Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Denisa Ahmeti, Cllr Ian Thorn, and Louise Williams.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2025 as a true and correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2025 were considered, and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and correct record.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee or Monitoring Officer.

There were no declarations.

To receive announcements through the Chairman.

With the agreement of the Committee, it was announced that Item 8 - Neighbourhood Harm Reduction - would be moved forward on the agenda. This would be considered at Minute 17.

The Panel welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like 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. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public received in accordance with the Panel’s constitution.

Please note that questions must relate to the responsibilities and functions of the Panel and must not relate directly to operational policing matters.

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 19 March 2025 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response, questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on21 March 2025. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. 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 Wiltshire Council’s website.

No questions in accordance with the constitution or statements were received.

To receive a presentation from Chief Superintendent Doug Downing.

The Panel received a presentation from Chief Superintendent Doug Downing on the subject of neighbourhood harm reduction. This focused on preventative measures, under the four pillars of community road safety, community action initiatives, volunteers, and children and young people.

Details were provided of speed enforcement, including numbers of drivers written to and focus on speed awareness courses. It was stated there were 54 active special constables in Wiltshire who had undertaken more than 5000 hours in the last 12 months, and that a new intake was being brought forward later in the spring. Information was also provided on the 149 police support volunteers and 12 community based volunteers, who took part in community action initiatives, assisted with internal hearings, and supported critical functions including coordination of restorative justice, justice traffic, and the intelligence department. Other updates related to police cadets, the business crim retail partnership, and the use of community behaviour orders.

The Panel discussed the update and sought additional information. It was raised that police cadets in Chippenham had had difficulty finding suitable muster locations, and details were sought on costs for uniforms and other matters. Queries were raised on the use of special constables and comparisons with other areas, with it stated that in Wiltshire there might be fewer than in some areas, but all were classified as reliably active, which was not always the case.

There was debate regarding retail crime and coordination with the Salisbury Business Improvement District to better coordinate with local retailers, although this was also dependent on engagement from the community. Details were sought on classification of areas as anti-social behaviour hotspots, which had a specific definition set by the Home Office based on intelligence and crime data. There was also discussion of outreach to improve confidence in the police and increase reporting of crime, particularly in deprived areas.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was then,

Resolved:

To note the update and comments from the Panel.

To receive an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Panel received a written and verbal update from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, on his quarterly delivery plan.

The Commissioner explained government had provided additional monies for monitoring of anti-social behaviour hotspots and confirmed continuation of Safe Streets funding, but that balancing the financing remained a challenge. He stated there were no plans for redundancies, but that two redundant old stations would be closed. Plans for a new southern hub were progressing, but planning and commercial issues were causing considerable delays and complications.

Other comments included that he supported the new police and sentencing bill going through parliament, but that he had been informed prisons were once again full and court listing days were being limited.

The Panel discussed the quarterly report and raised queries and comments on the data. There was discussion of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) numbers and Final Action Taken (FAT) rate which had seen a slight decrease, and pressed the Commissioner on whether sufficient resources were allocated to improve the FAT rate.

There was also discussion on victims’ rights and ensuring all were informed of outcomes, with a request for a more detailed update on victim response at a future meeting. The Panel also sought further detail on the planned southern hub, with a number of sites still being reviewed, although as the matter was pre-application at this stage limited information could be shared. In response to queries regarding speedwatch activities it was stated a workshop for all interested stakeholders to better inform them of the necessary processes was being arranged after the May local elections. The limiting of court dates was raised, though it was noted though it impacted the work of the PCC and Chief Constable it was a matter for the Secretary of State for Justice.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

To note the update from the Police and Crime Commissioner and comments by the Panel

To receive a report from the Police and Crime Commissioner.

A report was received from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, in respect of commissioning, grants, and partnerships, along with Rob Llewellyn, OPCC Director of Operations.

Details were provided on commissioning funding streams, totally just of £6m including grants from the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. Three contracts totally over £2m were funded contracts for Custody Healthcare, Horizon Witness and Care Service, and Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). It was stated there was a deadline for SARCs to meet national accreditation by October 2025, which many areas were struggling, though it was considered the risk for Wiltshire was presently low.

There was also information provided on criminal justice and reoffending, working in partnership with health boards and others to support care for those with mental health challenges to reduce reoffending, and that it was recognised community safety partnerships had not been as effective as they could be and this was targeted for review and transformation.

The Panel discussed the report and updated, raising queries relating to prisoner release, housing and monitoring. There was discussion of the review of the Horizon Witness and Care Service, which was undertaken by an independent consultant, with a need for partner agencies to assist with supporting victims with ongoing matters like court delays. It was stated there was a team member assigned specifically to support stalking victims.

Other matters discussed included patrolling of anti-social behaviour hotspots, whether this could or would be undertaken by licensed wardens trained in conflict resolution.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was then,

Resolved:

To note the report and the PCC commissioning budget for 2025/26.

Cllr George Jeans left the meeting after this item.

To receive an update regarding the Crime and Communications Centre (CCC)

An update was received from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, regarding the Crime and Communications Centre, as set out in the agenda. This included details of emails and calls received, and that call response times had improved for both 101 non-emergency and 99 emergency calls, as well as outstanding tasks reducing significantly.

The Commissioner stated the Chief Constable with his backing was moving forward with actions which had led to the improvements, although progress had not been as rapid as he would have liked. He encouraged the Panel to keep pressing him for further improvements in respect of contact management.

The Panel discussed the update with some comments that there was some increase in confidence in the police over the last year as a result of improved contact management, although there was still much grounds for improvement and anecdotal reports of people not reporting issues due to a concern there would not be action taken.

At the conclusion of discussion it was,

Resolved:

To note the update and comments from the Panel.

To consider future topics for consideration by the PCP.

The Panel considered proposed future topics for consideration and the order these should be considered at future meetings.

There was a brief discussion of the topics as set out in the report, and after consideration it was,

Resolved:

To add Retail Crime, Road Safety, and Community Safety Partnership strategies to the meetings in June, September, and November 2025 respectively.

To receive updates, if any, on how the Police and Crime Panel can improve its communications with the wider public.

No specific updates were received or suggestions made.

The next meeting is scheduled for 26 June 2025.

Other future meeting dates are scheduled as follows:

·         11 September 2025

·         25 November 2025

The next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel was noted as 26 June 2025.

Future meeting dates were confirmed as 11 September 2025, 25 November 2025, 15 January 2026, 4 February 2026, and 12 March 2026.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items. It was noted that with the Wiltshire Council elections on 1 May 2025 there would be new Members appointed to the Panel, and considerations should be given as to appropriate training.