Agenda item

The Panel received an update on the activity undertaken by PCC in support of his Safer West Mercia Plan and an update on police performance.

The PCC highlighted the following points from the Report:

·       A new Deputy Chief Executive had been appointed and had started work in December 2022.

·       The PCC had been successful in a partnership bid of £650,000 across 2 years, with Shropshire & Telford ICS, and Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICS to NHSE/I in December. The bid was for a complex care multi-agency service, to support victims of Sexual Violence with complex needs. The service would enable tailored provision, triaging, case meetings, stabilisation or faster access, overall achieving better outcomes and puts the victims at the centre of their own recovery.

·       Good progress was being made against His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) - A report into the effectiveness of vetting and counter-corruption arrangements in West Mercia Police (published 17 November) – The Panel would be provided with an update at its next meeting on 12 June 2023.

During the discussion, the following main points were made:

·       A Member highlighted the A49 (Shropshire) which was a high risk route and asked if more support could be provided by the Police.  In response, the PCC suggested that if a joint meeting was arranged between Shropshire Council and Highways England he would make arrangements to attend the meeting.

·       Concerns were expressed about the delays in the criminal justice system and the PCC was asked whether there was anything that the PCP could do to help. The PCC emphasised the importance of keeping the situation on the radar and as previously mentioned Hereford Court was still not sitting and any help with re-opening it would be welcomed.  The Chairman reminded members that the Panel had written to the Leader of Herefordshire Council to urge that the Court was re-opened following its November 2022 meeting. The impact of the delays on victims was worrying and puts strain on them and the Victim Care Unit but also was resulting in less guilty pleas.  It was agreed that delivery of justice should be at the centre of any discussions.

·       It was noted that at the end of the third quarter of the financial year, the financial position of West Mercia was an estimated revenue underspend of £4.388m (1.6%) against the total budget of £261m. The underspend had mostly resulted from the profile of recruitment of Police Officers occurring towards the end of the financial year, and also from managing Staff recruitment to ensure that police officer recruitment could be prioritised and in order to manage the effect of the larger than expected pay award for 2022/23. The PCC confirmed that the Chief Constable had reassured him that the force remained on track to onboard the current agreed allocation of officers (including the 20 additional officers) by March 2023, despite a challenging employment market.

·       The PCC acknowledged that there were challenges around the existing fire-arms range and that a new facility could be a good income generation opportunity.

·       The PCC was actively engaged in the public consultation around the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) Review, specifically around the status of police headquarters at Hindlip. The review proposed to remove Major Developed Site status for Hindlip Park. If confirmed, this would threaten the long-term viability of the site as an operational headquarters for both the police force and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.   The PCC added that lawyers had been engaged to provide support with this.

·       Delivery of the annual planned programme of minor works and refurbishments continued to provide significant improvements to the estate. Examples included the provision of a new Learning & Training Hub at Bridgnorth police station, major refurbishment of the Hereford MASH facility and improvements to the Dog Section Training facility at Hindlip.

·       The PCC, Deputy PCC and Assistant PCC continued to carry out engagements with communities, such as attending parish council meetings, visiting local community groups, and those that receive funding from the PCC. A total of 74 engagements took place between October and December. This was a significant increase on the previous quarter. A Member commended the PCC for this approach as it was making a significant difference to the farming communities – an invitation was extended to the PCC to visit some local farms.

With regard to the KPI’s for monitoring the outcomes of the precept funding against the Safer West Mercia Plan, it was agreed that the quarterly performance regime would be discussed outside of the meeting.