Decision details

To receive a verbal update from Cheshire Police specifically on the national reports of needle spiking and the impacts seen in Cheshire, and the prioritisation of keeping safe women and girls.

Superintendent Peter Crowcroft, the Eastern Area Commander within Cheshire Police attended the Committee and gave a verbal update on key pieces of work currently being carried out by the Police.

The Committee were advised that given the national and local concerns of drink spiking Cheshire Police had undertaken three weekends of intensive action in the areas of Congleton, Sanbach, Crewe, Nantwich, Macclesfield and Wilmslow.  This included Police in plain clothes, drugs dogs and a high visibility Police presence.

To date across Halton and Cheshire East, there has been one confirmed case of a person being spiked with a hypodermic needle.

Resources were being deployed to target crime and fear of crime.  The Safer Cheshire East Partnership (SCEP) have purchased bottle tops to help within licensed premises. 

The Police are working collaborative with partner agencies such as My Cheshire Without Abuse (My CWA) in instances where there could be reports of Domestic Abuse.  This has led to referrals by the Police for perpetrators of DA into rehabilitation programmes.

The top priority for the Police was violence and intimidation to women and girls, continued partnership work was the strategy to combat it.  There had been significant educational work done to challenge behavioural signal type behaviours especially drunken males who have had a drink or feel emboldened because they are in large numbers.  This extended to working with local employers to educate them on signal crimes if potentially this involved their member of staff.

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) had moved post-lockdown out of covid related ASB and back to traditional ASB.

Finally Superintendent Crowcroft advised the Committee that following the murder of David Ames MP, the government had enacted Operation Bridger a national plan for providing MPs with security advice. 

The Committee were given the opportunity to ask questions, there was some discussion on domestic abuse cases during lockdown, forensic testing in relation to drink spiking, and advice to men who wish to be allies to vulnerable women in an appropriate way.

RESOLVED:

That Superintendent Crowcroft be thanked for his attendance and contribution to the Committee meeting.