To review matters arising and progress made since the last Panel meeting in June 2019.

Alison Hernandez (Police and Crime Commissioner) presented this report –

(a)  The impact of tourism on our policing service was an issue that is recognised by the Police and Crime Panel and was one of the reasons that the Commissioner continued to argue for a new, better funding formula for policing that reflected the impact of tourism as well as our resident population.

(b)  Numbers second only to London, at around 45 million nights per year, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly see significant increases from April to September in levels of recorded crime and in calls for service in areas such as missing persons and road traffic accidents. This level of tourism was equivalent to a base population increase throughout the whole year of 7% of who needed to be protected and police with no extra funding. Our recorded crime increased in the summer period and were the highest of any police force, and affected all areas of our geography as demonstrated by the presentation to the Panel at meeting in June 2019.

(c)  The Commissioner was expected to submit the application by the end of September and will keep the Board informed on progress. Panel members were invited to work with the Commissioner and her office to drive forward the campaign in this area and to join the Commissioner when she travels to Westminster to submit the application.

(d)  Progress had been made over the past two months on the establishment of a centralised solution for mobile CCTV. The OPCC had worked with Cornwall Council to jointly fund the purchase of 4 mobile CCTV units which are available for deployment across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

(e)  Operation of these units was being managed by Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service who were able to view recordings remotely through the 4G network.

(f)   The OPCC and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service were finalising arrangements for requests for deployment, in consultation with partner organisations and they will be communicated to local authorities and councillors in October 2019.

(g)  On 12 July 2019 the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Out of Court Disposals Scrutiny Panel met. The panel was comprised of specialists from a range of organisations including Youth Offending Teams, Her Majesty’s Magistrates’ Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and Devon and Cornwall Police.An Out of Court Disposal (OoCD) was a way of dealing with a crime without it having to go to court.

(h)  At the panel’s meeting on 12 July 2019, 15 cases were scrutinised (adult and youth cases) all of which related to stalking and harassment. The panel was assured that all 15 cases demonstratedthat Devon and Cornwall Police had issued each disposal legally and in accordance with relevantpolices, and highlighted 4 cases as best practice.

(i)   Devon and Cornwall Police began accepting film footage from the public of potential driving offences on 15th July. The facility, known as Op Snap, allowed the public to upload dash cam footage to the police via an online portal. The footage is then reviewed with a decision taken on whether further action was to be taken against the driver.

(j)   Announced a 2 year roads policing review to be run jointly between the Department for Transport and the Home Office. The Commissioner has been invited to join the Governance Board for the review on behalf of all PCCs and attended the preliminary meeting of the Board at the end of August 2019.

Agreed a letter would be drafted from the Panel to support the Commissioners application for funding.

The Panel noted Police and Crime Commissioners update –

The Panel discussed –

·        do the minutes get published regarding the new Scrutiny panel and whether the public were aware;

·        funding for the new violence reduction unit;

·        whether the ‘Call the Cops’ program help add weight to the bid;

·        Cllr Derrick raised concerns that the update requested by the Panel at the last meeting had not been reflected in the Annual Report. Does not reflect the PCSO reduction programme in the report;

·        Could more be done to get extra publicity on the Operation Snap scheme;

·        uploading footage regarding road issues, residents raised concerns because they felt they were being watched;

·        the number of crimes in Devon and Cornwall that were resulting in charges and summons.

Proposed: Councillor Hackett

Seconded: Councillor Fairman