Agenda and minutes

Surrey Police and Crime Panel - Tuesday, 18 April 2023 10.30 am

Venue: Woodhatch Place, Reigate, Surrey

Contact: Ross Pike, Scrutiny Officer

Media

Items
No.	Item
21/23	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Share this item The Chairman to report apologies for absence. Additional documents: Webcast for 21/23 Minutes: Apologies were received from John Furey, Barry Cheyne, Satvinder Buttar and Mick Gillman.
22/23	MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 3 FEBRUARY 2023 PDF 224 KB Share this item To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 3 February 2023 as a correct record. Additional documents: 20230208 - Letter from Panel to PCC re Precept , item 22/23 PDF 159 KB Response to Panel Precept letter - 100223 , item 22/23 PDF 291 KB Webcast for 22/23 Minutes: 1. A Member queried the accuracy of the minutes (13/21) in respect of an anticipated year end transfer of £150,000 from reserves to support the OPCC budget for 2022/23. The Chief Finance Officer confirmed that at the date of the meeting the intention was indeed to make the transfer at the year-end based on the information available at that time. The fact that this requirement had changed subsequently did not change the accuracy of the original minutes. 2. The minutes were then agreed.
23/23	DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Share this item All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter (i) Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or (ii) Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting NOTES: · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest · As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner) · Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial. Additional documents: Webcast for 23/23 Minutes: None were declared.
24/23	PUBLIC QUESTIONS Share this item The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (11 April 2023). Note: A written response will be circulated to Panel Members and the questioner. Additional documents: Webcast for 24/23 Minutes: None were received.
25/23	101 SURVEY FEEDBACK AND ACTIONS PDF 577 KB Share this item Additional documents: Webcast for 25/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance Key points raised during the discussion: The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) explained that the Force had struggled with the 101 service for several reasons and in particular staffing The PCC visited call centre staff on a number of occasions and learnt that many trained staff had decided to become Police Officers. This was good for the individuals concerned and was to be encouraged but had put pressure on staffing levels within the Contact Centre. This was being addressed by five staff intakes of 50 starters with 28 in training. A Member asked what the performance measures for call handling are and what the PCC’s ambition for the service was. The Panel was told that the PCC wanted a service that would answer as many calls as possible and direct people to the right channels thereby increasing public confidence. There were no specific targets and the Head of Performance and Governance advised the panel that the call handling measure of three minutes was only for management purposes rather than a target. The PCC was asked about the survey results that made two mentions of alternative digital methods for contacting the Police, with one mention each of "live chat" and social media, and whether there were plans to promote the digital contact method to the same extent as the telephone access? The PCC commented that staff were trained to answer contacts from any method and confirmed that live chat was as effective as the telephone for contacting the Force and would be grateful if the Panel would reiterate this message when engaging with residents. The survey did not specifically target those that had recently contacted 101 and was publicised through the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s usual channels. There were no measures to prevent staff responding to the survey but there was no reason to think staff within the Contact Centre would seek to influence the results. A Member of the Panel commented that they were contacted for a survey as a Surrey resident and their eligibility was checked by the call handler. The PCC was asked if the survey reached a cross section of the population or just those who were digitally savvy. As a follow-up the Member asked how accessible the PCC’s website was. The Head of Performance and Governance explained that the OPCC had launched a new redesigned website with the aim of ensuring it was compliant with accessibility standards. A Member asked about reward and recognition for call centre staff. It was explained that there had been increases to the unsocial hours allowance, improved support to staff and more flexible recruitment procedures to make it easier to attract applicants. Whilst it would take time to assess whether these changes were having an impact on recruitment and retention, the PCC continued to receive regular updates.
26/23	SURREY POLICE GROUP FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE 10 MONTHS ENDED 31 JANUARY 2023 PDF 383 KB Share this item Purpose of the report: This report sets out the financial performance of the Surrey Police Group (i.e. OPCC and Chief Constable combined) as at 31 January 2023 with a forecast to 31 March 2023. Additional documents: Webcast for 26/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer Key points raised during the discussion: 1. A Member questioned the impact of an underspend on police officers and capital on service levels to the public. The CFO replied that as far as he was aware there were no adverse impacts in the short term. 2. A Member questioned the ICT project delays noted in the report, such as the implementation of the Emergency Services mobile network (EN), Surrey DCS upgrade and the Joint Service Management Platform. The CFO stated that IT projects were difficult to plan for citing resourcing and capacity issues as well as more urgent operational matters taking priority. Sometimes delays were also the result of national policy delays such as ESN. 3. A Member asked about key decision 69 in the OPCC Decision Log which showed a £7.9m underspend and how this figure impacted on the precept rate. The CFO explained that the underspend had only a one-off benefit and consisted not only of savings but also budgets to be carried forward into the next financial year. Precept setting took a longer term view of funding pressures and the ongoing delivery of services. The CFO also said that all reserves were owned and under the control of the PCC and hence any decision on them had to be approved by the PCC.
27/23	PROGRESS AGAINST THE POLICE AND CRIME PLAN PDF 1 MB Share this item Purpose of the report: This report sets out the prgress made towards achieving the 2021-2025 Police and Crime Plan since the last update to the Panel in November 2022. Additional documents: Webcast for 27/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance Key points raised during the discussion: 1. The PCC was asked about the decrease in public confidence from 86% to 84% and efforts to improve this score. The PCC considered this to be important and commented that it may have been influenced by the national experience of policing including newspaper headlines on Police forces and the criminal justice system. More work was required to improve victim confidence in Surrey Police and this had been a growing area of focus in recent years. 2. A Member asked about barriers in engaging partners in efforts to reduce violence against women and girls. The PCC said this was an important question and could not be tackled by the Police alone and partners were integral. The PCC referenced the statutory duty to collaborate across the public sector and recent work with schools to support the PSHE curriculum. There were some emerging areas of work that would likely involve work with partners that had not historically had a close relationship with the police, and this would need to be managed through appropriate governance processes. 3. A Member highlighted the plateauing trend for victim satisfaction. What should the Panel expect to observe over the next six months given the planned initiatives and what support there is for victim support? The PCC reiterated her earlier response regarding Surrey Police’s recognition of this issue and that victims were being contacted and crimes being resolved but often victims were not being kept updated through the process. The Head of Performance and Governance stated that there was a Victims and Witnesses Group in Surrey that reviewed performance. The force’s internal Victim and Witness Care Unit also worked closely with victims of crime to provide appropriate support and guidance. The unit also made use of volunteers to help support individuals. There was also a dedicated website, where residents could find out about all local support services available in Surrey. 4. A Member asked for any headlines from the survey into anti-social behaviour. The PCC highlighted five issues: anti-social driving and speeding, littering, anti-social parking, people using and dealing drugs and fly tipping. The PCC noted that not all of these were policing issues. 5. A Member reflected on recent issues in Woking where residents had been harassed by groups and asked how this would be affected by a new ruling on police not intervening in verbal neighbourhood disputes. The PCC thought that this was difficult, wanted to avoid criminalising neighbours and that there were other agencies that could help de-escalate situations before the police needed to become involved. 6. A Member raised the increased number of Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) collisions in the county and asked what proportion of KSI collisions are, in fact, caused by young drivers, and whether there any measures to encourage safer driving for older drivers. The PCC did not have any figures at the meeting, but these were available online and ... view the full minutes text for item 27/23
28/23	UNAUTHORISED ENCAMPMENTS PDF 251 KB Share this item Purpose of the report: This paper provides a high level summary of Surrey Police’s current approach towards unauthorised encamplments. Additional documents: Apendix 1 - Policy , item 28/23 PDF 179 KB Webcast for 28/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner Key points raised during the discussion: The Panel queried whether the PCC would work with Surrey County Council to progress the development of transit sites and did the PCC have confidence that these sites would be created in the short-term. The PCC reported having numerous conversations with Surrey County Council on this topic and advised that if funding from the OPCC was required for the transit site to progress then she would consider contributing. The PCC explained that although the OPCC and Force was a stakeholder in this area it was not a decision-maker, this rested with the local Councils and their planning departments, but the PCC would work continue to work with partners where appropriate to end the uncertainty and deliver a transit site. The PCC advised that as encampments were not automatically a policing issue, when it came to eviction that was the responsibility of the landowner - that could be Surrey County Council, which meant Police involvement was low. The PCC told the Panel that for the year 2021 out of 80 incidents only four involved the use of Police powers and only 7 in 2022. Action/Further information to be provided: OPCC to provide a briefing paper on the detail of legislative changes for policing unauthorised encampments.
29/23	SURREY POLICE UPLIFT & WORKFORCE PLANNING PDF 377 KB Share this item Purpose of the report: This report provides an update on Surrey Police’s delivery of the Government Police Officer uplift programme and wider commentary on key workforce planning issues. Additional documents: Vacancies 31.03.23 , item 29/23 PDF 254 KB Webcast for 29/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Lisa Townsend, Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance Key points raised during the discussion: Figures on staffing were tabled at the meeting and are appended to these minutes. A Member highlighted the current low conviction rates for domestic violence against women and children and asked how the PCC would hold the Chief Constable to account. The PCC said that the new Chief Constable’s background in this area provided confidence to her, and things should improve however she also referenced challenges in the criminal justice system such as court delays which did not help. That said the PCC reminded members that they must be mindful of the language used in this area to ensure that victims remain confident in coming forward with allegations to the Police. The Panel requested further information on the survey on misogyny within the Force. The PCC advised that this work had been underway with an external provider for a year. This would commence with an anonymous survey for members of Surrey Police followed by a tailored programme based on the analysis of this feedback. The PCC offered to come back to the Panel with a further update on this work. The Head of Performance and Governance added that staff at the OPCC had much more access to information concerning conduct and vetting processes within Surrey Police and were actively monitoring this area in light of national developments. A Member followed up with a question about recruitment safeguards. The PCC explained how Surrey vets all officers that transfer from one police force to another rather than relying on what’s been done before and how it was not unheard of for transfers into Surrey Police to fail its high bar for vetting. A Member asked how many live cases Surrey Police had of allegations of sexual violence and/or domestic violence of serving officers within the force and also the status of carrying out investigation and of those being investigated, how many were still in an active policing role. The PCC did not have numbers available so agreed to write to the Panel. The Panel asked about staff attrition rates and whether officers from minority groups were disproportionately leaving the service. The Head of Performance and Governance advised that this data was collected and would be provided to the Panel. The Panel queried what constituted “specialist crime”. The PCC gave examples of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, work on serious offences such as child abuse and rape. The PCC was asked about the establishment figures for Police Community Support Officers. The PCC advised that they were recruiting for these roles, but it was challenging in Surrey with not only many current PCSOs becoming Police Officers but also those recruits who may have become PCSOs in the past now opting to become Police Officers instead. A Member queried a recent quote from the Chief Constable that the new non-degree route into policing does not lead to a formal qualification; does this indicate that ... view the full minutes text for item 29/23
30/23	PERFORMANCE MEETINGS Share this item This report provides an update on the performance meetings between the PCC and the Chief Constable that have been held and what has been discussed in order to demonstrate that arrangements for good governance and scrutiny are in place. Additional documents: Webcast for 30/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance Key points raised during the discussion: The information was noted.
31/23	PCC FORWARD PLAN AND KEY DECISIONS PDF 395 KB Share this item Purpose of the report: This report provides information on the key decisions taken by the PCC from February 2023 to present and sets out details of the Office’s ongoing Forward Plan for 2023/2024. Additional documents: Webcast for 31/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner Key points raised during the discussion: A Member noted that the Joint Audit Committee’s papers were only available up until July 2022 online. Could this be checked.
32/23	COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION TIME PDF 275 KB Share this item For the Panel to raise any issues or queries concerning crime and policing in Surrey with the Commissioner. Note: The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (14 April 2023). Additional documents: Webcast for 32/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer Key points raised during the discussion: The Chair asked the Commissioner: Surrey Police were said to have the lowest charge rates for rape. Using your figures can we discuss the reasons for this and what is the Commissioner doing to improve the outcome rate for rape cases in Surrey and their alleged victims. A response was tabled and appended to these minutes. The Chair asked a follow-up on why the charge rate was so low when domestic abuse perpetrators are often known to Police and the PCC’s view on the current charge rate. The PCC was talking with Ministers and the Crown Prosecution Service about the charge rates. It was added that the new Surrey Chief Constable had previously held the national brief for disclosure. The PCC considered that rape may not be the charge that a victim wished to go forward as the main charge. The PCC concluded that the area was complex and felt that aspects of the criminal justice system were unaccountable for low rates. A Member asked how many charges converted to convictions. The Head of Performance and Governance would check the data as this was not part of the original question. A Member asked about progress towards carbon net zero and whether the reserve of £1.7m was indicator of how much resource was required. The Chief Finance Officer considered this amount to be the beginning of the cost given the future challenges with infrastructure such as the Police’s fleet of vehicles. Work was still being done to ascertain how to meet the challenge. The PCC felt the progress toward net zero must be balanced against the Police’s core purpose to prevent and protect the public from crime. Actions/Further information requested: · Response to Cllr Paul Kennedy’s questions · Number of convictions made a result of charges.
33/23	COMPLAINTS RECEIVED SINCE THE LAST MEETING PDF 118 KB Share this item To note complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner received since the last meeting of the Police and Crime Panel. Additional documents: Webcast for 33/23 Minutes: Witnesses: Alison Bolton, Chief Executive – Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Ross Pike, Scrutiny Business Manager Key points raised during the discussion: The Panel noted an error in the report that stated the complaint had been considered by the Sub-Committee in November 2022. This should have read 4 April 2022. A Member requested a summary of the complaints against the current and previous PCCs considered by the Complaints Sub-Committee and the outcome of its hearings. Members were advised that the Committee’s decisions were reported to each meeting so it would be possible to review previous papers to establish this information should it be required. The Chief Executive of the OPCC also reminded the Panel that it had delegated its powers to her to consider whether a complaint was repetitious as part of its complaint handling process. However, where there were new points raised in a complaint, even where it would otherwise seem similar to others that had been considered by the Sub-Committee, the Chief Executive was required to refer the complaint back to the Sub-Committee for informal resolution. Actions/Further information requested: Panel Support to provide a summary of complaints made against current and former Police and Crime Commissioners.
34/23	RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 113 KB Share this item To review the Recommendations Tracker and Forward Work Programme. Additional documents: Appendix 1 - Surrey PCP Tracker - April 2023 , item 34/23 PDF 289 KB Appendix 2 - Surrey PCP Workplan - April 2023 , item 34/23 PDF 393 KB Webcast for 34/23 Minutes: Key points raised during the discussion: The Panel noted the tracker and forward work programme.
35/23	DATE OF NEXT MEETING Share this item The next public meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will be held on 29 June 2023. Additional documents: Webcast for 35/23 Minutes: The Panel’s next meeting would be held on Thursday 29 June. This would be the annual meeting of the Panel. The Chair thanked everyone for their support.