To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2017.

Agreed the minutes of the meeting held on the 1 December 2017

Members will be asked to make any declaration of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

The following declaration of interest was made in accordance with the code of conduct:

To receive questions from (and provide answers to) members of the public that are relevant to the panel’s functions.

Questions should be no longer than 100 words and sent to Democratic Support, Plymouth City Council, Floor 3, Ballard House, West Hoe Road, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ or democratic.support@plymouth.gov.uk

Questions must be received at least 5 complete working days before the meeting.

There were no public questions.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) presented the Budget and Precept, highlighting reserves, the Council Tax impact on communities, the expenditure proposals and the savings.

The PCC expressed thanks to those who promoted and/or replied to the online poll that ran for two weeks to gauge public opinion it was highlighted that:-

a.     86% supported a greater need for investment in policing.

b.    71% are willing to pay the £1 extra a month.

It was further commented that-

c.     Austerity started in 2009

d.    £60.2m of the budget savings had been made.

e.    2010/11 the Police grant and central funding amounted to £191m; in 2018/19 it is at £179m.

f.      Council Tax revenue has increased from £95m to £115m.

g.     In 2018/19 Council Tax represents 39% of the funding for Policing.

The questions asked by the Panel related to-

h.    Bodmin Police building as a custody centre

i.      How much of the £7.2m is going into the pay award increase

j.      Whether any consideration had been given in reviewing numbers of PCSOs

k.    Consultation methodology

l.      Road safety budgets

m.   Future Council Tax increases

n.    Prosecutions against users of mobile phones

o.    Councillor Advocate

1.    The Police and Crime Panel agreed the recommendations for the Police Crime Commissioners (PCC) proposal is for a £12 increase in the Band D equivalent for the police element of the council tax for the 2018/19 financial year.

2.    The Police and Crime Panel noted –

That the reserves data will be published online to enhance transparency.

That the level of General Balances held will be no more than 5% or no less than 3% of the net annual budget at the end of the financial year.

Police Officers will be receiving an overall 2% increase in pay for the year to August 2018.

To reach, and maintain, officer levels at 3,015 it is anticipated the recruitment in the region of 575 officers over the next four years will be required.

The Office of Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Sicily’s Chief Executive (CEX) introduced the report.

The CEX asked the panel to:

a.     Note from the report that it is the intention of the OPCC to bring forward the Annual Report to April.

The CEX stated that the commissioning intentions plan remains broadly the same with a few notable exceptions as follows:

b.    OPCC is developing small grant schemes aimed at anti-social behaviour with the intention to launch it April 2018.

c.     The OPCC will not be pursing this sexual offences lawyer that has been seen in previous iterations. There is an alternative means to delivering that change of relationship.

d.    There is a slight increase in funding to the Community Safety Partnerships that asdetailed in the report on page 58.

e.    The OPCC is continuing the support and commitment to CCTV and that is important in terms of connectivity agenda across the region.

f.      The Councillor Advocate scheme is going live later on this month.

g.     There is an increased focus around the impacts of mental health as well as the impacts of policing and mental health.

The questions asked by the panel, related to-

h.    Fire and Rescue ASB budget

i.      Past figures reporting

j.      Focus on budget for solving locking up people and the victims

k.    CCTV

l.      Community safety partnerships in Devon

The panel were all in agreement for the report to be noted.

The OCEX delivered the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Performance Report. The majority of indicators were green, with two indicators which are on amber:

a.     Crime Data Integrity

b.    Non-priority call answering times

Panel members went on to discuss the visualised infographics that the OPCC provided, main points was:

a.     It provided a good basis for the report

b.    It must not forget the actual narrative of the report, which seems to be not as detailed as previous reports.

There was no questions asked of the report, but there was a discussion around how the template for the report was used and the Chair re-iterated to the Panel that it is a work-in-progress.

The Panel noted the report.

The PCC introduced the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Update report.

Key updates were as follows:

a.     The PCC is now the chairman of the Local Criminal Justice Board.

b.    Debbie Simpson, who is the Chief Constable for Dorset, is retiring and James Vaughan who is currently Deputy Chief Constable for the three counties is going to be acting Chief Constable for Dorset.

c.     Dr Karen Mellowdew has been head hunted by the former Chief Executive and gone to Lincolnshire so she’ll be working in the Police environment in Lincolnshire. 

d.    One key area the PCC has been working on is the Local Criminal Justice Board.

Cornwall Council had expressed its views:

a.     The Council very much welcomes the extension to the ‘Cornwall safer towns ‘partnership.

The Panel noted the report.

There was one complaint that has been recorded in the pack and has been noted.

The Lead Officer Ross Jago asked that Members are happy to take on new work-programme items for the new municipal year from May onwards.

A suggestion from the Panel related to:

a.     Consideration to the meetings that take place on the first Friday of February