Key
points raised during the discussion:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.