Estate Safety and Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Scrutiny Review 09/10
Jointly completed by the Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission and the Community Safety & Social Inclusion Scrutiny Commission.
This was the first time two Commissions carried out such a joint review and it involved joint evidence gathering sessions in the Council Chamber as well as joint site visits and the authoring of a joint final report.
A major driver for the review was the February 2009 Audit Commission inspection report on Hackney Homes which had found shortcomings in its policies, practices and procedures around tackling anti social behaviour on estates. The Commissions were pleased that over the course of the review Hackney Homes addressed each of these criticisms in great detail.
As well as Hackney Homes, the Commissions received evidence from a range of parties including other Registered Social Landlords active in the borough as well as Victim Support, the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams and the Council's Community Safety Team. Both Commissions were impressed by the strong level of positive engagement they received from officers and a number of issues raised at the meetings were immediately acted upon by, for example, the Community Safety Team and Hackney Homes.
A detailed programme of site visits including a rare opportunity to observe the work of the sensitive Anti Social Behaviour Action Panels and the Borough Crime Tasking Group as well as a visit to CCTV Control Centre was arranged. Members also went on a patrol with a joint enforcement team.
The Commissions wished in particular to address the concerns of young people in relation to anti social behaviour as they are, despite media reporting, more often the victims rather than the perpetrators of ASB. Members of Hackney Youth Parliament (HYP) were engaged and trained to carry out some primary research for the review and their findings brought some invaluable insights as Members began to formulate the recommendations.
The Joint Commission's Final Report
The Commissions made 11 recommendations, many of them proposing detailed improvements on procedures and practices. These focused on improved mapping, recording and monitoring of incidents of ASB across the borough. The review flagged up that young people were far too reluctant to report ASB and that this would need further attention. The review also brought together the Hackney Youth Parliament's own Area Forums with the Police's new 'Youth CAPs' (Community Advisory Panels) and it is hoped that improved cooperation here will drive up service delivery. The Youth Parliament was formally thanked by the Scrutiny Commissions and Full Council for their hard work.
Response from the Cabinet Member
Cllr Alcock (Deputy Mayor) and Cllr Linden (Cabinet Member for Crime, Sustainability, and Customer Services) responded to the recommendations, noting that "Important issues have been raised through the set of recommendations from the review, which will allow partner organisations in the borough, in particular the Council, police and Hackney Homes, to brigade resources in a more targeted way to deliver what the residents in Hackney want". They accepted all the recommendations.
What has happened as a result of the review?
In January 2011 the Community Safety Cabinet Advisor, Anti-Social Behaviour Manager, Head of Safer Communities, and Hackney Homes Estate Safety Manager attended the Commissions to provide an update on progress made in implementing the recommendations. The Commission thanked Members and officers for their contributions and highlighted a number of successful outcomes (not least the proper mapping of the issue and the quarterly reports for Members from the Anti Social Behaviour Action Panels). Cllr Glanville noted that "the review had served to open everyone's eyes to the extent of these problem and the challenges to be overcome, and a number of positive actions had emerged from it".
Page updated: 22 Nov 2011
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