Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from:

• Councillor Tonia Craig, Eastleigh Borough Council
• Councillor Lisa Griffiths, Winchester City Council
• Councillor Brian Laming, Additional Local Authority Co-opted Member
• Councillor Phillip Lashbrook, Test Valley Borough Council
• Councillor Frank Rust, Additional Local Authority Co-opted Member

The Chairman further added that he had a discussion with the Police and Crime Commissioner ahead of the meeting, within which they mutually agreed he would not attend the meeting following an accident at home from which he was recovering. The Chairman welcomed James Payne, Chief Exec OPCC, and Enzo Riglia, Assistant PCC and Deputy Chief Executive, who were attending the meeting on behalf of Mr Lane.

To enable Members to declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest they may have in any matter on the agenda for the meeting, where that interest is not already entered in their appointing authority’s register of interests, and any other pecuniary or personal interests in any such matter that Members may wish to consider disclosing.

Members were able to disclose to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest they may have in any matter on the agenda for the meeting, where that interest is not already entered in their appointing authority’s register of interests, and any other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests in any such matter that Members may wish to disclose.

No declarations were made.

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting.

The Minutes from the 5 July 2019 meeting were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Members heard that, under minute 227, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) had provided clarity in relation to the £1.2m funding mentioned for the setting up of Violence Reduction Units. The OPCC advised that the Commissioner had received £1.2 million in funding for Hampshire Constabulary to carry out surge activities related to knife crime, and an additional £880,000 to set up the Violence Reduction Unit.

To receive any questions or deputations in line with Rule 31 and 31A of the Panel’s Rules of Procedure.

No questions or deputations were received by the Panel on this occasion.

To hear any announcements the Chairman may have for this meeting.

The Chairman welcomed Councillor David McKinney, who had recently joined the Panel representing East Hampshire District Council.  

The Chairman noted that Members of the Panel had recently attended a training and induction event and offered his thanks to the officers from the OPCC who attend the meeting to discuss the work of the Commissioner and his team.

To hear any announcements the Commissioner may have for the Panel.

The Chair invited announcements from the Chief Executive and the Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner, who highlighted the following to the Panel:

The Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner provided an update on progress in the development of a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in Hampshire. Members heard that, since the last meeting of the Panel, confirmation of the OPCC’s successful proposal had been received and that the Commissioner and his team were currently in the process of signing Grant Agreements with the Home Office. It was further heard that the funding being provided would create an opportunity to build upon existing multi-agency work in Hampshire to tackle serious violence, and bring together partners from health, education, policing, youth offending and social care. A VRU core working group had been established which was chaired by the OPCC, which would meet regularly to drive forward delivery of the VRU.

The Assistant PCC noted the recent Channel 4 documentary series ‘Crime and Punishment’. Members heard that the series would follow agencies from across the criminal justice system in Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the IOW including Probation, the Crown Prosecution Service, Hampshire Constabulary and HM Prison Winchester, and was developed in association with the Local Criminal Justice Board. Further it was heard that, following the airing of the second part of the series in January, the LJCB would be hosting a stakeholder event to discuss the content of the programme, an invitation to which was extended to Members of the Panel.

The Assistant PCC also drew Members attention to the second grants round recently launched by the OPCC, which invited community organisations across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton to apply for grants valued between £500 and £50,000. It was heard that this funding round focussed on small organisations and allowed them to make targeted bids for projects and services to reduce offending and support victims.

To allow the Panel to ask questions of the Chief Constable in relation to the operational policing establishment, to support the Panel in its preparation for the scrutiny of the proposed budget and precept for 2020/21.

The Chairman welcomed Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney to the meeting, explaining that the answers from the Chief Constable (CC) to the questions of the Panel would support the Panel in preparations for its statutory responsibility to scrutinise the Commissioner’s proposed precept in January.

The CC expressed appreciation for the invitation from the Chairman to attend the meeting and provided an overview of Hampshire Constabulary’s current position.

Members heard that there was significant pressure on Constabulary resources against the backdrop of an extraordinary year which included the largest ever event co-ordinated by Hampshire Constabulary for the DDay 75 commemorations, requiring the involvement of all bar one force nationally. There had also been demand for police support at local events, including the recent football match between Portsmouth and Southampton Football Clubs. Members heard that, outside of London, Hampshire had the largest number of large annual events. Many of these focussed on the summer months, along with the increased draw to the counties seaside and coastal areas at this time. Members heard that Constabulary staff had stepped up to meet the challenge but the CC was consciously aware that staff were feeling tired and emotionally fatigued. Another impact seen during this time was a fall in the expected service standards for the 101 service during the early summer months, which was recovered during August with wrap around support.

The CC recounted four cases of Hampshire police officers being seriously injured on duty in the past year, which had not only had a serious impact on them but on the wider police personnel. The CC also remembered PC Andrew Harper, who was a Thames Valley Officer based in the Joint Operations Unit, who was murdered whilst on duty.

It was noted that overall rates of recorded crime within the Hampshire policing area were approximately 1000 lower than the previous year. The CC further highlighted that the Constabulary had successfully solved every homicide which had occurred during the previous year. The CC shared concerns about charging and conviction rates for serious sexual offences both locally and nationally, and explained that within Hampshire Constabulary there were 100 officers dedicated purely to addressing serious sexual assault.

Members heard that Hampshire Constabulary was performing most highly within its group of similar forces in terms of productivity and was one of the highest performing forces in the country in this respect, with nominations for several national awards .  The CC was clear that this success was made through operating in a strong partnership environment.

The CC felt that without the uplift of additional offers funded by the precept the force would not be able to deliver the performance it had in the last year. The CC welcomed the recent funding announcement from central government for 200,000 additional officers and 6,000 police staff nationally. Members heard the force were current recruiting in readiness, with over 200 applications recently received for the role of detective and a further round of applications to shortly commence for uniformed staff.  The CC further added  ...  view the full minutes text for item 240.

To receive the draft Annual Report of the Police and Crime Commissioner for the 2018/19 year.

Members received a draft copy of the Commissioners Annual report for 2018-19 and were invited to raise comments and recommendations in accordance with Section 28(4) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act.

In response to Members questions it was heard that:

·         The Victim Care Service was commissioned for a five-year period, as would be normal for such contracts, to deliver cost benefits.

·         A invitation would be extended the Panel to attend the Youth Commission Conference in November, to allow Members to hear more about the work of the Youth Commission during the year.

·         The Assistant PCC would provide a response, following the meeting to questions from Members regarding the True Vision hate crime reporting service.

·         InterAct was being promoted for use by partners, in particular as a resource to Community Safety Partnership (CSP) managers to enable them to access the data available in the system from their own desktops.

·         The £2m per annum to be returned to the budget through the Estates programme would be added to the core baseline and was not required to be reinvested into supporting the estate, although there would be ongoing costs in maintaining the estate as part of BAU in future years. In particular the Chief Executive highlighted that business rates for the Police Investigation Centres (PIC) had been three times those which were expected and had been based on investment in the building, rather than its use. The Eastern PIC had now been put successfully into operation and the final version of the annual report would be updated to reflect this.

·         A summarised version of the annual report and additional media, in the form of videos, was to be published by the OPCC to broaden public exposure to the annual report.

Whilst appreciating that the qualitative benefits of commissioned services, including those funded through the Safer Communities fund, were difficult to measure, Members expressed a view that inclusion of qualitative outcomes or case studies could enhance the impact of the annual report. It was also suggested by Members that the annual report should demonstrate the benefits of centralising the allocation of the Safer Communities fund within the OPCC, as opposed to delegating the commissioning responsibility locally to Community Safety Partnerships.

RESOLVED:

That the Panel receives the draft Annual Report of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, reviews the document and makes any report or recommendation to the Commissioner in line with Section 28(4) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act.

To receive a quarterly update from the Police and Crime Commissioner detailing delivery against his Police and Crime Plan.

Members received an update on delivery against the Police and Crime Plan 2016-2021. Members heard:

·         The Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner had attended the most recent meeting of the Panel’s Plan working group to provide a more detailed update on the Plan.

·         The management of the ‘Appropriate adult’ service had been transferred to the OPCC from the Constabulary in order to release officer time. Members heard that aspects of the service were already being supported by the OPCC ahead of the transfer and that the Commissioner’s team were undertaking work to establish a baseline performance for the service.

·         Following requests from Members, the OPCC would present information more pertinent to the business as usual activities of the office at the next Plan working group meeting, which would be reflected in the update presented to the next meeting of the Panel.

RESOLVED:

That the update on the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan is noted.

To agree the outcomes and recommendations of the Panel’s review of

considering how the Commissioner is supporting effective and efficient operational policing for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Chairman explained that, over the last year, the Panel had undertaken a proactive scrutiny review considering how the Police and Crime Commissioner had sought to support the delivery of effective and efficient policing for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The final draft of the outcomes and recommendations from the proactive scrutiny were presented to the Panel. Councillor Bound provided an overview of the process undertaken, on behalf of the proactive scrutiny working group. In response to Members questions it was heard that scrutinising the collaborative elements of the Commissioners role in supporting operational policing had been difficult to scrutinise and draw evidence upon.

The Chief Executive of the OPCC read a brief statement from the Commissioner, acknowledging and welcoming the outcomes of the scrutiny which had focussed upon a key element of his role as Commissioner.

Members agreed the outcomes and recommendations from the effective and efficient operational policing proactive scrutiny. The Chairman explained that these would now be formally be sent to the Commissioner for response.

RESOLVED:

That the effective and efficient operational policing proactive scrutiny findings and its recommendations are agreed and sent to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire for response.

To receive a report from the Chairman detailing the Panel’s Annual Report for the 2018/19 year.

The Chairman introduced the Panel’s draft annual report for the 2018/19 municipal year.

Members were content with the draft and agreed that the report be published on the Panel’s website, with the addition of a foreword from the Chairman, and shared with relevant partners.

RESOLVED:

That the annual report is agreed.

To receive a verbal update from recent meetings of the Panel’s working groups.

With the agreement of the Chairman this item was brought forward to item 12 of the agenda.

The Chairman invited Councillor Bound to provide an update on the most recent meeting of the Plan working group. Members heard that:

·         The Chief Constable had committed to the use of SafetyNet by the Constabulary. At a recent meeting of the Community Safety Partnership Forum it was confirmed that training on SafetyNet was being delivered through the Neighbourhood Excellence course with instruction to NPTs to use SafetyNet to support managing people in partnership.

• A new deputy data protection officer was now in post at the OPCC which had enabled the actions from the recent ICO Audit to be completed.
• Members of the working group were assured to hear that continuity planning was in place for business as usual activity undertaken by the OPCC, as outlined in the delivery plan, meaning it would continue to be delivered throughout the period of the PCC election and beyond.

Michael Coombes was invited to provide an update from the most recent meeting of the Finance working group. Members heard that:

• The working group had again challenged progress against the police officer recruitment funded by the increase in precept and were assured to hear recruitment was on track. The working group had requested further details of in year attrition within the force to understand the wider picture of how recruitment of these officers had impacted upon the strength of the establishment. Members heard that the working group would also monitor the allocation of funding for additional police officers and staff, as announced by the Prime Minister, including any additional funding received for costs not directly associated to salaries.
• The working group reviewed the Statement of Accounts for 2018/19, with a focus upon the current reserves position and use. Challenge had also been raised around remuneration packages and exit costs within the Constabulary and the working group had received justifications for the increase to both during 2018/19.
• The capital programme was discussed, and Members heard that there had been no change to the strategy for borrowing this year.
• As part of initial considerations moving towards the precept setting in January it was understood that the police funding announcement was not expected to be received until mid-late December and that the fairer funding review would not be considered until after April 2020.

To consider a paper monitoring the Police and Crime Panel’s budget for 2019/20, in advance of agreeing the proposed budget for 2020/21.

Members received a report from the finance officer to the Panel which monitored the budget for 2018/19, in advance of agreeing the proposed budget for 2020/21.

The Chairman explained that the Panel had sought to maximise the use of the budget in order to enhance the Panel’s effectiveness and impact, and that the projected spend for 2019/20 and proposed budget for 2020/21 reflected this position.

Bob Purkiss, as Chairman of the Complaints sub-committee, noted the significant draw on time and resource in handling complaints during 2018/19, which was reflected within the report, particularly in managing historic and vexatious complainants outside of the core meetings of the sub-committee.

It was also noted that the report proposed a review of the legal support to the Panel, as part of a regular review process, to retender for a period of four years, to coinside with the term of the PCC. Due to annual value of the contract it was heard that the procurement process would be officer led that a Panel Member would be nominated, by the Chairman, to support the process.

RESOLVED:

That Members:

Note the final financial position for 2018/19.

Note the current performance against the budget for this financial year.

Agree the proposed budget for the panel for 2020/21, subject to confirmation of the Government grant for 2020/21.

Note the review of legal support arrangements and agree that either the Chairman, Vice-Chairman or another Panel Member nominated by the Chairman (to avoid any potential conflict of interest) represent Panel Members at key stages of the procurement process.

To consider a report outlining revisions to the Panel’s governance protocols and/or documentation

Members heard that, at recent meeting, the Complaints sub-committee had undertaken the annual review of the Panel’s complaints protocol and associated documents.

The Chairman of the sub-committee explained that a number of revisions had been agreed to enhance clarity around the process for handling complaints. He further explained that the protocol would be reviewed again, by the sub-committee, in early 2020 to take account of forthcoming changes resultant from the Police Complaints Reform.

RESOLVED:

That the updates to the Complaints Protocol are noted.

To consider a report setting out the proposed future work programme for the Panel.

Members received a report from the Democratic Support Officer to the Panel setting out the proposed work programme for the Panel.

The Chairman noted that he intended to add the following items to the Panel’s work programme, for consideration a the January 2020 meeting:

• Police Complaints Reform

RESOLVED:

That the work programme is agreed.