·  Merseyside Police/Community Safety

·  Fire Service

·  NHS Foundation Trust

·  Primary Care Trust

·  Older Peoples Parliament

Merseyside Police

Inspector Blease informed the forum that this was his fourth year as the Neighbourhood Inspector, and has now taken over a larger area so has been allocated an extra officer and PCSO. There were 428 less victims of crime compared with last year, the biggest reduction being vehicle crime which was down by 50%. A team working in Wirral and North Wales that were taking older cars to the scrap yards (due to an increase in the price of metal) were traced. The legislation for scrap metal dealers has been tightened. There were 19 offences of robbery (compared to 32 last year), burglaries were down by 17% and violent crime was reduced by 4%.

The operation to catch the offender responsible for gluing up Alleygates was successful. We worked with the Anti-Social Behaviour Team and caught a male offender who is due to go to court in December. Further information will be provided on this after the trial. 

Crackhouse closures have taken place in Southall Road thanks to the co-operation from the public.

Extra resources have been put on for the Bonfire Night period (35 PCSOs and Police staff). Please look after your bins and try to place these out of site during this period.

The Birkenhead, Tranmere and Rock Ferry division won Team of the Year.

The chair thanked Inspector Blease for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

• Jim Cadwallader – dealers bringing drugs into the country should be treated as terrorists, as money used to buy arms that may be used against English forces abroad.
• Inspector Blease – there is legislation in place, if drug dealers are caught they are given long sentences.

• Roy Dennett – cars parking illegally (on double-yellow lines) at Tesco’s Danger Hill makes it dangerous for traffic leaving the store.
• Inspector Blease – parking on double-yellow lines has been de-regulized.
• Chair – the Area Co-ordinator will bring this to the attention of Streetscene and request that the area is given extra attention.

• Member of public – what is to happen with property in St Anne Street that has been boarded since January (it was a crackhouse)?
• Inspector Blease – such properties can only be closed for three months then are the responsibility of the owner. This falls under Laird Street so will ask Inspector Paul Harrison to look into this.

• Fred Jones – can anything be done about cars speeding in the built up area at Grove Road / Old Chester Road, there are no signs in the area? Cars travel along at 50 / 50 mph, usually by young drivers, recently an 80 year lady old was nearly knocked over at the puffin crossing by the post office.
• Inspector Blease – will look into this and get an officer to monitor the area and set up a portable speed camera.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

Simon Ashton, from Bromborough Fire Station, informed the forum that a copy of the Service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2008/9 is available on the website, at libraries and One Stop Shops. 

Community Engagement – home fire safety checks with free smoke alarms are still available, if know of anyone requiring this service please urge them to get in touch. We target over 6,000 properties in Wirral per quarter for fire safety checks.

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) – we have a dedicated ASB Team working with the Police and the Probation Service to look into problems / reduce incidents re: bonfire night, please call 0800 731 5958 to report these.  We have targeted al secondary schools on Wirral, giving a presentation and highlighting the consequences of using fireworks. Bangers have been outlawed for four years and can no longer be bought in this country. Fireworks can only be sold from 15 October to 10^th November and then again for the Christmas and New Year period. Bins should be put out of the way, if possible, and should not be placed right against the property as they can cause damage to the property.

Fire Fighter Games – took place in August with over 3,000 fire fighters attending from across the World. Thanks to all the volunteers and volunteer partner agencies for their part in this.

Page 21 of the Area Co-ordinators report has a list of the Community Fire Stations with new numbers and contact details. The Headquarters (0151 296 4000) can put you through to the local stations.

Smoke Free Homes Campaign - we are working with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) to educate people re; smoking in homes / passive smoking. He thanked the PCT for their assistance.

The Chair thanked Simon for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

• Member of the public – some people stockpile fireworks and set them off anytime.
• Simon Ashton – we have no control over this.

• Peter Exley – raised concern over use of fire engine to deliver home fire safety checks, and asked if it would not be more cost effective to use smaller vehicles.
• Simon Ashton – fire engines as we are using existing resources and this helps with community contact. We try to target one particular area and park up in the area. We do have advocate officers in cars, who work specifically with special groups such as the elderly / people with drug problems / people with language difficulties. We have to send two people, to protect both the fire officer and the public.  Smoke alarms give early warning and the carbon footprint is much higher form a fully developed fire that from using a fire appliance.

• Jim Cadwallader – fuel costs for fire engines must be high, in America engines are being fuelled from cooking fat. Should this be used for Police, Fire and Ambulance vehicles to save money?
• Simon Ashton – the fire appliances in Britain do about 8mpg compared to the American appliances which do about 1-2mpg. This would need to be raised with the manufacturers of the appliances.

Chair added that we cannot come up with instant solutions but we are aware of the carbon footprint.

Wirral Primary Care Trust

Dr Katie Kidd informed the forum that an update was available on pages 22 -23 of the Area Co-ordinators report but that some of the information included is now a bit out-of-date and added the following:

Some very constructive comments had been received from the consultation events held during the summer re: the redevelopment of St Catherine’s Hospital site.  The main problem was parking spaces taken up by administrative staff. A further report on this will be made at a later date.

The Chair thanked Dr Kidd for her update and the following questions / issues were raised:

• Peter Exley – Is the block to be knocked down going to go ahead regardless of the redevelopment?
• Dr Kidd – the demolition of the admin block will be a pre-cursor to the redevelopment, please pass me your contact details at the end of the meeting and will report back directly on this in more detail.

• Tony Hurren (Resident of Rock Ferry) – could some of the land (such as the Abakan site) be used as a car park until building work is being undertaken?
• Chair – requested that Dr Kidd take this suggestion back to the Trust.

• Jim Cadwallader – is there any possibility that the tunnels be opened as a tourist attraction prior to the redevelopment?
• Dr Kidd – not sure, but managers are to be given a talk on the history of the hospital, which will include the tunnels.

• Member of the public - one of the tunnel entrances is in Queen Street as were used as air raid shelters and many items are still within the tunnels.
• Dr Kidd – please pass on any information on the history of the tunnels and the hospital.

Older Peoples Parliament

The Chair informed the forum that there was no representative available at the meeting, but that newsletters from the Parliament were available at the meeting.

Community Safety

Ian Lowrie informed the forum that the removal of bonfire material has been successful for the last three years leading to Wirral having the lowest level of bonfire nuisance on Merseyside. There was a mayoral reception for community patrol for the amount of good works they had done.

St Anne Street has been looked at, with regard to placing CCTV cameras there, to reduce crime levels in the area.

You Decide - target hardening work through this initiative is a good project leading to reduction of risks to people’s houses.

We are continuing to try and reduce the overall levels of crime. The only crime reduction partnership to better Wirral’s performance on the reduction of volume crime was in Mid-Devon.

RESPECT Bus – you decide funding to be used on taking the bus into communities.

3G CCTV – laptops are used for checking imagines to ensure people’s safety and well being.

The Chair thanked Ian Lowrie for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

• Jim Cadwallader – believe that the air shaft for the Mersey Tunnel is being used as a TV screen.
• Chair – this is part of the 08 celebration.

Together Partnership

Hazel Roberts informed the forum that the volunteers had been working very hard and the Partnership had been involved in the new development at St Catherine’s hospital site; new health clubs in the area; green spaces – St Peter’s Mews; and Bag a Bargain – which is in its second year.

The Chair thanked Hazel Roberts for her update and the following questions / issues were raised:

• Lenny McCormick – the wardens received funding to help children during the summer holidays, but some of the children from the area were turned away.
• Hazel Roberts – it was advertised at Kids Together, but was put on by children from the hot spot areas by the Wirral Wardens.
• Chair – the Area Co-ordinator will contact the Together Wardens for more information on this and report back to Lenny directly.

Resolved that:

(i)  the Partners be thanked for their updates

(ii)  the Area Co-ordinator to request Streetscene to target illegal parking at Tesco’s Danger Hill

(iii)  Inspector Blease to ask Inspector Harrison to look into boarded up property in St Anne Street

(iv)  Inspector Blease to arrange for an officer to set up a portable speed camera and monitor speeding traffic at Grove Road / Old Chester Road

(v)  Dr Kidd to take back proposals to use vacant building land as a car park and possibility of opening of the tunnels as a tourist attraction prior to the redevelopment

(vi)  The Area Co-ordinator to contact the Together Wardens for more information on Kids Together project and report back to Lenny McCormick directly