Agenda item

Before introducing the Draft Police and Crime Plan 2021-2025, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) paid tribute to the current Chief Constable, Anthony Bangham on his last day of tenure as Chief Constable and for his 30 years’ service for West Mercia Police.  He thanked him for keeping the communities of West Mercia safe.

The PCC introduced the Report, highlighting that the Draft Police and Crime Plan went out for consultation on 9 August and that the Consultation would close 12 weeks later on 1 November. 

During the discussion, the following main points were made:

·         In response to a question about how the PCC ensured that consultations reached all of the communities of West Mercia, the PCC confirmed his strategic intention to represent all communities and for Police Officers also to be representative of the community, but acknowledged that there was always more that could be done to contact the harder to reach groups. The PCC welcomed suggestions for improvement.

·         When asked about how dynamic West Mercia was, in its ability to adapt quickly to changes in types of crime, the PCC advised that the Plan set out his commitments clearly.  He would ensure investments were maximised to enable Police Officers to be dynamic and succeed, but there would always be unforeseen challenges.

·         It was suggested that it would have been helpful to include the performance framework in the Plan for complete clarity. The PCC advised that the Plan was prescribed in law and the format followed national best practice. It was a strategic document which set out the aspirations and the metrics would fall beneath the Plan. The PCC was confident that this was the best approach and had sufficient flexibility.

·         When consulting the Parish Councils, the PCC confirmed that in addition to meeting with the various Parish Council Associations, he also met with individual Parish Councils too.

·         It was confirmed that the training of Police Officers followed the national College of Policing curriculum.

·         A Member expressed a concern about the lack of visible policing on the streets.  The PCC referred to the reassurance section of the Community Charter which set out clearly the measures of success for this area of policing.  However, the PCC also acknowledged that the public perception regarding this was inconsistent and could be higher.

·         A Member queried how the make-up of the West Mercia workforce represented the communities that it served.  The PCC confirmed that there was a strategic intention for the workforce to represent the communities, however this would take time to achieve and the PCC would continue to hold the Chief Constable to account for this.

·         The Panel welcomed the PCC’s commitment to empower community action by doubling the number of Community Speed Watch Groups in West Mercia.

·         With regard to the PCC’s commitment for West Mercia Police to be an organisation fit for the digital age, a Member suggested that whilst it was important to encourage Police Officers to increase their digital skills, wherever possible, this should be in the community (rather than office based) to ensure police visibility.

·         In terms of the PCC’s commitment to ensure effective regional and national oversight of counter-terrorism and other national collaborations, the PCC confirmed that he met with regional colleagues on a quarterly basis and the Chief Executive met with his counterparts more frequently.

In accordance with the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, a report of the Panel would be sent to the Police and Crime Commissioner for consideration.