Agenda item

The Report is attached.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) presented his report which provided an update on key activities since the Panel meeting in November 2021. The report included an overview of national issues, including initiatives emerging from the Home Office Police and Crime Commissioner Review, and the recently published State of Policing Report 2021.

The Commissioner provided an outline of the key priorities emerging from the recently introduced National Policing Measures, stating that the Police and Crime Plan 2021-25 enabled a focus on these areas. He provided an overview of the implications of the recent amendment to the Specified Information Order 2011 which placed a duty on PCCs to publish information on their contribution to achieving improvements against key priorities. He suggested that this could be a useful resource for the Panel and others.

The Commissioner reported that the Chief Constable had recently appointed a Deputy Chief Constable, Alex Franklin-Smith.

The Commissioner advised that the Evolve Programme was reaching its conclusion. The Programme had been established to support the transition of Warwickshire Police to a standalone Force following termination of the Strategic Alliance. He reported that Warwickshire Police had largely achieved this objective; a small number of legacy software applications would continue to be hosted by West Mercia Police until the end of June 2022.

The Commissioner reported that migration of Warwickshire Police’s Operations Communication Centre from Leek Wootton to a refurbished facility at Stuart Ross House had been completed successfully without significant interruption to services. However, rates of COVID-19 had recently surged, affecting around 25% of control handlers. He reported that the upgraded facility had been well-received by staff; it would contribute to better contact with the public and improved outcomes. He invited the Panel to visit Stuart Ross House.

The Commissioner reported that the Evolve Programme would be succeeded by the ‘Empower’ Programme, with a focus on the three workstreams of People, Place, and Technology to drive continuous improvement. It would enable a means to deliver on the Force’s ‘Fit for the Future’ Strategy and the ambitions of the Police and Crime Plan.

The Commissioner reported that plans were in place to achieve a Force establishment figure of 1100 officers before the end of the year. This would be supported by recruitment of 55 officers appointed through the national Uplift Programme.

The Commissioner announced that he had selected a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner; a confirmation hearing would be scheduled in April 2022 to enable the Panel to review the appointment.

The Commissioner reported a meeting had recently been held to finalise arrangements for the Grants Scheme. He advised that the allocation of funding towards small grants had been increased by £60,000 which would support initiatives across Warwickshire and contribute towards delivery of priorities outlined within the Police and Crime Plan. He advised that attention would be given to allocations to Commissioned Services, including contracts for larger organisations due for renewal in 2023.

In response to the Chair, the Commissioner expressed his support for the government’s intention to grant greater powers of competence to PCCs; it would provide improved scope to achieve specific objectives, delivering wider benefits. The changes proposed by government constituted a ‘levelling up’ of PCCs’ powers to ensure parity with the equivalent powers held by other public sector agencies.

In response to Councillor Kettle, the Commissioner advised that his report summarised the conclusions of Part Two of the Police and Crime Commissioner Review, including measures to ensure effective local scrutiny. He stated that it was likely that there were police and crime panels in England and Wales that did not enact scrutiny to the same standard as Warwickshire PCP. For example, not all PCPs supported working groups. It was likely that the government would seek to learn from best practice shown by panels nationally.

The Chair stated that consideration by the Panel of options to increase its capacity to better support scrutiny processes was ongoing. It was encouraging that the Home Office was considering approaches to provide additional support to police and crime panels.

In response to Andy Davis, the Commissioner advised that the Warwickshire Local Criminal Justice Board (WLCJB) brought together multiple agencies, including the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service, National Probation Service, Youth Justice Service, and others. It provided an informal setting for partnership working with the aim of improving local criminal justice outcomes. He stated that the PCC’s role was to ask questions and ‘hold to account’ criminal justice agencies. The Review proposed to take steps to support a more data-confident culture, bolstering the abilities of PCCs to use this information confidently. The Commissioner stated that, as Chair of WLCJB, he was well-placed to seek information from different public bodies. He expressed confidence in the measures outlined by government; more information was anticipated in due course.

In response to Andrew Davies, the Commissioner stated that the changes proposed by government would expand the role of the PCC and were part of a broader drive to level-up across the public sector. He stated that the OPCC was a lean organisation; however, it would continue to prioritise efficient working and evaluate ongoing resourcing requirements should the changes proposed result in increased demand.

In response to Councillor Poole, the Commissioner stated that public confidence in policing was influenced by the performance of the 101 Service; however, it also depended upon perceptions of legitimacy. He stated that examples of poor conduct by the Metropolitan Police Service had a detrimental effect on public confidence in policing nationally. He advised that public confidence could be supported by organisational transparency, effective scrutiny by the Panel, engagement by elected members with residents, and escalation of concerns to Safer Neighbourhood Teams as well as his Office.

The Commissioner highlighted the challenges of transition to the new Police ICT system. Overall, the process had been completed with minimal disruption; however, it had impacted on call centre response times. He stated that performance of the 999 service had been good, but 101 performance required improvement. He drew attention to the high demand experienced by call handlers. Consideration would be given to increasing staff numbers; however, recruiting call handlers could be challenging and levels of staff turnover were high.

In response to Councillor Davison, the Commissioner advised that he regularly monitored 999 and 101 response times and would continue to hold the Force to account for its performance. He would continue to promote digital platforms such as ‘Single Online Home’ which enabled residents to report crimes online. He encouraged members to also promote this resource.

It was determined that the Planning and Performance Working Group would continue to focus on 101 response times, including analysis of the quality of call handling.

In response to Councillor Kettle, Polly Reed (Chief Executive, OPCC) advised that it had been resolved to retain two legacy applications hosted by West Mercia Police until June 2022 to enable a smoother transition to the new standalone Warwickshire ICT system. However, day-to-day policing was not dependent on these applications; the Force was now operationally independent of the West Mercia network.

In response to Andrew Davies, the Commissioner stated that the population of Warwickshire was growing. The Force would need to serve more residents who would expect an efficient service which provided value for money. He advised that the focus of the Empower Programme on People, Place and Technology would support a police presence across communities in Warwickshire; improved environmental sustainability; and better engagement, making use of the functionality of new ICT systems.

In response to Councillor Fradgley, the Commissioner advised that the Force was on-track to reach the target of 1100 police officers by December 2022. However, it was not possible to anticipate how many officers would leave and how many applications would be made to join the organisation.

Councillor Fradgley reported that, following advice from the Police, residents in Stratford-upon-Avon had collated evidence of specific antisocial behaviour. Meetings had been arranged to discuss the findings with a local police officer; however, each meeting had been cancelled at short notice due to operational pressures.

The Commissioner advised that such instances demonstrated the need for additional officers. He highlighted the operational pressures brought about by incidents such as the recent disruption at Kingsbury Oil Terminal. He asked Councillor Fradgley to supply details of the proposed meetings, enabling him to raise the issue with the Chief Constable.

In response to Councillor Davison, the Commissioner advised that there were approximately 80 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Warwickshire, many of whom aspired to become police officers, leading to vacancies. He stated that there was a need to prioritise retention of PCSOs. He would raise the query relating to the timing of recruitment arrangements with the Chief Constable.

In response to Councillor Kettle, the Commissioner advised that COVID-19 had affected deployments to the Rural Crime Team, leading to a temporary reduction in the number of allocated vehicles. He highlighted the continued effectiveness of the Rural Crime Team; it would be restored to full operational capacity as soon as practicable. He agreed to raise the issue with the Chief Constable.

The Chair highlighted the importance of the role performed by Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs), stating that these bodies provided a means for effective joint working, problem solving and identification of vulnerabilities. The Commissioner underlined his support for CSPs and agreed to provide an update in his next report to the Panel.