Agenda item

18.1     The Head of Safer Communities introduced the report which outlined the performance across the Safer Communities Partnership during 2023/24. The Head of Safer Communities commented that the report showed that East Sussex remains a relatively safe place to live and visit, with crime rates below the national average, although there were pressures in some areas, such as housing and rough sleeping, and reinforced the importance of partnerships to address these challenges across the county.

18.2     The Head of Safer Communities outlined the strategic priorities of the Safer Communities Partnership, as well as key work including tackling violent extremism, drug and alcohol, and serious violence. She also noted that the Council had received White Ribbon re-accreditation as part of its commitment to tackle violence against women and girls and informed the Committee about an upcoming pan-Sussex domestic abuse conference that Members would be welcome to attend.

18.3     The Committee asked questions and made comments on the following areas:

• Domestic abuse – The Committee discussed the different types of domestic abuse and asked about older people’s awareness of their rights against mental abuse, noting that some older people may not view this as abuse. The Head of Safer Communities noted the challenges in ensuring people were aware of cohesive control and work on the White Ribbon accreditation included raising awareness of this through accessible language.
• Perceptions of crime – The Committee discussed perceptions of crime in local areas and asked what was being done to make people feel safe. The Head of Safer Communities commented that the Partnership aimed to take an evidenced based approach in responding to crime and provided communities with facts, however noted the difficulty in changing perceptions, even when crime had reduced in an area. An annual public survey aimed to identify these perceptions and noted that anti-social behaviour and anti -social driving remained a priority in responses. The Committee noted these concerns and the importance of work across the Council to address these, including improving road safety.
• Knife Crime – The Committee discussed knife crime and sought clarification on the future of the Habitual Knife Carriers programme. The Head of Community Safety noted that although government funding for the programme was coming to an end, it would continue due to its positive impact. The Government had announced the establishment of Youth Hubs, and it was hoped this would also support work to prevent and tackle knife crime, but details on this had not yet been published.
• Violent extremism – The Committee asked what work was taking place to educate children about violent extremism, including in the context of recent national riots. The Head of Safer Communities noted that although riots had not occurred in East Sussex, multi-agency preparations had been in place. The Committee also heard that resources produced by the Department for Education were shared locally with designated safeguarding leads and schools to support conversations and Prevent Officers visited schools to talk to children about extremism.
• Support for migrants – Following the discussion on recent national riots, a question was asked about work to ensure migrants and asylum seekers felt protected and safe in local communities. In response, the Head of Safer Communities noted that riots/civil unrest could be triggered at any time in response to an event and exploited by organised groups. The Partnership worked with the Police to monitor community tensions and shared intelligence with partners and the Home Office. There was also strong liaison with local community and faith groups. The Assistant Director noted the Council’s work on understanding community tensions and countering extremism. The Assistant Director informed the Committee of the Council’s wider support to migrants, including the Council’s work with partners to address issues through the East Sussex Migration Partnership and schemes such as Homes for Ukraine.

18.4     The Committee RESOLVED to note the report and agreed to consider it in further detail at its upcoming away day.