| Programme Director: | Robyn Thomas |
| Programme Manager: | Gillian Tullock |
Key Issues:
We must continue to achieve reductions in offending and tackle crime, alcohol, drugs and anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour is a key concern for those who live and work in Newcastle. Alcohol and drugs are major contributing factors to types of crime such as violence, criminal damage, domestic violence and anti-social behaviour.
Improve confidence by continuing to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and community tensions. Newcastle is a safe place to live with decreasing levels of crime and anti social behaviour. However, we know that many residents are still worried about crime and anti-social behaviour continues to be a key concern. We also know that we need to continue to work to reduce community tensions and extremist activity. Safe Neighbourhoods Action and Problem Solving Groups (SNAPS) are now in place in each ward to tackle local community safety concerns, policing priorities and increase community confidence.
We need to reduce vulnerability and promote healthy communities. Drugs and alcohol are significant contributing factors to crime such as domestic violence, violent crime, anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime. These have a major impact on the victim, offenders and on feelings of community safety. We will review and improve our commissioned drug services to make sure they are effective and meet local need. Our Harm Reduction Service will continue work in pubs and clubs to reduce harm from alcohol and stimulants. Hate crime can have a devastating effect upon the person who suffers it. Our figures show people now feel more confident to report hate crime through the ARCH system. We will continue to improve the reporting of hate crime and increase support to victims.
We need to prevent offending and reduce re-offending. We know that a small number of offenders commit a large amount of crime. Shoplifting is increasing and accounts for 12.5% of all crime in the city. We work with offenders to challenge their thinking and behaviour, provide education, training and employment support, as well as access to alcohol treatment and retention in drug treatment. We will Implement the Integrated Offender Management Pilot for persistent adult offenders and introduce a dedicated drugs court at Newcastle Magistrates Court
We must reduce violent crime including domestic violence, sexual violence and violence in the night time economy. Much of the violence in Newcastle is closely linked to the night time economy and involves alcohol. Newcastle has the highest estimated level of binge drinking in England. Newcastle Police Area Command and partners will continue to work to create a safe night time economy through the street pastors, taxi marshals and Best Bar None. Women are more concerned about sexual crimes than any other form of crime. We are developing an independent Sexual Violence Advisor Service (ISVA) to work alongside the newly created specialist rape teams in Northumbria Police. Domestic violence has a high incidence of repeat victimisation. In 2009 we set up a Specialist Domestic Violence Court. Newcastle also has a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) that meets fortnightly to develop action plans to safeguard domestic violence victims at risk of serious harm or homicide.
Priority Targets:
- Newcastle is a safe place to live, work, study and visit
- People are and feel safe in their neighbourhoods with a shared sense of belonging
- People are protected from domestic violence, sexual violence and alcohol related violence
- People are safe from bullying, discrimination, hate crime and harassment
- (People are safe from accidental injury and avoidable death)
Delivery Plans:
- Safe Newcastle Strategy 2010 – 2013
- Young People’s Specialist Substance Misuse Treatment Plan
- Safe Newcastle Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy
- Hidden Harm Outcome Improvement Plan
- Newcastle Domestic Violence and Abuse Strategy
- Reducing Supply and Communities Issues Delivery Plan
- Adult Drug Treatment Plan
- Newcastle Alcohol Strategy: Safe, Social and Sensible
- Hate Crime Action Plan Prevent Action Plan
- Newcastle Youth Justice Plan
Delivery of the Safe Newcastle Strategy:
(Excerpt from strategy)
Safe Newcastle adopts a holistic and proportionate approach to its activities and interventions. An evidence based approach is an essential component of our business. We address our priorities by working with partners to undertake actions in a co-ordinated manner. This includes prevention (social and situational), support/treatment and diversion as well as enforcement actions to create sustainable solutions to community safety concerns.
Five chapters follow, one for each of our strategic themes. They tell us:
- Progress against key performance indicators
- What has changed about this theme
- What we are doing already to tackle the issues
- What we will do in 2010/11 to tackle the issues and how we will do it
- Theme delivery plan
All delivery plans have SMART targets and are built into the Safe Newcastle performance management framework. Progress is reported monthly to the Performance and resources Management Group and quarterly to the Safe Newcastle Board.
Many of the issues across all themes are interrelated and impact across the work of the Newcastle Partnership, delivery partnerships, individual partners and directorates of Newcastle City Council. Whilst it would be impossible to demonstrate every aspect of this, a key example is the link between work to reduce reoffending and work under the acquisitive crime theme to reduce levels of burglary and address shoplifting.
We are moving to an outcome based accountability approach and for each theme have identified the strategic outcome which we are aiming to achieve.
Role of the Performance Management & Resources Group:
The Council’s Performance Management & Resources Group (PMRG) oversees the delivery of the Safe Newcastle Strategy for the Safe Newcastle Board, its purpose is to:
- Act as Safe Newcastle Partnership’s ‘driving hub’ for delivery
- Monitor partnership and Strategy Delivery Group (SDG) performance in detail
- Report any exceptions i.e. poor performance, outstanding performance to the Board
- Provide operational support, guidance and advice to the SDGs and ensure they are clear about the outcomes and targets they have to meet
- Commission (other than for substance misuse) in line with framework set by the Board
- Seek to align other spend to deliver the priorities
- Account to the Safe Newcastle Board and make recommendations on performance, delivery, problem solving, action planning, commissioning and resource allocation as appropriate
Strategy Delivery Groups (SDGs) are accountable to the Safe Newcastle Board, through the Performance Management and Resources Group (PMRG), for the development and implementation of delivery plans to address defined priority objectives, targets and indicators.
Role of the Strategic Delivery Groups:
- Develop and implement a strategy and delivery plan to address their specific priority objective, targets and indicators
- Establish and performance manage any authority-wide interventions to address their priority
- Co-ordinate delivery in relation to the priority
- Report on progress in relation to strategy and delivery plan to the PMRG
- Report on overall performance in relation to the priority to the PMRG
The Strategy Delivery Groups are responsible for:
- Ensuring there is a comprehensive strategy for their priority
- Ensuring there is a comprehensive delivery plan to implement the strategy which addresses the outcomes, objectives and targets for which it has responsibility within the agreed timescale. The delivery plans will be set out using the template provided with SMART targets, performance indicators, actions with timescales, milestones and named responsible individuals clearly set out.
- Reporting as required to the PMRG on progress in relation to strategic development, implementation and delivery, and on overall performance in relation to the priority
- Being evidence-led in their approach
- Having a shared understanding of ‘what works’ in relation to the issues they are addressing
- Focussing on adding value to mainstream delivery, and where necessary, influencing agencies to change main programme delivery, rather than simply developing projects
- Identifying and addressing any problems with implementing the strategy or delivery plan and making any necessary adjustments if it is failing to meet its objectives and/or the targets that have been set
- Escalating issues that cannot be resolved to the PMRG.
- Ensuring, where appropriate, there is an effective community engagement to plan and deliver the identified tasks
Strategic Delivery Groups:
Safe Neighbourhoods
Reducing Crime & Repeat Victimisation
Public Reassurance & Confidence
Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence
Drugs Safety
City Centre
Reducing Offending
Anti-Social Behaviour
Hate Crime (ARCH)
Communications / Analyst / Finance Group
Details regarding Delivery Plans will follow