Community Harm and Risk Management Meetings
Community Harm and Risk Management Meetings discuss and agree action to reduce the negative impact of individuals anti-social behaviour on Surrey's communities.
Community Harm and Risk Management Meetings
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 introduced a statutory requirement that key local agencies work together, in partnership, to tackle crime and disorder in their localities. This requirement led to the creation of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). In Surrey each CSP has established local delivery groups that support the aims of the CSP, namely Community Harm and Risk Management meetings (CHARMM) (dealing with individuals of concern) and Joint Action Groups (dealing with specific locations and issues of concern).
The Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 further embedded the theme of partnership working and introduced an overhaul of the whole system of dealing with anti-social behaviour to ensure agencies are putting the needs of victims first. CSPs are expected to not only focus on the anti-social behaviour, but also on the impact it has on the victim, whether that is an individual, household, or the wider community. There have also been other legislative and policy changes in the recent past that have given CSPs a wide range of responsibilities including Prevent (Counter Terrorism), Serious Organised Crime, Child Criminal Exploitation and Modern Slavery.
Purpose
CHaRMMs will discuss and agree action to reduce the negative impact that individuals and families have on Surrey's communities through their anti-social behaviour (ASB). Using the expertise that exists on this multi-agency group, members will share information on referrals, and incidents, and put in place appropriate risk management and disruption plans to address the behaviour of the perpetrator and reduce the negative impact on victims. Examples of individuals referred to CHaRMM include:
- Persons displaying a disregard for community or personal well-being i.e., excessive noise, rowdy, nuisance, drunken or loutish behaviour
- Perpetrators of acts directed at people i.e., making threats, verbal abuse, coercion/exploitation, intimidation/harassment (including Violence Against Women & Girls related intimidation/street harassment i.e., unwanted sexualised comments, persistent unwanted sexual advances)
- Perpetrators of environmental damage/vandalism i.e., criminal damage, vandalism
- High risk or vulnerable victims of anti-social behaviour
CHaRMMs are the agreed forum for implementation of tools and powers introduced by the ASB Crime & Policing Act where multi-agency information sharing, consultation or response may be required to support the process, in particular:
- Civil Injunctions (applicable to perpetrators aged 10 or over)
- Criminal Behaviour Orders (applicable to perpetrators aged 10 or over)
- Community Protection Notices and Warnings (applicable to perpetrators aged 16 or over)
CHaRMMs are accountable to local Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and should contribute to the delivery of local community safety partnerships plans. The aims of the CHaRMM are to:
- Disrupt the anti-social or criminal behaviour of the perpetrator
- Facilitate effective information sharing and case management that enables appropriate action to increase the safety, and well-being of victims and the wider community
- Reduce repeat victimisation and implement risk management plans to prevent further harm
The involvement of a wide variety of both statutory and voluntary agencies will ensure a harm centred approach throughout and a learning opportunity to understand what others can bring to the problem-solving process. Applying a harm reduction and risk assessment-based response aims to improve the relevance of meetings and make attendance and engagement in the process worthwhile for all involved.
It is important that all CHaRMM members recognise that ASB is often an early indicator of other criminal activity including, but not limited to, county-lines drug dealing, cuckooing, child exploitation, radicalisation, modern slavery and domestic abuse. The innovative use of ASB tools and powers can make a valuable contribution to the disruption of these more serious crimes.
The CHaRMM will complement the work and priorities of other multi-agency forums, including:
- Joint Action Groups (JAG) (location based anti-social behaviour and criminality)
- Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) JAG
- Channel Panels (supporting people vulnerable to being drawn into extremism)
- Early Help Hubs (supporting children at any point in their life from the foundation years through to teenage years, as soon as a problem emerges)
- Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (high risk domestic abuse)
- Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (high risk sexual and violent offenders)
- Multi Agency Tasking and Co-ordination (high risk perpetrators of domestic abuse)
- Family Support Programme (families caught in a pattern of ASB, unemployment, alcohol abuse and truancy)
- Surrey Adults Matter (adults facing multiple disadvantages such as rough sleeping and homelessness, substance misuse, mental health, and criminal justice)
- Changing Futures - Bridge the Gap (supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantage by providing trauma-informed outreach support)
- Risk and Vulnerability Meetings (RVM) (safeguarding children at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation)
- Surrey Community Harm Reduction Group (county-wide strategic group)
The CHaRMM will not duplicate the work of these groups, it will explore ways to support them by utilising the tools and powers available to them, particularly those introduced by the ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014, to disrupt the anti-social or criminal behaviour of the perpetrators and support the most vulnerable victims.
In this section
- Community Harm and Risk Management Meetings Information Sharing
- Community Harm and Risk Management Meeting Referrals
- CHaRMM Membership and Attendance
- Community Harm and Risk Management Meetings Chairing and Administration
- Community Harm and Risk Management Meeting Implementation
- Further Guidance and Advice for CHaRMM Members
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