Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at: https://leicester.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/364817

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 June 2018 were taken as read, confirmed and signed subject to the following amendments:

The first sentence of minute 10 (iii) to read “The People Zones concept was different to the Braunstone Blues project and the other projects that the OPCC has funded in that no additional funding was being invested in the People Zones.”

Minute 10 (iv) to read “The funding for the Braunstone Blues project would cease in September 2018 and arrangements were being made to mainstream activities.”

There were no questions submitted.

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

Cllr. M. Sood declared a personal interest in respect of all substantive items as a member of the Police’s Independent Advisory Panel, as a member of the Leicester Council of Faiths and a member of the Bishop’s Faith Forum.

Mr. K. Culverwell declared a personal interest in respect of all substantive items as he had two close relatives that worked for Leicestershire Police.

Ms. M. Lalani declared a personal interest in respect of all substantive items as she had a close relative that was a member of the Police Cadets.

The Police and Crime Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner which presented his Annual Report for 2017/18. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 5’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussions the following points were made:

(i)        The Panel asked for further details as to the actions the PCC had carried out as part of his better funding settlement campaign and suggested he include these further details in his Annual Report.

(ii)       The Panel sought clarification on the statement in the Annual Report in ‘The Year in a Nutshell’ section, regarding calling for a new law to quash the criminal convictions of sexual abuse victims. The PCC explained that this referred to young people forwarding images to each other via electronic means, and the question of whether they should be prosecuted for these offences at such a young age. The Panel suggested that the Annual Report could provide greater explanation of the issue.

(iii)      The Panel noted from the Annual Report that the PCC placed a strong emphasis on partnerships and collaboration to improve efficiency however the Panel raised concerns regarding crime detection rates. The PCC provided reassurance that he shared these concerns. The challenges the Force faced around crime detection were explained such as the strict crime recording rules set by the Home Office, the volume, demand and complexity of the crimes, and the decreasing tendency of offenders to admit multiple offences when apprehended. The Panel accepted that Out of Court Disposals could be the most appropriate way to deal with some offences and offenders, however was concerned that this approach gave a misleading impression of detection rates given that Out of Court Disposals were not included in detection figures.

(iv)      In the Annual Report the PCC attributed the rise for some crime types such as violent crime and sexual offences to increased confidence on the part of the public to report offences.  However, it was also believed by Leicestershire Police that rape and domestic violence (and fraud) were areas where there were real crime increases. Given the lack of clarity around the causes of increased crime figures the Panel asked for an explanation of what work was ongoing to fully understand the data and learn how much of increased crime recording was due to increased reporting.

(v)       The Panel raised concerns regarding the regular changes to the crime recording standards which had taken place over the years which made it difficult to analyse trends over the years and compare crime types. The Panel was reassured that the PCC and Leicestershire Police shared the Panel’s concerns. It was explained that whilst the amount of crime recorded by the Police was increasing the crime survey carried out by the Home Office indicated that crime levels were stable.

(vi)      In response to a question from one of the Panel’s Independent Members it was explained that the full impact of the Troubled Families Programme (known as Think Family in Leicester City, Supporting Leicestershire Families in Leicestershire and Changing Lives in Rutland) could be hard to quantify as it could never be known how the lives of the families would have progressed had they not received the intervention from the Programme. However, the local authorities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland may be able to give a better idea of the success of the programme.

(vii)    Clarification was given that the majority of the calls made to the United Against Violence and Abuse (UAVA) helpline were from local authorities, the police and health professionals rather than the victims themselves. However, there were some self- referrals to UAVA  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

The Police and Crime Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner regarding end of year performance for 2017-18. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 6’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)        The PCC attended Performance Delivery Group meetings in order to satisfy himself regarding the performance of Leicestershire Police.

(ii)       With regard to the table in the report regarding positive Outcomes Rates for each crime type, a member asked if in future performance reports the Outcome Rates for the previous year could be given as well to enable comparison.

(iii)      In response to a question from a member regarding the success of the summer drink-driving campaign the PCC stated that he believed the campaign was worthwhile even though the drink-driving figures were increasing and in his view they may have been even worse had the campaign not taken place. It was noted that the majority of drink drivers were encountered during the daytime and were in the younger age groups therefore future prevention campaigns would target these areas. However, vehicles would continue to be stopped at all times and drivers of all different ages would be breathalysed.

(iv)      In response to a comment from a member the PCC acknowledged that there were in fact equality implications for the performance update and the report should have stated this. The PCC reassured that equality impacts were taken seriously.

(v)       In the report the Most Similar Force (MSF) ranking was given for each crime type however the PCC stated that he was of the view that the MSF rankings were out of date and caution must be taken when viewing that particular data set. Some of the other Forces had not been inspected by HMICFRS with regard to crime data integrity therefore a meaningful comparison could not be carried out.

(vi)      The recent spate of jewellery thefts in Leicester would appear in the figures for the Quarter 1 2018/19 Performance Report.

(vii)    A member raised concerns about Knife crime and asked if the police could make local councillors aware of serious incidents as soon as possible so that the councillor could advise the public if contacted regarding the incidents. In response it was emphasised that there should be a good relationship between local members and local policing teams. The PCC agreed that Councillors should have the direct telephone number for the officers that patrolled their own divisions.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted.

The Police and Crime Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner which provided an update on regional collaboration that Leicestershire Police was involved in. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)        HMICFRS had been impressed with the regional collaboration Leicestershire Police was involved in particularly the detection rates of EMSOU.

(ii)       Lord Bach was Chairman of the East Midlands Collaboration for the 2018/19 year.

(iii)      Nottinghamshire were no longer a member of EMOPS which left three members in that particular collaboration as Derbyshire had never joined.

(iv)      In response to a question from a member as to what the £4.03m collaborative savings had been used for, the PCC suggested that they helped the force retain police officer numbers. A member therefore suggested that it would be more accurate to describe the ‘savings’ as a ‘re-investment’.

(v)       On the chart in the Appendix ‘NP’ indicated that a force was Non Participant in a particular area of collaboration.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted.

A verbal update will be provided by the Panel’s Secretariat.

The Panel received an oral update from the Secretariat regarding the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels which had been set up by other Police and Crime Panels in the country.

The Secretariat reminded Panel members that a report on the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels had been considered at the previous Police and Crime Panel meeting however the Panel had deferred making a decision on whether to join the Association until the July 2018 Panel meeting so that advice could be received from the Home Office on whether the subscription fee for the Association could be paid out of the Home Office Grant. The Secretariat reported that to date no guidance had been received from the Home Office and those Panels that were already part of the Association were still seeking clarification on this point. 

RESOLVED:

That a decision on whether the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Panel is to join the National Association of Police, Crime and Fire Panels be deferred indefinitely until clear guidance on the permitted uses of the Home Office Grant is provided.

The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled to take place on 3 October 2018 at 1:00pm.

RESOLVED:

It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on 3 October 2018 at 1:00 pm.