Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Wyre Forest District Council, Wyre Forest House, Finepoint Way, Kidderminster DY11 7WF.

Contact: Sheena Jones 

Media

Items
No. Item

456.

Welcome and Introductions

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

457.

Named Substitutes

Minutes:

None.

458.

Apologies and Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Barry Durkin, Tom Wells, Nyear Nazir, Jim Lavery and Paul Watling.

 

There were no declarations of interests.

459.

Public Participation

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail 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 22 November 2022).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

Minutes:

None.

460.

Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 131 KB

To confirm the Minutes of the Panel meeting held on 7 September 2022.

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

461.

Police & Crime Plan Activity and Performance Monitoring Report pdf icon PDF 145 KB

Minutes:

The Panel received an update on the activity undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in support of his Safer West Mercia Plan and also an update on police performance.

 

The PCC introduced the report and in doing so highlighted that:

 

·       The two Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP) had now been set up in West Mercia and were based on the Integrated Care Board footprint. There was one CDP for Herefordshire and Worcestershire and one for Shropshire and Telford. The PCC was the Senior Responsible Officer for both CDP’s.

·       Included in the 2022/23 budget was a further uplift of 125 Police Officers for West Mercia. The Chief Constable had reassured the PCC that this target was on track and by the end of the financial year there would be an over recruitment of 20 Police Officers.

 

During the discussion, the following main points were made:

 

·       Paragraph 66 of the Agenda Report described that between September and October 2022, the PCC’s office had received 232 pieces of correspondence. A Member questioned how many pieces of correspondence had been replied to and whether there were any trends that could be identified from the correspondence.  The PCC explained that there was a system of reviewing and identifying trends and that he reviewed most of the correspondence himself.  The recent restructure of the PCC’s Governance Team would also make it easier to respond to concerns.

·       In response to a question about Operation Lincoln (the investigation into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust) the PCC advised that he had engaged with local, regional and national partners to understand the demand for support services for victims. As a result of these discussions, the PCC had submitted a bid to the Home Office for further funding of £100,000 to provide support to these victims. The PCC confirmed that the outcome of this bid was still awaited.

·       For 2022/23, the PCC had provided £339,782 to West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, to support therapeutic counselling for survivors of sexual violence. This funding had allowed the service to recruit permanent counsellors, who were previously on zero hours contracts to provide sustainable support for survivors, and to reduce waiting lists.

·       The PCC had submitted a funding bid to the Ministry of Justice, for £276,500 up to 31 March 2025, to provide an out of court diversionary service, for females at risk of entering the criminal justice system. This was linked to the Commissioner’s commitment to deliver effective, early intervention for vulnerable people, with the outcome of reducing the likelihood of reoffending.

·       A Member questioned whether the cashless society was driving, controlling behaviour in situations of domestic violence, the PCC was unsure whether this was the case.

·       It was noted that for the period April – September 2022, out of the 17,630 referrals for support from victims of crime, only 16,145 victims had been provided with support, a Member questioned why this was the case.  The PCC explained that the right people were getting help but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 461.

462.

Satisfaction and Outcomes pdf icon PDF 104 KB

Minutes:

The PCC introduced the Report and explained that satisfaction was not at the aspirational level set and was disappointed with the current levels. Ensuring that crime was effectively investigated was a key part of victim satisfaction, including the follow-up.  The PCC confirmed that he was holding the Chief Constable to account for this work and the Chief Constable had committed that the uplift programme of police officers would be achieved by Christmas, following which improvements should start to be seen. The PCC explained further that there was increased demand and complexity on the police system and delivering the aspirational satisfaction levels were a challenge.

 

During the ensuing discussion, the following main points were made:

 

·         A Panel Member suggested that satisfaction and outcomes were disappointing, it was not possible to triangulate the information in the report with other performance and activity reports and the Holding to Account Minutes were not clear in terms of the drivers for the poor performance in this area. In addition, none of the aspirational targets relating to the satisfaction data at Force level between April 2021 and September 2022 had been achieved, which was statistically significant. That said, public confidence levels were good when compared with other forces. 

·         The PCC acknowledged the comments and agreed that public confidence levels were good in terms of expectation but levels were lower when actually engaging with the Police.  The PCC believed that the biggest difference would come from improved follow-up which would help to manage situations better.

·         The PCC further highlighted that West Mercia was an outlier in Outcome 16 (where the victim doesn’t support prosecution) which if improved would also have a significant impact on victim satisfaction.

·         The PCC was asked to provide reassurance and clarify what measures would be put in place to achieve better outcomes and satisfaction.  The PCC explained that the uplift programme of Police Officers was still working through the system, which would provide more capacity. The timeliness of investigations needed to improve as well as the training of staff in the specialisms associated with the more complex crimes.  The Chief Constable had committed to increasing the number of police officer posts by Christmas and then training would follow. Additionally, there would be a focus on victims needs assessment to ensure better quality and the ability to commission the right services.  The PCC explained that this would not be a quick fix but he was reassured that West Mercia Police were on the right journey.

·         A Member suggested to the PCC that the investment in the increased number of Police Officers would not necessarily result in a robust response to bringing offenders to justice (paragraph 20).  In response the PCC confirmed that this had to be the drive and that West Mercia Police needed to provide a high quality service.

463.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 78 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Work Programme was considered and it was agreed that:

 

·       There would be an informal budget briefing on 5 December (10am).

·       The Budget Task Group Membership would be: Beth McDowall (Lead Member), Carole Clive, Sebastian Bowen and James Stanley.

·       The Estates Strategy would be discussed at September 2023 meeting.

·       Training would be arranged for new Panel members (as required) in June 2023.