Councillors and committees

Agenda item

POLICE AND CRIME PLAN QUARTERLY UPDATE

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 an update on progress against the plan since the last meeting of the Police and Crime Panel.

 

Minutes:

·         The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) briefly highlighted some of the key points from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (OPCC) performance against the Police and Crime Plan. In particular, the Panel were advised that the numbers of theft and burglaries had fallen in the past quarter while a rise in the detection rates had also been recorded. The Panel’s attention was drawn to the finalisation of a contract signed in conjunction with Sussex and Thames Valley police forces for the provision of £1.8 million worth of support for victims; the implementation of the Joint Enforcement Team (JET) initiative in Spelthorne which launched in December 2014; as well as updating the Panel on discussions with the District and Borough Councils for the implementation of the Community Trigger programme for reviewing anti-social behaviour complaints.

 

·         The Panel requested information on how much money was still available from the Community Safety Fund allocation. The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) indicated that £240k of the Community Safety Fund has not yet been allocated.

 

·         Panel members drew attention to crimes such as violence with injury which have risen over the past quarter and asked the Commissioner to explain why serious crimes of this nature have increased. Reference was also made to the HMIC PEEL Report which highlighted inefficiencies in the way that Surrey Police record crime. The PCC advised the Panel that the PEEL report was not up to date but rather was based on crime statistics from the past. Since these samples were taken by HMIC, it was indicated that efforts had been made to improve the way in which Surrey Police record crime. The DPCC responded to the query about violence with injury and stated that additional funding received from the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 had been distributed to each of the divisions to combat violent crime.

 

·         The Panel requested information on the policing of the M25 and whether there is a specific strategy for dealing with travel disruption such as car crashes. The PCC confirmed that Surrey Police have a strategy for dealing with crashes which derives from the strategy developed by the British Transport Police and includes targets to get the M25 running normally again as soon as possible after a crash while also having access to the latest equipment in order to do this. The Panel was advised, however, that Surrey Police work in conjunction with the Highways Agency (HA) who have oversight of the condition of roads before they are re-opened. Subject to the same financial pressures that the rest of the public sector is currently experiencing, the PCC indicated that it sometimes takes longer than planned for the HA to assess the condition of the M25 following a crash. It was highlighted that both Surrey Police and the HA are acutely aware of the importance of the M25.

 

·         Panel members also drew attention to travel disruption caused by crashes on smaller roads in Surrey and suggested that it can often take the Police a long time to reopen roads wherever an accident takes place. The PCC advised that the British Transport Police are not always able to respond to these crashes and so indicated that the possibility of briefing all Surrey Police officers on responding to crashes and getting traffic moving after crashes is something that could be looked into to reduce travel disruption.

 

·         The Panel asked whether there were plans for a public consultation on strategies to tackle anti-social behaviour. Panel members were advised that a consultation had already taken place with the public and community safety partners to discuss strategies and that the results of these consultations were in the process of being collated. The PCC further highlighted that the OPCC is continuing to work with local councils in Surrey to tackle anti-social behaviour

 

·         Panel members made reference to conclusions from the HMIC PEEL report which suggested that Hampshire Police are one of the best performing forces and asked the PCC why Surrey had therefore chosen to collaborate with Sussex Police. The PCC advised that Surrey Police works closely and collaborates in certain areas of policing with all forces in the region and have worked with Hampshire Police on issues such as organised crime and counter-terrorism. The Panel were advised that Surrey Police carefully consider which forces they collaborate with to ensure they work together effectively and get the best deal for Surrey.

 

·         The Panel inquired about the prospect of amalgamation between Surrey and Sussex police forces and indicated that the PCC’s public comments appeared to suggest that this is on the table. The PCC clarified that no merger between the two forces is possible in the short to medium term due to the large discrepancy in the amount of money that the people of Surrey pay directly to the Police through the precept in contrast to the amount paid by Sussex residents which is significantly less. The Treasurer and Chief Finance Officer (TCFO) of the OPCC indicated that the gap in funding being faced by Sussex Police was considerably larger than that of Surrey Police and there was a danger that Surrey Police could end up subsidising Sussex, which also made closer collaboration between the two forces less attractive.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 

1. To note the report.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1. To note the report.

ACTIONS/ FURTHER INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED:

 

None

 

PANEL NEXT STEPS:

 

None

 

 

Supporting documents: