Fenland District in Cambridgeshire pioneered the very first ECINS scheme in 2010 to manage ASB and victim-focused operations across Fenland as part of the Victims First pilot. Information sharing was the main focus of Fenland’s ASB Scheme and, as a cloud-based system, was revolutionary in its ability to enable the ASB team to communicate and collaborate with partner agencies in a secure shared-space.
Since the initial introduction of ECINS into the district for ASB, Fenland has extended its use to include licensing, tracking, overcrowding of HMOs and exploitation. ECINS has now been rolled out across the county for multi-agency case management of a range of business areas.

Rob Mitchell, Community Safety Partnership Support Officer for Fenland District Council is the District Lead for E-CINS ‘I have been involved with ECINS since it’s conception and oversee all of the ECINS schemes within the district. I am also responsible for updating the PCC on its use across the county.  Countywide implementation has been very successful in Cambridgeshire and all the districts are using it in a similar manner.  The key areas of success in the use of ECINS across the county is the shift to paperless meetings, location mapping of offenders, ASB case management and use with the new ASP powers monitoring PSPO’s and CPN’s.’

1. As a County and across Districts what are you using the system for?

Cambridgeshire & Fenland

ECINS is being used as the main case management tool (ASB Database) in both Fenland and Cambridge city replacing older systems.

CSP’s are using the systems for a variety of subjects which include Licensing on sales and off sales, identification of young people highlighting risk taking behaviour, Street drinkers support & enforcement, identification of exploitation, TFF identification & support. Cambridgeshire is also the first county to use ECINS for PREVENT. Cambs Channel Panels consists of 16 members including mental health, probation, local authorities, head of safeguarding and children and adults.

All ASB Problem Solving Groups and the Operation Pheasant task group use ECINS to manage their meetings to log and circulate actions in a secure and efficient manner.

Huntingdon

E-CINS went live in Huntingdonshire in September 2013. The system is being used by Huntingdonshire District Council to record and monitor all cases of reported anti-social behaviour.

As a District, we run the ASB PSGs by ECINS as well as recording all identified medium and high risk victims regardless of whether they are being monitored through the PSGs.

The system is also used to record vulnerable people, suspicious vehicles, fly tipping offences and to monitor the use of the powers available under the ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

South Cambs

Sharing information about complex ASB issues that feature at our 3 Locality Groups and we have also used it to record and gather information for Community Trigger applications. We plan to make use of it further for Hoarder issues.

East Cambridgeshire

We use the system live to manage the monthly ASB problem solving group. All actions and tasks are managed and updated at this meeting. We also use it for community trigger, PSPO’s, CBO’s/CPN’s and all items under the ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Cambridge CSP

Replacement for our ASB case management database.  Staff within the Safer Communities team use ECINS to run ASB, racial harassment and neighbourhood resolution cases.

Housing officers within the City Council’s City Homes are using ECINS more frequently to record their activity with regard to ASB cases.

Members of the Task & Target Group and Problem Solving Group use ECINS to minute their meetings, with the Chairs registered as the “Team Admin” to ensure that information is shared appropriately.

Peterborough

Fortnightly multi-agency ASB case review meetings whereby we review all high and medium risk cases across the City. ECINS is also used within the Safer Peterborough Partnership for monitoring and case managing:

•    Street sex workers
•    Foreign National Offenders
•    Integrated Offender Management cohort
•    City Centre Streetlife cohort
•    Monitoring persons with CBOs, Injunctions and ASBOs
•    Volume crime where there is an ASB cross-over
•    City-wide motorcycle nuisance
•    Youth-related ASB

ECINS is also going to be used for storing and managing sector action plans for ASB, enviro-crime and other quality of life issues.

2. Have partners bought in to using the system?

Cambridgeshire & Fenland

Registered housing providers, Police, Fire & Rescue, Locality teams, Family Intervention Partnership, Together For Families (Phase 2), District Council’s and Youth Offending Service. Recent focus remains on engaging with Social care services & Mental Health.

Huntingdonshire

We have received positive support from partner agencies in Huntingdonshire to use the system. There are 29 Registered Providers who own housing stock across the District therefore we have concentrated our efforts on getting the larger Providers on board. The Police actively use the system and we have seen an increase in the system’s use by partners as different agencies have attended the PSGs and therefore have had to access the cases via ECINS.

East Cambridgeshire

We have active buy in and support from all the Village Colleges in East Cambridgeshire. We did initial training with Anglia Revenues Partnership around fraud issues and need to follow up that they are adequately using the system. Sanctuary housing are now using the system but it would be good to bring on line more RSL’s in the district.

Cambridge CSP

ECINS is being used by increasing numbers of police officers within the Local Policing teams in Parkside Police Station, Cambridge, as well as the City Council’s Environmental Health team. Partner agencies who participate in the Task & Target and Problem Solving Groups are also signed up to using ECINS.
Other agencies within Cambridge (e.g. Fire & Rescue Service) are signed up to E-CINS via other districts.  Providers of social housing in Cambridge are also starting to express an interest in or are already using ECINS.

Peterborough

All the main registered social landlords are registered, as are many of the third sector agencies that we work with.

3. What benefits have been noted using the system?

Cambridgeshire

• Improved communication, effective tool when collating information and evidence, reduces the need for emails and meetings across the District / County.
• Increased security at meetings when discussing individuals or families due to access to the live data base (promoting paperless meetings).
• Prioritisation of vulnerable cases and those risk assessed as medium or high.
• Better monitoring of the use of the new ASB legislation.

Fenland

• Improved communication, effective tool when collating information and evidence, reduces the need for emails and meetings across the District / County, centralized information hub reducing restrictions with agency databases.
• Increased security at meetings when discussing individuals or families due to access to the live data base (access must be granted to meeting lead)

Huntingdonshire

• Better sharing of information in a timely manner.
• Prioritisation of vulnerable cases and those risk assessed as medium or high.
• Better monitoring of the use of the ASB legislation.
• Administrative time saved by information being entered onto the cases immediately rather than there being a need to type minutes.

South Cambs

• Being able to share information easily and securely.
• Reducing unnecessary paperwork and meeting times.
• Advising partners of enforcement notices in place and action taken so can quickly check the requirements and address a breach if necessary.

East Cambridgeshire

• Initial training buy in and moving all case management to ECINS was stated up front to all partners.

Cambridge CSP

• Reports and other information can be quickly uploaded (in comparison with the ASB Database) and data can be quickly shared (under controlled conditions) with other agencies.  Getting other agencies to perform tasks is easier.  The ability to run paperless meetings, such as the Task & Target and Problem Solving Groups, with real-time updates and actions is proving to be a major benefit of E-CINS.

Peterborough

• E-CINS is great for information sharing, tasking and alerts. We are currently exploring the action plan functionality.

4. Has the system improved partnership working and improved information sharing?

Cambridgeshire

• Improved communication from the majority of partners and promoted a review of CSP’s information sharing agreements.
• E-CINS has become part of everyday business for those organisations working to reduce the impact of higher risk ASB cases.

Fenland

In general terms, it has focused partners in to a different mindset and improved communication on all subjects between partners, which maybe wouldn’t have worked together without this system.
In Fenland, the culture change is now embedded and ECINS has become part of everyday business for those organisations using the system.

Huntingdonshire, South Cambs & Peterborough

Yes

East Cambridgeshire

It gave us the incentive to dust off and renew the CSP’s information sharing agreement, which is signed by all statutory and non statutory agencies.

Cambridge CSP

Yes. The more agencies that sign up to and start using ECINS regularly the easier that information sharing will become.

5. Anything you’d like to highlight?

Cambridgeshire

The benefits are clear to see!

Huntingdonshire

We believe that ECINS has dramatically improved the way that we as a Local Authority as well as partner agencies record and respond to incidents and cases of anti-social behaviour. I believe that its continued use by the majority will result in more and more agencies coming on board.

South Cambs

With the Police we were able to consult and sign an enforcement action online within 30 minutes rather than arranging to meet and discuss a case.

East Cambridgeshire

We perhaps need to consider how ECINS could be deployed for the Channel Panel process under the Prevent Duty Guidance. This merits a County wide discussion in order to take forward.