Agenda item

The PCC introduced the report.  During the discussion, the following main points were made:

·       A Member referred to Paragraph 40 of the Report about understanding and resolving issues around the Estate and IT infrastructure which had caused significant problems for the Force and asked how the PCC would provide assurance that resilience and governance of the Force’s IT equipment and its infrastructure would be achieved in future. The PCC was further asked how he would ensure that the provision and installation of adequate approved infrastructure, preventive and protection measures would be achieved and appropriately tested, serviced and maintained to appropriate recognised standards. The PCC explained that he was responsible for the Estates function, for providing a fit for purpose Estate and for supporting the Police with the necessary resources. Following the dissolution of Place Partnership Ltd, it had been discovered that there was a backlog in planned and routine maintenance.  The PCC was assured that there was rigour and urgency in understanding the issues.  He reminded the Panel that funding had been provided this year and it was likely that further funding would be provided next year.

·       A Member advised that feedback from communities suggested that calls took a long time to respond to. In response, the PCC referred to the performance data provided and explained that the response time to 999 calls was stable, although the response for 101 calls was an issue.  The PCC suggested that online reporting or contacting the Safer Neighbourhood Teams was key in helping the performance improve.

·       It was further suggested that communities felt that the Police response to burglaries was disappointing as they were unlikely to attend a burglary but give a crime number instead.  The PCC explained that the Community Charter said that Police would attend and offer preventative measures.

·       In terms of the funding to support domestic violence, the PCC confirmed that there had been some success in grant funding but there needed to be a system approach in providing support in this area. It was pleasing to note that the number of arrests in this area were increasing.

·       Reference was made to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Telford, the PCC explained that the recommendations arising from the inquiry had been submitted to the West Mercia Governance Board and that the Chief Constable was working through the report and developing a response to the recommendations.

·       The 10 Year Drugs Plan to Cut Crime and Save lives was welcomed.

·       The PCC confirmed that with regard to the 20mph is Plenty Campaign, he was supportive of 20mph zones but not in a blanket approach. The PCC was willing to discuss individual West Mercia areas.

·       It was noted that a significant backlog remined in the number of crown court cases.  Another significant issue contributing to the backlog was the closure of the Crown Court in Hereford.

·       It was confirmed that growing the number of Watch Schemes by 20% would be measured by the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan.

·       The PCC confirmed that PACT meetings should be well advertised in advance of them taking place.

·       In terms of the impact of the cost of living increase on crime, the PCC explained that there was a Joint Prevention Strategy that all upper tier authorities were signed up to and was business as usual.

·       The PCC confirmed that although there were contingencies for the increased energy costs, there would also be consequences, particularly over the long term.

·       To ensure that staff wellbeing was being taken into account and to have a greater understanding, the Chief Constable was running some pulse surveys.

·       Given the closure of Hereford Crown Court, a Member asked if this would impact on the Telford Crown court. The PCC confirmed that there was no threat to Telford Crown court, which was expanding.

·       The PCC was asked for his views on the victim satisfaction data.  In response, the PCC confirmed that the data was accurate but that he was unhappy with what it was saying in terms of timescales and quality and that there would be further investment in this area this year.

·       The PCC was not concerned about the 999 abandonment rate as West Mercia was generally above target and there were reciprocal arrangements in place with other Forces to pick up any calls which couldn’t be answered.

·       A Member raised a previously reported issue about Parish Councils not receiving the relevant Safer Neighbourhood Team Reports split down by area.  Whilst the PCC acknowledged that this was a frustration, he confirmed that it was not a priority.

·       A Member queried the data relating to ‘Digital Requests for Service – Single Online Home’ which hadn’t increased since August 2020 – the PCC explained that although the data was old, the performance could be better and there was a desire to do better.

·       It was suggested that satisfaction with initial contact in respect of burglary and violent crime, was showing a worrying downward trend.

·       The PCC suggested that the Panel could consider adding to its work programme an in depth report on outcomes and satisfaction.

·       In terms of violent crime, a Member questioned whether any system wide learning took place.  The PCC explained that learning from other best practice was standard and that the new Deputy Chief Constable had previously been the lead for violence in the Metropolitan Police.