JSNA – Planet
The Barnet Plan sets out a vision for a place where our streets are clean and antisocial behaviour is dealt with so residents feel safe. Providing good quality, customer friendly services in all that we do.
Crime
Violent Crime Statistics
Violence against the person is a broad offence group covering a wide spectrum of offending from homicide and serious violent crime through to lower harm and less serious common assault. The inclusion of these measures within the JSNA enables a focus on those interventions that are effective and evidence-based including a greater focus on prevention and treatment, which need to be considered alongside criminal justice measures for a balanced response to the issue.
Violence offences per 1,000 population have been gradually rising and nearly tripled for England and doubled for Barnet in the last decade. In 2019/20 Barnet’s rate (18.9) was the third lowest in London (24.9) and consistently lower than England (29.5).
The rate of sexual offences based on Police recorded crime data in 2019/20 for Barnet stands at 1.3. This is the second lowest in London (2.0) and considerably lower than England’s 2.5 per 1000 population.
For 2019/20 Barnet is also the 5th lowest borough in London of hospital admissions for violence (including sexual violence) with a rate of 34.4 compared to London’s 47.5 and England’s 45.8 per 100,000 population.
Burglary & Vehicle Offences
Crimes such as burglary and vehicle offences have a negative impact on victims and on the neighbourhoods in which the offence takes place. Focussing on effective evidence-based interventions can reduce the impact on individuals and make communities safer places in which to live.
In the financial year 2020/21 burglary offences consisting of Business/Community and Residential premises in Barnet were slightly higher at 6.6 than London’s average of 6.2. The most affected Barnet wards were Garden Suburb (9.1), Hendon (9.0), Colindale and Childs Hill (8.5) with East Barnet (3.7), Hale (4.3) and Burnt Oak (4.7) at the other end of the spectrum.
Vehicle offences are calculated as a combination of Aggravated Vehicle Taking, interfering with a Motor Vehicle, Theft from a Motor Vehicle and Theft or Taking of a Motor Vehicle. These are again slightly higher for Barnet at 12.1 than London’s 11.2 per 1000 population. The most affected wards in Barnet are West Hendon (18.2), Childs Hill (16.9) and Garden Suburb (15.4) with the least affected wards being Burnt Oak (8.4) and West Finchley (8.8).
Re-offending levels – percentage of offenders who re-offend
Tackling a person’s offending behaviour is frequently fundamentally linked to their physical and mental health, and in particular any substance misuse issues. This outcome therefore cannot be addressed in isolation. Offenders often also experience significant health inequalities which need to be identified, examined and addressed locally in partnership with organisations involved in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, a significant proportion of families with multiple needs are managed through the criminal justice system, and their issues go across generations. Re-offending therefore has a wide impact on the health and well-being of individuals, their children and families, and the communities they live in.
The percentage of offenders who re-offend stand at 29.1% for England and 28.5% in London. Barnet is the 7th lowest borough in London with the percentage equal to 25.9.
Re-offending levels – average number of re-offences per re-offender
The number of proven reoffences committed is defined as any offence committed which received a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one-year follow-up or a further six months waiting period.
Barnet is the 12th highest London borough for this measure with the average number of re-offences per re-offender equal to 3.6 which is slightly higher than London’s 3.4 but lower than England’s average of 4.0.
Pollution
Noise Pollution
There are a number of direct and indirect links between exposure to noise and health and wellbeing outcomes. Exposure to noise can cause disturbance and interfere with activities, leading to annoyance and increased stress. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that long term exposure to high levels of noise can cause direct health effects such as heart attacks and other serious health issues.
The rate of complaints about noise is defined as a number of complaints per year per local authority per thousand population. In 2018/19 Barnet was the 5th lowest at (5.1) in comparison to London’s (17.0) and England’s value of 6.8.
Another two noise pollution measures that calculate noise exposure and are determined by strategic noise mapping are:
- ‘The percentage of the population exposed to road, rail and air transport noise of 55 dB(A) or more during the night-time’ where Barnet’s 18.4% is 9th highest in London (15.9%) in comparison to England’s 8.5%
Air Pollution (Particulates)
Poor air quality is a significant public health issue. There is clear evidence that particulate matter in the air has a significant contributory role in human deaths particularly in cardiopulmonary deaths. The ‘natural and built environment’ domain captures elements of the environment people live in which are conducive to good/poor health. Air is a central feature of the environment people are exposed to and PHE air quality experts advise that this measure is currently the most appropriate for the wider determinants tool: the annual average measure is a summary of environmental conditions (as opposed to frequency of dangerously high concentrations which is useful for hospital service planning), and the population weighting accounts for human exposure (though there are also impacts on climate and the ecosystem more generally which have related health consequences).
In 2019 air pollution indicator values of fine particulate matter are calculated as an annual concentration of human-made fine particulate matter at an area level, For this period, Barnet’s rate of 11.1 (µg/m3) was the 12th lowest in London with 11.4 (µg/m3) in comparison to England’s 9.0 (µg/m3).
A further air pollution measure refers to the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution. This is calculated through the mortality burden associated with long-term exposure to anthropogenic particulate air pollution at current levels, expressed as the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30+. In 2019 Barnet’s rate of 6.3% was 12th lowest in London (6.4%) but higher than England’s (5.1%).
Fuel Poverty
Tackling fuel poverty and cold home-related health problems is important for improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities in England. A household is considered fuel poor if they have required fuel costs that are above average (the national median level) and, were they to spend that amount, they would be left with a residual income below the official poverty line. Fuel poverty is distinct from general poverty: not all poor households are fuel poor, and some households would not normally be considered poor but could be pushed into fuel poverty if they have high energy costs.
In 2018 the percentage of households in an area that experience fuel poverty based on the ‘Low income, high cost’ methodology places Barnet’s 11.8% comparable to London’s 11.4% and higher than England’s 10.3%.
KSI
Motor vehicle traffic accidents are a major cause of preventable deaths and morbidity, particularly in younger age groups. For children and for men aged 20-64 years, mortality rates for motor vehicle traffic accidents are higher in lower socio-economic groups. The majority of road traffic collisions are preventable and can be avoided through improved education, awareness, road infrastructure and vehicle safety.
In 2016-18 the number of people reported killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the roads per 100,000 resident population in Barnet equalled to 30.8 and was the 10th lowest in London (39.5) and lower than England’s average of 42.6.
Text Last Updated: 09.09.21