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.
A
Public Question was received from Councillor Claire Malcomson on
the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in
Surrey. An advance response had been
provided in writing by the OPCC. Cllr Malcomson was invited to ask
one supplementary question. The Cllr
asked about recruitment, the target for PCSOs in Surrey and whether
the low PCSO salary discouraged applicants. The Councillor also
asked for an explanation as to why the Chief Constable described
PCSOs as ‘back-office staff’. The Commissioner
contested the accuracy of the points made and committed to respond
in writing.
Action I: OPCC to provide
an answer to Cllr Malcomson’s supplementary question in
writing.
5/21
CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS
Share this item
For the Chairman to provide any
updates and comments to the Panel.
Councillor
John Robini, Chairman of Surrey Police and Crime Panel
Key points raised in the discussion:
The
Chairman raised the subject of the upcoming budget and precept
discussions noting the challenge of maintaining and delivering
services in the context of increased inflation and funding
constraints. The Policing your Community events were
receiving good feedback. The Chairman encouraged Panel members and
the public to attend their local meeting.
The
Vice-Chairman provided an overview of the recent Police and Crime
Panel Conference in Coventry. This was an extremely positive and
useful event and provided a lot of good ideas that will be
discussed with members of this Panel.
The purpose of this paper is to set out the process
that has beenfollowed in order to select a
coopted independent member onto the Surrey Police and Crime Panel
and to recommend appointment to the position.
Councillor John Robini, Chairman of Surrey Police and Crime
Panel
Key points
raised in the discussion:
The
Panel were invited to approve the appointment of Ms Juliet
Fryer.
RESOLVED:
The
Panel approved the appointment of Ms Juliet Fryer to the vacant
role of co-opted independent member of the Surrey Police and Crime
Panel for a four-year term.
7/21
IT STRATEGY UPDATE
Share this item
Verbal update and presentation
by the Chief Digital and Information Officer. The purpose of this
item is to provide the Police & Crime Panel with an overview of
Surrey Police Force IT Strategy, issues and risks.
Anthony Croxford, Chief Digital and Information Officer (Surrey
& Sussex Police)
Key points
raised during the discussion:
The
Chief Digital and Information Officer gave a presentation of Surrey
Police’s IT Strategy, outlining priorities, challenges,
technology principles and opportunities.
The
Chair raised concerns around national IT capabilities. The Chief
Digital and Information Officer explained that many national
capabilities were already in place such as with the police national
database, police national computer (PNC), ANPR and CAID. The
challenge was around the replacement of older systems which had to
be kept alive pending implementation of new national
replacements.
The
Chair noted technological improvements in facial recognition
technology but questioned if any influence could be brought to bear
to achieve a cross-county CCTV policy. The Chief Digital and
Information Officer answered in the affirmative from a technology
perspective and explained that work was underway to set up a CCTV
governance board across the two forces to address these issues. 16
different video management systems are currently in use and there
is a real opportunity to simplify and standardise CCTV and to
minimise technical diversity. A convergence roadmap is being drawn
up. The Chairman asked for the Panel to be given regular updates.
This was an important matter and a subject of great interest to the
Panel.
Action ii:OPCC/Support Officer to schedule
update/s on the CCTV convergence roadmap.
A Member
questioned the spending requirement and timeline for the IT
Strategy and how far the Force was on or off the budget. The Chief
Digital and Information Officer explained that the in-year budget
for revenue is in a good place with an underspend of around half a
million of the £18.1 million budget because of a successful
renegotiation of license costs. From a capital perspective, an
overspend of around £200,000 was expected because of
investments that were not budgeted for in the NICHE case management
capability for Surrey. For 2024/25 and beyond there is currently a
committed spend of £2.6 million for 2024/5, going up to
£3 million in outer years. However, this was not the full and
final spend which was subject to clarity on funding for change
programmes.
The
Member asked when Epsom would be allowed to use the DISC app
system, already in use in Guildford, to report business crime. The
Commissioner clarified that the DISC system was not owned by Surrey
Police, therefore there was no role for the police to dictate its
rollout, although they were continuing to assess the usefulness of
the system. The Commissioner added that retail crime could be
reported via social media channels in addition to 101 and 999. The
Member asked for Surrey Police to help remove any blockers to
reporting through DISC, and specifically for a 101 email address to
switch on the system in Epsom.
A Member
referred to a recent internal audit report on 26th
September 2023 that found only limited assurance in the
Force’s database management system. What weaknesses had been
identified and what actions are being taken to ...
view the full minutes text for item 7/21
Purpose of the
Report:This report sets out the
progress made towards achieving the 2021-2025 Police and Crime Plan
since the last update to the Panel in April 2023.
Lisa
Townsend, The Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
Key points
raised during the discussion:
The
Commissioner provided a brief overview of the progress on the
police and crime plan.
A
Member questioned how the Commissioner would rate the Police and
Crime Plan’s five objectives on a RAG scale. The Member also
asked which, out of the five objectives, was the most challenging.
The Commissioner stated that although the RAG scale has its place,
it would not be helpful to use it in this instance. On the second
point, the Commissioner noted that shoplifting had become a
particular challenge with its rise nationally but that a robust
plan was in place to tackle the issue.
The Commissioner was particularly proud of the work that had been
achieved on VAWG, Road Safety (via the Vanguard Team) and in
providing comprehensive transparency to the public via the
datahub.
A
Member asked how the Commissioner would ensure that any learning or
success from the safer streets project was applied across the
county. What plans were there for “levelling up” across
the rest of Surrey and beyond the towns selected. The Commissioner
explained that criteria set by the Home Office for Safer Streets
funding had been very specific, which limited those areas which
could receive it. However, all work was
overseen via standard reporting mechanisms which ensured oversight
of delivery and successes and that the community safety lead worked
closely with all the community safety partnerships to ensure
learning is shared.
REDUCING VIOELNCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN
SURREY
A
Member noted that convictions for sexual violence in Surrey and the
wider UK are extremely low and questioned the OPCC’s role in
implementing Operation Soteria. The Commissioner underlined that
the OPCC was the main funder of local support services for victims
of crimes such as rape, sexual abuse and stalking offences, and had
a close relationship with the force working on violence against
women and girls to ensure effective implementation of Op Soteria.
This involved ensuring that Surrey Police works closely with local
services and that the right conversations are taking place. The
Commissioner stated her determination to drive up convictions for
violence against women and girls but also acknowledged that not
every victim wants a criminal justice outcome. It was important
that the force remained victim-led. The Head of Performance and
Governance explained that Surrey has a good relationship with local
providers and a number of third sector organisations are co-located
within police teams which helps improve the force’s
knowledge, skills and understanding around the needs of
victims.
A
Member questioned whether the objective of reducing violence
against women and girls was being met. The metrics provided
suggested that the number of violent domestic abuse and serious
sexual assault cases were higher than two years ago, while solved
rates were unchanged for violent domestic abuse and significantly
lower for serious sexual assaults. The Commissioner explained that
the rolling 12-month average for serious sexual offence cases was
down from 2,130 a year ago ...
view the full minutes text for item 8/21
9/21
HMICFRS PEEL INSPECTION
Share this item
Verbal Update by the
Commissioner on the findings of the latest PEEL inspection of
Surrey Police.PEEL is
HMICFRS’s assessment of police forces in England and Wales
and stands for police effectiveness, efficiency, and
legitimacy. A new Inspection recently
completed with the Inspection report due to be published in the
week commencing 20th November.
Purpose of the
report:This report sets
out work being undertaken by the Office of the Police and Crime
Commissioner to implement the Government’s Serious Violence
Duty in Surrey.
Lisa
Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
Damian Markland, Head of Performance and Governance
Key points
raised during the discussion:
The Chairman introduced the paper and thanked Sarah
Heywood for her work.
A Member asked what aspects of the new approach
would most benefit Surrey Police and policing outcomes in Surrey.
The Commissioner explained that the aim of the Serious Violence
Duty was to ensure that local agencies were more focussed on
tackling the key drivers of serious violence and reducing the
multiple risk factors that contribute, such as deprivation, early
life trauma, emotional and physical health. The Head of Performance
and Governance added that the OPCC had good relationships with
their community safety partners and experience of implementing
similar projects in the past. The project was statutorily based,
which increased its chance of success. There were no particular
concerns over its delivery.
The report stated that local policing bodies were
responsible for allocating grant funding for authorities under the
duty and encouraged to have a convening role. A Member asked how
they see this funding allocation operating and whether the
OPCC’s convening role should include a remit to monitor the
success of the partnership and/or to intervene if necessary. The
Commissioner explained that the OPCC would monitor success through
the establishment of a Serious Violence Reduction Partnership,
bringing together senior leaders from those authorities with
responsibilities under the Duty. An
operational board would also support partners to fulfil their roles
as set out in the duty. The Commissioner also explained that the
office had a role in monitoring the success of the grant and
associated interventions and would use its significant experience
in commissioning and monitoring grants to perform this
duty. The Head of Performance and
Governance outlined ongoing work to develop a dashboard to give
stakeholders and organisations oversight of funding sources and
spend to ensure parity of delivery and accountability. He offered
to share this dashboard with the Panel.
Action vii: The Head of Performance and Governance to
look into sharing the Serious Violence Duty dashboard with the
panel.
Purpose of the
report:This paper contains
an overview of work in hand on the Surrey Estates Strategy and
outlines next steps and planned activity in the first quarter of
2024.
Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for
Surrey
Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer, OPCC
Damian Markland, Head of Performance and
Governance
Key points raised during the discussion:
A Member questioned if CCTV monitoring for Reigate
Police station had been relocated. The Commissioner confirmed that
it had. A Member suggested that it
would be helpful to understand more about the plan for estates. The
Commissioner explained that future plans would be brought to the
Panel where appropriate.
A Member asked what the estimated costs were and
when the planning application would be submitted for the
redevelopment of Mount Browne. The Commissioner explained that the
planning application was due to be submitted in the new year and
that it was all on track. The Commissioner highlighted that the
next estates board meeting would take place before Christmas and
that the re-development of Mount Browne would be self-funded. The
Chief Finance Officer explained that the costs had risen from
around £90 million to £95 million because of inflation.
The Officer highlighted that the team had been working on
re-engineering the development plan and had managed to reduce it by
£5 million.
A
Member questioned why no survey was undertaken of the condition of
Reigate Police station either as part of the previous
“Building the Future” plan for the closure of the
station or before a decision was made last year to abandon that
plan and retain the station. The Commissioner explained that the
problem with Reigate Police Station was only identified in recent
months when the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
was identified. The Member asked if it was normal for surveys to be
undertaken. The Chief Finance Officer explained that compliance
checks are done for health and safety, but that they don’t
routinely undertake full architectural and building
surveys.
A
Member requested an overview of the divisional housing hub
proposals. The Commissioner stated that progress had been
made. The housing strategy was approved
in 2022. This set out proposals looking
at a housing hub to provide a mix of one and two bed flats for new
staff and officers in each of the divisions. The Commissioner
explained that this was in the early stages of feasibility
planning. Further detail would be provided to the Panel in due
course.
Action viii: Housing Strategy to be added to
Forward Work Plan.
Purpose of the
report:To set out the financial
performance of the Surrey Police Group (i.e., OPCC and Chief
Constable combined) as at the 30th of September 2023
with a forecast to the 31st of March 2024.
Lisa
Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
Kelvin Menon, Chief Finance Officer, OPCC
Key points
raised during the discussion:
There was a discussion around the year-to-date
figures and the Police Pension Fund.
A Member asked about the figures for the Surrey
camera partnership. The Chief Finance Officer explained that this
related to courses for speeding. The extra income was used for road
safety initiatives.
A Member queried the amount of money sent by the
OPCC to the Council for treasury management purposes. This had increased from £33 million in March
to £43 million in September as shown in the Audit and
Governance Committee report. The Member questioned why the
Commissioner would seek to increase council tax or reduce staff
numbers when the funds in question were almost triple the savings
needed for the next four years. The Chief Finance Officer explained
that the amount of money deposited with Surrey was dependent on
their cashflow requirements which did not evenly spread over the
year. The Officer highlighted that the level of reserves was
currently around £30 million (total reserve). This represented around 10% of their budget to
deal with any contingencies (approx. one month’s worth of
activity). In terms of general fund reserves only, this amounted to
3% of overall running costs which was quite low. The four-year
Medium-Term Financial Strategy showed that at least £15.6
million in savings was required to balance the budget going
forward. This was substantial. Surrey Police was going through an
intensive transformation programme in several different areas and
so it would not be prudent to not retain these reserves to deal
with the future pressures. The Chief Finance Officer explained how
Surrey’s position on reserves compared to that of police
forces across the country. On 31st March 2022, Forces
held a level on average 13% of their net revenue expenditure (NRE)
as reserves. This contrasted with Surrey County Council which held
44% of its NRE as reserves and English Districts 164%. For Surrey
Districts this figure rose to 349% of NRE. Hence in this wider
context the level of Surrey Police reserves does look to be
prudent.
A Member suggested it would be helpful to be clear
when discussing the precept that we are not looking at raising
council tax to go straight into policing, it is about resilient
funding and reserves, and planning for the future. The Chief
Finance Officer partly disagreed and said that the precept was
about ongoing sustainability and maintaining services year to year
rather than increasing reserves. In addition, if a portion of the
reserves was used to fund the budget, rather than increasing the
precept, services would be maintained in the short-term but there
would be a funding gap in the longer term when the reserves ran out
which would lead to further savings being required.
Purpose of the
report:To
report on the use of the grant in 2023 (April 2023 - September
2023), as noted in the Panel’s mid-year claim submission to
the Home Office submitted by the 27 October 2023
deadline.
The Scrutiny Officer gave a brief overview of the
report. The Chairman questioned if there were any comments on how
they would spend the budget mid-year claim. The Scrutiny Officer
stated they are going to develop thoughts around training for the
panel which would come with associated costs and encouraged Panel
members to submit expense claims.
Purpose of the report:To provide information on the key decisions taken by
the PCC from September 2023 to present and to set out details of
the Office’s ongoing Forward Plan for 2023/2024.
Lisa
Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
Key points
raised during the discussion:
1.A Member questioned when a decision on the charging
policy would be ready to be signed, to which the commissioner
remarked that it had been signed the day before this Panel
meeting.
2.A Member asked what the revised Collaboration
Agreement for the Minerva programme had set out at Decision number
24. The Commissioner clarified that it is the contractual agreement
between Surrey Police that they have in place nationally and is
used by a lot of other forces. The Commissioner explained that the
decision helps to rationalise the support that is made available by
the developer.
3.A Member queried if there were any updates on the
timing of the Surrey Fire and Rescue Review and whether it was
still on the agenda. The Commissioner confirmed it is still on the
agenda and they are expecting an update on it in the new
year.
4.A Member queried the review of unsocial hours
referenced in internal audit papers. The Chief Finance Officer
clarified that this was to do with the payment of unsocial hours
allowances, where some people had been paid allowances when they
shouldn’t have been.
RESOLVED:
The Panel
noted the report.
15/21
COMMISSIONER'S QUESTION TIME
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 (Monday 20 November 2023).
Lisa
Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
Key points raised during the discussion:
1.The Member stated that it was unrealistic to expect
individual district and borough councils to present the police with
a cohesive vision for CCTV in Surrey and stated that it would be
helpful to have a framework in place and greater clarity as to how
much that will be valued by Surrey Police. The Commissioner
expressed there wasn’t much to add to what had been provided
in writing and reaffirmed her position that CCTV was not the
silver-bullet for policing. A member flagged that Epsom and Ewell
Borough Council had produced a comprehensive CCTV policy which
other Boroughs and Districts were welcome to use.
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.
The
Scrutiny Officer invited any suggestions from panel members for the
Forward Work Programme. The Officer underlined a couple of possible
items for future scrutiny including a review of force culture
conduct and vetting, which Panels were encouraged to undertake at
the recent Annual Police and Crime Panel conference.
The
Chairman said that anti-social behaviour should be looked at as
this kept being raised locally.
Rural crime should also be on the agenda and as well as deaths on
Surrey roads. A Member commented that Safer Streets Funding tends
to focus on urban areas, but it is important that rural areas
aren’t missed out.
RESOLVED:
That the Police and Crime Panel agreed to include the
following items in the Forward Work Plan and for furtherscoping work to be undertaken (with OPCC) to ensure
that they fall within the Panel’s remit, that the request
adds value and is proportionate in terms of the work required of
the OPCC in delivering the request, and to schedule the items
accordingly:
a)Review of Force Culture, Conduct and Vetting
-A review and updateto provide reassurance to the public around these issues and the
steps taken by the Commissioner to hold the Chief Constable to
account.
Background: The Panel received an update on Force Culture and
Conduct in April 2022. Since then, the
HMICFRS Inspection of vetting, misconduct and misogyny in the
Police Service has been published (November 2022) and the Baroness
Casey Report intothe standards of
behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service
(March 2023). The National Association
for Police and Crime Panels has encouraged all PCPs to scrutinise
the response to these issues.
b)Anti Social Behaviour and Rural Crime
-a focused look at performance against
Priority 3 in the Police and Crime Plan – ‘Working with
Surrey Communities so that they feel safe’ and specifically
the objectives to reduce anti-social behaviour and to tackle rural
crime. This review could pick up on implementation of the
governments new ASB action plan and work by the OPCC to support
victims and communities.
c)Deaths on Surrey Roads Update –progress against the Police & Crime Plan
objective to ensure safe surrey roads.
Action ix: Scrutiny
Officer & OPCC to meet to discuss Forward Work Plan and agree
how to take these items forward.
18/21
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Share this item
The next public meeting of the Police and
Crime Panel will be held on 3 February
2023.
PDF 225 KB