To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.
Decision:
Sergeant Jon Vine, from Herts Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, gave a verbal update on the work being done in the Royston and District Area.
Minutes:
Audio recording – 2 minutes 58 seconds
Sergeant Jon Vine, from Herts Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, thanked the Chair for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal update on the work being done in the Royston and District Area, including:
· There had been a few staffing changes in Royston, but the numbers of officers remained the same, with 3 Police Constables and 4 PCSOs covering both the town and rural areas with 4 cars and 1 quad bike.
· The following crime statistics were provided; all crime has gone up from 872 incidents in 2020/21 to 897 in 2021/22.
· Burglary at a dwelling had risen to 12 this year from 11 last year. Some of these were technical offences, which did not necessarily mean a crime had taken place and when these were removed it left only 4 instances of burglary at a dwelling. Generally burglars came from outside the district.
· Burglary from a business had risen from 21 last year to 23 this year.
· Theft of tools from vehicles had reduced dramatically since last year. However, there had been an increase in instances of theft of metal from vehicles, such as catalytic convertors. This was attributed to the increasing price of metal and the police were working to highlight this issue to motorists.
· There were 327 offences of violence against a person recorded for 2021/22.
· The night-time economy had greatly improved from previously and Operation Artemis was no longer required.
· Reports of shoplifting were down.
· There had been a decrease in anti-social behaviour, dropping to 300 this year from 332 in 2020/21. But there was an increase in pseudo gang related drug activity, which had been driven by new people coming to the town. Whilst this was not a problem at this stage, there was a desire to, using intelligence led policing, stamp this out before it developed into a wider issue.
· The three priorities for the area, set every 6 months, were now; theft from a motor vehicle, speeding and anti-social behaviour.
· Overall the picture in Royston was good, with very few specific issues to report.
· The police had struggled to engage with young people during the pandemic, so officers were unable to form relationships and connections with younger residents.
· There had been a “mini police” workshop held at a local primary school with 7 and 8 year olds, where PCSOs ran an 8-week course looking at topics such as, stranger danger, being a good citizen and internet safety. This course culminated in a trip to the police station. It was hoped this could be expanded further.
· With an increase of report of dog thefts, the Dog Watch scheme was reinvigorated but there had been no reported dog thefts.
· While there was a lot of bad new about police in the news at the moment, the team in and around Royston were doing a lot of good work which was not necessarily reported on.
· At a recent meeting a venue had been offered for a youth project, funding from various sources including the Herts County Council Locality Budget. The project was due to start at the Limitless Club in April 2022. This would involve learning skills, music and performance skills, which would hopefully culminate in a live performance from attendees.
· There had been a WhatsApp group set up for the rural areas which had around 290 members and was managed by a former police officer. While this is not run by Herts Police, it gives a great channel of communication to report suspicious activity or crime in the rural areas and make residents and landowners aware.
· The SNT are currently looking at whether CCTV could be set up in rural areas and then images shared via this WhatsApp group, which would hopefully deter criminals from coming to the area in the first place.
· With the previous ANPR cameras around the town, the publicity on these reduced crime more than the cameras themselves.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Tony Hunter
· Councillor Sarah Dingley
· Councillor Ruth Brown
· Councillor Gerald Morris
In response to questions, Sergeant Vine advised:
· The use of the rural WhatsApp group was ideal for the sharing of images and, because this is a private group, there is minimal police involvement. The CCTV images collected would be from private land.
· There were various camera options available nowadays, so it would be possible to get something suitable in place.
· The work to engage young people in the town would not solve all issues of crime, but will help get young people engaged with the police and get people actively supporting police schemes in the town.
· The “Mini Police” event was an annual project across the district. It had positive outcomes for both the young attendees and the officers running the course.
· Reports of hare coursing seemed to have been fairly average, but he did not have the exact figures available. There had been a move away from doing this on foot, to doing it from a car within a field. It was hoped a crushed car could be displayed around Royston to highlight the punishments available for this type of crime and to deter those thinking of committing the crime.
The Community Engagement Officer advised that there was potentially some Section 106 money available to support the youth project. The Area Committee could give grant funding to a scheme, should an application be received.
The Chair thanked Sergeant Vine for his presentation.
The Chair invited Mr Nicholas Shaw to give a verbal presentation in support of the grant application for Barley Town House. Mr Shaw thanked the Chair for the opportunity and advised:
· The Town House had been built in 1530 and had served various functions throughout the centuries.
· It is now heavily used as a wedding venue, as smaller venues became more popular and this had a positive impact on interest in the Town House. The cost of a weekend hire (Friday to Sunday) for a wedding was £1500 and hirers were free to do as they wished with the space during this time.
· Due to the age of the building, a lot of maintenance was required to maintain standards.
· The south facing side of the building had seen the timber rot in the sun and there was ongoing work to replace and repair this at the moment, which was hoped would last another 10-20 years.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Ruth Brown
In response to questions, Mr Shaw advised that they had received a £10,000 grant from the government and still had some of these funds remaining. At the moment the Town House was losing money as the building still had to be run, but with groups emerging from the pandemic, it was expected income would start to rise. The cost of the refurbishment should not necessarily be increased due to the listed status of the building, as some parts can be reused.
The Chair thanked Mr Shaw for his presentation.