Agenda and minutes
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Contact: Victoria White or Joseph Jones
Media
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
The Chairman to report apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Anne Hoblyn MBE. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2015 as a correct record. Additional documents: Minutes: There was an amendment to the minutes from the Police & Crime Commissioner. The amendment was for page 11, second paragraph and amendment to the wording was £1 million extra going into training and £2 million extra going into improving public protection. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members of the Panel in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: None received.
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PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To receive any public questions.
Note: Written questions from the public can be submitted no later than seven days prior to the published date of the annual or any ordinary public meeting, for which the Commissioner will be invited to provide a written response by noon on the day before the meeting, which will be circulated to Panel Members and the questioner. Additional documents: Minutes: None received. |
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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: Minutes: There was one complaint received since the last meeting and the Panel noted the report. |
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RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
To review the Recommendations Tracker and Forward Work Programme. Additional documents: Minutes: The Panel noted the report. |
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POLICE AND CRIME PLAN QUARTERLY UPDATE
The Police and Crime Panel for Surrey scrutinises the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Surrey, Kevin Hurley, overseeing progress against the published Police and Crime Plan.
In March 2015 the PCC reviewed and updated the Police and Crime Plan to put additional focus on:
· Improving funding for Surrey Police · Joint Enforcement and Joint Working · Embedding victim services and developing support for children · Roads Policing · Counter Terrorism
Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· The Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) expressed his delight with the 2015 Autumn Financial Statement.
· The Vice Chairman asked whether the PCSOs were disappearing and the PCC noted that some PCSO roles would either be reduced or redeployed to other areas of work, however in light of the 2015 Autumn Statement the force may have more flexibility and will better understand the budget situation on 17 December. For the meantime, the PCC noted that the PCSOs numbers were at the same levels.
· The PCC informed the Panel that Katie Kempen had taken the lead of the Victim Support Service through a Joint Partnership. There was a joint commissioning with Thames Valley and Sussex PCCs to ensure that the £4 million pounds to deliver the programme was being spent efficiently.
· The PCC informed the Panel of the compensation revenue of Surrey Police in 2014. £200,000 was left for operational policing which was split four-ways to invest in facilities such as police vehicles that displays that ‘crime pays’ using funds from speed camera fines and money going into North, East and West divisions of operations.
The PCC stated that he has attempted to lobby the government for an increase in the percentage of revenue allocated to Surrey Police because it was a source of income. The PCC also informed the Panel that the Drive Smart scheme was partly funded by the driver awareness courses and speed camera fines; however there is only a small amount of money left over.
· A Panel member voiced concern that the money generated should be spent on bringing officers on patrol in the public, as per the People’s Priorities. The PCC noted that they are investing in visible policing in terms of purchasing and using vehicles with police officers in the vehicles.
· The Chairman queried the wording of the report particularly in relation to the use of the phrase that the increase in hate crime was ‘encouraging’. The PCC noted the Chairman’s concerns and will change the wording to reflect that it was encouraging that the reporting of the crime had increased.
· The Panel noted in the report that there was a continued poor performance of detecting robberies and burglaries. The PCC noted that burglaries have decreased by 25 per cent in three years and that the crime scene investigators which are jointly owned with Sussex were under review. The PCC emphasised that there were no mechanisms for comparison, however the force were looking into it.
· The Deputy PCC raised the concern for vulnerable people with mental health issues who walk out of hospitals and children’s homes, as the Police have to be called out to search for the missing patients. The Chairman noted that the Social Care Services Board was working on mental health.
· The Panel raised concern that sex-related crime had increased. The Deputy PCC noted that the figures had increased due to more people coming forward to report it. The Deputy PCC added that investigators have more work to ... view the full minutes text for item 45/15 |
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CYBER SAFE SURREY PROJECT UPDATE
To provide the Police and Crime Panel with an update on the work being undertaken as part of the CyberSafe Project. Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· The Deputy PCC informed the Panel that the Project Manager was absent from the meeting but the Project’s Policy Officer was present at the meeting as an observer.
· The Deputy PCC noted that the report outlined how Cyber Safe Surrey can encourage Surrey residents to stay safe online. Further to this, the Deputy PCC informed the Panel that they were carrying out a county-wide survey on how adults use Information Technology (IT) and how safe people are online and in addition they were working with schools to train on how to use social media.
During the first week of the survey’s distribution, 7,000 responses were received and only three to four per cent of respondents obtain information regarding cyber security from the police. The Deputy PCC noted that the website was progressing and that in a three month period, over 20,000 people had visited the site.
· A Panel member was concerned about the errors of the initial letter, which was sent to all councillors and whether those errors were apparent in the survey. The Deputy PCC responded that the letter had too many acronyms and the letter had to be re-written, but that the errors wouldn’t impact the survey.
· A Panel member asked whether the financial sector are taking issues of financial related cyber crime seriously and if there was a guideline for cyber safety when teaching children at school. The Deputy PCC reassured the Panel that the issue was widespread across the financial sector and that the financial sector was working to combat cyber crime however the Deputy PCC emphasised that there was still more to do.
The Deputy PCC also reassured the Panel that there is a curriculum in place in schools to teach children how to stay safe against cyber crime. The Deputy PCC noted that the key point to teach children is that what is put online stays online forever as well as to communicate with family members, guardians/carers and teachers for advice and support.
· A Panel member noted that the elderly should be more informed regarding cyber security as they are IT literate however may be less concerned about cyber safety. The Deputy PCC informed the Panel that they are collaborating with Age UK to inform the older, wealthier demographic about cyber safety.
The Deputy PCC noted that it was difficult to track the perpetrators as many are from abroad which limits the jurisdiction of the Police, however the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the financial sector were working hard to deal with cyber crime.
· Regarding concerns from the Panel of the threat of cyber crime to small businesses, the Deputy PCC responded that the Federation of Small Businesses was involved in informing small businesses about cyber crime as well as alerting their members to the many scams that were out there.
· The Panel agreed to promote the Cyber Safe Surrey Network.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
None.
ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:
1. The Deputy PCC to distribute leaflets for Top 10 ... view the full minutes text for item 46/15 |
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BUDGET QUARTERLY UPDATE
This report is to inform the Police & Crime Panel of the OPCC’s financial performance at Month 6 for the 2015/16 financial year. This report compares the expenditure and income incurred and received by the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner, against the financial budget approved by the PCC in February 2015, as at Month 6 for the financial year 2015/16.
Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· There was a discussion by the Panel of the £2 million underspend this year. The PCC responded that Surrey Police need to cut back due to budget constraints, as well as reducing staff. The PCC emphasised that they will increase the speed of delivery for capital purchases, such as IT systems and body worn cameras and said that it was important to pay down the staff pension debt. The PCC also informed the Panel of the top-slice of £2 million a year by the government which effectively removes any gain from increasing the precept.
· The Treasurer noted that the costs attributed to independent members were for the requirement for independent people to sit on misconduct tribunal hearings.
· The Vice Chairman asked for an update on the body worn cameras implementation. The PCC informed the Panel that the total cost of the body cameras was approximately £1.5 million and said they will be useful for officers as they will decrease violence and abuse to the officers and will enable them to spend less time on preparing case papers.
· In response to the Panel’s concerns of recruitment of officers, the PCC noted that the high cost of living in Surrey meant that officers were leaving Surrey Police after their initial training or transferring across the Surrey-London border because of the London weighting. However Surrey Police was the only Police Force in the country to increase the number of officers in the past few years.
The PCC notified that he had made a submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body to treat Surrey differently due to the circumstances stated and to increase the allowances of officers in Surrey to London-based levels. Further to this, the PCC noted that a third of firearms officers have transferred to the Metropolitan Police. The Chairman notified the PCC that she had written a letter to Surrey MPs regarding the issue of wages and recruitment for Surrey Police.
· Further to this the Chairman asked the PCC about an issue of the Human Resource procedures in recruitment as there was an anecdotal issue raised with the Chairman about the lack of interest to recruit senior officers. The PCC was surprised to hear that case and promised to look into that case further with Human Resources.
· A Panel member noted that councillors should work closer with Surrey Police to make sure that housing policy is suitable for police officers and their families in Surrey. The PCC agreed and will look into methods of improving livings costs for police officers in Surrey as there are very few flats in Surrey that are under £280,000.
· The report was agreed by the Panel.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
None.
ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:
None.
PANEL NEXT STEPS:
None.
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The Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Kevin Hurley, holds bi-monthly management meetings with the Chief Constable, Lynne Owens and appropriate members of her senior team. These meetings are webcast for all to view. Their main purpose is to ensure the PCC is discharging his statutory responsibility to hold the Chief Constable to account for delivery against the six People’s Priorities as set out in the Police & Crime Plan and to provide oversight and scrutiny of Force business.
At the Panel’s request, the attached paper summarises the issues raised at the Management Meetings held since the Police & Crime Panel last met.
Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· The Chairman asked the PCC to describe the performance measures in place for the non-emergency 101 line. The PCC responded that the Force was increasing the training of the call staff and their supervisors about what they should do to make sure the staffs take calls correctly.
The PCC informed the Panel that 20 police officers will be removed from street policing to the control room to act as advisors for the call handlers. The reason behind the action was that there were too many incidences where the police officers were called out for invalid reasons.
· Regarding the Breck Bednar case, the Chairman asked if there were any resulting actions. The PCC noted that two civil servants had resigned and training systems were being reviewed for all relevant staff.
· There was concern raised by the Vice Chairman regarding the detection rates in Surrey. The PCC commented that burglary rates have decreased however noted that detection rates are a priority for Surrey Police.
· The PCC also informed the panel that there was a Public Protection Plan in place and they hope to recruit more officers to the CID from the Metropolitan Police.
· The Panel agreed to note the report.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
None.
ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:
None.
PANEL NEXT STEPS:
None.
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DEPUTY AND ASSISTANT POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS' OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW
The Panel has requested details of how the Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner, the Assistant PCC for Victims and the PCC’s consultant advisor on Equality and Diversity are performing against the criteria set for them upon appointment.
The attached documents set out details of the work that Jeff Harris, Shiraz Mirza and Jane Anderson have been undertaking and the outcomes they have achieved. The PCC meets regularly with the Deputy, Assistant PCC and his advisor to review their work to ensure it is delivering against the People’s Priorities.
Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· A Panel member asked for an update about the Restorative Justice Scheme. The Deputy PCC informed the Panel that Sussex Police offer restorative justice to all, which was expensive and in Surrey there were concerns to make the scheme focused and fully justified as well as affordable. The Youth Restorative Intervention (YRI) scheme was designed to keep young people out of the criminal justice system as well providing comfort for the victims by them not having to attend a formal court session.
The Deputy PCC paid tribute to the work of youth workers and police officers in ensuring the YRI scheme was operating efficiently and successfully. The Deputy PCC noted that every young person who commits a crime will have their case assessed by a panel who decides whether the young person is eligible for the Restorative Justice Scheme.
The Deputy PCC informed Members that the young people do community service work as well as a session to help them prevent committing further crimes.
· The PCC was delighted to inform the Panel that the team behind the Restorative Justice Scheme won an award from the Howard League for how they administered the scheme and noted that no other force has such a systematic scheme in place, making Surrey the national leader for the scheme.
· The Deputy PCC commented that there is a Community Safety Fund bid for facilities in prisons and that they have been allocated £20,000 for ex-service personnel in prisons who were involved in diversion techniques. The Deputy PCC also informed the Panel that they do fund for domestic abuse and that most Surrey prisons have prisoners from outside Surrey that they need to pay for.
· A Panel member congratulated Shiraz Mirza for the report on Equality and Diversity and asked what is being done about female genital mutilation (FGM). The Chairman also emphasised the point regarding the levels of female genital mutilation. The Deputy PCC commented that there was money ready to combat FGM.
The PCC also echoed the Deputy PCC comments and in addition, commented that they were working with the Surrey Minority and Ethnic Forum (SMEF) and with the Director of Public Health for Surrey to combat the issue of FGM through awareness and education. The Deputy PCC noted that the Victims’ Fund was championing combating sexual abuse and was working with ethnic communities to raise awareness.
· The Vice Chairman asked why stop and search figures have decreased. The PCC said that the decrease in stop and search was a direct result of the Home Secretary’s recommendation to reduce the activity stating that police officers could get into legal trouble if a stop and search situation goes wrong.
· The report was agreed by the Panel.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
None.
ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:
None.
PANEL NEXT STEPS:
None.
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HMIC INSPECTION REPORTS
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is the independent inspection body for policing. This report updates the Panel on the recent HMIC inspections.
Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· The Chairman noted that the past five or six month’s worth of reports were published on HMIC’s website with a synopsis and the outcome of the report showing what Surrey had achieved and what Surrey had failed on. The Chairman noted that the PCC’s response to each report was also on the website.
· The Deputy PCC noted that in 2015 Surrey hosted 35 inspections by HMIC, with each inspection costing up to £150,000 as well as un-announced visits. The PCC noted that the Policing in Your Neighbourhood scheme has been put in place to work on some of the recommendations made by HMIC and that the financial management of Surrey Police was graded as ‘good’.
· The report was noted by the Panel. |
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VERBAL UPDATE ON POLICE CADETS
The Commissioner to give a verbal update on the Police Cadet Scheme. Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· The Deputy PCC informed the Panel that he had met the new Head of Volunteering and that Surrey Police was looking into setting up a voluntary cadet scheme and hope to have it operational by the end of 2016. The Deputy PCC informed the Panel that the scheme involves 14 to 15 year-olds and the aim was to develop young people, 40 per cent of which are from socially diverse backgrounds, with knowledge and skills.
The Deputy PCC emphasised that the scheme was not a form of recruitment to the police service. The Deputy PCC also noted that there will be uniforms supplied and duties of cadets will include attending ceremonial and public events.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
None.
ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:
None.
PANEL NEXT STEPS:
None.
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VERBAL UPDATE ON ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS
To receive a verbal update on any ongoing investigations. Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised during the discussions:
· The PCC noted that the Deepcut investigations were still ongoing. Regarding the killings of Surrey residents in France, this was also still in process and the PCC will be seeking an update from the police in France in the new year.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
None.
ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:
None.
PANEL NEXT STEPS:
None.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will be held on Thursday 4 February at 10.30am. Additional documents: Minutes: The next public meeting will be held on Thursday 4 February at 10:30am.
Meeting finished at 12.37pm |