Agenda item

The Panel are asked 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. This report provides the Panel with an update on how the plan is being met.

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The PCC informed the Panel that he was pleased with the progress against the Police and Crime in his 8 months in post and acknowledged there was a lot more work to achieve a firmer foundation for the future years in office.

2. A Member raised a request whether the PCC would attend a Joint Committee in Woking to discuss his role. The PCC advised that upon a formal invitation he would attend if there were no other diary commitments.

3. The PCC noted the concern with the reduction in positive outcomes in relation to serious acquisitive crime statistics and assured the Panel that this was a priority for the Chief Constable and PCC.

4. It was noted that a campaign into tackling the use of mobile phones whilst driving took place in November 2016 and January 2017. This campaign raised awareness of the impact of using mobile phones behind the wheel and promoted the prevention of it.

5. There was a discussion around the PCC’s relationship with the Courts and Tribunals Service and Court closures. The PCC was queried as to whether he could liaise in the matter of court closures and encourage police staff morale. The PCC noted this concern and said he had recently assumed the Chairmanship of Surrey’s Criminal Justice Board which would be the main mechanism in improving this matter. The PCC went onto say that OPCC liaised with the Court Service on a regular basis.

6. Following the above discussion the Chief Executive of the OPCC assured the Panel that a working group has been established to ensure some mitigating action has been put in place with the impacts of court closures and the changes to listings. It was understood that court closures would also negatively impact on victims of crime.

7. It was stated that 101 had made a number of significant improvements and the PCC was pleased with the system. It was noted that there was still progress to be made going forward and this included following up with victims and making sure they were provided with the right support.

8. The PCC was asked about his Police and Crime plan performance measures as listed on page 65 of the agenda. Panel members highlighted that some of these measures had shown a drop in comparison to 2015/16. The PCC accepted the drop in performance and highlighted measure four which centred on victim satisfaction as being his biggest concern. The PCC explained that feedback from victims of crime is collated over a period of time from a number of different services and sources. The PCC stated that the current performance figures for 2016/17 were satisfactory in comparison to other forces. 

9. A member of the Panel queried whether a named contact for rural crime had been appointed. The PCC informed members that the team had been struck by a period of sickness but rural crime was now an integral part of the Surrey Police recording system. The PCC went onto further say that a named contact for rural crime reporting would be embedded shortly.

10. A Member queried whether statistics would be recorded for any crimes committed during the period when the street lights in Surrey are turned off between 12:00 – 05:00am. The PCC noted this concern and advised he would take this away to review but stated that Surrey Police had already been consulted on the County’s street lighting proposal.

11. The PCC was asked about the progress in relation to the threat of terrorism and assured Members that effective plans were in place. The PCC explained that the threat of terrorism was at a severe level and that the ‘Prevent Strategy’ required more co-ordination. Although firearm officer numbers had been a concern, the force was confident the number required by Surrey police was under control.

 RESOLVED:

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

ACTIONS/FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:

None.