Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr Andrew Bennett – Swindon Borough Council and Cindy Creasy – Co-Opted Independent Member.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on the 4^th September 2014.

Decision:

The minutes of the meeting held on the 4^th September 2014 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were none.

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

Members of the public are able to ask questions in relation to the responsibilities and functions of the Panel at each meeting. Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the Head of Democratic Services at Wiltshire Council no later than 5.00 pm on 3 clear wkg days before meeting. Please contact the officer named on the first page of the agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

There were no issues raised under public participation.

To receive the PCC’s diary report.

The PCC Diary report which set out a summary of commitments the Commissioner had undertaken since the last Police and Crime Panel meeting on the 4^th September 2014 was presented to the Panel.

The Commissioner advised that:

·       Community Messaging - Now live in the Malmesbury, Pewsey, Swindon West and Warminster community areas.

Swindon BC members indicated their support of Swindon BC using the system.

Members were encouraged to hear that the system fits into the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

·       Vision Statement - The region’s five PCCs (representing Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire) had been pulling together a vision statement for collaborative working across the South West.

·       Police efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection - There was positive initial verbal feedback, but no judgements at this stage. The national report would be out in October.

·       Crime and Communications Centre - The chairman of the Police and Crime Panel, Cllr Richard Britton had visited the new Crime and Communications Centre which was opened in September.

·       Lost Property - Funds arising from the Police (Property) Act 1897, by which certain proceeds of lost property sold by the police are distributed to charity, are now distributed on my behalf by the Wiltshire Community Foundation. Since the arrangement began 52 grants have been made, totalling £145,000.

·       Road Traffic Fatalities – Seventeen fatal incidents had happened in the year to date. Alcohol was not a primary cause, whilst speed did feature as a factor in many.

·       Cyber crime – The Commissioner believes that his office should have a role in encouraging education on this issue. It seemed that there are at least three distinct groups who needed to receive information: young people in school and further education; those of working age and those who have retired. He wished to see a plan to educate each group.

·       The Strategic Improvement Board - At the highest level, crime continues to fall with 910 fewer crimes or a 5.3 per cent reduction in the year to date with an 88.3 per cent overall victim satisfaction level in the service provided by Wiltshire Police. Perhaps that should be expressed as 910 fewer victims? Anti-social behaviour (ASB) has fallen by 10.6 per cent in the year to the end of September. The falling trend in crime is in line with our peers and similar forces.

Resolved:

The Panel noted the PCC’s diary report.

At the Police and Crime Panel’s meeting on 4 September 2014 a letter from the OPCC was circulated providing a brief synopsis of the Commissioner’s top four strategic priorities (attached). These were:

1.    Strategic integration with Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council

2.    Regional vision for collaboration

3.    Performance culture review

4.    Systems thinking review of service delivery

This followed a discussion between the Commissioner and Chairman of the Panel where it was agreed that close alignment between the work priorities of the Commissioner and the Panel was desirable. The top four priorities were in the context of a longer list of ten and a report presenting a synopsis of all ten topics will follow.

It is proposed that members consider the information provided and consider which topics should form priorities for the Panel and how they might be approached.

The Panel had requested at

The Panel requested that the OPPC identifythe topfour priorities from the Commissioner’s immediate work plan and providea verybrief synopsison thework involvedin each.

The top four were:

·       Thestrategic integrationwith WiltshireCouncil and SwindonBorough Council.

Noted.

·       RegionalVisionfor Collaboration

The Panel requested that a simple breakdown of Wiltshire Police regional collaborations be provided by the OPPC.

·       ThePerformance CultureReview

The Panel expressed some concern about the removal of targets and the resultant problems of monitoring progress. The Panel looked forward to continuing to work with the OPCC’s Performance Analyst to produce a new reporting system to replace the current Scorecard.

·       SystemsThinkingReviewofService Delivery.

Noted.

The Police and Crime Commissioner to present a report on the progress made to deliver the priorities set out in the Police and Crime Plan 2013-17.  Members are asked to consider the performance information provided and comment as appropriate.

The report includes an outline of the force’s ongoing performance culture review (paragraphs 1 to 10). This was discussed at the Panel’s previous meeting and a small working group of Panel members was subsequently invited to meet with Wiltshire Police’s Business Improvement team and hear about the review in more detail. This meeting took place on 15 October and the working group comprised the following membership:

Cllr Julian Johnson

Cllr Andrew Bennett

Chris Henwood

Cindy Creasy

Some key themes from the working group’s discussion:

• A central question is “What is quality and how do we measure it?”

• Staff must understand any targets or thresholds for them to be effective. This requires appropriate training and clear communication.

• Targets or thresholds set high up do permeate the performance culture further down the organisation.

• ‘Bad’ performance should not to be feared or denied. It should be understood and responded to appropriately.

• The performance culture must enable the public and the Panel to be assured of the police’s effectiveness in an evidence-based way.

The Commissioner’s report states that a new style of Panel performance report will come into effect from 1 April 2015. Members may wish to consider their engagement in the redesign process.

The Quarterly data (Q2) report was presented to the Panel by the Commissioner.

PCC Priority Scorecard 2014/15

Cllr Caswill noted that the overall performance was again rated as only Fair, the third of four rating options. He also noted that it was being argued that this was not meaningful, as it was only the aggregation of formulaic scores, but that there was no alternative assessment offered by the Commissioner. He asked that his concern be recorded, along with his view that if the Panel and Commissioner believe the Fair grading is not a relevant judgement, there should be some other way of indicating the Commissioner's assessment of his and the Force's performance. 

a.The score has been consistent, and arrived at using the criteria which was set by the Panel.

Reducing Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

The Panel voiced concerns that “Volunteering numbers taking part in various watch schemes” had remained a red flag.

a.Volunteers were coming on board, Police Cadet numbers were increasing across Wiltshire.

q.Are you happy with the hours contributed by Special Constables?

a.Would like to see more people becoming Specials and not just using as a stepping stone to become a regular Officer.

The Panel requested that a follow up report on Special Constables was brought to a future meeting.

Percentage of people who think that ASB is an issue in their area - It is positive to see the perception that ASB is a local problem has reduced compared to previous surveys. This ties in with the volume of ASB incidents reducing as mentioned previously in this report.

The Panel felt that the sample size must be meaningful to be of any relevance.

Dangerous Drug Networks (DDNs) - At the end of quarter two, there were 15 active DDNs on the network; this was a reduction from 20 which appeared over the last few months.  There are three networks considered high risk, with three of the low or medium risk networks being no longer active due to successful arrests and disruption by the Dedicated Crime Team.

The Panel requested that the OPPC provide more information and statistics on the Dedicated Crime Team and its work.

Putting victims and witnesses first:

I commission a survey of victims of crime (based on Home Office criteria) each month to check on the quality of service that is being provided.  This is done on a rolling 12?month basis to ensure that the sample size is significant.

q.Who does the Commissioner commission to run the survey?

a.The survey is carried out by a third party.

Driving up the standards of customer service

q.Does it really take 10 days to record a complaint?

a.As an average, some complaints are dealt with within a shorter time scale. The Northumbria process could speed up the complaints process.

Resolved:

The Panel noted the report.

A report is attached providing an update regarding Restorative Justice, the development of Neighbourhood Justice Panels (NJPs) and the commissioning of Restorative Justice services by the PCC.

A report was submitted to the Police and Crime Panel in January 2014 outlining the benefits of Restorative Justice practices.  The report was produced by the Centre for Justice Innovation (CJI) who were leading on a pilot to develop Neighbourhood Justice Panels in Swindon.  The PCC also outlined the intention to extend the Restorative Justice Panel pilot from Swindon through to the rest of Wiltshire. 

Members are asked to consider the information provided.

The Panel noted the report which provided The Police and Crime Panel with an update regarding Restorative Justice, the development of Neighbourhood Justice Panels (NJPs) and the commissioning of RJ services by the PCC.

The Panel raised concerns about the poor take up of the Restorative Justice process and felt that PCSOs could perhaps be given increased powers to do more in resolving crime in their own localities. The Commissioner advised that he would be discussing PCSO powers with the Chief Constable and would report back to the Panel how this meeting went.

Resolved:

The Panel noted the report.

           To provide information in respect of the number of complaints and conduct matters that have been received by the Monitoring Officer of Wiltshire Council for the period 1 May 2014 to 31 October 2014.

The Panel noted the report in respect of the number of complaints and conduct matters that have been brought to the attention of a relevant office holder (the Police and Crime Commissioner or his Deputy) by the Police and Crime Panel, which had been received by the Monitoring Officer of Wiltshire Council for the period 1 May 2014 to 31 October 2014.

It was noted that no complaints and conduct matters had been brought during the period 1 May 2014 to 31 October 2014.

Resolved:

The Panel noted the report.

Members will recall discussions at previous Police and Crime Panel meetings relating to the complaints process.  This report seeks to consolidate those discussions and answer subsequent questions raised by Members.

The Panel noted the report which sought to consolidate the discussions and answer subsequent questions raised by Members re the complaints process.

The Chairman requested that a Complaints Process matrix be drawn up for the Panel to show the number of complaints falling into broad categories such as incivility, this was agreed by the OPCC.

The Northumbria Triage of Complaints report was noted by the Panel.

Decision:

The report was noted.

An update on the Panel’s task group activity is attached.

The Police and Crime Panel noted the update provided. It was agreed that the Task Group would next look at “Regional Collaborations”.

Resolved:

The Panel noted the report.

To note the forward work plan.

The Panel noted the forward work plan.

To note the future meeting dates below:

·       The next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will be on the 15^th January 2015 at Committee Room VI, Civic Office, Euclid St, Swindon SN1 2JH.