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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED: - That, subject to the above changes, the Work Programme at Appendix 1 be agreed.
AGREED: (i) That the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee thanked Officers and Lead Members for the thorough report and appreciated the detail provided, which gave Councillors a clearer understanding of departmental work in challenging times. (ii) That the Committee passed on thanks to all employees for their efforts over recent years. (iii) That the Committee accepted the recommendations cited at 3.1 and 3.2. (iv) That the suggestion at 3.3 was agreed, with relevant meetings to proceed outside of this Committee and reports on those meetings to be presented at a future session.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Beryl Blackmore and Marc Jones. Councillor Claire Lovett was absent.
AGREED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 8 October 2025 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: - That, subject to the above changes, the Work Programme at Appendix 1 be agreed.
The Chief Officer for Governance and Customer submitted a report (GOC/82/25). Asking members to consider the draft work programme of the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee attached at Appendix .1 The Scrutiny Facilitator introduced the report and highlighted that:- · At the October meeting, the committee agreed the items scheduled for the October–December period, and these were formally accepted. · The item on library services will be scheduled for consideration at the December meeting, alongside a report on community agents, which will complete the current phase of work. · In addition, a budget item has been scheduled for February 2026 to provide assurance to the committee that matters relating to the budget have been appropriately timetabled. AGREED: - That, subject to the above changes, the Work Programme at Appendix 1 be agreed.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: (i) That the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee thanked Officers and Lead Members for the thorough report and appreciated the detail provided, which gave Councillors a clearer understanding of departmental work in challenging times. (ii) That the Committee passed on thanks to all employees for their efforts over recent years. (iii) That the Committee accepted the recommendations cited at 3.1 and 3.2. (iv) That the suggestion at 3.3 was agreed, with relevant meetings to proceed outside of this Committee and reports on those meetings to be presented at a future session.
The Chief Officer for Governance and Customer submitted a report (COGC/81/25) that allowed the Committee, acting as the Crime and Disorder Committee, to review and scrutinise decisions by the Wrexham Community Safety Partnership (CSP) in connection with the discharge of crime and disorder functions by Responsible Authorities. The Lead Member for Partnerships and Community Safety introduced the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Performance Report for 2024–2025. Members were reminded that the 2023–2024 performance report had been reviewed in December 2024, and that the new report covered the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The Lead Member confirmed that CSP priorities were strategically aligned with regional strategies, including the Safer North Wales Partnership Board, the North Wales Serious Violence Plan, and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Plan. The Senior Performance, Improvement & Partnerships Officer summarised the work undertaken by the Wrexham Community Safety Partnership over the past 12 months. The presentation highlighted several key areas of positive activity and referred members to page 39 of the Agenda pack, covering: · Community Cohesion and Community Safety 2024. · Catch 22 initiative. · Coleg Cambria. · Statistical figures. Representatives from the North Wales Police also gave their input to the presentation. The following was discussed:- · The Knife Dragon initiative was linked to Operation Sceptre and the national knife crime reduction week (11–17 November). · Activities included education sessions at Coleg Cambria and local schools, trading standards test purchases, proactive patrols, and intelligence‑led stop searches. · Coleg Cambria was developing a Knife Dragon hub, to be reported in future CSB updates. · In emergencies or situations posing an immediate threat to life or safety, residents were instructed to dial 999, while 101 (or the online web chat) was intended for non‑urgent matters. · Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (now known as His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services – HMICFRS) had praised the police control room’s performance, so delays were not expected. · Although ASB figures have reduced significantly Residents with ongoing ASB concerns were advised to contact neighbourhood policing teams via the Police website. · Unlike the Welsh Ambulance Service, the Police did not operate to an eight‑minute response target; emergency calls were instead graded by the control room according to threat, risk, and harm. · For immediate threats to life, response targets were 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas. Priority 1 calls were to be attended within one hour. · Members raised concerns about motorbike offences and emphasised the importance of reporting incidents to support Police intelligence and address repeat issues. · Each ward had a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), though some covered multiple wards. Allocations stood at 17 PCSOs in Wrexham City and 19 in Wrexham Rural. · Recruitment and retention challenges persisted, particularly in rural areas, with overall numbers lower than 12 years ago due to budget cuts. · Residents raised concerns about long waits on the 101 service, with some abandoning calls. · The Police could not provide exact call statistics but advised reporting ongoing problems to neighbourhood teams. · Following the 2018 council restructuring, Council‑funded PCSOs have reduced from five to four, impacting rural allocations. · Urgent incidents such as drug dealing were to be reported via 999. · ASB was classified into three categories: Personal, Nuisance, and Environmental, with response times prioritised accordingly. · The Police were unable to attend community council meetings via Zoom due to IT and security limitations, though Teams was supported. · The Police acknowledged the need to strengthen links with community councils. · Councillors reiterated concerns that ASB figures did not reflect local experience. · The Police acknowledged staffing reductions due to budget pressures but confirmed every ward had a named PCSO and confirmed commitment to coverage across all wards. · Members noted ASB often occurred in waves and was impacted by staff changes, with concerns that knowledge of habitual offenders was lost when experienced officers left. · Collaboration between City and Rural teams have improved, with shared resources and stronger relationships compared to five years ago. · Forward planning was being developed to identify retirements earlier and train replacements. · One effective PCSO was noted to achieve more than several less experienced officers, highlighting quality as well as numbers. · Members requested further information on the Don’t Steal Your Future initiative. · A schools programme had been delivered to around ten schools, with funding enabling age‑appropriate training in primaries. · Operation Guardian supported vulnerable individuals, including those affected by mental health issues, substance misuse, or vulnerabilities, as well as vulnerable offenders. · Police explained cuckooing, where criminals would take over homes of vulnerable individuals. Work was ongoing with partners to identify suspects and provide support, with presentations available. · Members praised the positive impact of PCSOs within the community. · Police noted abstractions such as sickness and maternity leave reduced patrol availability. · Recruitment remained a priority, with a dedicated meeting planned to review staffing. · Police explained crime groups were mapped locally, though many were inactive due to imprisonment or disbandment. · Wrexham did not face the same scale of organised crime as larger cities such as Manchester. · Members were assured that Wrexham remained a safe place to live and work, with relatively low serious incidents. · Council funding for community safety had reduced, but opportunities were being explored, including applications to the Shared Prosperity Fund. · The Men at work project trained 35 WBC officers, equipping them with toolkits to engage young people. · The Night Charter promoted zero tolerance of harassment of women, engaging over 200 people, and was the first of its kind in Wales following Wrexham’s city status. · Prevent Training had been rolled out through modular packages, equipping staff to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns, particularly radicalisation and extremism. · North Wales Police agreed to provide responses to any questions that could not be asked due to the technical problems which brought the meeting to an abrupt end. AGREED: (i) That the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee thanked Officers and Lead Members for the thorough report and appreciated the detail provided, which gave Councillors a clearer understanding of departmental work in challenging times. (ii) That the Committee passed on thanks to all employees for their efforts over recent years. (iii) That the Committee accepted the recommendations cited at 3.1 and 3.2. (iv) That the suggestion at 3.3 was agreed, with relevant meetings to proceed outside of this Committee and reports on those meetings to be presented at a future session.
Owing to technical issues, the Committee resolved to defer consideration of the HMP Berwyn item and agreed it would be revisited in the New Year.
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