Agenda item

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil to provide an update, including a quarterly Highlight and Performance Report about his Crime Plan.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil gave a wide-ranging update about the progress towards his Crime Plan, the National Police Air Service (NPAS), collaboration between forces and the financial position of Wiltshire Police. Points included:

·       The National Police Chiefs’ Council was undertaking a review of the strategic framework for how police forces accessed air support. The PCC welcomed the review but noted that he expected that a revised framework would still not be in place for a number of years.

·       The PCC expressed frustration that Wiltshire Police were contributing financially to NPAS to pay for fixed wing aircraft that they rarely used. He highlighted that 80 percent of missions were now carried out using drones and that he had been leading collaboration at a regional level to improve capability.

·       The new government were keen to strengthen collaboration between police forces in a range of areas. The PCC explained that forces in South West England had been leading the way by looking at how they could deliver efficiencies by sharing facilities.

·       It was anticipated by the PCC that the role of PCCs would continue to develop and that PCCs were keen to strengthen powers and local input into criminal justice coordination, such as probation and youth justice services. He explained that, in his view, the current justice system would benefit from having more coordination and joint planning.

·       At a recent meeting that the PCC had with the new Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson DBE, she had been unable to confirm what Wiltshire’s central grant for policing would be for 2025/26. The PCC was also seeking clarity about whether central government grant funding, such as the Safer Streets Fund, would be rolled over for another year.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Panel thanked the PCC for his update.

·       It was not yet confirmed whether the police would have to pay the increase in national insurance announced in the government’s October budget. The PCC was concerned that if Wiltshire Police had to pay the increase it would place significant strain on their resources and would reverse the improvements that been made. 

·       In response to a question about drones, the PCC gave a detailed answer about the number and variety in service with Wiltshire Police. He argued that the police could learn from other organisations, such as the Maritime Agency, that had a long track record of drone usage. He also highlighted the potential strategic advantages that drones could bring, such as helping to inform the number of officers that might be required to attend a particular incident.

·       The Safer Streets Fund and the Serious Violence Duty were government funded schemes that were mostly spent on additional police patrols and street wardens. The PCC believed that these additional resources had made a significant contribution to the 16 percent reduction in reports of anti-social behaviour across Wiltshire. The Chief Executive of the Office of the PCC (OPCC), Naji Darwish, explained that the Safer Streets Fund was used to provide additional patrols in specific locations and that quarterly updates were sent to the Home Office so that they could monitor the impact that the programme was having.

·       When asked to comment on the discrepancy between the decline in the reporting of anti-social behaviour and the findings of the public consultation on the PCC’s draft Police and Crime Plan, which showed a perception that anti-social behaviour was increasing, the Chief Executive explained that there had been conflicting data in perception for a long period. However, he stressed that the OPCC were continually looking at how they could improve public confidence, feelings of safety and engagement.

·       The Chief Constable explained that she saw improving public perceptions as one of the police’s responsibilities. She outlined a series of steps that Wiltshire Police were undertaking to improve engagement, such as posting more on social media, visiting community groups and Area Boards.

·       In response to a query about the drop in satisfaction in the victim journey, including how victims were kept informed about the investigations into their case, the Chief Constable acknowledged that further work was required. She explained that the force was improving oversight and increasing training about this issue. She also noted that the recent Police Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspection had found an overall improvement in Wiltshire Police’s investigations.

·       The Chairman encouraged the press to attend the Panel’s meetings.

·       The Chief Constable reminded the Panel about Wiltshire Police’s community commitments and their role in improving trust in the police. She also highlighted that Project Vigilant was underway to help protect the public from being victims of sexual offences on nights out.

·       The PCC emphasised that the Chief Constable and he shared the Panel’s desire to make communities feel safer and the need to improve communication, such as the response time to 101 calls. He stressed that the increased emphasis on neighbourhood policing and attendance at community events were important ways of showing the public the improvement that was taking place. He also explained that many negative perceptions about the police related to national, rather than Wiltshire specific, issues. 

·       Assistant Chief Constable Ian Saunders explained that responses to attend incidents were broken down into two categories, priority incidents and immediate incidents. He reassured that Panel that the times taken to respond to incidents were heading in the right direction. A review of the logs of priority incidents had been undertaken to analyse how response times could be improved. There had also been a dramatic improvement in the control room since the introduction of the ‘task not ask’ system in November 2023, after which officers were told, not asked, where to go.

·       Immediate response times in Swindon were within the service level agreement. The rural nature of the rest of the county did present challenges for immediate response times. However, studies were underway to review demand and to identify hotspots where response times could be improved.

·       A member of the Panel noted that he had recently sat on a public scrutiny panel that studied police complaints. The scrutiny panel identified a significant backlog in the number of complaints and questioned whether there were enough staff allocated in the OPCC to address the backlog.

·       The PCC welcomed the additional scrutiny that would come from the new public panel. He explained that serious disciplinary complaints were referred to professional standards and that the OPCC processed complaints that related to the quality of service that had been provided and aimed to rectify this. He acknowledged that the number of complaints had increased but stated that the OPCC were ensuring that the process was as efficient as possible and that included the appropriate level of staffing. A rigorous analysis of complaints was underway to identify trends and the potential opportunities for learning and prevention of complaints by improving policing. 

·       The Chief Executive of the OPCC explained that there was lots of statutory guidance relating to complaint processes and that he was keen to take onboard feedback as the new scrutiny group developed greater experience.

·       When asked about the Further Action Taken (FAT) rate for rape and serious sexual offences, the PCC explained that Wiltshire Police had a FAT rate of two percent when he started his role and that this had increased to over eight percent. Although significant progress had been made, and the FAT rate for these types of offences was above the national average, the PCC was keen to stress that far more progress was needed. The Chief Constable reiterated the PCC’s message that they were keen to drive improvement, not just in the FAT rate, but also in victim support. She reported that Wiltshire Police had recently received positive feedback about how they had implemented Operation Soteria, to protect women and girls.