Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from:

• Councillor Tonia Craig, Eastleigh Borough Council
• Councillor David McKinney, East Hampshire District Council

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 2 October 2020 meeting were confirmed as a correct record.

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.

In November, the Chairman, along with Members of the Panel and a supporting officer, joined the National Conference for Police and Crime Panels. Across a three-day virtual event, updates were heard on matters of national interest, policy and governance as well best practice from Panels across the Country. During the event it was observed that the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel and its work was well regarded at a national level.

The Chairman thanked the Commissioner and his team for arranging a recent briefing for Members of the Panel, providing an update on the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and developments to the Interact system. Members also heard a briefing on local policing from ACC Maggie Blyth.

The Chairman noted the outcome of recent investigation and misconduct proceedings, taken against officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, based within the Northern Police Investigation Centre. It was heard that the Panel’s newly formed Equality and Diversity Sub Group would be working alongside the Commissioner and his team to scrutinise the organisational response taken to address the concerns identified and would seek assurance that such conduct would not be tolerated in the future within Hampshire Constabulary.

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

The Chair invited announcements from the Commissioner.

It was heard that, approximately two years ago, the PCC had challenged the Chief Constable to review culture, morale and ethics within the force and root out any concerns of inappropriate views or behaviours. The Commissioner noted that the Chief Constable had taken a very proactive approach to this work, alongside her senior management, with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) recently complimenting the management and internal processes in this matter. The unacceptable behaviour of a few officers, who had been subject to investigation and misconduct hearings, was to be condemned, and the Panel heard reassurance from the Commissioner of the openness and visibility at every level of the Constabulary to ensure such a situation would not happen again in the future.

The Commissioner commented upon the challenges faced over the last year and the losses suffered by communities as well as within the force, whose achievements throughout the year in keeping residents safer were recognised.

To consider a paper outlining the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precept for 2021/22, and supporting financial information.

The Commissioner introduced his proposed precept for 2021/22, which recommended a proposed increase of £15 per month for Band D properties.

In setting the budget and precept, Members heard that the Commissioner had

considered the operational context from the Chief Constable, immediate financial demands and the needs of communities and partners. The Commissioner had also given regard to the direction of national government and the ability of Hampshire to work within that context.

A question was raised by the Panel in advance of the meeting regarding affordability for residents and the justifications for an increase to the precept when the force had been regarded as well performing and value for money by the inspectorate. The Commissioner explained that the financial impact of the pandemic both upon residents and on public funds was of key consideration, with a number of precept scenarios modelled, to determine which would deliver the greatest value to residents and communities across the policing area. Outlined within the proposed budget was support to enable more officers to join the force more quickly as part of the central government uplift programme, expanding the Safer Streets initiative to Basingstoke and Portsmouth and investment in tackling rural crime. Also noted was the underfunding of the Constabulary through the Police Funding Formula, with the Commissioner continuing to lobby central government for a fairer funding formula.

Members heard that the proposed increase had been supported by both officer and staff representative organisations, as well as receiving endorsement from the Chief Constable and public consultation showing majority support for the proposal presented.

The Chief Constable was invited by the Commissioner to provide Members with an operational context for the budget. Members heard that:

·         The unacceptable behaviours identified within the Serious and Organised Crime Unit had been raised through the Constabulary’s Whistleblowing Policy and had been dealt with swiftly following the report. The Chief Constable was clear that in response to any such situations the Constabulary would be decisive and take appropriate action. The Chief Constable welcomed the opportunity to work with the Panel’s Equality and Diversity Working Group in this regard.

·         The Constabulary was a good organisation with highly performing officers and staff but more were needed to meet demand and deliver better outcomes for the residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The budget proposed would enable the Constabulary to take the fight to criminals and the Chief Constable’s professional view was that supporting an increase any lower, than that proposed, would conflict with operational evidence. The Chief Constable was confident that the difference the budget would bring to communities would be felt and would be tangible.

·         The Panel’s scrutiny of the budget was welcomed as part of the process in enabling every public pound to be spent wisely.

·         New pressures had arisen following the outbreak of the pandemic. The force had worked hard to keep residents safe through challenging times and with changes to ways of working including the introduction of Covid compliance patrols There had been a 50% increase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 294.

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 2020-2022. The Panel heard that:

·         The Commissioner and his team had applied focus on providing additional support, through working with partners, for victims of domestic abuse and children who were victims of crime, following an increase in home based abuse during the pandemic.

·         During the year, in excess of £800k of additional funding had been secured by the OPCC from central government grants to support commissioned projects, including those providing specialised domestic abuse support and support for victims of serious sexual violence. An extended contract had been put in place for Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVA) in Portsmouth and work had been undertaken, in partnership with top-tier authorities, to combine services to enable consistency across the policing area.

·         The Commissioner and his team had been working with criminal justice partners across the Wessex region with a focus on preparation for obligations under the new victims code and trial readiness. As a result of the backlog in court cases, caused by the pandemic, the OPCC had been working with partners and the Constabulary to extend support services for victims and witnesses and to seek better outcomes for victims by encouraging their ongoing engagement in the process. The OPCC had also supported the adoption of video evidence which was due to go live in Portsmouth Crown Court during February.

·         A further £50,000 had been awarded to the VRU to enable work to continue through the winter months. Members heard that the VRU had taken a public health approach to treat violent crime as a disease and aimed to isolate and prevent future offending and victimisation.

·         The Safer Streets initiative had demonstrated a significant benefit during its pilot in Southampton, and therefore the PCC had committed funds through the budget for 2021/22 to deliver similar initiatives in Portsmouth and Basingstoke.

RESOLVED:

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

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

An update was heard from the Chairman of the Panel’s Working groups, outlining working undertaken since the last meeting of the Full Panel.

The Chairman of the Plan Working Group highlighted that the working group had recently met with the OPCC and had discussed the contrast between centralised and localised services, to understand the benefit of each to local communities. Conversation had continued looking at the role of Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) in the Commissioning process with improvement notes in some areas and had sought to understand progress and lessons learnt from the introduction of the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

Members heard that the Equality and Diversity Working group had held their inaugural meeting during the previous week. At that meeting Members had  reviewed with the OPCC the outcomes from the recent misconduct proceedings, as well as initiatives relating to stop and search and the diversity profile of police officer recruitment.

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.

RESOLVED:

That the work programme is agreed.