Meeting documents

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.

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 referrals with 2,000 having gone on to receive specialist support from other services which the PCC fund.

Other highlights included providing community safety grants totalling £2.7m to County and Unitary Councils in the Thames Valley area to help them to support the PCC in delivering Police and Crime Plan strategic priorities.

Panel Members raised the following points:

1.               In relation to vulnerability, the PCC was asked for an update on the appointment of the Single Point of Contact for Taxi-Licensing which he had agreed to fund.

[The PCC reported that the Force had experienced problems recruiting to this post, but an update would be provided to Panel Members.]

2.               In relation to Prevention, the PCC was asked to provide an update on the performance of dealing with ‘101’ calls.

[The Deputy Chief Constable provided background to the issue. 999 calls had increased by 9%, with a resultant increase in 101 calls. Last year, 101 calls took an average of 6 minutes to answer. For this month this was now down to 2.4 minutes which was a big improvement. The Contact Management platform and more call handlers would improve the performance further.]

3.               In relation to Prevention and Early Intervention, the PCC was asked, how successful has TVP’s use of "stop and search" powers been in the fight against knife crime?

[The PCC reported that "stop and search" was an effective tool in the fight against knife crime. "Stop and search" naturally, resulted in higher rates of detection of both knife and drug crimes. The PCC commented that knife and drug crimes were often connected.]

4.               Reference was made to the use of social media, particularly Twitter, by TVP, in highlighting uninsured motorists and whether this practise was having an effect in terms of awareness.

[The Deputy PCC praised the work of the Roads Policing Team in providing the public with up-to-date information relating to road closures and motorists caught for offences etc.; all of which engaged with the public and increased awareness.]              

5.               In relation to the reporting of Hate Crimes, the PCC was asked what priority these crimes were given.

[The PCC responded that the reporting of Hate Crimes was given the highest priority. Hate Crimes were often down to perception, but all reported were fully scrutinised and investigated. Reference was made to the 2017 Inspectorate report which found that Thames Valley Police were inadvertently not recording all crimes correctly. This had now been rectified and all Hate Crimes, regardless of types were recorded.]

6.               In relation to the Police response to fraud, the PCC was asked about the Police response to fraud committed against local charities as this was on the increase and whether low level fraud such as this was given sufficient priority.

[The PCC reported that it was estimated that there was £38 billion of fraud a year nationally. There were not enough resources put into fighting fraud at a national level and as a result only a relatively small number of fraud cases were investigated due to lack of Police resources.]

RESOLVED - That a letter be sent to the OPCC in accordance with Section 28(4) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to review, report and make recommendations, if appropriate, regarding the PCC’s Annual Report 2017/18.