Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from Members of the Panel

There were none.

Members are required to register their disclosable pecuniary interests within 28 days of their election or appointment to the Council.

A member attending a meeting where a matter arises in which they has a disclosable pecuniary interest must (unless they has a dispensation):

• Declare the interest if they has not already registered it

• Not participate in any discussion or vote

• Must leave the meeting room until the matter has been dealt with (Standing Order 39).

• Give written notice of any unregistered interest to the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting Non-pecuniary interests must still be declared in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

These should be declared at the commencement of the meeting.

There were none.

Resolved – That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as a correct record.

The Chair invited Councillor Holland to address the meeting.

Councillor Holland stated that he had asked a question at the previous meeting on the topic of enforcing vehicle weight limits in Warwick. He asked the Commissioner for an update as he had not received the briefing from Warwickshire Police that had been promised at the last meeting.

The Police and Crime Commissioner reiterated the update on Road Policing included in his report and confirmed that he would request Warwickshire Police provide a written update to Councillor Holland directly.

To consider passing the following resolution:

‘That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items mentioned below on the grounds that their presence wouldinvolve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972’.

Resolved - ‘That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items mentioned below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972’.

The Chief Constable provided an update on progress towards establishing Warwickshire Police as an independent force following the termination of the Strategic Alliance with West Mercia Police in October 2018.

The Police and Crime Commissioner presented his report.

In response to Councillor Poole, the Commissioner confirmed that Warwickshire had joined the Rural Crime Network which was run by the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire.

In response to Bob Malloy, the Commissioner stated that the mental health triage pilot was funded until March 2020 and he was hopeful it would be extended for a further 12 months. Coventry University would be providing an evaluation of the impact of the pilot and if the results were positive, he would seek to expand the scheme. Neil Hewison added that the mental health practitioner was available to advise officers over the radio as well as attending scenes in person which helped overcome the difficulty of covering a large area such as Warwickshire.

In response to Councillor O’Rourke, Neil Hewison stated that Warwickshire did work with NHS Crisis Intervention Teams but the street triage allowed immediate intervention at the scene to make sure that individuals were directed to the Crisis Intervention Teams rather than being taken into custody first.

In response to the Chair, the Commissioner stated that he would like to see more stability in the police especially in partnership roles but that around 70 officers left the force each year meaning a certain about of churn was inevitable.

In response to the Chair, the Commissioner confirmed that he would inform the Panel when his response to the HMIC report was published.

Neil Hewison presented the election protocol.

The Commissioner stated that the Home Office had announced that as the Friday following the election in May 2020 was a bank holiday the count would take place overnight with results announced on Friday morning. The Home Office had previously indicated that the count would be delayed until the Monday following the election.

Andy Davis noted that the end of the Strategic Alliance would now fall in the pre-election period and stated that the protocol would benefit from addressing this. He also stated that a clear distinction between personal and official social media accounts should be drawn in the protocol.

Neil Hewison stated that he agreed on both points and would amend the protocol.

Councillor Davison welcomed the long-term performance figures reported. He noted the significant reduction in Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and asked if similar reductions could be seen nationally or if this was a result of Warwickshire policies. He also asked what was behind the increase in cases recorded as ‘Outcome 16’ where a suspect was identified but the case did not proceed.

The Commissioner responded that Safer Neighbourhood Teams had taken a problem solving approach to ASB and were working with partners to address the underlying issues that drove ASB, he felt that this was responsible for the excellent performance. David Patterson added that he had prepared a report on outcomes which he could share with the Panel that would provide more information around Outcome 16 which Councillor Davison referenced.

Councillor Davison welcomed the response and stated that he would welcome sight of the report and national trend for ASB.

The Panel noted the report.

In response to Bob Malloy, the Commissioner agreed that the Force’s response to his scrutiny could be improved and was sometimes lacking in detail and specific actions. He emphasised that the quarterly performance reports were only one way he held the force to account and that he felt through weekly meetings with the Chief Constable and monthly meetings with the Senior Leadership Team he was able to effectively hold the force to account. The Commissioner did recognise the need to better reflect this in public reports.

Councillor Whalley-Hoggins provided an update on the work of the Planning and Performance Working Group which would be focusing on how the Commissioner was driving the Force to keep people safe and reducing crime. She also stated that the Group would be investigating whether the funding provided by the Commissioner to the four Community Safety Partnerships was being used effectively and provided value for money.

Bob Malloy provided an update on the Substance Misuse review which had been commissioned by the Planning and Performance Working Group.

Councillor Poole confirmed that the Budget working group dates had been set for the next 12 months and was due to meet next on 18 December 2019.

The Panel noted the Work Programme

To consider passing the following resolution:

‘That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items mentioned below on the grounds that their presence wouldinvolve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972’.

Resolved - ‘That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items mentioned below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972’.

Resolved – That the Panel agreed the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.