Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Meeting.

Cllr Andrew Beaumont for Cllr Adam Kent (Bromsgrove District Council).

Apologies were received from Cllrs Adam Kent (Bromsgrove District Council) and Richard Overton (Telford and Wrekin Council).

There were no declarations of interest.

Members of the public wishing to take part (asking a question or making a statement) should notify the by Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by email indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 3 February 2022).  Enquiries can be made through the telephone number/email address listed below.

None.

To confirm the Minutes of the Panel meeting held on 25 November 2021.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 25 November 2021 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman explained the process for the appointment of a Lay Independent Co-opted Member of the Panel.

It was noted that the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel – Independent Member Appointments Panel had carried out the shortlisting process on 13 December 2021 and the interview process on 10 January 2022 and had appointed Ms B McDowall to the position.

Ms McDowall was welcomed to the Panel and given the opportunity to introduce herself.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) introduced the Report which provided detail on the proposed permanent appointment of a Chief Finance Officer (Treasurer) and gave an overview of the appointment process that had taken place from July 2021 to January 2022.

It was noted that the Panel must satisfy itself that the preferred candidate selected by the PCC had the professional competence to undertake the role and had significant personal independence to be able to act operationally independent of the PCC.

The PCC commended the preferred candidate, Paul Benfield to the Panel.

The Panel was supportive of the preferred candidate Paul Benfield being appointed as Chief Finance Officer (Treasurer).

The Panel was asked to consider the:

(i)         West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) Proposed Budget 2022/23 and Medium Term Financial Plan 2022/23 – 2025/26;  and

(iii)       provide a report to the PCC on the proposed precept, including any recommendations, outlining whether it vetoed the precept or not.

The PCC gave a presentation to the Panel on his proposed budget, highlighting the following areas:

The proposed Budget overview was:

·         Budget of £260.485m (£16.1m on 21/22)

·         Central funding of £133.4m (£7.2m on 21/22)

·         Band D precept = £249.66 (£9.47 on 21/22)

·         Additional 125 officers (524 since 2016)

·         Investments in force modernisation

·         Extra £1m for prevention

·         Management of significant risks

The proposed Budget was in the context of the following risks and challenges:

·         Covid-19

·         The cost associated with Officer uplift

·         A major investigation

·         Maturing the approach to ensure long term financial stability

·         Increase in inflation including pay and energy

·         Continued modernisation and transformation

The Chief Constable outlined the strategic vision for West Mercia Police.  The key strategic priorities were: keeping communities safe, delivering excellent service and being a great place to work. The Panel were also advised about how the extra 125 Police Officers would be allocated.

The PCC went on to outline the Budget Consultation process and the proposed return on investment.

During the opportunity for questions, the following main points were made:

·         A Member expressed concern about one of the findings of the Consultation process, which was the public perception of the lack of police visibility in communities.  The PCC explained that he was reassured that operationally, there was a commitment to improve Police visibility but it would take time to achieve.

·         A Panel member suggested that historically police in Shrewsbury had been more visible than they were now, and that as a result petty crime was increasing.  The PCC acknowledged the need to continue to drive up improvement in the area of Police visibility and reminded members that there were named local Police Officers for each area and to assist with the promotion of the Safer Neighbourhood Teams, he would share posters with the Panel which they could use to help promote the Teams.

·         The PCC confirmed that the response to the Consultation was statistically valid.

·         Reference was made to the PCC’s current financial Reserve Strategy being less reliant on reserves, in contrast to the previous PCC’s financial Reserve Strategy.

·         The PCC acknowledged that in prioritising the Digital Strategy, it was also important to be inclusive and provide options for residents who were not digitally connected.

·         A Member questioned the significant investment already made in the additional 400 Police against tangible outcomes, highlighting that Police visibility and enabling quality investigations were still key priorities.  In response, the PCC advised that the investment being made was to reinforce the emergency response, enable quality investigations and more visible policing.  The PCC hoped that the Panel felt that there was sufficient rigour to the proposals and if not, invited Members to hold him to account.

·         In response to a members comment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 424.

The Panel had before them a report on the overview of activity undertaken by the PCC in support of the Safer West Mercia Plan and an update on Police performance.

During the opportunity for discussion and questions, the following main points were made:

·       The Panel was pleased to note that there had been an increase in the number of arrests for offenders of domestic abuse.

·       A Member referred to a troubling report from the Metropolitan Police in respect of the professional standards of Police Officers.  The PCC assured the Panel that West Mercia Police would not tolerate inadequate professional standards and would invest in support to drive out such behaviour.

·       The PCC confirmed that there was a growing prevalence of homicides in younger people and inter-familiar trends. In order to tackle the issue, it was important to ensure partnership working and information sharing wherever possible.

·       A Member raised a concern about rural crime, in particular lamping. The PCC reiterated the importance of talking to the Safer Neighbourhood Teams who could give advice and support and also build up intelligence.

·       A reference was made to what would happen in the case of an offender non-attendance at a Drug Diversion Programme and the PCC advised that there were consequences of non-attendance.

The discussion of this item was deferred to the next meeting.