(a)

the Commissioner intended to retain the six priority areas previously identified in his 2014–17 Plan, namely –

·         cutting crime, keeping Devon and Cornwall safe

·         reducing the harm caused by alcohol related crime

·         efficiency and long-term financial security

·         an improved criminal justice system

·         high quality, accessible help for victims of crime

·         greater public involvement in policing

(b)

in addition to the above, as a result of developments over the past 12 months, a number of areas of focus had emerged – four key ones being –

·         child sexual exploitation

·         sexual offences

·         cybercrime

·         the strategic alliance with Dorset

(c)

with regard to data sharing, whilst working relations with partners were much better there was still work to be done, particularly in relation to the transfer of information between health and the Police – a pilot scheme which had been operating in Torbay had brought forward some excellent results;

(d)

domestic abuse was an important issue and something that the Police and Crime Commissioner took seriously.  Although it was not one of the PCC’s headline priorities, it was being taken forward in other areas of work such as safeguarding;

(e)

work was ongoing into resolving the problem of repeat offenders of domestic abuse and moving them away from persistent offending.  A short report on progress with that would be provided to the Panel in due course but, in the meantime, a response would be made direct to  Councillor Watson on her query regarding use of two different reporting systems;

(f)

with regard to the mistakes made at Rotherham, all partner agencies, as well as local authorities, had a responsibility to learn from what had happened and ensure that appropriate actions were taken;

(g)

the closure of Truro Police station had resulted in a substantial capital receipt.  Staff were now located in a more appropriate building in Truro and feedback received to date had not indicated that the perception of  police response or presence had been weakened;

(h)

there was little difference between the view of the PCC and local authorities on the value and role of CCTV.  Whilst the PCC would continue to look at it and keep his mind open he would reiterate what had been said previously in that it was not solely his responsibility and therefore all Community Safety Partnerships should invest in it too.  However, with £29m of savings to be identified from his budget, CCTV was not considered a priority;

(i)

the breathalyser pilot in Torbay had been very successful but it was acknowledged that Plymouth was a very different both in terms of geography and demographics.  Any clubs not willing to engage in the scheme would become a magnet to those refused entry elsewhere and those would then become the target of police surveillance through covert operations;

(j)

there was evidence to demonstrate that alcohol was a significant contributory factor to violent crime - appearing to be as prevalent in domestic abuse as it was in incidents of violence outside of the home;

(k)

where funding had been provided by the OPCC to safeguarding boards across the force area there should be police representation.  Any concerns over lack of engagement by the Police in multi-agency safeguarding work should be brought to the attention of the Chief Constable;

(l)

the neighbourhood definition is one of a more functional approach and within Devon and Cornwall Police there was currently a clear functional delineation between neighbourhood teams, crime investigation and response which operate as three separate units.  The Chief Constable has asked for a review of this current arrangement to see whether such a clear delineation was required and, if so, where should neighbourhood policing sit if a more integrated policing approach was required.  That report would be expected within the forthcoming months.