Agenda item

8.51pm – Councillor Rebecca Harvey moved, seconded by Councillor Lisa Homan, the special motion in their names:

“The Council is deeply concerned that crime is rising nationally.

·      Police-recorded violence is up 13% from nearly 1.8 million cases to more than 2 million in 2021.

·      Increases have been seen across most crime types, with levels of some, such as sexual offences, now exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

·      Sexual offences have increased by 32% compared with the previous year.

·      A similar pattern exists for most violent crime types, such as homicide, which up by 25% following a 20% fall the previous year.

·      37% of sexual offences recorded are rape and more rape is being reported, yet according to the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales the number of prosecutions has fallen nearly 60%.

The Council is concerned that there are insufficient police due to the government’s ideological programme of austerity. 

The Council notes that there is a disastrous court backlog of cases waiting to be heard, with closures of courts and underfunding of the criminal justice system, court buildings in disrepair and court estates being sold off when there is clearly a need for them.  Criminal trials are being delayed due to lack of barristers to prosecute and defend the cases.

The Council supports the proactive measures that Hammersmith & Fulham’s Labour administration has taken to mitigate the damaging performance of the Conservative government on crime and make our streets safer. These include:

·      Investing £5.5 million on CCTV to improve and grow the borough’s 24/7 network of CCTV cameras over the next five years

·      Creating the country’s largest council Law Enforcement Team, with 72 LET officers who are working to make our streets safer

·      Investing in a specialised Gangs Unit dedicated to safeguarding children and young people

·      Engaging dedicated officers to support women and girls.

The Council recognises the dedication and the effectiveness of its Community Safety and Law Enforcement Teams in working to make residents safer.

The Council calls on the Conservative government to fund the police and criminal justice system properly so that residents and those that come to work in and visit Hammersmith and Fulham feel safe and protected.”

Speeches on the motion were made by Councillors Harvey, Homan, Patel, and Cowan (for the Administration) – and Councillors Afonso and Dinsmore (for the Opposition).

Councillor Harvey then made a speech winding up the debate before the motion was put to the vote:

FOR                        33

AGAINST                9

NOT VOTING         1

The motion was declared CARRIED.

9.24pm – RESOLVED:

The Council is deeply concerned that crime is rising nationally.

·      Police-recorded violence is up 13% from nearly 1.8 million cases to more than 2 million in 2021.

·      Increases have been seen across most crime types, with levels of some, such as sexual offences, now exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

·      Sexual offences have increased by 32% compared with the previous year.

·      A similar pattern exists for most violent crime types, such as homicide, which up by 25% following a 20% fall the previous year.

·      37% of sexual offences recorded are rape and more rape is being reported, yet according to the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales the number of prosecutions has fallen nearly 60%.

The Council is concerned that there are insufficient police due to the government’s ideological programme of austerity. 

The Council notes that there is a disastrous court backlog of cases waiting to be heard, with closures of courts and underfunding of the criminal justice system, court buildings in disrepair and court estates being sold off when there is clearly a need for them.  Criminal trials are being delayed due to lack of barristers to prosecute and defend the cases.

The Council supports the proactive measures that Hammersmith & Fulham’s Labour administration has taken to mitigate the damaging performance of the Conservative government on crime and make our streets safer. These include:

·      Investing £5.5 million on CCTV to improve and grow the borough’s 24/7 network of CCTV cameras over the next five years

·      Creating the country’s largest council Law Enforcement Team, with 72 LET officers who are working to make our streets safer

·      Investing in a specialised Gangs Unit dedicated to safeguarding children and young people

·      Engaging dedicated officers to support women and girls.

The Council recognises the dedication and the effectiveness of its Community Safety and Law Enforcement Teams in working to make residents safer.

The Council calls on the Conservative government to fund the police and criminal justice system properly so that residents and those that come to work in and visit Hammersmith and Fulham feel safe and protected.