Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from Members of the Panel

Councillor Poole sent his apologies and Councillor Simpson-Vince was present as a substitute.

Councillor Watkins sent his apologies for the meeting.

There were none.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There was none.

To consider the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precept for 2020/21, and make a report to the Commissioner on the proposals by 8 February 2020.

The Police and Crime Commissioner presented the proposed budget for Warwickshire Police including the Proposed Local Police Precept increase of £9.99 (4.38%) for Band D properties (and equivalent percentage increase for all other bands) in the 2020/21 financial year (Appendix 1). In his presentation, the Commissioner welcomed the increased police funding settlement which enabled the setting of a budget which did not require council taxpayers to contribute a greater amount than that provided from central government. He stated that the improved funding would allow scope to increase the number of police officers and allow for greater investment in crucial infrastructure.

The Police and Crime Commissioner reported that he had paid close attention to the results of the precept public consultation which had indicated clear support for continued investment in police services. He added that respondents had also highlighted concerns regarding the effect of a large increase in council tax. On this basis, the Commissioner notified the Panel that he had determined to implement a smaller rise than that which was consulted on.

The Police and Crime Commissioner advised that the budget was subject to considerable cost pressures and that funding from reserves would be utilised to support the cost of the transformation programme precipitated by the termination of the strategic alliance with West Mercia Police. He reported that a settlement with West Mercia Police had not been reached but it was hoped that an agreement would be concluded that would be fair to both parties. He added that resolution of the settlement would help to alleviate financial pressures in coming years, however, the cost of re-establishing independent policing functions would need to be supported by existing finances.

The Police and Crime Commissioner emphasised his commitment to ensure that resources were utilised effectively to the maximum benefit of Warwickshire’s residents and communities. He advised that rigorous financial control would be exerted to facilitate continued focus on policing priorities, including:

·       Investment in projects that support the Police and Crime Plan, including provision of support for the victims of crime;

·       Recruitment of an additional 41 police officers;

·       Investment in infrastructure to support front-line policing;

·       Doubling in size of the Rural Crime Team to enable six officers to be deployed in the north of the County and six officers in the south;

·       Strengthening of patrol policing, including five officers to be deployed in the north of the County and five in the south;

·       12 additional uniformed firearms and roads policing officers to operate county wide;

·       Deployment of 13 additional detectives to a specialist Child Abuse, Trafficking and Exploitation Team;

·       Creation of a Warwickshire Firearms Licensing Team;

·       Deployment of Inspectors to command Control Room functions and the implementation of higher standards of call-taking and responsiveness to high risk firearms incidents. 

The Police and Crime Commissioner summarised that the proposed precept increase would constitute an increase of less than 20p per week to the average council tax bill of a Band D household and commended his budget to the Panel.

In response to Councillor Davies, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Neil Tipton (Head of Media and Communications, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner) presented a verbal report regarding the Policing Priorities Consultation.

Neil Tipton reported that the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) had jointly commissioned the consultation with Warwickshire Police, and had commissioned the services of a professional market research company, SMRS, to conduct the survey and analyse the results. He advised that the consultation would aim to reach 750 residents, it would be primarily telephone-based with a supplementary on-line survey.

Neil Tipton stated that the consultation would target a representative sample of Warwickshire residents taking into consideration a proportionate geographic spread as well as factors such as age, gender and ethnicity. He commented that minority groupings would be prioritised to ensure that the results of the survey accurately represented the population demographics of the County. He added that SMRS had undertaken to vary the times of day and days of the week when residents were contacted to increase the scope of the consultation.

Neil Tipton advised that opinions would be sought from the public in respect of priorities for policing, areas or issues that should receive attention, levels of confidence in the police, reasonable response times for 101 calls, perceptions of stop and search practices, deployment of tasers and body worn video apparatus, and attitudes towards policing governance arrangements following termination of the Alliance. He reported that the questions were currently being use-tested prior to launch of the survey. It was anticipated that the consultation would be active for a period of three weeks. Neil Tipton advised that SMRS would analyse the data received at the end of this period and provide headline findings to the OPCC prior to a detailed report. He advised that it was unlikely that the results would be announced before the outcome of the Police and Crime Commissioner election was known in May 2020.

Neil Tipton advised that the Police and Crime Commissioner was supporting a separate on-line survey which would run concurrently with the Policing Priorities Consultation to focus on perceptions of crime, road safety, business crime, hate crime and antisocial behaviour.

In response to Councillor O’Rourke, Neil Tipton reported that representation of minority groups including members of the LGBT+ community and disabled people would not be overlooked by the consultation. He advised that the survey would be conducted predominantly by telephone which would not disenfranchise residents who did not have access to the internet. He added that hate crime awareness events were held across the year and that the OPCC would be seeking feedback from individuals affected by hate crime.

In response to Councillor Davison, Neil Tipton advised that it was not possible to disclose the total cost of the consultation due to commercial sensitivities, however, he reiterated that the project would be jointly funded by the OPCC and Warwickshire Police. He added that, though the project entailed a significant financial outlay, it was a justifiable investment as the information derived from the survey would help to inform  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To consider and review the Panel’s work programme.

The Panel was notified that the next meeting would take place on 16 March 2020, and that items marked on the Work Programme for consideration on 2 April 2020 would be brought forward.

Bob Malloy called attention to the item ‘Outcomes of Criminal Investigations’ which had been assigned for future consideration by the Panel. Neil Hewison (Chief Executive, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner) advised that the OPCC’s response to the Panel’s Planning and Performance Working Group was being prepared; it was felt that the proposed meeting to discuss the issue (which had been scheduled to follow this meeting) should be rescheduled to another date prior to the next meeting of the Panel. Neil Hewison stated that the OPCC was amenable to timetabling of the item on the Work Programme but underlined that this was a long-term issue that would benefit from an initial consideration by the Panel, followed by a second update in around six months’ time. The Chair indicated that the meeting with the OPCC would be rescheduled.

To note the arrangements for future meetings. All Police and Crime Panel meetings start at 10.30 am, unless specified otherwise. The following meetings are scheduled at Shire Hall, Warwick:

Monday 16 March 2020

Thursday 18 June 2020

Thursday 24 September 2020

Thursday 19 November 2020

Monday 1 February 2021

Thursday 1 April 2021

The Chair invited the Panel to take note of the future meeting dates:

·       Monday 16 March 2020

·       Thursday 18 June 2020

·       Thursday 24 September 2020

·       Thursday 19 November 2020

·       Monday 1 February 2021

·       Thursday 1 April 2021

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

The Chair expressed the appreciation of the Panel for the support provided by Tom McColgan (Senior Democratic Services Officer) who was leaving the organisation and wished him well for the future.   

“That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of confidential or exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended”

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’.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2019.

Resolved: That the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

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

There were none.

The Panel received an update on matters relating to the Strategic Alliance.

The meeting rose at 12.30pm

…………………………………….

Chair