Meeting documents

To be provided with a presentation from the Chief Constable on the increase in crime rates and the falling number of prosecutions.

 

A presentation on the Restructuring of Courts and the implications of this on the Criminal Justice System will be given by the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and Chair of the Local Criminal Justice Board, Matthew Barber. David Colchester (LCJB support officer) will also be in attendance.

 

A report is attached prepared by the Panel’s Scrutiny Officer providing background information on the themed item. 

The Panel was provided with a report from the Scrutiny Officer which provided Members with the background to the reason for the themed item. The objective of the themed item was for the Panel to assess and understand why with an increasing crime rate in the Thames Valley and nationally has the number of convictions/ prosecutions reduced.

 

Crime Rates

 

The Chief Constable presented to the Panel details of crime rates in the Thames Valley comparing them with the national figures.

 

Compared to last years figures because of proactive policing work there had been a 33% increase in the trafficking of drugs; a 21% increase in possession of weapons and a 20% of possession of drugs. Reference was made to a 44% increase in stop and search which had resulted in an increase in these crimes.

 

The Chief Constable referred to the recent use of Section 60 Orders under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act which were used where there had been increases in knife crime. This had resulted in increased numbers of arrests for possession of weapons and of drugs.

 

Overall there had been an increase of crime across the Thames Valley (up 5%) with references made to increases in violence without injury (up 15%), thefts from vehicles (up 11%) and thefts of motor vehicles (up 5%). Criminal damage and violence with injury were stable.

 

There had been reductions in shoplifting, Burglary of dwellings (down 5%), bilking (obtaining or withholding money from someone unfairly or by deceit; cheat or defraud (down by 6%), Arson (down by 7%), Burglary of shed (down by 9%) and GBH (down by 20%).

 

The Panel was provided with details of the position Thames Valley was in terms of crime levels compared to similar grouped forces and nationally and Thames Valley was in a favourable position. The Chief Constable reported that the background to these crime figures were improved crime recording, changes to crime-recording rules and increased confidence in reporting all which continued to have a significant impact on the levels of certain crime types.

 

Reference was made in the report to the Thames Valley PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy programme) assessment of 2018/19 which had stated that after legislation had changed the way in which police bail was applied, the Thames Valley Force did not strike the right balance between the use of pre-charge bail and the released under investigation (RUI) option.

 

The Chief Constable in response informed the Panel that in relation to Arrest, Bail and Release Under Investigation (RUI), greater awareness had been raised among officers of how to use the bail legislation which had resulted in a 382%increase in the use of bail between October 2018 and September 2019 compared to the previous period.

 

The Panel was informed that there had been a wholesale review of how Thames Valley Police investigated crime.  The overall volume of positive outcomes between April and November 18 was down when compared to the same period in 2018 but the last 5 weeks were up 14% on last year, and this would continue to improve.

 

In relation to court resolutions and particularly around victims of rape and sexual assault, it was acknowledged that collectively better work was required, particularly around disclosure. Members were informed that this was a complex area and reference was made to the work which had to be carried out in relation to retrieval and downloading of data from mobile phones and other devices which was time consuming and complex. The report referred to the average smartphone containing the equivalent of 30,000 pages of A4 paper in information.

 

Local Criminal Justice Board and Crown Prosecution Service

 

The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner attended the meeting and informed the Panel that he was the Chairman of the Local Criminal Justice Board.  Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) brought together criminal justice organisations at police force area level to support joint working and improve services. The purpose of the LCJB was to reduce crime, harm and risk by increasing the efficiency and credibility of the Criminal Justice System. By working in partnership, the board aimed to improve services to the public with the minimum costs, supported by the best available evidence.

 

The Panel was informed that improving the criminal justice system was a national challenge, not just a Thames Valley challenge. Reference was made to improvements which had been made in Police preparations for trials and that for Thames Valley between July 2019 to September 2019, there had been almost 2,500 court cases, with 73% defendants offering guilty pleas at Crown Court cases. This was proving that good work was being done, with improvements made in disclosure work.

 

Reference was made to the increase in crime and Members were informed that some of the increase in crime, particularly around sexual assault, rape and domestic abuse, was historic crime. From 2007, this type of crime had quadrupled and was due to people becoming more confident in coming forward and reporting this type of crime and victims being taken more seriously and being supported often through a traumatic experience.

 

The Deputy PCC referred to the need for more robust statistics on the falling levels of prosecutions and convictions as arrests had increased in relation to crimes such as domestic abuse; however, obtaining convictions was not always easy due to victims and witnesses not seeing the process through. Improvements this area had to be made and greater support was required for victims of such crimes.

 

Thames Valley Police had restructured their investigative capability with local Detective Chief Inspectors put into localised areas with CID. There had been investment in technology with an improvement in the transfer of data to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

 

Discussion took place on the work of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service was the main prosecuting authority in England and Wales and was set up in 1986 to prosecute criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. Thames and Chiltern were one of 14 CPS Areas and covered three police force areas; Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Thames Valley. The Deputy PCC commented that the Police and CPS needed to work closely together to ensure improvements were made in relation to ensuring the effectiveness and quality of prosecutions. This included improving the quality of files and evidence to ensure that court cases did not collapse for reasons such as inadequate disclosure.

 

The Deputy PCC referred to the restructuring of the Criminal Justice System which had resulted in two thirds of magistrates' courts in Thames Valley being closed over the last decade. He expressed concerns regarding this and the implications this had on the Criminal Justice System, particularly in relation to victims of crime and witnesses attending court hearings, if the distances were too great. Reference was made to court cases collapsing because of the non-appearance of witnesses at cases.

 

CCTV links to Courts would overcome some problems, but until that system was up and running properly, its effectiveness could not be measured. Reference was made to the work which was taking place on a video conference suite which would improve the process.

 

In relation to why cases collapsed, the Panel was informed that this was not just due to problems with disclosure. The failure of witnesses to turn up, defence solicitors on occasion deliberately putting cases off to attempt to get cases dropped were amongst other reasons why convictions were sometimes not achieved. This was very frustrating for the Police who had worked towards bringing cases to court and ultimately getting justice for victims of crime.

 

The PCC commented that crime figures would increase if the Police were being proactive in relation to drugs and weapons, with increased use of stop and search. This was inevitable consequence of increased prevention of crime and a factor which was not reflected in inspection reports.

 

Questions

 

(1)          With the increase in Police precept funding, will resources be allocated to improve investigations and the disclosure of evidence to ensure positive outcomes for victims of crimes and to ensure justice is carried out?

 

[The PCC replied that extra Police Officers would be available as a result of the increased Police precept and this would lead to more arrests and convictions for perpetrators of crimes. More training was given to Police Officers on investigations and improving the disclosure of information for cases and this had improved. The changes made to the local policing model would improve the detection of crimes and investigations. Reference was made to rape, and sexual assault and the Police would continue to tackle these offences rigorously and take them to court.

 

The Deputy PCC referred to performance monitoring and targets which were set to in relation to completion of investigations within time and producing evidence for cases within timescales.

 

(2)          In relation to crimes relating to Burglaries in Sheds being down, a Member commented that this could be down to the backlog of calls to the "101" service where these crimes have failed to be reported and picked up in the crime statistics. A question was asked about on-line reporting of crime and whether this had been successful.

 

[The Deputy PCC replied that improvements were still being made to the website to ensure that the on-line service was stable and would be able to cope with the demand. Once assurance had been received there would be more publicity given to the on-line reporting of crime. The Chief Constable commented that in some local police areas burglaries from shed crimes had gone up. In relation to "101" calls, the latest performance statistics had shown that there had been an improvement in performance.]

 

(3)  Reference was made to the Cambridgeshire Harm Index which uses sentencing guidelines of England and Wales to calculate the harm score of each crime and the closing of local courts would have an impact on assessing this data accurately if cases were not being heard. The PCC was asked for his view on what impact has the closure of local courts had on the delivery of the key Local Criminal Justice Board priority of increasing the number of effective trials

 

[The PCC agreed with this assumption and raised the possibility of hosting courts in local council chambers which would assist in terms of accessibility for victims and witnesses. The closure of local courts in the Thames Valley had not been a good decision and had impacted on the Criminal Justice System.]

 

(4)   A Member referred to the problems which victims and witnesses in Buckinghamshire had in terms of travelling great distances to attend court and the PCC was asked if the National Association of PCCs had been consulted and expressed their opinion on the changes to the Criminal Justice System.

 

[The PCC reported that there had not been any comment from the National Association of PCCs on the closures of courts but informed the Panel that the problem of victims and witnesses having greater distances to travel was mainly a problem in rural areas of Thames Valley].

 

The Panel in response suggested that similar Police Force areas to Thames Valley must be encountering similar problems in relation to the closure of local courts and asked that consideration be given by the National Association of PCCs to make a statement on this.

 

(5) In relation to crime figures, A Member referred to the increased use of stop and search and asked the PCC whether this was overused, although it was emphasised that drug dealers damaged communities.

 

[The PCC commented that the real issue with drugs was the production and import and the distribution out of cities. Reference was made to the market for drugs which had changed, with major users of drugs now being wealthier people. The people who tended to be arrested were the dealers and they were usually the victims.

 

Stop and search needed to be used equitably and fairly, but it was an essential preventative measure which had had some success. The perception was that Thames Valley Police use of stop and search was done fairly and there had been positive feedback regarding its use. Crime statistics for knife crime had increased due in some measure to the use of stop and search. The Chief Constable added that good neighbourhood policing was also required with good problem-solving teams.

 

The PCC added that training for Police Officers on stop and search was important to provide confidence for Police Officers to carry out the task sensitively but with authority. The Panel was informed that he had witnessed the use of stop and search near Maidenhead Police Station and Police Officers had received compliments for the way they had carried it out.]

 

(6) A Member referred to the importance of CCTV within Town Centres which pay a ` key role in the prevention of crime and disorder and that some town centre did not have CCTV.

 

[The Deputy PCC reported that he would shortly be meeting with the Chief Constable to discuss CCTV and referred to the improved use of CCTV by the Police being a key aim in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan Strategic Priority for prevention and early intervention.]

 

(7) In relation to the closure of local courts, a Member referred to the problems caused by the closure of Milton Keynes’ Crown Court which meant people from the area had to attend the Crown Court in Huntingdon, which was an unreasonable distance. The PCC was asked if he could take forward the issue.

 

[The PCC said he would pass on the concerns to Her Majesty's Courts Service.]

 

(8) The PCC was asked to comment on the alarming increase of collapsed court cases due to a failure by the Police or prosecutors to disclose evidence. This was particularly concerning in relation to a number of collapsed rape cases caused by a failure to share evidence with defence solicitors.

 

[The Deputy PCC reported that there had been problems with file quality and the transferring of evidence which had all contributed to cases collapsing. There needed to be improvements made in relation to improving the filing of evidence and the early release and sharing with defence solicitors.

 

The Chief Constable commented that there had been some high-profile court cases which had collapsed and referred to the difficulties of obtaining data from mobile phones of victims because of the intrusive nature of doing so. Criminal Justice requests for increased information was a challenging, difficult and time-consuming process.]

 

(9) The PCC was asked what could be done to ensure that some Domestic Violence cases fall because of the delay in getting cases to court.

 

[The Deputy PCC referred to the requirement to ensure there was adequate victim support throughout the process to provide reassurance for victims. Nationally, the CPS was looking at this, although there had been some resistance due to the resource implications.]

 

RESOLVED – That the PCC, Deputy PCC and Chief Constable be thanked for their contribution to the themed item and the PCC be asked to consider asking the National Association of PCCs to issue a joint statement on the impact on the Criminal Justice System, of the closure of local courts.