To receive a presentation from Barrie Sheldon, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Chairman welcomed Barrie Sheldon, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner to the meeting; the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was recovering from illness and the Committee wished him a speedy recovering.  The Chairman commented on the role of the Committee in relation to scrutinising crime and disorder functions and invited Mr. Sheldon to provide an overview of the work of the Office of the PCC.

Mr. Sheldon gave a verbal report, the principal points included:

1.         There had been focus on the strategic alliance between Warwickshire and West Mercia Police Authorities during the year.

2.         Of the £21 million savings target by the end of 2015/16, £9 million still needed to be saved but the PPC had been assured that the savings would be achieved.

3.         Further savings of £22 million would need to be made after 2015/16.

4.         The police council tax precept had been frozen for the last three years but would be increased by 1.99 per cent from April 2014.

5.         A restructure, in the form of the ‘People Movement Plan’, had been progressed to maintain a strong front line of policing.

6.         West Mercia Police had reserves of £49 million, this would be used to offset the savings required through to 2018/19 and to support an ‘Invest to Save Scheme’, including the digitisation of records through the ‘Athena’ IT system.

7.         Consideration was being given to control room issues; there were three control rooms currently and some had out-dated technology.

8.         The number of brigade police stations had been reduced from 20 to 11, enabling savings to be made from sergeant and inspector posts.

9.         Patrol officers had been issued with Tetratabs, a mobile tablet device that would help to reduce the time spent at desks, thereby enabling officers to be  more visible in communities.

10.      The Policing Plan contained eleven objectives; reference was made to those aimed at reducing crime associated with alcohol, drugs and anti-social behaviour.

11.      Road safety was a particular issue for Herefordshire and the community speed watch initiative was about to be reintroduced.

12.      Attention was being given to business crime and rural crime, with workshops held for key stakeholders in order to shape the strategies.

13.      The DPP would become responsible for commissioning victim services from 1 October 2014, supported by additional money from central Government.  The DPP had invested in victim services from the outset, including funding for independent domestic violence and sexual violence advisors.

14.      There was a multi-agency hub strategy to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable people in Herefordshire, this approach was to be expanded across the alliance area.

15.      Reference was made to the ‘Plebgate’ incident involving Andrew Mitchell MP and to the Stephen Lawrence Independent Review.  The Committee was advised about the role of the professional standards department within West Mercia Police and about the extent of record-keeping and disclosure now required.  It was reported that an Ethics and Integrity Committee was to be established and the College of Policing was to publish a new Code of Ethics.

16.      The PCC had guaranteed expenditure of £2 million on the Community Safety Fund.  Funding in Herefordshire included: the Community Safety Partnership; CCTV provision; and work by Herefordshire Voluntary Organisations Support Service (HVOSS) in relation to ex-offenders.

In response to a question from the Chairman, Mr. Sheldon confirmed that Equality Impact Assessments would be completed for any police stations due to be closed in Herefordshire and these could be made available to the Committee in due course.

The Chairman suggested that West Mercia Police and the Council should jointly identify costs savings arising from CCTV, especially in terms of the police time saved and the number of convictions secured, in order to obtain additional funding from the Home Office to maintain, perhaps enhance, provision.  Mr. Sheldon advised that the Community Safety Partnerships had been tasked with reviewing CCTV provision in their areas and West Mercia Police was contributing towards a number of schemes.

In response to questions from Committee Members, Mr. Sheldon commented on number of issues, including:

a.         In view of recent national reports into undercover policing, the PCC would be putting appropriate challenge to the Chief Constable, who had operational responsibility, about policing methodology and practices.

b.         The potential for victims to track cases on the website was being explored as part of the Athena project but no timeframe could be provided at present.

c.         With reference to a concern about lack of interaction with officers in Ross-on-Wye, Mr. Sheldon recognised that contact with community leaders was essential and the DPP encouraged police officers / community support officers to attend town and parish council meetings where possible.  A public engagement strategy was being developed in North Worcestershire.

d.         A suggestion that police officers could utilise community buildings was welcomed; this could help with remote working and provide opportunities for contact with local councils and local residents.  Mr. Sheldon requested that further details be forwarded to him by email.

e.         From the end of May 2014, Probation Trusts would be restructured to form Community Rehabilitation Companies and a National Probation Service.  The Office of the PCC was actively working with the Ministry of Justice, including the hosting of a ‘Transforming Rehabilitation’ networking event for potential bidders at West Mercia Police Headquarters.  Mr. Sheldon emphasised the need to move forward with integrated offender management and for support to be maintained to the network of ‘care farms’.  The Chairman reported that the Probation Service would feature on the agenda for the Committee’s next meeting.

f.          An overview was provided of the PCC Community Ambassador Scheme, Community Ambassadors would act as the PCC’s ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground in each policing area.  The scheme was coordinated by Paul Deneen and Gwyneth Gill was the Community Ambassador for Herefordshire.  It was reported that West Mercia had been shortlisted for the ‘PCCs and Public Engagement’ Awards.

g.         In response to a request for assurance that the level of reserves had not been built up at the expense of front line operations or service, Mr. Sheldon reported that a proportion of the reserves had resulted from savings delivered in respect of the strategic alliance.  A vacancy gap had arisen, with officers retiring before new recruits were trained and operational, but recruiting was now being brought forward.  He also reported that the 2011 riots and the 2012 Olympics had brought in extra funding from Government.  It was reported that West Mercia Police needed a reserve of £13 million to provide for contingencies; the level of reserves was expected to reach this level by 2018/19.

h.         In terms of how local authorities and the police could work more effectively in partnership, the Committee was advised that West Mercia Police had recently recruited a Commissioning Manager and there was an opportunity for dialogue on the joint commissioning of certain types of service.  Mr. Sheldon commented on asset-based community development in Shropshire, where public sector and voluntary bodies were working together to tackle local crime and disorder issues.

i.           In terms of joint ‘blue light’ working, there were discussions underway with the Fire and Rescue Service about the potential to combine control rooms.  There was also a ‘joint property vehicle’ being explored with Worcestershire County and District Councils and the emergency services but the outcome was not certain.

j.           In response to a Committee Member’s concern about the lack of support from the police to introduce and enforce speed limits, especially on the A40 between Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth, Mr. Sheldon commented on the work of the Safer Roads Partnership and requested that further details be forwarded to him by email.

k.         An overview was provided of the Criminal Justice Board which involved various agencies and was chaired by the Chief Constable; the Board had undertaken significant work around victim services and offender rehabilitation in the last twelve months.  Mr. Sheldon said that there were concerns about the delays and backlog of cases within the criminal justice system and PCCs were in the process of putting together a regional Criminal Justice Board.

l.           In response to further comments about the reserves and the increase in precept, it was emphasised that the PCC had inherited the position, the budget to 2018/19 would be supported by reserves, and there was a need to invest to save given the significant further savings that would be required in future years.  Mr. Sheldon added that the increase in precept had been discussed by the Police and Crime Panel and there had been a public consultation.

m.       The value of CCTV was acknowledged, particularly to identify and apprehend individuals and to support investigations.  The Committee was advised that a quarterly newsletter was produced about CCTV activity.

n.         Although he was not personally aware of the funding arrangement for MYLO (Mobile Youth Led Opportunities) which was managed by HVOSS, Mr. Sheldon said that the Community Safety Fund supported various activities which linked to the Police and Crime Plan, especially where they helped to divert people away from crime and disorder.

In response to comments from a Member in attendance, Mr. Sheldon said that:

·                A merger between Warwickshire and West Mercia was not proposed at this time; this would need to be in the best interests of both organisations and the PCCs would need to agree.  It was recognised that it was important to retain identity and connections with local communities.

·                Future presentations could be provided in any format requested, potentially with advanced circulation to enable the submission of questions by Councillors.

·                Tackling drug-related crime was a priority across West Mercia and there had been a number of high profile operations, such as Operation Wingspan in Herefordshire and Operation Sift in Telford.  Evidence was essential to the success of such operations and people were urged to report suspicious activities to the police.

In response to questions from the Vice-Chairman, Mr. Sheldon commented that:

i.           The areas of greatest need in Herefordshire included tackling domestic abuse, sexual abuse and alcohol misuse.  The Police and Crime Plan next year would move away from targets and would focus on the most vulnerable people and on dangerous offenders.

ii.          Mental health had been identified as a major issue nationally and the police were working closely with health professionals to reduce instances of people with mental health issues being detained in police cells.

iii.         Work with partners and businesses was on-going to reduce the effects of alcohol, it was noted that the ‘Herefordshire Against Night-time Disorder’ initiative had undertaken a lot of pro-active work to reduce problems in Hereford.

iv.        He was not aware whether the PCC was invited to Health and Wellbeing Boards but joint working with health providers was essential; for example, sports partnerships were being developed in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to divert people away from crime and disorder and to improve health and reduce obesity.

v.         In terms of identifying issues specific to Herefordshire, Mr. Sheldon had met with the Leader of the Council a few weeks ago and planned to do so again.  It was noted that local representatives also raised issues through the Police and Crime Panel.

vi.        Cyber crime was a priority across the alliance.  The national Action Fraud service was overwhelmed with enquiries, with a proportion forwarded to the police for investigation.  However, there was a concern that not all enquiries were forwarded quickly enough.  Another element of cyber crime was the need to protect infrastructures such as electricity and gas supplies.  It was reported that: a Regional Organised Crime Unit had been set up; a Warwickshire and West Mercia cyber crime board had been established and was developing a strategy; and a hub in Malvern was providing cyber security accreditation to businesses.

Referring to point v. above, the Leader of the Council said that he would notify Members about future meetings with the PCC, so that Members could forward points for consideration.

The Chairman made recommendations in respect of the priorities defined and CCTV provision.

A Member made a recommendation in respect of the need to examine carefully any future increases in precepts given the level of reserves.  The Chairman commented that this was a matter for the Police and Crime Panel.

Another Member commented on: the role of the Police and Crime Panel; the need to increase the base level of funding; and the route for taking the concerns of the Committee into discussions on the 2015/16 budget.  Comments by other Members included: a healthy set of reserves should be seen as a position of strength from fiduciary and management points of view; West Mercia Police covered a large area and population; and the Police and Crime Panel had discussed the financial position at length and had concluded that the budget represented a proper use of funds.

A Member made a recommendation in respect of consultation prior to any closure of police stations.

The Scrutiny Officer emphasised the need for the Committee to make recommendations that could be monitored and suggested that the latter two recommendations be actioned through the Council’s representatives on the Police and Crime Panel.

RESOLVED:  That

1.          The Committee welcomes the priorities defined by the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, especially in terms of the protection of community policing;

2.          The Committee recommends that work on a cost / benefit analysis of CCTV provision be undertaken jointly by West Mercia Police and the Council for the purposes of submitting a report to the Home Office to support future funding bids; and

3.          The Council’s representatives on the Police and Crime Panel be requested to forward the views of the Committee to the Panel in respect of:

i.       the need to examine carefully any future increases in precepts given the level of reserves; and

ii.      the need for West Mercia Police, following the example of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, to consult widely with local communities prior to any decisions being made about the closure of stations.