Two Islingtons: Understanding the Problem - Islington Council

8.2. Prevailing assumptions and practices can set up barriers that prevent fair access to
services and equal employment opportunities, which in turn can discriminate against
people on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief and sexual
orientation. Working with the Equality Standard enables Islington to mainstream equality,
which will ensure that discriminatory barriers are identified and removed. This is achieved
through the implementation of Departmental Equality Action Plans (DEAP’s) led on by
each department and overseen by the Corporate Equalities team as well as the
undertaking of Equality Impact Assessments which assess the potential impact of a policy
or project on the different equality strands.
9. Crime
9.1. Crime is a significant issue within the borough and affects different groups
disproportionately; 81% of victims of domestic violence are women and drug misuse is
higher amongst men. There is an over-representation of Black boys entering the Youth
Justice System and disabled people are more worried about crime and twice as likely to be
fearful of going out after dark. Young people are the main perpetrators and victims of crime
and over 40% of older people feel very unsafe out after dark.
9.2. An overview of Islington’s Total Notifiable Offences revealed that crime has continued to
decline during 2009, with an approximate 6% reduction compared to the previous year’s
figures (Apr to Dec compared to the same period in 2008). However more recently, this
long-term decline in total offences has appeared to slow, suggesting that levels are
beginning to plateau. Overall, Islington continues to be a high crime borough, with
comparatively more crimes than any other London Borough with the exception of
Westminster. Despite positive reductions, a number of offence categories saw increases
over the last year, most notably Hate Crime (8% up), Motor Vehicle Crime (7% up) and
most other areas of acquisitive crime (Theft & Handling offences up by 3% overall). This
rise was predicted as a possible consequence of the current economic issues in the
country A range of activities and actions are in place to tackle the inequalities in relation to
crime and safety;
9.3. The Triage Programme works alongside partners in the Police service to divert potential
first time entrants away from the youth justice system by offering a targeted package of
support services. The programme is targeted at young people committing gravity 1 and 2
level offences. Between its launch in June 2009 and Dec 2009, Triage has worked with 93
young people. 10 of the 93 have been re-arrested since and dealt with via the criminal
justice system; 2 others were still on Police bail as of Dec 2009. This represents a
relatively low rate of re-offending, and early indicators are that the Triage programme is
having a significant impact on reducing first time entrants.
9.4. For young people, crime & drugs there has been a focus on reducing re-offending,
preventing young people becoming victims of crime, improving attitudes towards
education, and reducing the risk of young people entering the criminal justice system. The
number of first time entrants to the youth justice system is improving- PNC results for
2008/09 show a 15.5% reduction on the previous year while the YJB submission for Q3
shows a 33% reduction – both measures are substantially better than London and YOS
family comparators. The charity Chance UK aimed reducing youth crime and anti-social
behaviour by providing one-to-one mentoring for children aged 5-11 with behavioural
difficulties using a solution focused approach. Well over 100 children have been mentored
have been mentored and 97 new mentors trained. 98% of children showed reductions in
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