Agenda item

The Police and Crime Panel for Surrey scrutinises the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Surrey, Kevin Hurley.  The PCC published the Police and Crime Plan in March 2013 and issued some additional actions in March 2014.  This report provides the third quarterly update for 2013/14, from September 2013 to December 2013, on how the PCC is progressing against the plan.

The Commissioner outlined some key points of success including; a reduction in crime by 8% within the last year, increase in arrests by 8% across the county, almost £1million of assets seized from criminals, an increase in public satisfaction by up to 3% and the enforcement project in Reigate & Banstead having been launched.

·         The Panel discussed the Her Majesties Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) report which had Sussex fairing less well than Surrey, and requested assurances that resources would not be diverted from Surrey to Sussex. The Commissioner conceded this was a concern but that collaboration was only for support functions and would not affect 999 response or neighbourhood policing. The Commissioner, however, did hope to see more cross-border work where it was appropriate.

·         The Commissioner stated that he still personally believed that amalgamation was the way forward, however he was aware that it would not happen in the next few years. He also would not support an amalgamation which put Surrey at a disadvantage.

·         Members queried what was being done with the assets being seized and were informed that the money was being held by courts as some had to be used for the prosecution, however the Commissioner was part of a lobby group which called for more money from seized assets to be available for frontline staffing.

·         A Member raised concerns regarding the victim satisfaction survey as it was felt that a yes/no response did not allow for a full evaluation and it would be better to have a scale of one to ten. The Commissioner stated that he intended to review this survey and requested the assistance of Panel Members in this piece of work.

·         The Panel raised the concern that there was still a high level of hidden crime in Surrey. The Commissioner stated that there had been a rise in reports of domestic violence and sexual assault but felt this was due to victims feeling in a position to report the crimes when previously they felt they could not. This suggested that there was hidden crime but that confidence in Surrey Police was rising. However, to-date there had been no reports of Female Genital Mutilation in Surrey which suggested that more work needed to be done as statistically there would be victims in Surrey.

·         The Commissioner informed the Panel that Local Road Accident Officers were covering two or three boroughs and districts which was not ideal but a symptom of austerity. The Police however, continued to work with partners such as Surrey County Council on the Drive Smart campaign, and continued to look at other initiatives. 

·         The Community Safety fund had decreased, however the Commissioner wished to encourage Community Safety Partnerships to bid for grants. These grants were evaluated on merit, however last year not enough bids were made by councils for the funding. The Chairman informed the Commissioner that the Panel would scrutinise the dispersal of the bids across Surrey at a future meeting.

·         Members were concerned that detection rates had declined substantially and violence with injury had increased and queried whether there would be a change in policy to address this. The Commissioner felt that the figures were unsatisfactory, however they were three months old and that recent detection figures had shown an improvement. The Commissioner was satisfied that the work of the Deputy Chief Constable would address the issues as there was great rigor in his work, including that of individual Officers. The Commissioner agreed to provide the Panel with up-to-date detection figures in a supplementary letter.

·         The Commissioner agreed to share the Oxford Economics report on the police funding formula with the Panel which had been shared with the Surrey MPs.

·         The Panel queried whether the enforcement of the work of Community Speed Watch volunteers could be strengthened. The Commissioner felt that more work could be done to improve the initiative and stated that an audit was ongoing. He hoped to give the volunteers more powers and training. Members suggested that the behaviour of cyclists was also an issue and was sometimes dangerous.

·         Members further raised concerns that public concerns of dangerous driving were not considered by the Police unless there was an additional witness present. The Commissioner felt that there could be a case for exploring how Police respond to public reports of dangerous driving.

·         Asian Gold burglaries were raised as a concern of Members and they were informed that Surrey Police had an ongoing investigation relating to this specific crime.

·         Members of the Panel requested an update on the reviews being undertaken by the Chief Constable. The Commissioner agreed to provide the Panel with a summary and would answer questions Members had relating to the reviews.

·         The Commissioner stated the Police and Criminal Prosecution Service had been defining crimes differently, however he had spoken to the Chief Constable and was convinced that Surrey Police were taking the most ethical route to ensure crimes were reported correctly.

·         Members queried whether anti-social behaviour interventions had increased. The Commissioner stated it was difficult to judge the number of interventions, however the 8% increase in arrests suggested that some could be due to anti-social behaviour.

RESOLVED: That,

1.    The report be noted.

2.    The Police and Crime Commissioner provide the Police and Crime Panel with a more detailed overview of detection rates, particularly in relation to progress being made.

3.    The Police and Crime Commissioner provide the Police and Crime Panel with a copy of the research conducted by Oxford Economics that looked at the national funding formula and the impact on Surrey.

4.    The Police and Crime Panel consider how it can work with the Police and Crime Commissioner to improve the way in which victim satisfaction is assessed.

5.    The Police and Crime Panel be provided with an update on the status of the various reviews being conducted by Surrey Police.

6.    The Police and Crime Commissioner consider whether the way in which anti-social driving is reported can be improved.