Agenda item

To consider a paper outlining the Police and Crime Commissioner’s response to the recommendations of the Police and Crime Panel on Traffic related crime and nuisance.

The Police and Crime Commissioner’s (hereafter referred to as ‘the Commissioner’) comments on the recommendations from the ‘traffic-related crime and nuisance”  proactive scrutiny were noted.

The Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) was invited to provide comments.

In response Members heard that the recommendations of the Panel were welcomed by the Commissioner and his office and that great benefit was drawn from the proactive scrutiny work of the Panel. Work already undertaken through previous scrutiny topics is now feeding into policing scrutiny.

In order to enhance road safety across Hampshire and the Isle of the Wight, the Commissioner considered partnership to be absolutely vital and that finding better ways to enforce safe and legal driving behaviour was critical. The Commissioner was mindful of the continued concern regarding traffic issues and noise disturbance on the A32. Hampshire County Council have agreed to take the lead in responding to these concerns and the Commissioner welcomes the steps they are making.

The OPCC, following the Panel’s scrutiny, are reviewing engagement with stakeholders and, as part of this work, are considering how information can be shared more effectively with local Town and Parish Councils.

The Panel’s scrutiny also discussed the work of the Community Speedwatch groups across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It was heard that Hampshire Constabulary were looking at a new initiative regarding citizens in policing. To support this work the OPCC were seeking to analyse data from across all groups, to develop a mapping tool to identify the hotspots for speeding across the County, however were experiencing difficulties as data was not recorded consistently or in the same way by all. The Chief Executive further explained that he had spoken to the constabulary lead for Community Speed Watch and requested their support in accessing the more detailed information stored within the machines used to record speeds by the groups.

Questions were asked of the Chief Executive of the OPCC. In response the Chief Executive explained:

·         He would seek clarity from Hampshire Constabulary regarding the legality of using private dash cam footage.

·        The use of average speed cameras was still being considered, including seeking updated costs for instillation, however the key concern was the potential for increasing road deaths through drivers choosing alternative, more dangerous routes, to avoid average speed recording.  The OPCC are also continuing to liaise with Hampshire County Council, lobbying for a change in their policy for the installation of Speed Indicator Devices. 

·         The new Tableau system, developed by the OPCC, would be ready to go live in June. The system takes a ground-breaking approach to identify concerns by locality and will provide both county level and local data. The primary reason for its design was for use by Community Safety Partnerships, but it will also be made available to other strategic and community partners as well as options being considered for use by other appropriate organisations access on a commercial basis. The OPCC have committed to the ongoing analysis of data within the system so that judgements can be made on the basis of the systems profiling capability.

RESOLVED:

That the Commissioner’s response is noted and published on the Panel’s website.