Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2024 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

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.

No declarations were made.

The Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) which provided an update on his work throughout August and September 2024. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 5’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were noted:

(i)             The PCC confirmed that the effectiveness of CCTV cameras which had been installed as part of OPCC grant funding was monitored by the OPCC. Other CCTV cameras funded by other bodies were not monitored in such detail by the OPCC.  A member suggested that Section 106 funds could be used to install additional CCTV cameras in order to address concerns relating to anti-social behaviour. The PCC supported this proposal and acknowledged that CCTV cameras had a positive impact on anti-social behaviour but explained that Section 106 funds were allocated by local authorities not the PCC.

(ii)            With regards to an increase in requests for complaint reviews in relation to Leicestershire Police, as referred to in paragraph 56 of the report, a member of the Panel asked whether any specific areas of growth had been identified and whether there had been particular patterns in the types of complaints received. The OPPC stated that the type of complaints varied. However, a large number related to individuals not having been happy with the nature of the response they had received from the Force, for example when the Police had decided not to take any further action with regards to an incident. The Panel were assured that the OPPC regularly conducted deep-dive analysis of the complaints data.

(iii)          A question was raised regarding how the outcome and impact of OPCC funded intervention work which had been undertaken within communities would be measured and reported on. The OPPC confirmed that although it was often difficult to measure the impact and outcome of this type of work, it would work with partners to collect data in order to measure it against key metrics which had been identified within the Police and Crime Plan. The Panel would be kept updated of performance relating to the key metrics within future reports.

(iv)          In response to a query from a member about whether there was any learning taken from the funding of projects, the PCC confirmed that his commissioning team did assess what could be learnt from projects and reviewed how the funding process had gone.

(v)           With regards to community projects that the PCC funded, a member requested that future reports to the Panel clarify how much of that project’s funding came from the OPCC and how much came from elsewhere. The PCC agreed to this request.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s update be noted.

The Draft New Police and Crime Plan will be circulated as a supplementary document.

The Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) which presented a draft Police and Crime Plan for 2025 to 2029. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 6’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were noted:

(i)             The Panel were supportive of the work undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner and his team in developing the Police and Crime Plan. Overall, the Panel welcomed the contents of the Plan, particularly as most of the issues that were of concern to the Panel had been covered in it.

(ii)            The Panel welcomed that the approach of the Plan was based around three missions underpinned by fourteen Delivery Strategies.

(iii)          Whilst there had been a good overall response to the public consultation on the developing Police and Crime Plan, the Panel were concerned with the demographic breakdown of age and ethnic background of respondents as some demographics were underrepresented in the consultation. A member of the Panel emphasised the importance for greater engagement with younger people. In terms of reaching people from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds, it was suggested that ensuring that documents are accessible in terms of the ability for Google translation is often more valuable than translating documents into various languages.

(iv)          The Panel were pleased that the Plan set out the intention to address the illegal use of e-scooters due to concern with regards to public safety. This was an issue which regularly came to the attention of Panel members.

(v)           It was suggested that anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood policing should be given greater prominence in the Plan.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the contents of the report and the draft Police and Crime Plan for 2025 to 2029 be noted.

(b)  That a written summary of the comments made by the Panel relating to the draft Police and Crime Plan for 2025 to 2029 be sent to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

(c)  That the PCC be requested to submit a written response addressing the comments made by the Panel relating to the draft Police and Crime Plan for 2025 to 2029.

The Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner which provided an update on how he was fulfilling his duty to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the Force through Corporate Governance Board meetings. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were noted:

(i)             Concern was raised relating to a high vacancy rate held within the Force and whether vacancies had an impact on service delivery. The PCC assured the Panel that the impact on service delivery was limited due to the types of vacancies held, and that critical posts would be prioritised for recruitment.  He stated that the OPCC data monitoring teams monitored a large number of performance metrics and alerted him where concerns were identified and if the number of vacancies was causing any issues, then it would be picked up as part of that monitoring. The PCC would always raise these concerns with the Chief Constable and seek assurances where necessary.

(ii)            The PCC assured the Panel that the savings being made by the Chief Constable were being monitored and that no concerns had been identified with regards to operational delivery. It was noted that the Panel would consider an update on finance and the Medium-Term Financial Plan at its meeting on 2 December 2024. This update would include an overview of the in-year savings programme and sustainability plans.

RESOLVED:

That the update in relation to the Corporate Governance Board be noted.

The Police and Crime Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner which provided an overview how he was fulfilling his responsibilities in relation to the requirement for the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) to publish an annual report. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were noted:

(i)             The Chairman commended the work of the VRN, highlighting that the Network performed highly compared to other VRN’s across the country. The PCC agreed and stated that he would report this back to Government as part of discussions relating to future funding.

(ii)            Concern was raised over the visual accessibility of the VRN Annual Report 2023/24. Some elements of the presentation such as tables and graphs could be difficult for individuals with visibility difficulties to read. The OPPC confirmed that they had fed this concern back to the VRN. The Panel noted that the published version of the Annual Report would be fully accessible.

(iii)          The Annual Report stated that there had been a 100% reduction in homicides, especially among those victims aged under 25 involving knives between 2019/20 and 2023/24. In response to a question from the Panel it was clarified  that the figure reported on in 2019/20 had been three, and that the figure reported on for 2023/24 was zero. The Chairman requested that figures be included alongside percentages in future reports.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the OPCC be requested to pass on the comments made by the Panel relating to the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) Annual Report 2023/24 to the VRN.

(b)  That the overview of how the Police and Crime Commissioner is fulfilling his responsibilities in relation to the requirement for the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) to publish an annual report, be noted.

The Panel considered a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) which provided an update in relation to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) approach to the Prison Early Release Scheme and how the impact of this was being managed. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 9’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were noted:

(i)             The Chairman raised concern regarding the safeguarding of children and families in cases where prisoners involved in domestic violence had been released. She asked whether additional Police resources had been required to manage this issue. The PCC stated that there had been no additional funding from Government in relation to the Early Release Scheme. The Panel were assured that the Chief Constable had reserves which could be used if needed, but that it had not been necessary.

(ii)            A Panel member raised concerns that due to the prison overcrowding Police Officers would be less inclined to arrest offenders. In response the PCC assured the Panel that the Chief Constable had provided clear messaging to the Force regarding the Prison Early Release Scheme and safeguarding the public and the approach to arresting offenders had not changed. The PCC stated that he would contact the Chief Constable to seek further assurance on this, and then provide the Chairman of the Panel with confirmation in writing.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the update in relation to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) approach to the Prison Early release scheme and how the impact of this was being managed, be noted.

(b)  That the Police and Crime Commissioner be requested to seek assurances from the Chief Constable that there had been clear messaging to the Force that the criteria for making arrests had not changed as a result of the Early Release Scheme, and then provide the Chairman of the Panel with confirmation of this in writing.

The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled to take place on Monday 2 December 2024 at 2.00pm.

RESOLVED:

It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on 2 December at 2:00pm.