The report was noted as read and the Panel moved to questions:

a)    Feedback from Plymouth communities suggested a disconnect between stated commitments and lived experience. Specific issues included:

                      i.        The absence of an up-to-date Public Sector Equality Duty Statement on the Police and Crime Commissioners website. The only visible document was an Equality and Diversity Policy dated 2014;

                     ii.        The last published Equality Duty Statement on the police website was from 2022, with a 2024 report referenced but not accessible;

                    iii.        Third Party Reporting Centres felt sidelined since the move to online reporting, as there was no dropdown option to identify reports originating from these centres. This prevented proper tracking and management;

                    iv.        Rising hate crime rates in the area, which were increasing faster than overall crime, causing significant concern;

                     v.        A perception among communities that the police were closing down equalities and diverse communities teams, leading to mistrust and feelings of exclusion;

                    vi.        The report’s framing of transgender people as a “problem” rather than recognising them as a protected characteristic.

b)    Councillor Penberthy requested that the report be rewritten to reflect the lived experience of communities across the patch and address these concerns. The Commissioner acknowledged the concerns. The Commissioner apologised for the outdated website, noting that a major data breach six months ago had resulted in the loss of historical documents. A new Head of Communications had been appointed to resolve issues;

c)    The Commissioner confirmed willingness to engage directly with Third Party Reporting Centres and review issues around online reporting. She explained that the online reporting system was a national platform used by all police forces, which limited local flexibility;

d)    The Commissioner highlighted the work of the Community Scrutiny Panel, led by Reverend Nathan Kiyagi, which scrutinised stop and search and other policing practices. The panel was described as diverse and representative, with hundreds of members and a transparent website. Members were encouraged to engage with this panel and its published work;

e)    The Commissioner clarified that the offer around restorative justice was to fund a service delivering restorative justice for those arrested, not direct funding to the Council. It was confirmed that meetings and email exchanges had taken place but the proposal was not progressed. The Chair requested evidence of this dialogue and agreed to resolve the matter outside of the meeting;

f)     The Commissioner advised that spikes in hate crime reporting often coincided with national debates or media coverage of contentious issues. She emphasised the importance of language and local efforts to ease community tensions;

g)    The Commissioner reassured Members that all hate crimes were treated seriously and explained the distinction between hate crimes and non-crime hate incidents, which continued to be recorded as early indicators of community tensions;

h)    The Commissioner agreed to consider hate crime as a priority and confirmed that legal oversight ensured equality impact assessments were undertaken, though she could not confirm specifics;

i)     The Commissioner highlighted the Councillor Advocate Scheme, which provided direct access to local inspectors and her office, and noted that while some areas managed this well, improvements could be made where necessary.

Actions:

1.    Commissioner to provide evidence of restorative justice funding discussions with Plymouth City Council to Councillor Haydon (Chair);

2.    Commissioner to review concerns regarding third party reporting centres and explore improvements to online reporting processes;

3.    Commissioner to confirm whether Equality Impact Assessments had been completed for operational changes;

4.    That engagement between ward members, community safety partnerships, and local policing teams be strengthened, with particular attention to intelligence sharing on community events and protests;

5.    The Community Scrutiny Panel website would be shared to all Panel members.

The Board agreed to note the report.