Minutes:
Councillor Keith Kondakor (Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council) was welcomed to the meeting and invited to put his question to the Panel and Commissioner.
Councillor Kondakor highlighted the seriousness of bicycle theft. He stated that since 2010, funding cuts had intensified pressure on the police service and Criminal Justice System. This was evident in the performance of the 101 Service. He commented that fewer crimes were being reported due to a loss of confidence by some residents that action would be taken.
Councillor Kondakor stated that figures published by the Ministry of Justice indicated that there had been no convictions for bicycle theft in Warwickshire over the past three years. For some members of the public, there was a feeling that the Force was not interested in pursuing theft of a bicycle, leading many to resort to social media platforms to attempt to recover their property. He stated that a bicycle provided a sole means of transport for many people. Even when insured, it could be very difficult to recoup the cost of a stolen bicycle. He asked the Commissioner how action could be taken to seek an improvement.
The Commissioner thanked Councillor Kondakor for his question. He advised that the recently established customer resolution centres at Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington Spa, and Stratford-upon-Avon were open seven days a week, providing an opportunity for members of the public to access help and advice from a police officer. He stated that the number of 999 and 101 calls received by Warwickshire Police had continued to increase. In the past week, the Force had received more than 5,000 calls to 999 and 101. This was a record-breaking level of demand. It demonstrated that members of the public continued to see reporting of crime as being worthwhile.
The Commissioner advised that operational changes had been made to improve response times for calls to 101 during periods of high demand; 10 new call handlers had been recruited with funding allocated to secure the appointment of an additional 15. This would substantially increase the Control Room’s capacity to respond to calls. He emphasised that 999 calls were being responded to promptly; on average it took 6 seconds for a call to 999 to be answered.
The Commissioner advised that Warwickshire Police data showed a different picture to that of the Ministry of Justice figures. During the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years, 22 people had been charged or summonsed for bicycle theft. There had been 20 convictions, including three individuals who had been convicted of multiple bicycle thefts. Since 2018/19, there had been a 37% decrease in reported bicycle theft offences in Warwickshire. He emphasised that the Force would continue to pursue a positive outcome when theft of a bicycle was reported.
Councillor Kondakor stated that it was positive that victims of crime now had improved opportunities to contact the police at customer resolution centres. He suggested that efforts be made to promote these resources and to signpost members of the public to the options available to them to report crimes. Where there were known hotspots for bicycle theft, he suggested that efforts be made to target resources to seek an improvement.
Mr Richard Culley was welcomed to the meeting and invited to put his question to the Panel and Commissioner.
Mr Culley highlighted the harms caused by anti-social behaviour (ASB), stating that the Government’s recently published Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan set out proposals to support police and crime commissioners, local councils, and housing associations to target ASB in their communities. He stated that ASB could take many forms but one of its most problematic manifestations was the use and dealing of drugs, particularly heroin and crack cocaine. He highlighted the blight on communities of discarded hypodermic needles, persistent noise late at night, and fly-tipping in communal areas. As a result, residents experienced fear, intimidation, and isolation. He stated that victims of ASB had the option of raising the community trigger, but this did not always achieve a resolution. He relayed his recent experience of the community trigger process and expressed disappointment at the outcome. He outlined concerns relating to the appeals process. He emphasised his view that more needed to be done by the Force to respond to ASB and drug-related criminality.
The Commissioner advised that a community trigger case review required the input of partnership organisations including the police, local authorities, and relevant housing association. For a case to be upheld, it was necessary to satisfy specific criteria. These had not been met in the case referred to by Mr Culley. He stated that there had been considerable interaction between partnership organisations and expressed confidence that a robust process of engagement had been followed prior to a decision being made. Several meetings had been held, including a meeting with community safety partners, to agree a way of working and approaches to manage relations. An action plan was now in place. The Housing Association had agreed to rectify issues associated with CCTV. Following engagement, no grounds had been found to uphold the appeal. He recognised that this was not Mr Culley’s desired outcome. However, he provided assurance that the correct process had been followed and the role of the PCC had been properly discharged.
In response, Mr Culley stated that communication between partnership organisations had been poor since the initial ASB Case Review. It had been necessary for him to liaise with each party individually and information had been difficult to obtain. Action had recently been taken by the Force; however, it had been a long and painful process.
The Commissioner emphasised that ASB and drug dealing were treated with seriousness by Warwickshire Police. There had been considerable activity by the Force to disrupt serious and organised crime gangs in Stratford-upon-Avon and elsewhere. He underlined that it was not acceptable for drug dealing to occur in Stratford-upon-Avon or anywhere else.