Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed all to the meeting, including members of the public, new members of the Panel together with the Commissioner and his staff.

Cllr Roger Evans (Shropshire) for Cllr Miles Kenny and Cllr Barry Durkin (Herefordshire) for Cllr Brian Wilcox.

To receive any apologies for absence from Panel Members and any declarations of interest.

Apologies were received from Cllr Miles Kenny – Shropshire (substituted by Roger Evans) and Cllr Brian Wilcox- Herefordshire (substituted by Cllr Barry Durkin).

Col Tony Ward advised the Panel that he had been appointed to serve on the Trust, integrity and Ethics Joint Committee which had been established by both the West Mercia and Warwickshire Commissioners.  Having sought advice from the Panel's Monitoring Officer, Col Ward stated that there was no conflict of interest between his membership of the Police and Crime Panel and that of the Joint Committee.

Members of the public within to take part (asking a question or making a statement) should notify the Head of Legal and Democratic Services in writing or by e.mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00a.m on the working day before the meeting (in this case Monday, 20 October 2014).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number / email address listed below.

None.

To confirm the minutes of the Panel meeting held on 23 July 2014.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2014 were agreed as a true record.

The Panel Members were advised that a formal response had been submitted to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Police on the PEEL report from the Panel.  The Chairman thanked Helen Barker for her work in leading the response.

The Chairman advised the Panel that arrangements were being made for an initial meeting between him and the Warwickshire Police and Crime Panel Chairman in advance of any wider meeting with both Commissioners and Chief Constables.

To consider an update report outlining progress in delivering the Police and Crime Plan for West Mercia 1 April 2013 – 31 March 2017 between the time period 1 July to 30 September 2014.

The Panel was provided with an update on progress in delivering the Police and Crime Plan for West Mercia (1 April 2014 – 31 March 2017), covering 1 July – 30 September 2014.  The report outlined the progress on each of the 11 objectives listed in the Plan, provided an update on the grant scheme, reported on performance monitoring, and provided an outline of the Commissioner's key activities related to his performance role and functions.

The Commissioner advised the Panel that there was a big agenda to be delivered within challenging times, both in terms of financial constraints and consequential changes in the police service.  It was important that the needs of West Mercia residents and businesses were addressed and much work was being undertaken to deliver positive outcomes.  Work was progressing to strengthen and deepen the alliance (STRADA) between West Mercia and Warwickshire Forces which was being taken forward by a project team and programme lead.  A full and meaningful consultation exercise was to be carried out with staff to seek their views on future changes.  The Alliance had a positive and rising national profile.

Work was to take place around demand management and it was stated that policing would be very different in 5 – 10 years' time.  The ICT strategy was integral to the work of the Force and to its engagement with communities.  It was planned that the Force would be digitalised by the summer of 2016.  Currently Bluelight Consultancy had been engaged to assist the Force with the delivery of the ICT strategy.

The new policing model had worked reasonably well; there remained some operational matters to be addressed, they would be actioned once analysis of the issues had been undertaken.  The Panel was advised that 240 extra police officers would be recruited and be in place by December 2015.

In discussion the following points were raised:

·           Were the 240 additional recruits in addition to the current establishments or replacements to fill in existing vacant posts?  The Deputy Commissioner stated that during June/July 2014, the Force was around 100 police officers understrength.  The 240 new recruits sought to both achieve the full establishment numbers and provide additional officers to easily and quickly fill posts which become vacant.

·           Concerns were expressed regarding a situation in which it took two days to answer an emergency call.  The Commissioner and his Deputy stated that they had been aware of the incident and that the response had been unacceptable.  The Panel was provided assurance that the recruitment of police officers was well underway which would result in additional police presence within the area.

·           The importance of a written report and police attendance at Annual Parish Council meetings were emphasised.  The Deputy Commissioner advised the Panel that engagement with Parish Councils by local officers was encouraged and that the Commissioner supported officers' attendance at Parish Council meetings, as appropriate.  During his tenure, the Commissioner had attended many parish council meetings and engaged with the County Associations.  Requests for the Commissioner  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

To consider a recently published independent review by the Police Foundation.

The Panel considered the content of an independent review by the Police Foundation on the Warwickshire and West Mercia Strategic Alliance.  The Chairman advised the Panel that he had been interviewed for the report and stated that his comments had been primarily included in paragraph 51 of the final report, and in which he had expressed his desire to engage West Mercia and Warwickshire Commissioners, Chief Constables and Panel Chairmen.  Whilst the report was an academic paper in most part, it was a useful record of the establishment of the Alliance to date and summarised the on-going issues.

The Commissioner stated that he had good working relationships with the Warwickshire Commissioner, who had stated that there would not be a merger of both Forces during his term of office.  Much had been achieved by the Alliance, and whilst there were some issues in the report about leadership structures, the status quo would remain for the immediate future.

In discussion Panel members made the following points:

·           When considering the policing plan for 2015/16, would any issues identified in the report be reflected in the updated plan?  The Deputy Commissioner stated that he hoped that there would be a move towards the development of a single policing plan.  The report was useful in outlining for the development of the Alliance.  He stated that West Mercia's Commissioner was open minded to the potential of single leadership, not least as cost savings could be made whilst retaining the seven local policing areas. 

·           How could the Community Ambassadors' roles be improved and made more effective?  The Commissioner stated that the Community Ambassadors were undertaking their roles well, was pleased with their activity and the way that they were getting to know their communities.  The Commissioner stated that he was not able to recognise the comments expressed in the report about the Community Ambassadors.  A meeting between the Commissioner and the Community Ambassadors was planned to be held soon.  In response to a question, the Commissioner stated that whilst some the Community Ambassadors had met with their area's Community Safety Partnership, he would ensure that all ambassadors met their relevant CSPs.  Whilst it was appreciated that information about the Community Ambassadors had already been circulated, the Commissioner was encouraged to frequently remind partners, such as local authorities and parish councils, who their Ambassador was and how to contact them.

·           The Chairman stated that, at the appropriate time, he would extend an invitation to a community ambassador, the Chairman of the Trust, Integrity and Ethics Joint Committee and the Chairman of the Audit Committee to attend a future Panel meeting.

·           A Panel member who was a former member of the Police Authority stated that both West Mercia and Warwickshire Police Authorities had worked closely and willingly together to establish the Alliance.  There was a need to keep in mind the possible outcomes of the Parliamentary Elections in 2015 and its potential impact on a formal merger.  The financial challenges for the Police, as for other public sector  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

To consider a report outlining an overview of policing within West Mercia one year on from the implementation of the new policing model in September 2013.

The Panel considered a report which provided a broad overview of policing within West Mercia one year on from the implementation of the new policing model in September 2013.  The Commissioner commented that the Home Secretary had recently used the Alliance as an example of good practice on a national platform; the Alliance was ever strengthening and deepening.

Responding to a question about reconsideration of the police estate, the Deputy Commissioner stated that plans remained to reconsider the police estate but that no decisions had been reached as yet.

RESOLVED that the Panel notes the content of the report.

To receive an update presentation on the commissioning of domestic abuse services.

Glyn Edwards, the Commissioning Manager in the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner provided an update presentation on the joint commissioning of Domestic Abuse provision.  The presentation is attached as an appendix to the minutes.

During discussion, the following principal points were raised:

·                Anyone could be a victim of domestic abuse and its impact could be felt by all within a family

·                It was hoped that the initiative of jointly commissioning Domestic Abuse pathways across West Mercia would include all key stakeholder, including the court service

·                It was confirmed that both Worcester Royal Hospital and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital had Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs)

·                It was stated that there was more domestic violence incidents occurring than being reported. 

·                There was a need to understand partners' shared outcomes and undertake effective joint commissioning whilst creating the right environment for successful approach.  The risk of commissioning separately to different specifications was outlined. 

·                Joint commissioning would require strong leadership, governance and support to provide assurance in the process, together with strong support from both councillors and senior officers.

·                It was acknowledged that the police and local authorities had excellent working relations and had achieved good outcomes on joint initiatives, however the current financial climate required consideration of different approaches, to avoid duplication and to focus on achieving shared outcomes.  There was a need to consolidate and share insight.  It was confirmed that district councils were a key stakeholder working through the community safety partnerships.

RESOLVED that the Panel notes the content of the presentation and be provided with an update on progress at a future meeting.

The Panel considered a report which outlined a proposed work plan to cover the period from October 2014 until March 2016 together with a schedule for the Panel to conduct the required scrutiny of progress made against the West Mercia Police and Crime Plan 2013 – 2017.

RESOLVED that the Panel:

(a)        considers the content of the report and the proposed work plan; and

(b)       agrees in principle the approach taken for the work programme (October 2014 – March 2016).