Agenda item

(To receive a report by Sara Barry, Head of Safer Communities, which provides the Committee with an opportunity to consider Serious Violence in Lincolnshire and the partnership response to the expected new statutory duty for County Councils and other public bodies to be brought in by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022)

Consideration was given to a report from Sara Barry, Head of Safer Communities, which provided the Committee with the opportunity to consider serious violence in Lincolnshire and the partnership response to the expected new statutory duty for County Councils and other public bodies being brought in by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

The Chairman invited Martyn Parker, Assistant Director for Public Protection, to present the item to the Committee.

The Assistant Director for Public Protection extended his thanks to Sara Barry for all her work and support and extended his best wishes to her in her retirement.  This message was echoed by all members of the Committee.

The Committee was advised of the background to the introduction of a new serious duty (the Duty) on public bodies to ensure relevant services worked together to share data and knowledge and to allow them to target interventions to prevent serious violence altogether.  Details of the duty were shown on pages 103 and 104 of the report pack.

It was reported that the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Lincolnshire had set out a priority to establish a Violence Reduction Programme, with a £3m commitment.  It was noted that work was currently ongoing with the Councils Public Health Service to develop a public health approach to violence reduction in Lincolnshire via a needs assessment, following which a strategy would be developed based upon local intelligence and evidence of ‘what works’ to prevent and tackle serious crime.  Details of the strategic needs assessment were shown on page 106 of the report pack.

The Committee noted that following the publication of the Strategic Needs Assessment in April 2022, and the adoption of the Serious Violence as part of the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership, a Core Priority Group had been formed. 

The Committee was advised, that since the publication of the agenda for the meeting, there had been additional collaborative arrangements made in that Councillor Patricia Bradwell OBE, Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Community Safety and Procurement would lead in partnership with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and would co-chair the Serious Violence Core Priority Group with the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Phil Clark.

In conclusion, it was highlighted that working jointly with the PCC, Lincolnshire partners had been able to analyse serious violence in Lincolnshire and have mechanisms in place ahead of the expected statutory duty.  It was noted that the next part of the exercise would be the development of the strategy to address any issues currently not addresses elsewhere in the partnership landscape.

During consideration of this item, reference was made to the availability of data on violence being more readily available from health services, police and other routine sources.  It was highlighted that improvements to data sharing were required which would then result in a more effective targeted use of resources

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee extended his thanks to the presenter.

RESOLVED

That the Serious Violence in Lincolnshire – A Partnership Response report presented be received; and that the proposal to respond to the expected statutory duty by addressing it through an expanded Safer Lincolnshire Partnership framework be endorsed.