Agenda item

The Panel has asked for an update report (twice-yearly) detailing the allocation of newly recruited officers as a result of the 20,000 uplift, how many officers were in training and how many were ‘on patrol’.

Witnesses:

Lisa Townsend - Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

Key points raised in the discussion:

1.    The Chairman highlighted the following corrections to the report:

·         Page 46: regarding the July 2020 PC Intake last Column on the “Commencement of Next Stage”, the figure should be “all remaining 34 Officers” and not “38”.

·         Page 46: regarding the Oct 2020 Detective Intake last column, the sentence should read “This cohort received Independent Patrol status as of 03/05/2021”, not “will receive”.

2.      A Panel member noted that each of Surrey’s District and Borough Councils and their residents would be interested to know how many police officers were allocated across each of the Districts and Boroughs.

-       The PCC explained that the allocation of police officers to each District and Borough in Surrey was not uniform, the uplift of police officers was not equally divided by eleven as it was used to ensure that Surrey Police could service the public as a whole across the county. The issues faced across each District and Borough differed, and when there is a major incident it was vital to ensure that resources across Surrey could be channelled.

-       The PCC would consider the point and suggested that the operational issue be raised with the Chief Constable at the informal Panel meeting in October.

3.      A Panel member queried whether the recruitment plan included police staff.

-       The PCC explained that the report was specific to the uplift which concerned uniformed police officers as opposed to police staff.

4.   The Chairman asked whether the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) were the only current entry routes to the police.

-     In response, the PCC confirmed that those were the only two entry routes at present. She explained that the matter was under discussion amongst Conservative PCCs across the country, she recognised the importance of other entry routes such as via the military and would continue to speak to the Minister of State for Crime and Policing, and the Home Secretary.

-     The Chairman noted that it would be helpful for Panel members to be provided with historical information about the two entry routes, such as the applicant rate, appointment figures, retention rate and the demographics of applicants.

-     The PCC responded that recruitment via the two channels resulted in a young cohort with advantages and disadvantages, she was happy to provide a future update on the historical figures concerning the two entry routes.

RESOLVED:

That the Panel noted the Surrey Police plans for recruitment and workforce planning.

Actions/further information to be provided:

1.      R26/21 - The PCC will consider the Panel member comment around providing a breakdown of the police officer allocation to each of Surrey’s Districts and Boroughs, noting the difficulty as the allocation was not uniform nor static.

-     Panel members will consider raising the operational issue at the informal Panel meeting with the Chief Constable in October.

2.    R27/21 - The Panel will be provided with historical information about the two entry routes into Surrey Police: Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), such as the applicant rate, appointment figures, retention rate and the demographics of applicants.