Joint Crime and Disorder Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Basingstoke/Hart/Rushmoor) - Wednesday, 23rd September, 2026 6.30 pm - Agenda and draft minutes

To appoint a chairman for the meeting.

Councillor Kevin Betsworth was elected as Chair for the 2026/27 Municipal Year. 

To note apologies for the meeting.

Apologies for absence and substitutions had been received as follows:

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Apologies – Cllr Jo Perry

Hart District Council

Apologies - Cllr Gill Butler – Substitute - Cllr Richard Jones

Apologies – Cllr Steve Forster

Rushmoor Borough Council

Apologies - Cllr Halleh Koohestani – Substitute - Cllr Craig Card

Apologies – Cllr Steve Harden – Substitute – Cllr Mara Makunura

To note any declarations of interest.

No declarations of interest were received.

To address any urgent matters raised by the Committee.

No urgent matters were raised at the meeting.

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 19th June, 2025, draft minutes.

.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2025 were confirmed as a correct record.

To receive the Strategic Safer North Hampshire Community Safety Partnership Report (copy attached) and associated appendices (attached).

The Committee considered the report of the Chair of the Community Safety Partnership (Cllr Christine Guinness) which provided an overview of the performance of the Safer North Hampshire Strategic Community Safety Partnership (CSP) during 2025/26.

The Report, accompanying presentation and appendices, provided an update on the Safer North Hampshire Community Safety Partnership’s work during 2025/26, covering community safety, serious violence, domestic abuse, antisocial behaviour and town-centre crime. Members noted progress including improved feelings of safety, school and youth engagement, partnership working, domestic abuse accreditation, targeted patrols, CCTV improvements and business engagement.

The Committee also noted continuing challenges, particularly gaps in health and partner data-sharing, limited local detail in serious-violence assessments, resource pressures arising from domestic abuse-related death reviews, funding constraints and the need for improved antisocial-behaviour case-management systems. Further work would continue to address these challenges through future strategic assessments and relevant partnership meetings.

The Committee discussed the information provided and raised a number of comments and questions, as set out:

• Parental/carer discipline of young people – understanding what parents/carers can and can’t do – utilise the parent/carer forums in schools to reach out and inform/engage

• Schools engagement – currently provide for younger children, what if anything could be offered to secondary school children? – In response, it was noted that in Rushmoor (RBC) engagement was targeted at Yr 6 pupils in the transition stage of moving up to secondary school. Hart (HDC) did more engagement with their young people in secondary schools and Basingstoke (BDBC) ran a Choices Programme in their secondary school. The Police also attended all secondary schools across the area carrying out local engagement. The programme varied across the area due to resources and finance.

• Mediation Service Update – it was noted that Rushmoor Citizens Advice had recently established a mediation service, it was currently too early to provide any data on the uptake of this service, but it was agreed that a discussion would take place with the RBC’s communications team to see how the service could be promoted more.

Other mediation services had been funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner, but it was acknowledged that getting agreement from both parties was challenging. VIVID representatives advised of their mediation offer for residents in social housing which offered access to tools to support neighbour conflicts – there had been a successful uptake of this service.

It was felt that more information could be provided to residents across the area explaining what mediation was and how it could help. Early offers of mediation often resulted in more positive outcomes.

• Shoplifting – what are young people stealing, is it hunger related through issues at home? – In response it was noted that there had been an increase in incidents of shoplifting and an increase in reporting. Most were serious offences not ad hoc, and there had been recent success with the issuing of a criminal behaviour order (CBO) which stopped the offender visiting particular shops.

Regarding young people shoplifting, it was noted that incidents were usually adolescent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.