Issue - meetings

To receive and provide feedback on the Safer Cheshire East Partnership Annual Report and Strategic Intelligence Assessment.

Jill Broomhall, Director of Adult Social Care and Chair of the Safer Cheshire East Partnership (SCEP), presented the SCEP Annual Report 2022-23 and Strategic Intelligence Assessment 2022-25 to the Committee.

It was reported that, during 2022-23, a number of sub-groups were established within SCEP to undertake SCEP plans, mitigate risk, provide support, impact on outcomes and increase public confidence and awareness. The Committee queried the ‘Get Safe Online’ group which was established to tackle the challenges that online scams presented and the communication mechanisms in place to share this information with residents. It was noted that an external organisation had been commissioned to manage communications/information sharing and that a number of informative events had been held. It was agreed amongst Committee members that additional communications on social media platforms such as Facebook were needed to promote awareness and improve education on online scams.

It was noted that knife crime had been identified as a priority in the new SCEP Strategic Intelligence Assessment for 2022-25 and that during the period April 2021-March 2022 there were 112 incidents involving weapons recorded. In May 2023, Cheshire East (Crewe) hosted, in partnership with Crewe Town Council, the Knife Angel, an emotive sculpture formed of 100,000 knives collected via a national knife amnesty. Committee Members queried how domestic knives should be appropriately disposed of and the statistics associated with knife crime in both adults and young people. Jill Broomhall committed to providing a written response.

The Committee queried the membership of the SCEP and it was reported that, historically, the Portfolio Holder for Communities had been a member of the Partnership. Jill Broomhall welcomed the opportunity for a member of the Scrutiny Committee to be represented on SCEP going forward as Cheshire East Council no longer had Portfolio Holders under the Committee System. It was agreed that this would be referred to the Head of Governance and Democratic Services to investigate how this position could be appointed to in consultation with Group Administrators.

RESOLVED:

1. That the Safer Cheshire East Partnership Annual Report 2022-23 and Strategic Intelligence Assessment be received and noted.