Agenda item

To consider progress made against the agreed Police and Crime Plan. The PCC has published a Police and Crime Plan for 2016 to 2020 based on the 6 manifesto pledges he made during his campaign to become PCC. The PCC’s plan also contains actions to show how the 6 priorities within the plan will be met. 

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The PCC introduced the item and informed Members that the Police and Crime Plan had recently been published. It was confirmed that scrutiny of the plan would be conducted with the Chief Constable through monthly meetings which would be held in public and private. The PCC went on to highlight the six main priorities of the plan and invited Panel Members to ask questions on its content. 

2. The Chairman highlighted a comment made by the PCC regarding the importance of dealing with domestic abuse cases quickly and suggested that efforts should also be concentrated on cases where a person is falsely accused.

3. A Member of the Panel expressed their concern over the improvement needed to CCTV in certain parts of Surrey and the role it played in preventing terrorism. The PCC responded by informing the Panel he was aware of its importance and that a review on CCTV usage was being conducted as a matter of urgency with the Police. When asked for a timescale on this the Panel were informed it would be soon.

4. A Member of the Panel informed the PCC of stories he had heard of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) with long years of service leaving because they felt they were not given the support they needed. This was because Police Officers were also leaving the force and were not being replaced. The PCC noted this and explained that this was very concerning as they would not want to lose experienced Officers.

5. Members of the Panel were pleased that the Policing in your Neighbourhood scheme was under review and asked for timescales of when the review would be over and when the report would be made available. Members were informed that the review would be over in November 2016 and that more information would be made available then.

6. Panel Members raised concerns over speeding on Surrey roads and asked how the Police were going to tackle this, The PCC understood their concerns and informed the Panel that the police took speeding very seriously. It was said that the Police would do what they can but would have to take a proportionate approach to the problem as it was not viable for the police to be stationed on every road monitoring speed. The PCC explained that he would be meeting with the Leader of Surrey County Council to consider what can be done to reduce speeding in the county.

7. A Member of the Panel asked for information on how police were cutting crime and statistics on how successful they were. The members stated that they could not find this information and asked if this could be included in future reports. The PCC confirmed that the information was available online but was not included in the report as it was lengthy. He agreed that this information would be included in future reports. A member of the Panel queried when the rural crime strategy would be published. The PCC explained the strategy was still in draft. The PCC also explained that the Police were working with Surrey County Council on the development of the Police estates strategy.

8. A discussion was had around people driving whilst using their mobile phones and how the police were intending to prevent this from increasing. The PCC agreed that this was a problem and mentioned that this was a crime that was difficult to enforce as it required an officer to witness someone using a mobile whilst driving. The PCC informed the Panel that penalties for this crime were increasing to prevent it from happening. A  Member of the Panel suggested looking into more advanced ways to prevent mobile phones from being used whilst driving Members asked for details around the number of people being caught using mobile phones whilst driving in Surrey.

9. After being questioned on the progress with the Secretary of State in terms of the policing funding formula, the PCC informed the Panel that they had previously spoken and that a revision of the funding formula was underway. He mentioned that a letter would be sent to all Surrey Members of Parliament and Council Leaders asking for support to make sure Surrey would get a fair deal. A copy of this letter would also be shared with the Panel. The Chairman of the Panel stated that the Panel had previously sent a letter to the Home Office in support of fairer funding for Surrey Police and would be happy to do it again.   

10. A Member of the Panel asked for confirmation if Epsom Police Station had been sold. The PCC confirmed that the Police station had not yet been sold but was currently considered as a surplus.

RESOLVED:

The Police and Crime Panel noted the early progress made against the Police and Crime Plan 2016-2020.

ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:

For the Police and Crime Panel to send a letter to the Home Office in support of fairer funding for Surrey Police.  

For the PCC to provide the panel with details around the number of people being caught using mobile phones whilst driving in Surrey.