Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies from members of the Panel.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Jenny Fradgley, Councillor Jim Sinnott and Polly Reed (Chief Executive, OPCC).

Members are required to register their disclosable pecuniary interests within 28 days of their election of appointment to the Council. ?Any changes to matters registered or new matters that require to be registered must be notified to the Monitoring Officer as soon as practicable after they arise.

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

•        Declare the interest if ?they have not already registered it

•        Not participate in any discussion or vote

•        Leave the meeting room until the matter has been dealt with

•        Give written notice of any unregistered interest to the Monitoring Officer within 28 days of the meeting

Non-pecuniary interests relevant to the agenda should be declared at the commencement of the meeting.

The public reports referred to are available on the Warwickshire Web https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/uuCoverPage.aspx?bcr=1

There was none.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2024.

The Chair highlighted the recommendations made by the Panel in response to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s precept proposal on pages 6 and 7 of the minutes. The Panel had recommended that the Planning and Performance Working Group work with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to develop an approach to securing an indicative overview of performance across specific areas of community concern. He advised that the Working Group had set a meeting date to consider approaches to this work.

It was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.   

There was none.

The Report is attached for consideration and comment by the Panel.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) presented his report which provided an update on key activities since the meeting of the Panel in November 2023. He highlighted information within the report relating to Neighbourhood Policing, stating that the 2024/25 Budget had provided for recruitment of five town centre officers in the main towns of each borough and district. Two of these officers were now in place, and the remaining three posts would be filled by the end of March 2024. He had visited Nuneaton to gauge the effectiveness of this initiative. Positive feedback had been received from retailers who reported that the presence of a dedicated town centre officer had helped to address shoplifting and anti-social behaviour (ASB). Deployment of these officers would be determined by the relevant area commanders; however, it was likely that a town centre officer would be allocated to Atherstone, Leamington Spa, Nuneaton, Rugby, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Commissioner provided an update on the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) initiative, stating that it would be implemented over three phases. RCRP would enable improved collaboration between Warwickshire Police and mental health professionals to ensure that mental health calls for service could be treated by appropriately qualified individuals. Phase one was underway and involved detailed planning between the Force and relevant partners. It was proposed to fully implement the initiative in October 2024.

The Commissioner advised that £1m would be awarded by the Home Office to all police and crime commissioners to tackle ASB hotspots through the provision of additional patrols. The initiative sought to establish a uniformed presence at locations where ASB most frequently occurred to deter and prevent offending. He highlighted that £1m was being awarded to all policing areas, irrespective of their size. This was to the benefit of Warwickshire.

The Commissioner reported that the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Budget had announced that His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) would receive additional funding to address court backlogs in rape cases. Reducing the backlog of court cases was also a priority for the Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB). He reported that the increased number of courts and judges in Warwickshire had made a positive difference. However, there was a national shortage of criminal barristers which had resulted in delays. The LCJB would undertake some work to examine the causes of court backlogs, including hearing from a defence barrister to gain additional insight.

In response to Andrew Davies, the Commissioner stated that backlogs in the court system had improved, but not at the pace that was required. Engagement with organisations such as Women’s Refuge and Safeline, which were supported by the PCC, had provided insight into the effect that backlogs had on victims of crime. He emphasised that, as PCC, he could not singlehandedly resolve the problem; however, he would make use of opportunities to accelerate the process to remedy the backlog. The LCJB provided a forum for the relevant agencies to understand the causes of delays in the courts and measures that could support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Mr John Anderson, Chair of Warwickshire Joint Audit & Standards Committee, will introduce WJASC’s Annual Report.

Mr John Anderson (Chair of Warwickshire Joint Audit and Standards Committee) introduced the Joint Audit and Standards Committee (JASC) Annual Report for 2023. The report included details of how the Committee had complied with its terms of reference and provided overall assurance to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Chief Constable on the adequacy and effectiveness of governance arrangements. He highlighted the key points of the report, stating that:

·       The Committee had considered the Internal Audit annual opinion for 2022/23 which confirmed that control environments provided ‘substantial’ assurance that significant risks were being addressed. This constituted an improvement on the ‘moderate’ assurance provided in previous years.

·       The External Auditor, Grant Thornton, had provided unqualified opinions on the statutory accounts. Grant Thornton had largely completed its audit by September 2023, but it was not signed off until January 2024. This was mainly due to a delay in receiving external confirmations on pension fund liabilities. It was not related to the well-documented backlog in statutory audits in the public sector. The new External Auditor, Azets, had provided assurance that it would meet the September 2024 deadline for the 2023/24 accounts.

·       Grant Thornton had also provided a report on Value for Money. This report provided assurance on the arrangements in place to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and economy.

·       The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) had provided a report on financial management. Its first report in 2020 had given a three (out of five) star rating which was upgraded to four stars in the latest report. This reflected the significant improvements brought about by Jeff Carruthers (Chief Finance Officer, Warwickshire Police) and Sara Ansell (Treasurer, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner).

·       In the year ahead, the Committee would give attention to Warwickshire Police’s recent organisational changes by undertaking a Review of the Corporate Governance Framework.

·       The Annual Report had been presented to the Commissioner and Chief Constable giving notice that the JASC considered the arrangements in place to be adequate and operating efficiently and effectively.

In response to the Chair, Mr Anderson advised that a change of external auditors presented specific challenges. However, Jeff Carruthers and his team were experienced and had shown that they could manage this transition effectively.

The Chair thanked Mr Anderson and his colleagues on the JASC. A representative of the JASC regularly attended Panel meetings as an observer. As an action point, he would seek to coordinate more regular attendance of JASC meetings by the Panel.

The Commissioner highlighted the value that the JASC brought to the Force and PCC activities, including an important emphasis on professional standards.

The Panel noted the JASC Annual Report.

To consider any issues flagged by Community Safety Partnerships, providing a means for community concerns that have high-level, strategic implications to be discussed by the Panel and Commissioner.

There was none.

To review the Panel’s Work Programme.

The Chair highlighted that a report outlining funding arrangements for Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) would be brought to the next meeting. He suggested that the report build upon earlier updates to the Panel, providing details of future arrangements including the roles and responsibilities of CSPs, the support that was provided to CSPs, and how these could complement the Panel’s work.

The Panel noted the Work Programme.

To note the arrangements for future meetings.

Meetings will start at 2pm, unless specified otherwise. The following meetings are scheduled to be held at Shire Hall, Warwick:

·       20 June 2024

·       26 September 2024

·       21 November 2024

·       3 February 2025

·       13 March 2025

The Panel noted the dates of future meetings.

At the discretion of the Chair, items may be raised which are considered urgent (please notify Democratic Services in advance of the meeting).

On behalf of the Panel, the Chair expressed his thanks to Virginia Rennie for her dedicated support as Financial Advisor to the Panel. She had provided exceptionally valuable advice and insight. He wished Virginia well in her new role as Interim Director of Finance for Warwickshire County Council.

In anticipation of any changes that could result from elections due to be held on 2 May 2024, the Chair expressed his thanks to all attendees for their efforts and contributions.

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 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 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 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Mr John Anderson and Councillor Richard Dickson left the meeting at this point.

To consider any complaints received and considered regarding the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Panel held a confidential discussion.