Brent Safer Neighbourhood board

The Brent Safer Neighbourhood Board was set up by the Mayor of London to hold local police to account and help set police priorities.

The SNB priorities and core functions are to:

• enable local engagement with the police
• enable local scrutiny and accountability of the police
• focus on the Police and Crime Plan key principles and priorities of reducing and preventing violence, increasing trust and confidence, better supporting victims and protecting people from being exploited or harmed
• monitor crime performance and public perceptions (community confidence)
• inform the development of policing priorities in the borough
• monitor MPS support for the delivery of ward panels and community contact sessions
• engage with Borough Independent Advisory Groups and other local mechanisms (e.g. neighbourhood watch and stop and search community monitoring groups) to support and inform their work across the borough. 

Members of the board are Brent residents from different parts of the community.

Ward panel chairs from north, central and south areas (3)

• Brent Connects forum members (Harlesden, Kilburn & Kensal, Kingsbury & Kenton, Wembley, Willesden) (5)

• Brent Connects forum members (Harlesden, Kilburn & Kensal, Kingsbury & Kenton, Wembley, Willesden) (5)

• Brent Youth Parliament (2)

• Lead councillor for community safety (1)

• Victim Support (1)

• Neighbourhood Watch (1)

Attendees

• Senior police including inspector for Brent safer neighbourhoods

• Council head of community safety

• MOPAC

• Independent custody visitors

• Independent advisory group

• Stop and search community monitoring group

• Probation Service Community Payback (unpaid work)

• Co-opted

Each year, four meetings of the board and one public meeting. The dates of the next meetings are:

 7pm - 9pm Thursday 22 September 2022 public meeting in the Grand Hall at Brent Civic Centre

• 7pm - 9pm Wednesday 28 September 2022
• 7pm - 9pm Wednesday 30 November 2022

Public meetings have focused on knife crime and violence, and on drugs.

The 2022 public meeting is on working together to improve trust and confidence in the police.

Online public meetings were held in 2020 and 2021 to ask questions of the borough commander.

Annual funding from MOPAC since 2014/15 (administered by Brent Council head of community safety)

Projects £29280 until 2020/21 then £18936 (must address the SNB priorities and core functions or local priorities)

Administration £5200 each year

Projects have focused on:

• helping young people avoid being drawn into violence, gangs, drugs and abusive relationships
• raising awareness about domestic abuse and reporting it, including in East European communities
• training street pastors
• increasing engagement through OWL (Online Watch Link) crime and safety messaging

For more information on the Brent Safer Neighbourhood Board email: community.safety@brent.gov.uk. 

Ward panels of community members set priorities and actions for the SNT and scrutinise their work. If you are interested in finding out what safer neighbourhood ward panels do and how you can join one to help your community keep safer, you can join your ward panel so you can help:

• focus local police on the issues the community is concerned about
• feed back to the community ways to keep safer and the action police are taking
• community members to be more involved in us all working together to make our neighbourhood safer.

When do they meet?

The panel meets with the police Safer Neighbourhood Team four times a year in the evening.

Panel members explain community concerns and the police provide information on crime, antisocial behaviour and their recent activity.

What happens next?

The panel then sets priorities and actions for the police to focus on in the ward and report back on at the next meeting. Meetings are also attended by ward councillors and council antisocial behaviour officers so that joint ways of solving problems can be identified.

How to get involved?

Brent police are recruiting for all of their ward panels so that they are more representative of the ward.

Can you help the panel represent the views of all parts of the ward and everyone who lives, works or studies in it?

Contact owl.brent@met.police.uk to find out more.

• Download the Ward panel handbook for community members 

Each ward has a police safer neighbourhood team (SNT) of two police constables (PC) and one police community support officer (PCSO). A police sergeant manages about three wards.

How to report crime concerns and get help 

Brent Police Newsletters June 2022 newsletter pdfs) -

For the latest Met police updates visit https://news.met.police.uk/