Agenda item

Pauline Dorey and Lylse-Ann Renwick, Neighbourhood Development Officers, introduced 2 reports of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, detailing performance of the Wollaton West and Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey wards against a range of performance measures. The Committee also received a verbal presentation from Sergeant Hallsworth on Police and Crime issues in Area 7.

The main points raised in the reports and presentation were:

Wollaton West – Lylse-Anne Renwick

(a)  there was a decrease in the ‘burglary dwelling’ rate, but an increase in ‘burglary other’ and ‘criminal damage’;

(b)  the Cleanliness Index rating was the highest in Nottingham, and fly tipping levels had decreased. However, grafitti incidents had increased, dog fouling continued to be a significant issue for the ward;

(c)  no Community Protection orders had been issued recently, and there had been no deliberate fires reported;

(d)  the key successes in Wollaton West included the start of construction work on the Wollaton Park Play Area, the launch of the Youth Café at Kingswood Church Hall and St Leonard’s Community Centre, and the delivery of several successful Youth in the Park events on Torvill Drive and Rushford Park;

(e)  a recurring issue was inappropriate parking linked to citizens visiting Wollaton Park;

Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey – Pauline Dorey

(f)  while the ‘burglary dwelling’ remained steady, there was a significant increase in ‘criminal damage’, ‘thefts’ and anti-social behaviour;

(g)  the Cleanliness Index rating had improved and there was less fly-tipping taking place;

(h)  the year-to-date incidence of fires was the second-lowest in Nottingham;

(i)  there was an increase in dog fouling, though this coincided with a targeted ‘see it report it’ campaign by Community Protection colleagues;

(j)  key successes included the Alleyways  Day of Action in Lenton Abbey, securing external funding for a cooker and cooking equipment for the refurbished kitchen in the Sheila Roper Community Centre and a successful Wollaton Park Residents Association open meeting featuring the Police and Crime Commissioner, Paddy Tipping;

(k)  there were ongoing issues with parking in Lenton Abbey and Wollaton Park estate, and cycle theft was a specific concern for the ward;

Nottinghamshire Police update – Sergeant Hallsworth

(l)  there had been a recent spate of burglaries from garden sheds in both wards. Around half of the sheds broken into were not secure, and break-ins took place mostly at night;

(m)  Citizens were being encouraged to sign up to the Neighbourhood alert system;

(n)  Citizens reported being unsure about what to do if they saw someone in a garden, and the Neighbourhood Action Team was drafting advice for local residents letter;

(o)  Nottinghamshire Police has deployed a CCTV van to burglary ‘hotspots’ to help deter break-ins

The Committee expressed concern about the recent increase in overall burglaries, and welcomed the increased targeting of resources in ‘hot spots’ to address the issue. It was confirmed that partners were also working with international students at the University of Nottingham to make them aware of the issue, and the precautions they could take.

RESOLVED to note the performance report.