'No Deal'  Initiative - Update 1 March 2006 

This report is based on a review of the No Deal initiative by a project team drawn from the police, local authority and community on 1 March 2006. It was agreed at that review to run the initiative for a further three months to 12 June 2006. 

Community Feedback 

Community feedback continues to record an improvement in overall impressions of safety/reductions in hassle, although the month on month improvement is slowing. Some respondents report visiting the Town Centre on several occasions in the month and seeing no dealing. There are, however, reports of community members witnessing ‘turf disputes’, of some ferocity, between remaining dealers. 

CPCG has had no reports of inappropriate use of the power of arrest for cannabis possession under the No Deal initiative. 

Police Actions 

Earlier reports, particularly those in the initial weeks of No Deal, relied on the police’s intelligence system (‘INTEL’) to collate information on police activity and subsequent outcomes for those arrested under No Deal.  

The limitation of this method of collation is that whilst the total numbers of arrests could be accurately stated, those attributed to Stop and Search (a smaller number) were not. This had the effect of overstating the arrest rate from Stop and Search. 

Further work has been undertaken to reconcile data in three police systems: the Stops system, the Intelligence System and the Custody System. The results are set out below.
 
No Deal Initiative: 12 December 2005 to 20 February 2006

The arrest rate for Stop and Search is thus lower than previously indicated but nonetheless three times that achieved in the benchmark period.

Full details have been provided of the profiles of those stopped and we are comparing those with the borough wide benchmarks provided by the Stop and Search Sub Group, and summaries of this information will be provided as the initiative progresses. Some details, relating to recent queries from Group members, are set out below.

‘No Deal’ Initiative – Update 1 February 2006

No Deal Update  

This update is based on a review of the initiative by the joint police, council and community project team on 1 February 2006

 Community Feedback
 
Qualitative feedback (extracts of which are available on the website) indicate that whilst there is perceived improvement, especially on the high street, dealing continues to adapt in terms of locations used and times of day. There is also some suggestion that Heroin and Crack Cocaine users finding it harder to locate suppliers in the Town Centre.

Quantitative results from the Community Poll suggested that amongst regular visitors to Brixton, at the beginning of January and comparing with a month earlier,

• Fewer people felt unsafe and markedly fewer felt hassled;
• About half felt that the situation had not changed, a sizable minority felt it had got better and about 10% felt it had got worse;
• A majority felt that policing of the issue was fair or had no view, about a fifth felt it was unfair.

The police in response have indicated that they will continue to adapt their deployments and tactics.

 Policing

Cumulative data for the period 12 December 2005 (the start of the initiative) and 1 February 2006, are shown below.  The high arrest rate (37% compared with a baseline of 8%, 12% if formal warnings are included) indicate that the power continues to be targeted and intelligence based, an important feature of No Deal.
 
Stop and Searches 437  
Arrests 138  
Arrest Rate 37%  
Stop and Accounts 240  
Warrants Issued 2 

  Arrests and Follow Through

‘No Deal’ Initiative – Update 4 January 2006

This update is based on a review by the ‘No Deal’ review group comprising the borough police, local authority and community representatives, just over three weeks in.

 Community Feedback

Generally, the initiative has been welcomed as a measure to address a widely perceived problem, although some remain to be convinced of its potential.

Formal and informal feedback to date is that the launch of the initiative has had a perceptible impact on the level of street dealing, principally on the high street between Brixton Tube Station and KFC corner. 

There has been less effect on overt dealing on Electric Avenue and Electric Lane and some concerns over displacement in Rushcroft and Saltoun Roads. Nuisance caused by Heroin and Crack Cocaine users (and dealers) continues to be a problem. There has also been some suggestion of ‘temporal displacement’ ie dealing shifting around the clock to times of lesser police presence.

There has been no negative feedback over the use of the power of arrest by the police.

A second wave of questionnaires will be sent out to the Community Panel during the week commencing 9 January.

 Police Activity

Lambeth borough police have provided the following data in respect of the use of Stop and Search for drugs during the run ‘No Deal’ to date (12 December to 4 January inclusive).

The arrest rate is much higher than in the baseline 3 month period preceding No Deal, of 8.4% (13% if Formal Warnings with Confiscation on the street are included) suggesting that use of the power is being closely targeted.  

The police have indicated that they will responsively adapt the initiative to address issues of effectiveness and displacement raised by the community.