Agenda item - COMMUNITY PROTECTION UPDATE

Agenda item

COMMUNITY PROTECTION UPDATE

Verbal update from Nottingham City Council Community Protection

Minutes:

Desmond Storey and Flora Cameron, Senior Community Protection Officers for Community Protection, presented a verbal update to the Committee:

 

(a)  the students from both Universities have mostly arrived or returned to Nottingham now. The relation between the HMO (Houses of Multiple Occupation) Team and Community Protection has changed since last year, with a plan for how the teams can work in partnership and with input from landlords, to prevent and reduce anti-social behaviour. Community Protection Orders have already been issued to 2 residents, with the HMO Team following up with the landlords to remind them of their duty of care under the HMO Licensing Scheme, which had the desired effect – the landlord has arranged a meeting with his tenants to resolve the issue. The agreement extends to all issues under the HMO License agreement, such as bins on the street, not just noise;

 

(b)  some funding has been received from the University of Nottingham to contribute towards additional shifts on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10pm to 3am, engaging with residents and students to manage noise and complaints, and hopefully stop any issues before they begin, and respond quicker to any 101 incidents if the police are not immediately available, and start a dialogue with the tenants;

 

(c)  parking on the footpath around the Canning Circus area has been an issue, and new Traffic Regulation Orders may need to be investigated to reduce this problem. Currently Community Protection do not have enforcement powers for making people get their kerbs dropped, but work is ongoing with Traffic Management to find a solution for this;

 

(d)  fly tipping continues to be an issue, with 198 fly tips being investigated alongside enforcement officers. The latest procedure involves adding a sticker to fly tips, which not only allows the street cleaning team to remove it safe in the knowledge it has been recorded, but also reassures local residents that it is being investigated;

 

(e)  Nottingham Trent University has provided funding for additional shifts during the first 4 weeks of term time. Patrols will be on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings until 3am, and targeted to reduce anti-social behaviour;

 

(f)  work with the HMO Team has resulted in a resolution regarding bins left on streets at a property on Portland Road;

 

(g)  targeted patrols in response to specific issues have reduced anti-social behaviour and drug usage around the Forest Recreation ground.

 

There then followed questions and comments from the Committee, Community Representatives and citizens:

 

(h)  the Committee felt the partnership working with the HMO Team and involvement of landlords was a positive step, which will hopefully help to reduce the issues. Community Protection noted that the HMO Team are also assisting with some of the admin surrounding this partnership work, and are being direct and proactive in threatening revocation of licenses or civil enforcement action where appropriate. Good results have already been seen;

 

 

(i)  even when the police attend an incident, Community Protection will attend afterwards in order to take care of any after-care and follow-up the incident may require;

 

(j)  the Committee was pleased to hear about the funding provided by the Universities, and hopeful that the project can be expanded if it proves successful. SCPO Flora Cameron will investigate whether figures regarding the funding can be shared publicly, and will share them with the Committee if so. Feedback will also be provided to the Committee on the effectiveness of the extra patrols;

 

(k)  fly tipping continues to be a serious issue, and one which many tenants and residents are confused about if instructed to leave waste out by their landlord. The law is clear that responsibility lies with whoever leaves the waste, not with the person who has given incorrect instruction on waste disposal.

 

RESOLVED to thank Senior Community Protection Officers Desmond Storey and Flora Cameron for their updates, and note the contents.