|
From Philip Virgo as Development Lead for Neighbourhood Watch in Lambeth. The statutory community safety partnership for Lambeth, the Safer Lambeth Partnership has been restructured and a delayed 2026 public consultation meeting was held on 13th July. The deadline for inputs to a follow up survey, to collect inputs to the Safer Lambeth Community Engagement Consultation is 14th August The consultation page Safer Lambeth Partnership Community Engagement contains a link to the slides used at the public consultation meeting on 13th July, including the questions asked (also shown further down). It is strongly suggested you read these before taking the survey. Please e-mail strategicpartnershipandcommunityengagement@lambeth.gov.uk if you have questions and/or wish to comment in response to the additional questions asked on 14th August. Below are the final slide of the presentation by Councillor Jonathan Bartley's, cabinet member for “Safer Thriving Lambeth” and the main points from his summary of the inputs to the consultation that had been received during the run up to the meeting. These also give context to the possible contribution of Neighbourhood Watch in Lambeth in response to the questions asked on 13th July. If you have views on how Lambeth Neighbourhood Watch and its network of Street/Estate groups could/should help, including with others via Ward (link is to Community Handbook) or Forum networks, please comment in your survey response and also reply to this notice so that we can collate a response. Under the standard Borough MoU between Neighbourhood Watch and Metropolitan Police, the NHW Street/Estate Groups are already expected to provide representatives to the relevant Ward Safer Neighbourhood Panels (link is to the police support handbook). The NHW development team (which includes several SNP Chairs) is currently discussing what more we could/should be doing collectively, including with and through the Ward Panels. = = = Towards a Neighbourhood Partnership Model Neighbourhood Action Partnerships Councils accountable, ward councillors as community leaders, named council officersReporting that logs crime and measures impact & residents suggest solutionslocal action plans produced with residents (inc. ward panels, BIDs, forums etc.)action plans joined up, involving police, street outreach teams, council servicesclear reporting back and regular updatesresidents will continue to shape the strategy = = = Councillor Bartley previously summarised the main points from community consultations to date as: Not enough resourcesSafety is something done to us, little/no involvement in deliveryNot clear who is responsible for whatBuck passing Meetings but not actionLack of co-ordinationReports/intelligence regarding crime and ASB not acted onHe said that the actions already being planned or under way were: Evaluation of Safer Lambeth PartnershipExamination of confidence in services Review of co-operation with law enforcementLook at bereavement protocolsSafer Thriving Strategy - including dash board of measure covering perceptions of safetyDevelopment of a Portal for reporting (including time, date, place and to whom) the impact of incidents on the wellbeing of the victim/reporter impact life and what could/should be done.Satisfaction surveys linked to reportsNew neighbourhood partnerships at ward and community (e.g. Clapham Town, Streatham) level In future: Ward councillors will be expected to attend regular quarterly panel meetings alongside named Council Officers with reporting logs and impact measures addressing suggestions from residents.There will be community action plans involving Wards, Business Improvement Districts and Forums involving police, outreach teams and council services with clear reporting back and updates. The questions posed to Community Groups and others at the consultation meeting on 13th July were: Substance Misuse Reducing drug-related deaths and harm: How can your organisation help to share harm reduction messages and prevent overdoses? Increasing engagement in drug treatment: How can your organisation help to encourage and connect people with drug treatment services? Improving drug recovery outcomes: How can your organisation help to support people to achieve and maintain recovery, through things like community, purpose and meaningful activities? ASB Increase awareness of reporting routes, access to support and restorative approaches. How can your organisation help Display and distribute information on how residents can report ASB and access victim support services.? Reduce ASB through coordination of diversionary activities and interventions for young people How can your organisation help to Promote and refer young people to positive activities, including, work experience, apprenticeships and leadership opportunities?Coordinate intelligence gathering and multi-agency problem solving. How can your organisation help Share relevant intelligence and emerging community concerns through existing platforms & problem-solving forums? Hate Crime Increasing understanding of the local hate crime picture for both statutory services and residents: How can your organisation help develop a two-way flow of information on local hate crime issues? Improving the confidence of victims and survivors to report hate crime: How can your organisation encourage and support people to come forward and report crime? Increasing victim satisfaction among residents in relation to hate crime outcomes: How can your organisation work with the police and local authority to support victims after the report hate crime? Violence Against the Person Violence Affecting Young People: How can you help improve perceptions of safety and reduce young people’s vulnerability to robbery of personal property across Lambeth? Violence Against Women & Girls: How can your organisation become, or help recruit, a Safe Haven site, ensuring people experiencing harassment or risk in public spaces can access immediate safety and support. Gangs & Exploitation: What interventions would you prioritise to tackle the emergence of firearm enabled offending within London? Reducing Reoffending The borough has an effective Community Payback programme which offers People on Probation opportunities to develop their work-ready skills: how can your organisation support People on Probation to develop work-ready skills? Reducing First Time Entrants: How can your organisation help to prevent children entering the criminal justice system? Increasing Engagement in Participation Age: How can your organisation help to provide opportunities and encourage children of participation age to engage with ETE? = = = Looking at what Neighbourhood Watch Associations and Groups delver elsewhere, the potential contribution obvious. The means of turning that potential into action in Lambeth is not. Please respond to the consultation surveyPlease respond to this Alert and update your entry on the Met Engage/Neighbourhood Watch Database if you would like to be active in exploring ways forward. | 
