Agenda item

To review the Highlight and Performance Report.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson OBE, MPhil, introduced a report, available on pages 19 to 38 of the agenda pack, outlining the progress made towards his Police and Crime Plan between April and June 2024.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Panel thanked the PCC for his report.

·       In reply to questions about what he was doing to address response times to 999 and 101 calls, the PCC explained that supervisors were providing and receiving more extensive training than before and that he had invested in new technology to allow data to be transferred automatically. He also noted that a chief superintendent was managing the call centre, greater efforts were being made to improve staff retention and they were carrying out more dip monitoring of calls.

·       The Panel noted that call response times were a key factor impacting confidence in the police and expressed frustration about the level of calls being abandoned. They passed on feedback from residents that had not reported crimes due to dissatisfaction with response times, so sought assurances that the PCC was pressuring the Chief Constable to ensure that this was a top priority.

·       It was noted that there were concerns about reporting crime in all parts of Wiltshire but that this was particularly an issue in less affluent areas. 

·       The PCC reassured the Panel that he shared their concerns and that call times were the Chief Constable’s top priority. He was applying pressure on the Chief Constable to do all she could to address the issue and was confident that she was doing the best she could with the available resources.

·       The Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), Naji Darwish, reported that call times were better than 12 months ago. He explained that average talking time per call had increased, possibly indicating a greater level of confidence in police response, but that this was a contributary factor to waiting times. He also highlighted the resource constrains on the force.

·       A member of the Panel reported that they had recently had cause to ring 999 twice and that the response had been excellent on both occasions, with officers arriving on the scene almost immediately.

·       In reply to a query about whether the underlying issues with response times to 101 calls were due to staffing levels, the PCC stated that additional staff had now been recruited, so they were now fully staffed. He emphasised the need to balance resources, reporting that, with the exception of shoplifting, improvements had been made in tackling all types of crimes.

·       The Chief Executive of the OPCC emphasised that efforts were being made to improve the health and wellbeing of call centre staff to improve staff retention. There had been improved line management, with daily meetings being held, anticipating resource challenges and exploring using additional sites where possible. He expected to see an improvement in call time responses by the Panel’s meeting on 14 November.

·       In response to queries about whether partnership work was being carried out effectively between agencies during the roll out of phase one of the Right Care, Right Person programme, an initiative to improve the multi-agency management of mental health demand, the PCC stated that it was, but the Chief Constable and he would be carrying out a review about how to better coordinate services. He reported that he would be meeting on a quarterly basis with the leaders and chief executives of both local authorities. In addition, he noted that the OPCC’s Director of Operations, Rob Llewellyn, worked closely with the Community Safety Partnership executive groups in both Swindon and Wiltshire.

·       The PCC explained that criminal acts were symptoms of underlying social and economic issues.

·       The Chairman requested that he was invited to the quarterly meeting with the Leader of Wiltshire Council and the Vice-Chairman was invited to the PCC’s meeting with the Leader of Swindon Borough Council.

·       When asked whether the right risk assessments were in place in the Right Care, Right Person programme the Chief Executive of the OPCC explained that conversations had been held with partner agencies to ensure that the correct risk management systems were in place. He was pleased to report that no significant concerns had been raised by partners and that updates had been provided to Wiltshire’s Health and Wellbeing Board. He explained that, in Wiltshire, the programme was being implemented in two distinct phases. The second phase of the programme would include the transportation of mental health patients, which would require deep cooperation with South Western Ambulance Service. Whilst he recognised that there would be challenges in implementing the second phase of the new system, he was also optimistic that it had the potential to free up resources to focus on core policing tasks. The implementation of the programme was being overseen by a multi-agency group.

·       The Panel requested a written response with further information about Right Care, Right Person and the approach to mental health support.

·       A member of the Panel raised concerns about Wiltshire Police’s response to a series of incidents where an individual who was struggling with their mental health had threatened a resident. The Chief Executive of the OPCC noted that the police would be guided by the agreements with partners. The police responded when a serious threat to life required it, but people experiencing mental health crisis should be seen by health professionals not police officers.

·       The PCC emphasised that Wiltshire Police liaised with partners to establish which was the most appropriate agency to respond to a particular incident. He recognised that there would be cases where improvements could be made, so stressed that it was important to maintain oversight. 

·       Details were sought about how the warden patrols, funded through the £1 million Hotspot Response Fund would operate. The Chief Executive of the OPCC explained that the fund was split roughly in half to support additional high visibility patrols and work with local councils, such as in Salisbury and Trowbridge. Details of where the additional patrols took place would be provided to the Home Office. Extra work had been carried out to engage with Trowbridge Town Council to ensure that they had been fully consulted with.

·       The PCC noted that the Home Office set strict conditions about how grant funding was to be spent but explained that there was a degree of local autonomy.

·       When asked about why a warden scheme was not being implemented in smaller market towns, or suburban areas of Swindon, on Friday and Saturday nights, the Chief Executive of the OPCC stated that information about where the additional resources were being deployed could be provided.  

·       Information was sought about why there had not been a reduction in police response times. The PCC stated that tweaks were being made to the operating model to improve clarity around tasking, including improving oversight and better utilising data. It was confirmed that less urban areas tended to have longer response times, although steps were being taken to address this imbalance.