Meeting documents

  • Meeting of Bucks Strategic Partnership Board, Tuesday 31st March 2009 2.30 pm (Item 5.)

 

·        Quarter 3 performance (5 mins)

·        Focus on Crime (30 mins)

Paul Tinnion, Thames Valley Police - Presentation on ‘Issues for Buckinghamshire,’ followed by table exercise focusing on BSP response.

 

Decision to be taken: Note LAA performance at 9 month point, and agree any actions in response to the crime issues.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Sarah Ashmead told members that the Agenda pack contained third quarter data. Some target data was only available annually or bi-annually.

 

Paul Tinnion (Chief Superintendent and Basic Command Unit Commander for Buckinghamshire) then spoke to members about crime issues for Buckinghamshire (slides attached).  Four commanders (one for each District) reported to Paul Tinnion.

 

·         NI 16 (Serious Acquisitive Crime) included burglary, robbery and car crime. To date there had been a 2% reduction in serious acquisitive crime in Buckinghamshire, with the exception of the Chiltern District.

·         Police now attended all crime incidents.

·         Robbery was increasing in the Chiltern and Wycombe Districts, particularly theft of mobile phones. Work with partners needed to be increased to target resources.

·         There had been a rise in the number of vehicle thefts in which the car keys were obtained from the owner’s house, either through the front door letter box or by breaking into the house.

·         There had also been an increase in the number of thefts of landrovers, and in the thefts of number plates.

·         The number of thefts of ‘cash in transit’ had also risen. These crimes were Level 3 crimes, which meant that they were passed to a surveillance unit. Night filling of cash machines was a particular target.

·         Crimes altered as national circumstances changed. For instance, when the prices for lead, aluminium and copper had been high, there had been an increase in the theft of these materials.

·         Since 2006 crime rates had steadily fallen in Buckinghamshire. However there had been a ‘blip ‘in the second half of 2008, when rates had risen. Oxfordshire and Berkshire also showed increases in crime. It was not clear why this rise had occurred. Much cross-border work had been carried out.

·         NI 121 (dealing with local concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime by the local council and police) was measured through a number of different surveys. Different surveys showed different results. The Place Survey (conducted by post) showed confidence in the partnership to be 23.1%. The British Crime Survey which had run for 22 years and which was conducted face to face showed confidence at 46%. The local TVP survey (conducted by phone) showed confidence at 60%.

·         Press reports could increase confidence (e.g. by telling the public about a successful prosecution) but could also reduce it (e.g. by increasing the fear of crime). Radio adverts were the cheapest form of advertising and also had the most impact.

·         Challenges for 2009/10 included reducing the number of assaults (not including GBH) by 3% (the number of assaults was currently increasing in Buckinghamshire).

·         A target of 84% for victim satisfaction had been set (victim satisfaction was currently increasing in Buckinghamshire).

·         There was also a target to roll out PVE (preventing violent extremism) across the County.

·         Prisons were now releasing people a lot earlier, and offender management on release was therefore very important.

·         The police worked on intelligence received, so needed to encourage people to come forward and provide information.

 

A member asked how many people were questioned in the surveys. Paul Tinnion said that the British Crime Survey questioned just over 1000 people.

 

Paul Tinnion then asked members to write down the answers to two questions:

·         What more do I/my organisation or partnership need to know about crime issues in Bucks?

·         How can I/my organisation or partnership contribute to reducing crime?

 

The answers to these questions are attached. Paul Tinnion said that he would take the answers back and include the points made in delivery planning.

A pack for Chief Executives re: performance data was being prepared.

 

Decision taken:

The Board noted the LAA performance at the 9-month point.

Supporting documents: