a visible presence in the local community, resolving issues by adopting a partnership and problem-solving approach. Essex Police carry out regular foot patrols in the district, so we can speak to members of the public and businesses to discuss any concerns they have. Foot patrol facilitates relationship-building between officers and the community and allows us to identify crime trends and hotspots.  We ensure our patrols cover the 138 square miles of district to keep the public and local businesses safe.

•           Community Engagement - The Maldon Community Policing Team and CSEOs work closely with our community safety partners, which include local councils, fire service, probation and health services to ensure we support our rural and urban communities. Engagement Officers work with partners to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour, and to protect vulnerable people, helping to provide long term solutions to problems. We attend events for older generations to tackle isolation and loneliness, work with children and young adults to discuss issues such as anti-social behaviour, drug use, exploitation, online safety and much more. We hold community events where we discuss crime prevention and personal safety. Our aim within Essex Police is to build better relationships with the communities we work and live in.

•           School and nursery visits - The CSEOs attend many schools and nurseries within the District to talk about emergency services,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 295.

To receive a presentation on South Essex Parking Partnership Performance fromNick Binder, South Essex Parking Partnership Manager.

The Chairperson introduced the South Essex Parking Partnership (SEPP) Manager Mr Nick Binder.

Mr Binder provided Members with a detailed presentation and highlighted the following areas:

•           SEPP’s responsibilities regarding the public highway were explained and clarity was provided regarding on street and off-street parking (public car parks).

•           Figures were provided regarding the number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) issued between 2022-23 for Maldon and all partnership areas.

•           A detailed overview of SEPP’s financial figures and governance was provided and Mr Binder outlined the areas within the partnership where monies would be reinvested back into.

•           Members were also given examples of the operational challenges that SEPP face on a day-to-day basis in particular around school parking.

•           Mr Binder made Members aware of the Park and Stride parking initiative that is currently being adopted by some primary schools in Essex and the success this is having at reducing parking issues around school areas. He went on to add that the three parking rules (3PR) are teaching children at a grass roots level the importance of care, consideration and caution when parking.

Following the presentation and in response to questions from the Committee, Mr Binder provided the following information:

•           Smaller villages will get less coverage than that of a town due to the need to ensure that the main routes are clear of obstruction, however, statistics can be provided to show how often SEPP visits, which roads and the PCN’s issued to Members on request.

•           Double yellow lines are something that SEPP can issue PCN’s for however if there is an ongoing issue with placement of pedestrian crossings, signage and speed limits then that would be an ECC Highways issue.

The following links were requested by the Chairperson to be included in the minutes of the meeting:

•   To request a new or amended parking restriction on-street - Request a new parking restriction.

•    To report a parking issue to the South Essex Parking Partnership - Report a parking issue.

The Chairperson thanked Mr Binder for attending the meeting and for his detailed presentation.