Meeting documents

Venue: Olympic Room, Alesbury Vale District Council

Contact: Khalid Ahmed  01494 732725; Email: khalid.ahmed@chilternandsouthbucks.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chairman

Minutes:

That Cllr Mallon be elected as Chairman to the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel for the ensuing Year.

 

2.

Appointment of Vice-Chairman

Minutes:

That Councillor Egleton be appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel for the ensuing year. 

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 158 KB

To agree the Minutes of the Meeting held on 12 April, 2019.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the Police and Crime Panel held on 12 April 2019 be agreed as a correct record, subject to a correction to Minute No.45 – Themed Item – Update on Local Policing Model – under question 8, should read "….an extra £100m would fund around 2,000 extra Police Officers". 

 

[It was reported that in relation to Minute No.50 - Chairman Update/PCC Update/Topical Issues – Relocation of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre from Bletchley Police Station to Bicester, the PCC had written to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre Board to pass on the concerns the relocation of the centre and the impact this would have on victims.]

4.

Public Question Time

Anyone who works or lives in the Thames Valley can ask a question at meetings of the Police and Crime Panel, at which a 20 minute session will be designated for hearing from the public.

 

If you’d like to participate, please read the Public Question Time Scheme and submit your questions by email to contact@thamesvalleypcp.org.uk at least three working days in advance of the meeting.

 

http://www.southbucks.gov.uk/article/5242/Public-questions-at-Panel-meetings

Minutes:

There were no public questions submitted.

5.

Update on Local Policing Model pdf icon PDF 317 KB

To consider the attached report which provides Members with an update on the Local Policing Model.

Minutes:

Deputy Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Jason Hogg attended the meeting and introduced the report. The report provided the Panel with an update on the current Local Policing model within Thames Valley Police and provided the background to the history of the model.

 

Reference was made to the original objective of the new Local Policing Model which was to undertake a review of the structure and activity of Local Police Area level policing in view of the changing demands on the service, with reduced resource. It was reported that a new operating model was developed to meet those changing demands, with the cornerstone of the model being increased neighbourhood policing allied to problem solving.

 

The Panel was informed that the model was implemented on 1 June, 2017 with the objective to manage demand more effectively, and to provide a ‘one touch’ response to the public, reducing the number of officers that victims had contact with. 

 

The Panel was informed that the 24 hour Response Teams were reduced in size to provide a more specialist resource that could attend immediate and urgent incidents. The Response teams would not carry an investigative workload which would allow them to concentrate on responding.

 

Reference was made to the managing of investigations where for example, crimes at petrol stations were reported on the telephone, rather than by the physical presence of the Police.

 

An Investigation Hub was developed that consisted of detectives, uniformed officers and police staff case investigators.  These teams were to be responsible for all local crime, and other responsibilities such as missing persons, fear for welfare enquiries and scene/cell watches.  The Investigation Hub, as the largest team, would also support the Response teams by providing additional resources during periods of ‘surge’ demand.

 

The Neighbourhood teams were restructured to incorporate geographical teams to provide visibility and engagement, while the Problem Solving teams focused on the longer term issues and early intervention. To support the management of demand, each LPA was required to provide a Smarter Resolution function where low risk demand could be resolved or filtered out from the front line, essentially providing a triage function on the LPAs. Some LPAs maintained or developed Proactive teams to target local priorities.

 

The more sophisticated assessment of demand, allowed for the resourcing levels of each LPAs to be reviewed.  This resulted in a redistribution of resources across the LPAs, which reflected demand more accurately.  In addition, the shift patterns also reflected calls for service, and increased the number of officers available during the day and evening, while reducing the night turn.

 

Reference was made to the implementation of the new model, which coinciding with increased demands on the Police, with increased calls caused mainly as a result of increased crime and recent terrorist attacks. The impact was felt on Police Officers who at the same time saw their numbers reduced by around 150.

 

The Panel was informed that the changes in shift patterns had affected staff welfare; with officers reporting being continually tired and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Governance of Thames Valley Police Collaborations pdf icon PDF 103 KB

To be provided with a presentation from the Police and Crime Commissioner on the Governance arrangements of Thames Valley Police Collaborations.

Minutes:

The Panel was reminded that Police and Crime Panels had a duty to scrutinise the role of their respective Commissioner in the collaborative work being undertaken by their respective Chief Constables including, for example, policing functions delivered under the South East Regional Integration Partnership (SERIP) collaborative arrangements.

 

This legitimate right extended to only scrutinising the governance arrangements the Police and Crime Commissioner had adopted to enable him to review performance of a function or service carried out under a collaborative initiative and to hold Thames Valley Police Chief Constable to account for the performance of that function or service.

 

The Panel was provided with a summary of the functional activities and governance arrangements of the major collaborative ventures involving Thames Valley Police. These included the following:

 

·       Hants/TVP Bi-lateral Collaboration

 

The TVP & Hampshire Bi-lateral Collaboration Governance Board oversees and scrutinises the work of the existing collaborative functions (i.e. Operations, ICT and Information Management) as well as development of the Contact Management and Digital Policing programmes.

 

·       South East Region Collaboration

 

Governance of collaboration between forces (Thames Valley, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire) across the South East region is undertaken at the Regional Governance Board. 

 

The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), hosted by Thames Valley Police, brings together the current regional organised crime units under one structure. 

 

·       Chiltern Transport Consortium

 

The Chiltern Transport Consortium (CTC) is collaboration between Hertfordshire Constabulary, Bedfordshire Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, British Transport Police and Thames Valley Police.  It was originally set up in 2014 to operate as a transport shared service for the procurement and maintenance of the forces’ transport fleet under lead force TVP.

 

The Deputy PCC reported that this collaboration brought great savings in terms of procuring vehicles and reference was made to the potential move to electric/hybrid vehicles. The logistics and testing of this still required work because of the large area which Thames Valley covered.

 

·       National Police Air Service

 

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a collaborative venture involving all police forces across England and Wales. Reference was made to the need for a new fleet of helicopters.  

 

·       TVP / TV Fire and Rescue Services

 

The PCC and the Force have previously agreed a memorandum of understanding with the three Fire and Rescue Services in the Thames Valley regarding exploring possible collaborative opportunities in the sharing of premises.

 

The Deputy PCC referred to the proposed tri-station in Crowthorne, Berkshire which was a joint venture which would result in Police, Fire and Ambulance Services all using the same station facility.   

 

·       Equip (formerly ERP Project)

 

Partner Forces with the Thames Valley are Sussex and Surrey.

 

·       Single Online Home

 

This was governed under a S22a Agreement. Governance was carried out through an operational National Steering Group, and overseen by the Digital Public Contact (DPC) Programme Board comprising representation from forces, PCCs and partners. 

 

Metropolitan Police Service was the Host Authority.

 

·       National Counter Terrorism Police Services

 

Governed under a S22A Agreement – Counter Terrorism Coordination Committee

 

·       National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS)

 

Governed under a S22A Agreement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

PCC Annual Report pdf icon PDF 108 KB

The Panel uses its powers in accordance with Section 28 (4) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to review, report and make recommendation regarding the Police and Crime Commissioner’s 2018.19 Annual Report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, the Police and Crime Commissioner was required to produce and publish an Annual Report which summarised the exercise of the PCC’s functions in each financial year and the progress which had been made in the financial year in meeting the objectives contained in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan.

 

The PCC introduced the report and informed the Panel that the report covered the activities undertaken and progress made by the PCC during the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, in meeting the objectives contained in his Police and Crime Plan 2017-2021.

 

The PCC reported that equal weight was given to all five strategic priorities; however, the key threads of Vulnerability, Prevention and Re-Offending were particularly highlighted in the report.

 

Reference was made to 2018/19 being a notable year for Thames Valley Police (TVP) as it represented the very best of British policing in the eyes of the world. Thames Valley Police ran the largest operations in its history: the Royal Wedding in Windsor in May 2018 and the visit by the US President to four locations within Thames Valley

in July 2018.

 

Throughout these operations the officers and staff of Thames Valley Police showcased the excellence of the force and for British policing generally.

 

The Panel was informed that in July 2018, Thames Valley Police and Hampshire

Constabulary launched a new website, which now shared the same platform as the

Metropolitan Police. This would eventually be a ‘single online home’ for all police forces.

 

The PCC expressed his pleasure that the Government had recognised the need for additional resources for the Police to help tackle serious violence and knife crime. Whilst the Thames Valley had not seen the large increase in knife crime as had some parts of the country, the Thames Valley was seeing an increase in violent crime which was a concern. Reference was made to TVP working proactively and in partnership to tackle the problem and this additional funding would provide a significant boost.

 

In 2018-19, Thames Valley saw offences involving more serious violence significantly decrease, with 35% fewer GBH (section 18) offences than the same time last year.

The Force also saw positive reductions in theft from person (down 23%) and house burglaries (down 2%). Particularly pleasing was that domestic burglary had reduced by 21% over the past 7 years, with rural crime being given much greater priority over the same period. Overall crime levels in the Thames Valley were lower compared to ten and fifteen years ago, which as one of the less well funded police forces, was a testament to the good work of the Force.

 

The PCC’s office had effectively managed its Ministry of Justice grant funding to provide a range of victim and witness support services, and had introduced the ‘Victims First’ service, which offered support through a single point of contact for victims and witnesses of crime, including affected family members. Since its launch, Victims First had dealt with 5,194  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Update on Community Safety Partnerships pdf icon PDF 419 KB

To note the report and highlight any issues to bring to the attention of the Panel and the PCC.

Minutes:

The report submitted to the Panel provided Members with feedback from Local Community Safety Partnerships across the Thames Valley.

 

The Chairman asked that Members note the work which had been carried out by their CSPs and that Members should make themselves aware of the work which was carried out to enable them to feedback information to the Panel. For next year, Members were asked to ensure that they worked with their CSP Managers when summarising their local CSP activities.     

 

The Panel noted the report and welcomed all the work which was being carried out across the Thames Valley.

9.

PCP Annual Report pdf icon PDF 894 KB

To adopt and publish the Annual Report of the Panel and ask Panel Members to submit the Annual Report to their respective Authorities for information.

Minutes:

The Panel noted the Police and Crime Panel Annual Report which summarised the activities of the Panel during 2018/19.

 

The Vice-Chairman informed the Panel that this was the sixth annual report of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel and for 2018/19 the Panel continued to both challenge and support the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley. The hard work and dedication of Panel Members was praised.

 

RESOLVED - That the Annual Report be adopted and published and that Panel Members submit the Annual Report to their respective Authorities for information.

 

10.

Report of the Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Committee pdf icon PDF 156 KB

To consider a report from the Chairman of Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Committee.

Minutes:

The Panel was provided with a report of the Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Committee of 12 April 2019, which contained a recommendation to disband the Sub-Committee, to enable the wider issues of exploitation to be explored at the full Panel meeting.

 

The Chairman informed the Panel that the issue of exploitation had widened beyond child sexual exploitation and the Panel should be the forum to explore and scrutinise what the PCC was doing, in the form of a themed item on an annual basis.

 

RESOLVED – That the report from the Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Committee be noted and approval be given to the disbanding of the Sub-Committee, and the Panel’s Rules of Procedure be amended accordingly.

11.

Annual Review of the Panel's Rules of Procedure, Panel Membership, appointment to Sub-Committees/Task Groups and Budget pdf icon PDF 126 KB

To review the Rules of Procedure, Panel Membership, appointment to Sub-Committees/Task Groups and approve the Panel Budget.

 

In addition the Panel is asked to consider venues for future Panel meetings and make a decision on webcasting/recording of meetings.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel received the report of the Scrutiny Officer on the Panel rules of procedure, Panel membership and budget. No amendments had been submitted to the rules of procedure.

 

Discussion took place on the future location and possible broadcasting of meetings of the Panel. The Panel was reminded that the present meeting location at Aylesbury Vale District Council had been considered the most accessible for all Members from across Thames Valley. However, the cost of webcasting meetings from "the Oculus" room at Aylesbury was prohibitive.

 

Reference was made to previous investigations which had found that there were other venues in the Thames Valley where webcasting could take place such as Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council and Cherwell District Council etc.; however these locations were not as accessible for all Members from across the Thames Valley.

 

After discussions it was agreed that meetings of the Panel continue to take place at Aylesbury Vale and that discussion take place with Aylesbury Vale District Council on the cost of using the Oculus meeting room at Aylesbury Vale which had the webcasting capability.

 

In terms of Membership of the Panel’s established Committees, the following memberships were agreed:-

 

Police and Crime Panel – It was agreed that named substitutes be appointed by each local authority.

 

Complaints Sub-Committee – Cllr Bill Bendyshe-Brown, Cllr David Carroll, Curtis James Marshall and Cllr Kieron Mallon. (3 vacancies)

 

Budget Task and Finish Group – Cllr Robin Bradburn, Cllr Trevor Egleton, Cllr Andrew McHugh and Cllr Barrie Patman. (1 vacancy)

 

RESOLVED - 1.      That the Panel budget as outlined in the report be approved and the membership of the Panel’s Sub-Committees be agreed as detailed above.

 

2.         That the Panel’s Rule of Procedure be updated to reflect the disbanding of the Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Committee and the appointment of named substitutes.  

 

3.      That future meetings of the Panel be held at Aylesbury Vale District Council Offices and officers be asked to carry out the actions outlined above, in relation to webcasting of meetings.

 

12.

Chairman's Update/ PCC update /Topical Issues pdf icon PDF 192 KB

To receive updates from the Chairman of the Panel and from the PCC, and to note and ask questions on the topical issues report.

Minutes:

The Panel noted a report on Topical Issues.

 

13.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 97 KB

For Panel Members to put forward items for the Work Programme including ideas for themed meetings.

Minutes:

The Work Programme for the Panel was noted and Members were asked to give consideration to future topics and inform the Scrutiny Officer accordingly.

14.

Date and Time of Next Meeting

6 September 2019.

Minutes:

The Panel noted that the next meeting would take place on 6 September 2019 at 11.00am at Aylesbury Vale District Council Offices.