Issue - meetings

The Committee is asked to note the contents of this report and the progress achieved during the reporting period.

The Committee considered a report that sought to inform the members of the current crime statistics in Spelthorne for the 2024/25 reporting year.

The Committee asked how they could help residents to avoid becoming the victim of a scam or fraud. The Borough Commander, Inspector Walton advised the Committee that the Police do try to alert the public of any potential generic scams, but the Council could use public engagement events to advise residents of ways to detect what is a scam and how to avoid becoming a victim of a scammer.

The Committee felt that the data included within the report did not reflect the true level of crime that actually occurred in the Borough. The Community Safety Officer advised that only reported crime could be used to calculate the statistics and that it was difficult to quantify how measures put in place such as football clubs taking in disaffected youths impacted on the level of crime. It was acknowledged that unreported crime was an issue but engagement with communities could provide a more accurate picture of residents’ experiences of crime and how the fear of crime has impacted on their lives.

Inspector Walton advised the Committee that charities did attend schools within the Borough to teach children about the dangers of knife crime.

The Committee resolved to acknowledge the progress update contained in the report.