A report of the Director of Neighbourhood Services outlined the development process for the Community Safety Strategy for 2021 to 2025. The report detailed the thematic framework within which the strategy was to operate. These themes were: Anti-Social Behaviour; Crime and Violence Reduction; Modern Slavery; Hate Crime; Emergency Planning; Road Safety; and Community Safety.

In addition, the report presented the innovative approach to building the Strategy in a collaborative, co-produced way with partners.  The Strategy would be developed by working in partnership with key organisations across the borough to ensure comprehensive buy-in across the statutory, business, voluntary and community sectors and, as a consequence, maximise the impact/outcomes of the strategy and efforts to make a difference in our communities.

Mark Camborne, Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods and Transport, spoke to the report, and informed Members that the consultations had happened via the Community Safety Partnership and that detailed plans for each theme sat beneath the main Strategy. Engagement had included Members, third sector and voluntary groups using the network built up during Covid pandemic. The intention was to bring back the Strategy for sign-off in March or April.

Police Superintendent Martin Earl demonstrated to Members the Safer Wirral Tracker which was a dashboard showing police crime figures across the Wirral, including anti-social behaviour, which had risen due to breaches in Covid rules, domestic abuse and hate crime which had risen overall, and other types of crime which had shown a decreases year on year. Some figures stood out – violence was higher in Birkenhead and peaked among 26-35 year olds. The focus for the near future was on preventive work and improving the victim’s journey through the system. The Tracker was to be provided to Members.

Members questioned the logistics of the tracker and it was confirmed that the domestic violence campaign for silent calls to 999 followed by 55 as a way to report domestic abuse was captured, as was reporting on social media.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  The contents of the report be noted

(2)  the co-production approach to developing the strategy be endorsed.