Cllr S. Ringham replaced Cllr A. King.

To confirm and sign, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 5 October 2023.

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2023 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Apologies were received from Cllr N. Prescot and Cllr M. Singh.

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable and non-registrable interests in items on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

The Committee welcomed the new Borough Commander, Inspector Ian Nash, to the meeting, who reported that the future for policing in Runnymede was inline with the new code of ethics published by the College of Policing, which was aligned closely with the new Surrey Police plan.  It was agreed that details of the plan would be circulated to the Committee after the meeting.

Tackling antisocial behaviour remained a high priority for the borough, and officers had been assigned to wards to work closely with communities and take ownership of issues.  Following an HMIC inspection that stated there was room for improvement in the police’s collation of data for antisocial behaviour, mechanisms were being put in place to automate the process.  It was anticipated that fresh data would be presented to the next Committee.

The collaborative approach to dealing with antisocial behaviour through the CHARM (Community Harm And Risk Management) was emphasised, and the Borough Commander agreed to ascertain the number of CHARM referrals and present any appropriate data at the next Committee.

It was also agreed to consider utilising the Council’s communication channels to encourage residents to report antisocial behaviour, and signpost them to other agencies where appropriate.

Engaging with schools was another important aspect in dealing with antisocial behaviour, with youth engagement officers playing a key role.  The Borough Commander agreed to share any intelligence with the Committee about activities in the community that pupils would like to see that might provide a positive distraction and help combat antisocial behaviour.

Prevention of burglaries remained another borough priority, with commercial burglaries a bigger target than residential.  A dedicated team on division were liaising with businesses to raise awareness and provide support and advice.  Obtaining CCTV at the earliest opportunity was a vital part of any subsequent investigation.  The Committee asked for a breakdown on burglary statistics in future reports.

The Committee were asked to urge residents to report antisocial driving to the police, and the creation of community speedwatch groups in the borough would be encouraged.  This would require a minimum of six participants and options to ensure their safety such as body worn cameras was under consideration.  The Committee was disappointed to note that the only community speedwatch group in the borough had recently disbanded.

Several members highlighted utilities companies’ failure to deal with graffiti as an issue affecting residents.  The Borough Commander advised that dealing with this would require collaboration with multiple agencies through the Joint Action Group (JAG).  SCC councillors would raise this through the appropriate channels.

Total offences in the borough over the past 12 months had reduced by 3.2% in Runnymede against a rise of 2.3% across the county.  However hate crime had increased by 11.1% and the Committee were encouraged to consider ways of facilitating broader engagement with faith leaders to help the police address the issue.

Child abuse had also increased, and a dedicated child abuse team in north Surrey regularly visits schools to educate pupils on what’s appropriate online and how to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.