Agenda and minutes

            The Vice Chair thanked Councillor Zygadllo for attending a recent Police and Crime Commissioner Panel meeting on his behalf.

            The Minutes of the meeting held on 19^th November 2019  were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            It was reported that no questions had been received.

            The new Local Police Unit Inspector Stokes addressed the Board on the work carried out in the Widnes Policing Unit and outlined her role and priorities for the local area. Catherine Pritchard was also in attendance and outlined her role.

            Inspector Stokes advised the Board that the Police were adopting a proactive and innovative approach which aimed to keep people safe by:

·         working with young people;

·         engaging with the community including those hard to reach groups;  and

·         encouraging active citizenships including schemes such as Homewatch and Speed watch.

            The Board were advised on the work of the Problem Solving Team which was a dedicated strategic team who were involved in addressing issues such as County Lines and the recent work with Pubwatch in Widnes.

            Arising from the discussion, a Member advised on the work of Magistrates in Halton who were working in the community visiting schools to  help to educate children on the consequences of their actions which could lead to sentences in the Magistrate Court. Inspector Stokes acknowledged that this was an initiative that the Widnes Police Unit would like to explore further.

            On behalf of the Board, the Vice Chair thanked Inspector Stokes for her presentation.

            RESOLVED: That the presentation be noted.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which provided an update on the work undertaken by the Emergency Planning team during the last year.

            Members received a presentation which highlighted the teams statutory duties to comply with the following legislation:

·         the Civil Contingencies Act 2004;

·         Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations (COMAH) 2015; and

·         Major Accident Hazard Pipeline (MAHP) Regulations 1996

            Members noted that key plans were in place to ensure resilience within Halton which were regularly tested, public reassurances, examples of risks to Halton, details of the exercises that take place at COMAH sites in the borough, information on Emergency Centres and the work the Emergency Planning team carried out with partner agencies both within Cheshire and Cross-Border and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

            Details of those incidents that the team had been involved in since  February 2019 were provided to the Board. In addition, the Board was advised on an Asbestos training event which would be held in partnership with Cheshire Fire in March and any member who wished to attend should contact Michelle Cotgreave.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, People, which outlined the work of the Trading Standards team over the last year in Halton. During 2018/19 the team had saved residents at least £262.2k as follows:

·         Consumer Advice Service had saved Halton consumers at least £32,001;

·         Through rapid response to doorstep crime incidents Trading Standards had saved Halton residents £10,790;

·         Detriment prevented through scam - working with people who had been caught out by scams to prevent a repeat had saved residents £104,618;

·         iCAN – an email alert system used to warn residents about doorstep incidents, current scams and product recalls had saved  residents £113,582; and

·         through the free loan of call-blocking devices, 11 units, £3229 had been saved in Halton.

            Arising from the discussion, Members requested that Officers share information on call blocking device and how to purchase them.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board received an update report from Sarah Ashcroft, on behalf of the Community Safety Team, which gave an update on the work with those victims of domestic abuse and the progress on the commissioning of a contract to provide a service which would work with families, victims and the perpetrator. In addition, Members noted information on Stalking Protection Orders which had recently been put in place.

            Members were also updated on the progress of achieving White Ribbon Status. It was noted that the White Ribbon Action Plan had been completed and the team were now in a position to approach the White Ribbon Council.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board received a presentation from Mike Ankers on behalf of the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), which provided Members with an outline of the priorities and themes of their work. The Unit was established in 2009 and was a collaboration between the six North West Police Forces in Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside.

            The Board noted that the Unit comprised officers and staff from across the region who brought specialist skills to tackle serious and organised crime that crossed borders in the region. The mission of the Unit was to identify, disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups causing the most harm to the North West. This was done by working with partners to gather intelligence, cracking the most serious and organised crime networks and then seizing the assets of those criminals involved.

            Members were advised on each of the following specialist units and areas of work within the NWROCU:

·         Protective Persons Unit;

·         Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment Unit;

·         Regional Intelligence Unit;

·         Sensitive Intelligence Network;

·         Regional Asset Recovery Team;

·         Regional Fraud Team;

·         Asset Confiscation Enforcement Team;

·         Cyber Crime Team; and

·         Regional Prison Intelligence Unit.

            The Board discussed a recent incident at Riverside College, Kingsway, Widnes and were provide with an update on the investigation which was ongoing.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.