To receive presentations from Council Officers and the Police, and to discuss how anti-social behaviour is tackled locally.
Speakers: Rowena Lansdown – Antisocial Behaviour Officer WC, Karen Golden – Youth Offending Team WC and Inspector Pete Sparrow
Minutes:
The Chairman introduced Rowena Lansdown – Antisocial Behaviour Officer, and Karen Golden – Youth Offending Team (YOT) Officer to present the item with Inspector Pete Sparrow.
A copy of the presentation slides are attached to these minutes.
Rowena, worked within the Vulnerable Communities Team for the south of the county. She explained that the definition of Anti-Social Behaviour was “conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person”.
Showed a DVD of the Fiona Pilkington case. In that case none of the agencies were talking to each other. In Wiltshire the monthly meeting brings all of the teams together.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Risk Assessment Conference (ASBRAC) was not a statutory function, but a recommendation from the Home Office as good practice to facilitate a multi-agency response to anti-social behaviour (ASB)
Governance sat with the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) which was made up of representatives from Wiltshire Council, the Police, Fire and Rescue authorities, health and probation services (the 'responsible authorities’).
Rowena’s team worked with colleagues in the YOT to work with individuals, and the Mental Health Team was a huge contributor to their meetings.
Comments and Questions included:
· For most residents troubled with ASB issues, their first call would be to the Police, so did they make a referral to you?
Answer: Yes, that is right, but also I now have access to the Police system, so I can look in to reported behaviour.
Pete – Rowena is a regular presence in our office, we spend a great deal of time together.
· We have had a terrific ASB problem, the Police had been very supportive. Our problem was two children aged 12 and 14. The last incident they took their grandmothers car and drove it around. These children have been through the system, so where do they go?
Answer: Karen Golding – we have two groups of work, one way of working is through prevention, working closely with police and schools. Or if they have been to court and received a court order we work with them then. We have various specialist Officers and have a lot of resources at our disposal. We have a parenting Officer able to carry out one to ones with them.
There is also a Restorative Justice Officer that looks at the child’s behaviour and the consequences of their actions on those around them. We have resources around conflict resolution, and anxiety stress.
Pete - I attend the Contextual Safeguarding meeting each month where we look at all cases across Wiltshire. We look at them as a wider picture. All agencies are around one table. There was also a practitioners meeting which is more locally focused.
· What was the benchmark for intervention, as I called three Tri-agency meetings for an issue in my division. It was as if we actually had to catch someone shooting someone dead before the team would come in. Answer: I am not aware of that at all – I will look at that case after.
· How do you achieve the Multi Agency structure?
Answer: If there was a specific need then we would allocate support to best manage that.