Agenda item

(Mr. P. Murray, Antisocial Behaviour Officer, attended in connection with this item.)

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“2.    Key Issues

         The comparative data outlined in Table 1 below shows an increase in the number of incident reports of ASB in parks between August to December 2012 and August to December 2013 within the 4 electoral areas of Court, Laganbank, Pottinger and Upper Falls. The data highlights a downward trend in the number of reports of ASB in parks within Balmoral, Castle, Lower Falls and Oldpark electoral areas. This trend can be attributed to a decrease in visitor numbers due to seasonal variance - less people visit parks in autumn and winter. The data also showed the following trends:

·        Increase in reports of groups of youths gathering; and

·        Increase in reports of fire setting and drinking.

         The data presented in Table 1 illustrates a snapshot of ASB in parks between August and December 2013. The data details the three parks with the most incidents of ASB in each electoral area, the hotspot categories of ASB and where there were more than 20 incidents (these locations appear in bold type).

         Citywide responses and interventions are implemented proportionately across all of the city’s parks. This approach is used to tackle low level, re-occurring ASB incidents (parks with less than 20 incidents) and is delivered using existing and available resources.

         Planned intensive interventions are designed and introduced for parks that have more than 20 ASB incidents. The planned interventions span across all 4 objectives of the ASB programme: education, enforcement, environment and partnership. Interventions will resource and schedule enforcement operations in partnership with existing council services or PSNI and interventions also involve the environmental and physical development of a site.

         Table 2 outlines the parks that have had more than 20 incidents during August to December 2013 and the specific interventions planned for the coming months.

         Alongside the intensive and citywide interventions planned to tackle reported incidents of ASB, a number of citywide ASB programme developments will be implemented during the coming months:

·        Park Wardens will be deployed during St. Patrick’s Day in support of the Councils safer city operations

·        Park Wardens are currently deployed in parks as part of an ongoing enforcement programme. They will issue fixed penalties in relation to litter and dog fouling offences.  

         There also several steps that are being undertaken in the next stage of the development of the ASB programme which are outlined below.  Detail on these will be brought to the Committee in the new Council term for consideration.

·        Refinements to ASB data collection and reporting methodologies will ensure that there is a consistent service delivered across the city.

·        The department is developing processes to formally communicate with the District Policing and Community Safety Partnership (DPCSP) structure.

·        It is intended that the ASB programme will establish sustainable synergies and interfaces with local area working groups that will develop more appropriate responses to ASB.

3.      Resource Implications

         The development of the programme will be facilitated through the agreed ASB budget 2013-14 which is approximately £250,000.

4.      Equality Implications

         Much of the ASB programme work spans activities related to reducing interface tensions and bringing young people together to take part in positive programmes and activities.  All of the programme work is delivered in line with the council’s equality and good relations policies and procedures.

5.      Recommendations

         The Committee is asked to note the contents of this report.”

During discussion, the Members welcomed the progress which had been achieved to date in addressing antisocial behaviour within departmental properties.  However, a Member referred to ongoing issues within the overall vicinity of the Falls Park, the City Cemetery and the Whiterock Leisure Centre.  He suggested that the Council should endeavour to address the problems within those sites on a collective basis with a range of departments seeking to work together and share information which could assist in addressing the problems. 

The point was made that the safety of Council staff should, at all times, be paramount and that reported instances of staff intimidation could not be tolerated.  It was stated that there remained an onus on the Council to secure its own properties and that, in respect of the issues within the general Whiterock area, it would be prudent to seek to raise the ongoing issues on an official basis with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The Director indicated that there were working arrangements in place between officers from the Department and the Community Safety Team within the Health and Environmental Services Department. He pointed out also that the Department was investigating currently the feasibility of enhancing the working relationships among a range of partners which would complement the work of the District Policing and Community Safety Partnerships.

Councillor Hendron pointed out that she was the Chairman of the West Belfast District Policing and Community Safety Partnership and indicated that she would endeavour to raise the aforementioned concerns at its next meeting.

After discussion, the Committee noted the information which had been provided and noted further that the issue, in so far as it related to departmental properties in the general Whiterock area, would be raised at the next meeting of the District Policing and Community Safety Partnership for West Belfast.