Agenda and minutes

Cllr Steve Bucknell – Wiltshire Council was elected Chairman for 2022/23.

Cllr Jenny Jeffries – Swindon Borough Council was elected Vice-Chairman for 2022/23.

There were no apologies.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 10 March 2022.

Decision:

·         The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 10 March 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman and the Commissioner both paid thanks to Cllr Junab Ali – Swindon Borough Council and Cllr Ross Henning – Wiltshire Council for their stewardship of the Police and Crime Panel during 2021/22.

The Panel welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you wish to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the first page of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on Wednesday 1 June 2022. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

There was no public participation.

The Commissioner outlined the written report contained in the agenda pack.

Points made included:

·         That the results were the product of Wiltshire and Swindon residents’ responses to the PCC’s Use Your Voice survey, which was used by the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and the PCC to inform the new police and crime plan 2022-25: Making Wiltshire Safer.

·         That the Commissioner was extremely clear that a fresh approach to ensure the voices of Wiltshire and Swindon’s residents were heard, listened to and directly influenced the blueprint for the policing service they receive from Wiltshire Police, was needed.

·         As a result, the comprehensive engagement and consultation process began in October with the launch of the PCC’s Use Your Voice campaign. Residents were asked to respond to questions of confidence in the policing service and identify which policing priorities were important to them and their community - ensuring Wiltshire Police was delivering the service and tackling the crimes which were most important to the county’s communities.

·         The report provided provides full analysis and had been published on the PCC’s website alongside the Youth Commission’s recommendations. The public could see how the Commissioner had listened and directly influenced the Police and Crime Plan 2022-25.

·         That all feedback from the online public engagement session, stakeholder focus group sessions and written responses were also collated and used the inform and influence the plan.

·         That any suggestions on engagement were always welcome.

·         That good youth engagement had been going on with Swindon schools, Mini Police and Police Cadets

·         That the Commissioner would consider all things to improve the service that could be delivered by Wiltshire Police.

Points made by the panel members included:

·         Concerns re the few young people that engaged in the consultation, do you plan to look at this – that the Commissioner was looking at this, holding youth conferences etc. That there was always more that we can do. Good engagement from the youth organisations that attended these conferences.

·         Victims of crime – could officers have a as set time for updating victims – that from September officers would be working to a new model which would enhance the force’s capacity to follow up on the updating of victims of crime.

·         That many of Wiltshire’s residents had a poor perception of the Police – that the Commissioner continued to work with the Chief Constable PCC to better engage with the residents of Wiltshire.

·         Concerns re 101 response times – always working to improve the service, launching local area web sites that people could use to contact their local policing teams.

·         Community Policing Teams – the need to make the public aware that they can email their local policing teams.

·         The need to keep future precept increases low with the state of the nation at the present time.

Decision

·         That the Police and Crime Panel noted the report and its use in informing the Police and Crime Plan 2022-25

The Chairman thanked the Commissioner for his update.

The Commissioner outlined the written report contained in the agenda pack.

Points made included:

·         The need to show that the Commissioner was delivering the plan through continued engagement.

·         The importance of having the right people and processes in place to deliver the plan.

·         Risks and challenges – economic climate, recruitment of the right people, the need to refine training processes.

·         That John Derryman was now in post heading up the team looking at data so we all have a better handle on it.

·         Police morale – the latest survey had recently been rolled out, morale was low across the force. The survey results would be fed back to the PCP in due course. A difficult period for Wiltshire Police re morale – the need to support police staff.

·         Recruiting from the military - looking at a starting salary for these people which would be on a higher pay band.

·         That 60% of community teams were still in their probationary periods.

·         The ongoing challenges of retaining experienced officers.

·         Support staff working from home policy – depending on the role, much training was now delivered through e-learning etc – not an issue people working at home. Many people expect a degree of agile working when taking up a new role/appointment.

Points made by the panel members included:

·         How did Wiltshire Police officer’s morale compare against other UK forces – very well, in line with other forces.

·         That it would be useful for the panel members to have a glossary of abbreviations used throughout the OPCC reports.

·         That the report was better to view than previous older style reports that the PCP had used - much more user friendly.

·         That the new report was a major step forward.

Decision

·         That the Police and Crime Panel noted the Quarterly Update

The Chairman thanked the Commissioner for his report and update.

Kier Pritchard – Chief Constable, Wiltshire Police gave a presentation that outlined force delivery of the Police & Crime Plan.

The panel members were all emailed the power point presentation which was presented at the meeting.

Points made by the panel members included:

·         Whistle Blowing – that there were processes in place.

·         Concerns re the Peel report – that it was expected by the Chief Constable to be a bad report. Both the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable assured the panel members that Wiltshire Police were making improvements, and would continue to make improvements.

Decision

·         That the Police and Crime Panel noted the Chief Constable’s update

The Chairman thanked the Chief Constable for his update.

The Forward Work Plan was noted.

To note the future meeting dates below:

· Thursday 29 September 2022 - Kennet Room, County Hall, Trowbridge

· Thursday 15 December 2022 – Swindon Borough Council Offices

· Thursday 12 January 2023 – Kennet Room, County Hall, Trowbridge

· Thursday 2 February 2023 – Monkton Park Offices, Chippenham

· Thursday 9 March 2023 - Salisbury Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Salisbury

The next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will be on Thursday 29 September 2022 - Kennet Room, County Hall, Trowbridge.

It was noted that this was the last meeting for Mamie Beasant and Anna Richardson as Co-Opted Independent members of the Police and Crime Panel.

Co-Opted Independent members of the Police and Crime Panel served a four year term, Wiltshire Council Democratic Services would be advertising for two Co-Opted Independent members to join the Police and Crime Panel at its September meeting. Both Mamie Beasant and Anna Richardson were  welcome to re-apply as Co-Opted Independent members should they wish to.

The PCP and OPCC thanked Mamie Beasant and Anna Richardson for their time and efforts during the last four years.