Forum topic: Safer Neighbourhood Board (SNB)

This “borough level CAPE” met on the 13th March. Members are made up of the borough’s CAPE chairs and groups such as racial equality and disabled plus (non-voting) interested party attendees from the police, councillors, council officers and several other areas. It seems to have run for at least a decade but unknown to me until my requested first attendance late last year. Meetings are public, occur 2-3 times pa, with papers on the LBE web site.
 My first meeting wasn’t entirely satisfactory, and the open question I ended up lobbing in, “what are we doing here?”, may have been part of the trigger which saw a new chair (Bush Hill Park) and two new deputies (Cockfosters and Southgate) elected this month.
 There will now be work to develop a refreshed suite of supporting items – ToR’s, handbook, roles, data needs and feeds, best practice sharing, induction process, and so forth. All positive stuff and a new lead team I believe can deliver.
 On the what’s occurring list we heard of several special ops, mostly in the east of the borough focused on eg ASB, violence and vice, plus some good news of (small) increases in levels of PC’s and sergeants due on the ground within 3 months.  Less certain is a large uplift in PCSO’s (current 30 rising to 84 in a three-year plan) which is subject to the upcoming mayoral election, funding thereafter and of course the ability to recruit, while retaining those in situ.
 The SNB has a role in stop and search (of which I don’t have a handle on) and very specifically the boroughs CCTV infrastructure, where it plays a lead role on oversight, including inspections.
 This is really for no more than information for I believe it crucial we all have a broader idea of what goes on around us, often on our behalf, and often were we can play a (key) role.
 Usual stuff from me – report the bad stuff and think about volunteering: what should and can be important parts of our society frequently requires community hands to make work.