Agenda and minutes

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel - Friday 15 April 2016 10.30 am

Venue: Council House (Next to the Civic Centre), Plymouth

Contact: Lynn Young  Email: lynn.young@plymouth.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

57.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 106 KB

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2016.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2016.

58.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made by members in respect of items under discussion at this meeting.

59.

PUBLIC QUESTIONS

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.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no questions from members of the public.

60.

THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER'S RESPONSE TO PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE PROPOSED LEVEL OF PRECEPT AND REFRESH OF THE POLICE AND CRIME PLAN pdf icon PDF 59 KB

The Panel will review formal recommendations made to the Police and Crime Commissioner in relation to the agreement of his proposed level of precept and refresh of the Police and Crime Plan and consider the response and actions/progress from the Police and Crime Commissioner to those recommendations.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Further to consideration and acceptance of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) proposed level of precept at its meeting on 5 February 2016, the panel considered the report which had been produced arising from its findings and recommendations at that meeting, together with the PCC’s response dated 17 February 2016.

 

The report covered –

 

·         future reductions to police workforce

·         Strategic Alliance with Dorset

·         office move

·         estates

·         income generation and grant maximisation

·         regional collaboration

·         reserves

 

In response to questions, Members were advised that –

 

(a)

the office move to Middlemoor HQ was reversible – but at a cost – as the contract had been signed and work on the project had already commenced;

 

(b)

the policy on rural policing was a decision that would be made by the Chief Constable;

 

(c)

the OPCC Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer was responsible for the Force estate, and encouraged suggestions from interested parties on their future use.

 

The Panel noted the report.

61.

UPDATE FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH SELECT COMMITTEE REVIEW pdf icon PDF 72 KB

The Panel will receive an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable on the Neighbourhood Watch Select Committee Review.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) submitted an update from the Neighbourhood Watch Select Committee Review.

 

Highlights of the report included –

 

(a)

following a request from the PCC to the Chief Constable, 10 Neighbourhood Policing Principles had been established;

 

(b)

Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) had a primary role in supporting and developing Neighbourhood Watch schemes;

 

(c)

volunteering remained a challenge, although this particular issue was being addressed through a new approach across the region.

 

In response to questions, Members were advised that –

 

(d)

a greater focus on ‘hidden harms’ (such as domestic violence and hate crime) was needed, and it was recognised that this term was not descriptive enough;

 

(e)

the 101 service remained an important issue, and members of the public needed to be given the opportunity to contact the Police by various methods, including the use of technology, such as e-mail or Twitter;

 

(f)

the pilot role of Police Community Management Officer (PCMO) would be a non-uniformed [member of Police staff] role to look at the challenges in the local community, and would be an enhancement to neighbourhood policing.  A small number of staff had been selected and the pilot would commence in 10 areas this year;

 

(g)

it was acknowledged that it had been an ill-advised decision for the PCMO job specification to have been included in the agenda pack at this stage;

 

(h)

an effort would be made to ensure that future reports did not include excessive use of acronyms and abbreviations.  For the members’ reference, the following acronyms were explained –

 

·         NIM – National Intelligence Model

·         TTCG – Tactical Tasking Co-ordinating Group

·         TIMS – Tactical Intervention Meeting

 

The Panel noted the report.

62.

CITIZENS IN POLICING

The Panel will receive a presentation on Citizens in Policing.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel received a presentation from Superintendent Matt Lawler which set out details of the Citizens in Policing Strategy 2016 – 2019 as contained in the attached –

 

 

A document entitled ‘Devon and Cornwall Citizens in Policing Strategy 2016 – 2019 was circulated to the Panel to be read in conjunction with the presentation.

 

In response to questions, Members were advised that –

 

(a)

the force needed to interact with existing volunteer organisations to identify how to improve their working relationships;

 

(b)

integration of the regular and special constabularies was a strategic aim of the force;

 

(c)

it was important that the regular and special constabularies received identical training and worked together;

 

(d)

the value of the special constabulary and other Police volunteers needed to be recognised.

 

The Panel noted the presentation.

63.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH DORSET pdf icon PDF 122 KB

The Panel will receive an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner in respect of the Strategic Alliance with Dorset.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Andrew White (OPCC Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer) reported on the strategic alliance with Dorset.

 

Highlights of the report included –

 

(a)

the alliance involved 32 business areas with the potential to make a minimum saving of £12m across the two forces (with any costs incurred split 70/30 between Devon & Cornwall/Dorset, unless specific circumstances dictated a variance);

 

(b)

the business case for Estates included Devon, Dorset and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DDSFRS) in addition to the two force areas;

 

(c)

Dorset had been chosen as the preferred force as a partner for an alliance, as although they were different sizes, they were a good match and fit with regards to the area they covered – urban, rural and coastal;

 

(d)

collaboration across police forces was closely controlled by statute, and for any collaboration to move forward all Chief Constables and PCCs [of the relevant forces] needed to come to an agreement;

 

(e)

12/13 business cases would be launched over the summer.

 

In response to questions, members were advised –

 

(f)

a comprehensive report would be submitted to the Panel when a number of business cases had been implemented and savings could be demonstrated;

 

(g)

there was the possibility of redundancies as a result of the alliance, although it was hoped that some staff would take advantage of redeployment opportunities available to them;

 

(h)

the redundancy budget was held by the two PCCs.  It was acknowledged that although there would be an associated cost for any redundancies, there would still be a saving which would largely be re-invested in emerging policing priorities and local policing.

 

The Panel noted the report.

64.

WORKFORCE PLAN

The Panel will be receive a presentation from the Police and Crime Commissioner on the Workforce Plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel received a presentation from Chief Superintendent Paul Davies which gave details on Workforce Planning – Long and Short Term as contained in the attached –

 

In response to questions, Members were advised –

 

(a)

there had been an uplift in the number of firearms officers in the force following the terrorist attack in Paris;

 

(b)

the Chief Constable had been released from his obligation to maintain the Force at above 3000 since the budget pressure of last year.

 

The Panel noted the report.

65.

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER'S PERFORMANCE REPORT pdf icon PDF 112 KB

The Panel will receive an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner in respect of performance against objectives and performance measures in the Police and Crime Plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Police and Crime Commissioner submitted an update on the performance measures set out in the Police and Crime Plan 2014 – 17.

 

Highlights of the report included -

 

(a)

Devon and Cornwall Police showed a considerably stronger downwards trend for victim based crime compared to the national trend and the force were now currently ranked as 2nd nationally;

 

(b)

there had been an increase in the number of reported incidents of domestic abuse, however this had now levelled off;

(c)

recorded rape and sexual assault offences had seen a 40% rise, although the actual annual rise was 20%, which was below the national average;

(d)

the figure for violence with injury was not reducing and violent incidents involving dogs accounted for some of this increase;

(e)

the figure for violence without injury had increased significantly and some of this was due to the increase in the use of social media;

 

(f)

public confidence in the force was increasing, and the force was now ranked top in the country.

 

In response to questions, members were advised that –

 

(g)

problems continued with the 2 different computer systems used by the force (UNIFY and NICHE), and a decision would be made on their future use;

 

(h)

coercive and controlling behaviour was now a recognised domestic abuse offence;

 

(i)

all crimes in the Devon and Cornwall Police force area were ‘tagged’ to indicate whether alcohol was a contributing factor.  This was a force specific activity introduced by the present PCC;

 

(j)

the new PCC would decide what areas of crime to include in future reports.

 

The Panel received a presentation from Andrew White (OPCC Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer) which detailed a progress report on the 101 service as contained in the attached –

 

 

In response to questions, Members were advised that –

 

(k)

the workload of the Force Enquiry Centre (FEC) had been re-distributed to ensure resources were in place to respond to telephone calls;

 

(l)

members of the public were being encouraged to use the 101 service, although it was recognised that members of the public had lost confidence in the service.

 

The Panel noted the report and presentation.

66.

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER'S UPDATE REPORT pdf icon PDF 293 KB

The Police and Crime Commissioner has provided the Panel with his regular report regarding the activities and decisions he has made since the last Police and Crime Panel meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Police and Crime Commissioner submitted an update reporting on the activities of the Police and Crime Commissioner and progress made in delivering the Police and Crime Plan since the last meeting in February 2016.

 

Members were advised that there were no particular issues to highlight.

 

In response to a question, Members were advised that –

 

(a)

delivery of the ‘Drinkaware Club Hosts Pilot’ in Torbay, Truro, Exeter and Plymouth was a six month trial, and positive responses had been received, both from the industry and the venues involved.  A full evaluation of the scheme would be available at the end of the summer.

 

The Panel noted the report.

67.

REPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER REGARDING NON-CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER pdf icon PDF 100 KB

Members will consider the report and after due consideration, agree the resolutions by the Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel noted that one complaint had been received during the period 14 January 2016 – 29 March 2016.

68.

END OF THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER'S TERM OF OFFICE pdf icon PDF 75 KB

The Panel will be provided with a report from Plymouth City Council summarising the Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jo Heather (Democratic and Governance, Cornwall Council) and Ross Jago ( Performance and Research Officer, Plymouth City Council) provided the Panel with a report on the end of term of office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, which covered the following  –

 

·         introduction

·         background

·         current adopted and established methods of working

·         special statutory functions undertaken

·         other work undertaken

·         outstanding work plan items for the 2015/16 municipal year

·         work plan items for the 2016/17 municipal year and the new PCC

·         assistance and support to the PCP

·         use of Home Office funding

·         future panel support

·         conclusions

·         recommendations

 

further details of which can be found in the attached report -

 

 

Ross Jago reminded members that suggestions for the workplan could be forwarded direct to him.

 

The Police and Crime Commissioner reminded members that the new PCC had up to one year - or as soon as practicable - in which to provide a new Police and Crime Plan.  He intended to provide the new PCC with a comprehensive handover and hoped that the new PCC would focus on a range of important issues, including supporting the Victim Support Unit and challenging the funding formula.

 

Members were advised that it was important for the new PCC to engage with the public, and inform them of the depth and breadth of policing.

 

The Panel -

 

(1)

noted the report;

 

(2)

agreed the current adopted and established methods of working as the basis of the preferred way forward for the new Police and Crime Commissioner’s term of office;

 

(3)

requested that the host authority provides the new Police and Crime Commissioner with a copy of this report and any recommendations resulting from its review;

 

(4)

noted the budget update for 2015/16;

 

(5)

delegated to the lead officer in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair the preparation of a development programme for panel members.

 

69.

POLICE AND CRIME PANEL WORKPLAN pdf icon PDF 124 KB

The Panel will consider options and issues for inclusion into their scrutiny work programme.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Ross Jago (Performance and Research Officer, Plymouth City Council) discussed the workplan with the Panel.

 

He advised that there were a number of items that remained on the workplan from this municipal year which would be transferred over to the workplan for the forthcoming municipal year, as indicated below –

 

·         Strategic Alliance with Dorset (including criteria for which business cases are assessed)

·         Estates strategy

·         Neighbourhood policing/PCMO

·         Citizens in policing project

 

Members were advised that in view of the forthcoming Police and Crime Commissioner election, it would be prudent to revisit the workplan in the new municipal year as it was possible that the new PCC would have a different set of priorities to the current PCC.

70.

FUTURE MEETING DATES

The following are the scheduled meeting dates for the municipal year 2016-17 –

 

·         1 July 2016

·         7 October 2016

·         9 December 2016

·         3 February 2017 (Precept meeting)

·         17 February 2017 (only activated if Precept veto’d)

·         7 April 2017

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Future meeting dates were confirmed as –

 

·         1 July 2016

·         7 October 2016

·         9 December 2016

·         3 February 2017 (Precept meeting)

·         17 February 2017 (only activated if Precept veto’d)

·         7 April 2017

 

Under this agenda item, the Chair expressed his thanks to Tony Hogg at this, his last meeting of the Police and Crime Panel, for his attendance at meetings and his co-operation since his term of office commenced, and for laying a decent base for his successor.

 

In response, Tony Hogg expressed his thanks to the Chair for chairing the Police and Crime Panel, and for the panel’s support over his term of office, for the scrutiny role offered by the panel, and in particular for the level of support offered to him following the possibility of holding a referendum in 2015.  He also thanked Andrew White and the OPCC team.

 

He reflected on the many achievements and successes of the PCC (which had been reported in the press) and conveyed his frustration at the number of issues currently on hold due to the forthcoming PCC elections.  He considered that policing had benefitted from the oversight of the PCCs – by holding the police to account and providing support. 

 

Finally, he advised that he would miss the job, but considered it was the best decision for him and his family.  He asked that the panel support the forthcoming PCC election as it was important to elect the right person to this role.