Agenda item

On the rising of the meeting the Panel considered a report from Emily Higson - Corporate Support Manager, Wiltshire Council.

This report set out a Review of Best Practice for Police and Crime Panels – a summary of recent research, consultation and publications.

That Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) had now been in existence for 3 years, since the creation of directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners.

In that time, a reasonable body of evidence had built up, enabling an objective analysis of the new model for police accountability and how well the system was working.

There had been three reports published recently, which reviewed the current police accountability arrangements –

·        In 2014, the Centre for Public scrutiny published its report:  “Police & Crime Panels, the first year”

·        The LGA published an updated Good practice guide for Police and Crime Panels on 2^nd June 2015.

·        The Committee on Standards in Public Life published its report– “Tone from the top” on June 29^th 2015, following an extensive consultation and research exercise. (A sub-group of the Wiltshire PCP responded to the consultation in late 2014).

Between them, the publications made a number of recommendations for police and crime panels, to enable them to be as effective as possible in supporting and scrutinising the PCC.

The report presented to the Panel sought to summarise these collective findings and research, and to bring them together into one set of recommendations for the Wiltshire police and Crime Panel to consider.

Recommendations

That the Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel consider:

1.     Carrying out a review of the PCP/PCC joint working protocol, with the option of including guidelines on sharing information with the media.

2.     Developing its public engagement in the following ways:

2.1.  To refresh the Wiltshire PCP web pages to be more user-friendly and include information on the work of the panel such as task group reports. Hampshire PCP provides a good example of something that could be achieved simply and quickly.

2.2.  Carrying out regular opinion surveys or research/consultation – providing evidence to support anecdotes.

2.3.  Inviting the public to be involved in task group work (as witnesses), where relevant.

3.     Whether there are any areas of skills or knowledge that members feel they could benefit from developing, for example through a panel development session.

4.     Whether its members would benefit from regional networking opportunities to discuss common issues and best practice.

5.     Agreeing more formalised engagement with Wiltshire and Swindon’s Community Safety Partnerships, and identifying any other partners who may add value to the work of the PCP.

6.     In considering these recommendations, Panel members are asked to note the Home Office grant of £65,000 per year which is intended to be used to support panel activity. In addition to officer support time and logistics (venues, refreshments etc) the grant can be used to support the implementation of some of the above recommendations.

Points made by the panel members:

That Street Pastors and other interested voluntary organisations could be included in the makeup of future Task Groups.

Was the work of the Panel enhanced with members of the public in attendance at meetings?

Consider setting up a skills matrix of all Panel members.

The lack of appetite of the Chairmen of the PCPs to get together on a regular basis to discuss good practice etc.

That the Panel was given more information on the Community Safety Partnerships.

It was agreed that Emily Higson would report back to the Panel on the points made by the Panel.

The Chairman thanked Emily Higson for her report.