Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed here.

It was agreed that this agenda item would be deferred until the meeting on 9 June 2025.

RESOLVED:

That this agenda item be deferred until the meeting on 9 June 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2025 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

The Chairman reported that the following question had been received from Mr Barry Walker CC:

“What action has the Police and Crime Commissioner taken to hold the Chief Constable to account in relation to Leicestershire Police’s approach to the illegal use of E-bikes and E-scooters on pedestrianised areas thought Leicestershire?”

Reply by the Police and Crime Commissioner:

1.          The Commissioner is aware of the concerns surrounding E-scooters. It appears to be a problem across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Cyclists with no lights in the hours of darkness, cyclists riding on pedestrian footways and now the dangers associated with e-scooters and e-bikes are national matters causing concern to all Road Safety Partnerships.

2.          The production and sale of e-scooters is NOT illegal and therefore retailers can legitimately sell them without restriction. This presents a significant issue in so much as there are a vast number of e-scooters in the public domain and the reality is that police resources are limited to match this growing use. However, despite the operational challenges, the police continue to enforce with regular, dedicated police operations on them.

3.          Road Safety is one of the Commissioners priorities within the new Police and Crime Plan, due to commence from April 2025.

Campaigns

4.          The Commissioner continues to support the Force’s campaigns to educate the public around the legality of e-scooters and modified ebikes and will take action to enforce where necessary. This has been publicly supported by the Commissioner across his networks numerous times.

5.          The Force awaits further guidance from the Government regarding legislative changes in relation to e-scooters or e-bikes, something campaigned for by the Commissioner but in the meantime, he will continue to support the Force with local operations, education and enforcement with the available resources.

6.          The Commissioner has written to all of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland’s MPs, urging them to use their influence in Westminster to obtain assurances from the government that action will be taken to minimise the potential dangers of e-scooters on road users, all while benefiting from the accessible and environmentally friendly mode of transportation they offer. This letter was sent on 20th June 2022.

Community Engagement

7.          The Commissioner has met with the local policing Inspector/s across the force area, but most notably North-West Leicester and the City Centre to discuss the number of local operations under Op Pedalfast that have taken place to tackle the growing use of e-scooters and modified e-bikes. Local officers regularly publicise the outcome of their enforcement online to deter others.

8.          The latest instance of this was as recent as February, in which the Commissioner was briefed by an Inspector in the City Centre, on the latest targeted operation where 29 e-scooters were seized in 1 hour.

Funding

9.          The Commissioner has funded a programme to increase the safety of young drivers and road users and curb anti-social behaviour, including the use of E-scooters, providing grant funding worth £5,704 to youth organisation Young Leicestershire Ltd to support the delivery of The Road Revolution Programme.

Corporate Governance Board

10.      The Commissioner has worked with the Chief Constable to ensure there is a robust policing response to the anti-social use of vehicles such as e-scooters and illegal bikes.

11.      The e-scooters policy and force approach was discussed at a CGB in November 2022, and the Commissioner was satisfied that this provided a strong and clear response as to how the use of e-scooters would be policed across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

12.      This policy was also presented to the Police and Crime Panel in March 2023.

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 Chairman sought and obtained the consent of the Board to vary the order of business from that set out on the agenda for the meeting.

The Panel received a report of the Director of Law and Governance which sought approval to formally establish a subcommittee to deal with the consideration of complaints about the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner and/or the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland by Subcommittee.

RESOLVED:

That the proposal to formally establish a subcommittee to deal with the consideration of complaints about the conduct of the Police and Crime Commissioner and/or the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland by Subcommittee, be approved.

The Panel considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance which sought approval to formally establish a Task and Finish group in order to provide additional scrutiny of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s activity to improve the performance of Leicestershire Police when it comes to Rape cases, in terms of outcomes for victims. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 10’, is filed with these minutes.

The Panel were in agreement that it was likely that there would not be adequate time in order to complete the work within the specified timeframe. The scoping document outlined a completion deadline of 9 June 2025. It would therefore be likely that the timeframe would need to be extended. In addition to this, it was suggested that it could be necessary to expand the scope of work so that the Panel could fully scrutinise the Police and Crime Commissioner’s activity to improve the performance of Leicestershire Police when it comes to Rape cases in terms of outcomes for victims.

RESOLVED:

That the proposal to formally establish a Task and Finish group in order to provide additional scrutiny of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s activity to improve the performance of Leicestershire Police when it comes to Rape cases, in terms of outcomes for victims, be approved.

The Panel received a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) which provided an update in relation to the development of the work of the Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) and Local Criminal Justice updates. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 6’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:

(i)         The Chairman raised concern that it was not clear how some of the issues included within the report were relevant at a local level. The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) acknowledged that a large amount of information had been included within the report. However, many of the issues highlighted report had been included as they were relevant at both a national and a local level, such as a backlog of cases in the Crown Court and prison overcapacity issues.

(ii)        In relation to the prison Early Release Scheme, concern was raised that there was often not adequate housing provision for prison leavers within the force area. The Police and Crime Commissioner acknowledged this concern and stated that challenges or housing authorities often occurred when prison leavers were resettled within the force area. A prison leaver task group, led by the LCJB Chair, in conjunction with key stakeholders, would be created by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in order to explore the issue of housing availability for prisoners resettled within the force area.

(iii)       A question was raised regarding the impact of the Early Release Scheme on the local communities, in terms of crime. The DPCC assured the Panel that the reoffending rate across the force area had remained low. She agreed that clear communication on the Early Release scheme would be essential in providing local communities with assurances regarding safety. The DPCC agreed to provide the Panel with a breakdown of reoffending rates relating to the Scheme.

(iv)      The DPCC stated that it was not clear whether the strategy for release in future tranches of the Scheme would be similar to that relating to the first two tranches. Certain offence types had been excluded, which largely fall into the categories of domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour, stalking, sexual offences and national security offences. The DPCC agreed to provide the Panel with information relating to the strategy once the position was clear.

(v)        With regards to the recommendations outlined within the report, the DPCC confirmed that an action plan had been developed to measure performance and that work against these was progressing. The Chairman stated that it would be important for the Panel to have oversight of performance against this action plan. The DPCC agreed to provide the Panel with an overview of progress relating to the recommendations.

(vi)      In response to a question asked, the DPCC agreed to provide the Panel with an overview of the governance and scrutiny model relating to the Early Release Scheme.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the contents of the report on the development of the work of the Local Criminal Justice Board, be noted.

(b)       That the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) be requested to provide the Panel with a breakdown of reoffending rates relating to the prison Early Release Scheme.

(c)        That the DPCC be requested to provide the Panel with information regarding future tranches of the prison Early Release Scheme once the strategy was clear.

(d)       That the DPCC be requested to provide the Panel with an overview of progress relating to recommendations outlined within the Local Criminal Justice Board Update report.

(e)       That the DPCC be requested to provide the Panel with an overview of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

The panel received a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner which provided an update on the work commissioned in relation to hate crime offences. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

In response to a question regarding the Force’s theory that there was an under reporting of hate crime in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, the PCC stated that anecdotal evidence had been reported by police officers, alongside a reduction in the level of reporting than in previous years, supported this theory. The PCC was developing a hate crime hub, Speak Out Space, in order to help to raise awareness of hate crime and to encourage victims to report hate crimes. It was expected that the resource would be launched in April 2025. The PCC agreed that he would provide the Panel with a further report relating to hate crime and the hate crime hub, Speak Out Space, at a meeting in the autumn.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the contents of the report on the work commissioned in relation to hate crime offences, be noted.

(b)       That the Police and Crime Commissioner be requested to present a further report on hate crime offences and the hate crime hub, Speak Out Space, at a meeting in the autumn.

The Panel received a report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) which outlined how the Police and Crime Panel how the PCC and Force were implementing the recommendations that were provided as part of the Police and Crime Panel Tasking Group S106 funding review. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

The PCC agreed that he would provide the Panel with a further report on 8 September which would include information relating to S106 funds held by local authorities as well as new methods for future bids. He confirmed that the Panel would continue to receive reports outlining how the Police and Crime Panel how the PCC and Force were implementing the recommendations that were provided as part of the Police and Crime Panel Tasking Group S106 funding review, on a six-monthly basis.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the contents of the report which outlined how the Police and Crime Panel how the PCC and Force were implementing the recommendations that were provided as part of the Police and Crime Panel Tasking Group S106 funding review, be noted.

(b)        That the Police and Crime Commissioner be requested to provide the Panel with a report including information relating to S106 funds held by local authorities and new methods for future bids, at the meeting on 8 September 2025.

The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled to take place on 9 June 2025.

RESOLVED:

It was noted that the next meeting of the Panel would be held on 9 June 2025 at 14:00.