Agenda item

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

Members received a presentation from the Commissioner outlining delivery against the Police and Crime Plan. Through the presentation and in response to Members questions it was heard that:

·         The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner conducted regular case reviews for out of court disposals, to ensure that they were being used  appropriately.

Councillor Tony Jones left the meeting at this point.

·         Where victims of crime were better informed regarding the police response, surveys indicated greater satisfaction in the service. Whilst household burglaries represented less than 1% of overall crime type, it was hoped that the commitment to attend all dwelling burglaries would lead to enhanced outcomes and victim satisfaction.

·         In response to the Panel’s observation that victim satisfaction levels for victims of domestic abuse were far higher than other crime types; the Commissioner explained that significant wrap around support was provided for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, which it wasn’t currently possible to provide for victims of other serious crimes such as attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

·         To provide enhanced support for all victims the Commissioner was looking to introduce a new victims hub. Members heard that variations of a victims hub currently operated in 12 other force areas, and the Commissioner had hosted an online conference to learn from the experiences of these other forces. It was intended that the hub would be hosted within Hampshire Constabulary, funded by existing victim care funding. Hosting the hub in this way would enable access to the forces RMS (Records Management System). Members heard the hub would be far better equipped to support victims, both practically and emotionally, and that Frankie workers and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA), already funded by the Commissioner, would also be based within the hub. In response to the Panel’s request, the Commissioner confirmed she would be happy to provide the Panel with further detail of the current levels of victim satisfaction for all victims of non-domestic/sexual abuse crimes, to enable the Panel to observe the impact of the new victims hub, once in operation.

·         The Hampshire policing area was a leader in the use of Restorative Justice and was evolving to increase referrals through expanding eligible crime types. The Commissioner observed that Restorative Justice could be life changing both for the victim and the offender and was a significant tool to prevent reoffending. The Commissioner further noted that the contract for Restorative Justice would go out to tender in April 2023.

·         There were currently 16 defined projects being undertaken through the Commissioner’s Office to tackle anti-social behaviour. One such project involved the provision of community trigger training, to ensure statutory partners were enabled to undertake their duties in relation to anti-social behaviour.

·         Hampshire Constabulary were broadly meeting their recruitment targets in relation to the ethnicity profile of new recruits. Particular success had been noted in attracting officers from Asian communities, however the force continued to meet challenge in recruiting more black officers. The Commissioner noted her duty to promote diversity in policing, and to support the Constabulary to be representative of the communities it served. In response to questions the Commissioner confirmed that details of the diversity profile of the Constabulary would be shared with the Panel following the meeting.

·         The Commissioner was also reviewing how to attract more ex armed forces personnel to the Constabulary, as it was noted that many would have good transferrable skills and Hampshire benefitted from a number of ex-forces communities, including Nepalese former Gurkhas. The Commissioner considered that the requirement to undertake the Policing education qualifications framework (PEQF) may have dissuaded such individuals from joining policing, and was lobbying central government to introduce tailored routes to attract ex-forces personnel to policing.

The Chairman remarked upon the detailed level and breadth of the Commissioner’s commentary, noting that the Commissioner’s responses demonstrated that she was well abreast of the activities and issues across the broad ranging areas of her responsibilities and that victims were at heart of approaches being taken.

RESOLVED:

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