Policing Matters
At 10.05 a.m. I arrive at the Central LAP meeting in Committee Room 2 in our glorious Town Hall. LAP is Local Action Partnership. They've kicked off dead on time at 10. I'm late. But looking around those three Lib Dem 'representatives' are not represented.
Perhaps cycling the wrong way up a one way street somewhere? Or perhaps (apart from Dobbo) they are out of our face because they're busy communing with Charles Kennedy or trying to rustle up the votes to unseat Phil Woolas, Lorna Fitzsimmons or David Chaytor in some of our closer seats.
Woolas signed my Life Membership card as General Secretary of the MUSU many years ago, Fitzsimmons carries quite a reputation, while Chaytor has the nearest thing to a good argument for Top Up Fees, even Variable Top Up Fees that I've ever heard. If we have a good case to make it is these high calibre arguments that we have to face and win. Just as we have to take on the brains trust of Nick Cohen, Johann Hari and David Aaronivitch on the war.
LAPs exist to plan action between the Police, the Council plus in the case of the Centre's FOUR different LAPs (other wards have just one) the Management Company, and various representatives of business and residents.
The Central LAP is far and away the most commercial orientated of the four. Few residents still in this area which covers the 'Central Business District' and the high value heart of 'Manchester's Shopping Offer'.
As I arrive a Police Superintendent is reeling off the crime stats. Mostly they're pretty good versus the central government targets. And month on month in January most of the figures are on the way down.
This has been the general pattern ever since Chief Constable Michael Todd took over a couple of years ago. Well before the extra 800 or so police officers were trained up. And long before the Community Support Officers found their feet on the beat.
Not surprisingly the progress has continued as these extra forces are applied. In 2004 I missed the Annual General Meeting of the Manchester Local Government Committee aka City Party. This had the attractive by-product of getting back some of my Friday evenings spent in Exec meetings.
It was doubly worth it as Todd was also a very impressive communicator and he is clearly a strong leader setting high standards for his people. Every day he says is like Christmas Day for him. The one exception he makes being the day he lost an Officer in an anti-Terror raid.
Greater Manchester still looks like one of the weaker forces nationally. There is certainly plenty of headroom for improvement. But the local media seem unable to make their minds up whether to beat them up for newly published figures under old regimes or go easy on them when there are small improvements in the league tables.
A letter from Council Leader Richard Leese to the Chief Constable which somehow found its way to the Manchester Evening News included a robust critique of performance. Though it had been Leese who drove through the extra Police Numbers when several councils were all for leaving it another year.
Back to those figures. The highlights :
For the whole Division (City Centre plus a chunk of North and East Manchester)
Reports Actual Reduction Target
Burglary 26.1% 15.0%
Robbery 19.9% 18.0%
Vehicles 9.5% 8.5%
Detections Actual Improvement Target
Burglary 10.8% 10.5%
Robbery 14.9% 17.5%
Vehicles 8.3% 8.0%
Assaults inc Serious 23.2% 22.4%
All crime 22.7% 18.7%
In the Central LAP alone :
Jan Feb
Serious wounding 1 1
Wounding 53 48
Shoplifting 96 112
Rape 0 1
Indecent assault 2 0
Burglary dwelling 0 1
Robbery 12 5
Theft from person 39 27
From vehicle 16 14
Of vehicles 14 6
I don't record the buglaries from businesses but it is clear from heated discussions that these are up from an already high level. Selfridges reports six organised crime ram raids in a few months. One franchise holder is threatening to decamp to the Trafford Centre. Police say they are making progress. And that number plate recognition software helps intercept the likely lads. The superintendent also says that his officers do not usually intervene on raids in progress. Instead they try to execute an interception at a suitable location.
Some vicarious excitement. Organised criminals. Evil masterminds. High Technology. Heist. Ambush. Arrest. Bad lads banged up.
But it's not really too relevant to the life of local residents. I cross examine on the matter of the Police Pod. This is being relocated from the remodelled Picadilly Gardens to the Exchange Square area next to Urbis. This is Five Star aggressive skate boarding and moshing territory. Tagging. Drugs. Drunkeness. Nuisance.
The idea is to break the patterns. But there is a clear understanding all round that there needs to be pressure with support. Youth facilities and budgets are poor.
I will return to all this expression of youth and music culture stuff when I get a chance. Perhaps in revisions here. Perhaps another day.
Lib Dems are still wavering between weak and very weak on crime and disorder. And they have a confused approach on surveillance and civil liberties to boot.
Perhaps cycling the wrong way up a one way street somewhere? Or perhaps (apart from Dobbo) they are out of our face because they're busy communing with Charles Kennedy or trying to rustle up the votes to unseat Phil Woolas, Lorna Fitzsimmons or David Chaytor in some of our closer seats.
Woolas signed my Life Membership card as General Secretary of the MUSU many years ago, Fitzsimmons carries quite a reputation, while Chaytor has the nearest thing to a good argument for Top Up Fees, even Variable Top Up Fees that I've ever heard. If we have a good case to make it is these high calibre arguments that we have to face and win. Just as we have to take on the brains trust of Nick Cohen, Johann Hari and David Aaronivitch on the war.
LAPs exist to plan action between the Police, the Council plus in the case of the Centre's FOUR different LAPs (other wards have just one) the Management Company, and various representatives of business and residents.
The Central LAP is far and away the most commercial orientated of the four. Few residents still in this area which covers the 'Central Business District' and the high value heart of 'Manchester's Shopping Offer'.
As I arrive a Police Superintendent is reeling off the crime stats. Mostly they're pretty good versus the central government targets. And month on month in January most of the figures are on the way down.
This has been the general pattern ever since Chief Constable Michael Todd took over a couple of years ago. Well before the extra 800 or so police officers were trained up. And long before the Community Support Officers found their feet on the beat.
Not surprisingly the progress has continued as these extra forces are applied. In 2004 I missed the Annual General Meeting of the Manchester Local Government Committee aka City Party. This had the attractive by-product of getting back some of my Friday evenings spent in Exec meetings.
It was doubly worth it as Todd was also a very impressive communicator and he is clearly a strong leader setting high standards for his people. Every day he says is like Christmas Day for him. The one exception he makes being the day he lost an Officer in an anti-Terror raid.
Greater Manchester still looks like one of the weaker forces nationally. There is certainly plenty of headroom for improvement. But the local media seem unable to make their minds up whether to beat them up for newly published figures under old regimes or go easy on them when there are small improvements in the league tables.
A letter from Council Leader Richard Leese to the Chief Constable which somehow found its way to the Manchester Evening News included a robust critique of performance. Though it had been Leese who drove through the extra Police Numbers when several councils were all for leaving it another year.
Back to those figures. The highlights :
For the whole Division (City Centre plus a chunk of North and East Manchester)
Reports Actual Reduction Target
Burglary 26.1% 15.0%
Robbery 19.9% 18.0%
Vehicles 9.5% 8.5%
Detections Actual Improvement Target
Burglary 10.8% 10.5%
Robbery 14.9% 17.5%
Vehicles 8.3% 8.0%
Assaults inc Serious 23.2% 22.4%
All crime 22.7% 18.7%
In the Central LAP alone :
Jan Feb
Serious wounding 1 1
Wounding 53 48
Shoplifting 96 112
Rape 0 1
Indecent assault 2 0
Burglary dwelling 0 1
Robbery 12 5
Theft from person 39 27
From vehicle 16 14
Of vehicles 14 6
I don't record the buglaries from businesses but it is clear from heated discussions that these are up from an already high level. Selfridges reports six organised crime ram raids in a few months. One franchise holder is threatening to decamp to the Trafford Centre. Police say they are making progress. And that number plate recognition software helps intercept the likely lads. The superintendent also says that his officers do not usually intervene on raids in progress. Instead they try to execute an interception at a suitable location.
Some vicarious excitement. Organised criminals. Evil masterminds. High Technology. Heist. Ambush. Arrest. Bad lads banged up.
But it's not really too relevant to the life of local residents. I cross examine on the matter of the Police Pod. This is being relocated from the remodelled Picadilly Gardens to the Exchange Square area next to Urbis. This is Five Star aggressive skate boarding and moshing territory. Tagging. Drugs. Drunkeness. Nuisance.
The idea is to break the patterns. But there is a clear understanding all round that there needs to be pressure with support. Youth facilities and budgets are poor.
I will return to all this expression of youth and music culture stuff when I get a chance. Perhaps in revisions here. Perhaps another day.
Lib Dems are still wavering between weak and very weak on crime and disorder. And they have a confused approach on surveillance and civil liberties to boot.
posted by Chris Paul at 11:51 AM
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