Many thanks to those attended the Business Against Crime meeting on 28 January 2020.
Project Three Sixty;
· A presentation was given surrounding the new 360 project.
· Project Three Sixty works with ex-offender aged 18+ which aims to reduce repeat offending, increase self-esteem, awareness and understanding of self, whilst engaging in positive activity and working towards the path of education, training or employment.
Minutes and Actions from the last meeting;
· PSPO legislation is now live and being enforced 75% of the signage has been put up.
· One attendee asked for an update on fixed penalty notices for bicycles. CST (Community Safety Team) responded and stated they are working closely with the youth offending service and engaging positively.
BID Crime and Street Ranger Updates;
· Southend Retail Against Crime Meeting has been rebranded to Southend Business Against Crime to ensure inclusivity for those businesses that do not fall under the retail category.
· The Street Ranger figures for rough sleeping have decreased by 70% as this element has been taken up by the Community Safety Team. It has allowed for the Ranger team to focus and deal with more retail crime which has increased 40% year on year.
· The team have undertaken several training courses including; First Aid, Dementia Awareness, County Lines and suicide awareness.
Police Update;
· The Town Centre Policing team (TCT) are now permitted to have DISC on their work phone which is a positive step for information sharing with various security teams and partner agencies.
· The TCT are expanding with a provision of 8 special constables to assist with the day and night time economy.
· The TCT have secured the keys to the seafront hub enabling the team and possibly partner agencies to work directly on the seafront engaging with visitors and businesses.
· A ‘Boots on the ground’ partner meeting is being implemented by TCT. This meeting will bring together different security teams, including the Street Rangers to enable better partnership working and information sharing.
Community Safety Team Update
· The team issued in December
o 3 Community Protection Notices
o 3 Community Protection Warnings
o Attended 10 First Aid incidences
· A CSO Officer saved a child’s life in the town centre which was reported in the media
· The PSPO is being used and ¾ of the signage has been erected, a press release will follow.
Upcoming Events;
· Children’s rides will be situated at Victoria Circus in the February Half Term.
· Initial meeting for this years’ The Southend Festival has taken place and further meetings are planned. The Southend Festival for 2020 is earmarked for June 2020 – Updates to follow.
· 8th May is VE day and a bank holiday (in place of 4 May) and Southend Pier will be transformed into HMS Leigh.
A.O.B
· All 7 nights were now covered for the winter night shelter provision.
· The Street Pastors during the winter months will patrol the streets on the first and possible second weekends of the month.
· A recce of the towns Defibrillators will be undertaken by the Street Ranger team and an update will be presented at the next meeting.
· SBC representative will attend next meeting for updates on homelessness initiatives.
· BID, TCT and CS will look to produce a positive press release about the changes in the town.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please email hello@southendbid.com
Next meeting: 31 March 2020, 6pm – The Royal Hotel