Agenda item

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

In response to a Member’s question about the approach to having ‘holding to account’ public meetings, the PCC advised that he had concluded that hybrid meetings were the way forward to ensure that the public could have the opportunity to participate. Consideration was also being given to holding a Force wide face to face ‘holding to account’ meeting.

Members raised a number of questions as follows, which were responded to by the PCC:

·         In respect to a Member’s question about the impact of the culture and values of the organisation, the PCC reported that the Chief Constable was currently in the process of carrying out a cultural audit throughout the Force, the results of which would be reported to the Panel.

·         A Member raised the worrying statistics regarding children and young people affected by domestic abuse. The PCC highlighted that there was significant underreporting in this area making it hard to judge whether the increase was due to a true increase in crime numbers or a better understanding of the reality.

·         In terms of the holding to account meetings, a Member highlighted that it would be helpful to receive some reassurance or communication regarding the contributions made by the public at these meetings.

·         The diversity of the Police Force was questioned. The PCC advised that the Force was not yet representative of the communities that it served, but recent figures were showing some improvements. He commented that any insight from Members into engaging underrepresented communities would be welcomed. The PCC highlighted that figures on diversity were included in the performance report. A Member requested that a progress update be provided on police force diversity over the past 5 years and that the Equality implications section at the end of the report marked as ‘none’ could be usefully expanded.

·         In response to a Member’s question, the PCC agreed to ensure the financial management section of the report was expanded and the Chief Executive confirmed that the most up to date quarterly financial information was always included.

·         The importance of combatting rural crime was highlighted and a Member spoke positively about the use of smart water to prevent farm thefts. The PCC agreed that smart water was really helpful, and his mission was to ensure that it could be used much more extensively both within the farming community and innovatively for a wide range of community and parish uses, for which he was providing some funding.

·         A Member was pleased to read about the work of the West Mercia Rape Sexual Abuse Support Centre (WMRSASC) in supporting victims of sexual violence and asked whether enough was being done considering the growing number of referrals. The PCC reported that there was currently far more demand than capacity, however, in the last few days, the Ministry of Justice had announced additional funding which would help. The Panel was informed that there was work ongoing with perpetrators to break the cycle of crime in this area and the PCC explained that his role included co-ordinating activities to help prevent these crimes.

·         In response to a comment about low prosecution rates inhibiting people from coming forward to report crimes, the PCC advised that sexual violence crimes were very hard to prosecute, and that getting the right support for victims was important, especially as the delays in the criminal justice process could be very lengthy. The social stigma attached to reporting sexual violence was raised, and it was also recognised that there were many unreported male victims too.

·         A Member highlighted that there were different perceptions of what domestic abuse looked like and suggested that it would be helpful for consideration to be given as to how the ‘lived experience’ of domestic abuse could be conveyed to the public, to increase their understanding of the issue. The PCC agreed to take this away for consideration and report back to the Panel.