Agenda item

10.35am

The PCC provides two parts to this report:

·       Outlining the Crimefighters Strategy being implemented in order to build confidence in policing and develop stronger local policing.

·       Providing a summary of the activity that has been ongoing under the Neighbourhood Policing and Citizens in Policing portfolios in Thames Valley Police with a forward look at how Community Policing will be delivered in the future.

The PCC submitted a report which outlined the Crimefighters Strategy being implemented in order to build confidence in policing and develop stronger local policing and provided a summary of the activity that has been ongoing under the Neighbourhood Policing and Citizens in Policing portfolios in Thames Valley Police. Included in this report was a forward look at how Community Policing in Thames Valley would be delivered in the future.

Reference was made to the strategy improving public contact which would involve reducing 101 waiting times, the automation of feedback and enabling better digital contact.

The PCC acknowledged the frustration that residents had with the 101 service and that the £6m cost associated with increasing call handlers was not realistic and technology would improve the service. Timescales were on track and work was taking place with technology partners. There would be improvements on feedback to victims of crimes and technology to be used would include webchat, WhatsApp and social media.

The PCC referred to the need to improve Community Policing and capitalising on the record number of police officers in Thames Valley. Further information on the Crimefighters Strategy and how it would be implemented operationally would be provided to the Panel.

On neighbourhood policing, the PCC referred to the Royal Borough of Windsor Council who had invested in four additional police officers to support community safety. Neighbourhood Policing emphasised a local approach to policing that was accessible to the public and responsive to the needs and priorities of communities.

The visibility of police officers was important in terms of building public confidence and encouraging the compliance with the law.

Members’ Questions

(1)  Reference was made the PCC’s Crime and Justice Plan where a strategic objective was to work together with partners to improve criminal justice. The PCC was asked how was the proposal for the Police to focus on policing rather than dealing with mental health issues going to be implemented?

[The PCC replied that Thames Valley Police covered many areas and that partnerships with mental health partners were complex. There were four Integrated Care Systems which covered the Thames Valley and there were complexities with mental health trusts in Thames Valley. Reference was made to the recent directive from the Department of Health, “Right Care, Right Person”, which was a model designed to ensure that when there were concerns for a person's welfare linked to mental health, medical or social care issues, the right person with the right skills, training and experience would respond. This would enable police officers to deal with policing matters.

In Humberside, conversations had taken place with health bodies who were being encouraged to respond to incidents where mental health was a factor. There were challenges around mental health and more was needed to be done to provide the right care for people.

The PCC referred to children in care who went missing and calls being made to the 101 service for police assistance. The PCC believed, as Corporate Parents, local authorities should be dealing with this. Work needed to take place with partners on this.]

(2)  Reference was made to on-line reporting, which was a good initiative, however, not everyone had access to technology so using the 101 service was their only option. The PCC was asked whether call handlers dealt with calls from a script of prepared questions as there needed to be empathy showed to callers.

[The PCC agreed that not everyone wanted to use technology and acknowledged that there were areas of Thames Valley which were multi-cultural and callers needed assurance and sympathy from call handlers. In the use of WhatsApp there was a translation tool which would be useful as it was recognised that there was crime which went unreported from certain areas of Thames Valley and this initiative would make the police more accessible.

In response to a comment on dropped calls, the PCC reported there were plans to rectify this. Also, residents who had dropped calls and re-dialled lost their place in the queue. This needed to be looked at with the possibility of call backs and referrals.]

(3)  The PCC was asked about data which showed that Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) were down by 37% and there were an increasing number who had left to become police officers. Were there any plans to rectify this by giving PCSOs more powers and responsibilities?

[The PCC replied that PCSO numbers were down and there were many that did leave to become police officers. Recruitment of PCSOs was taking place and it was hoped that in the next 3//4 years PCSOs would be back to full establishment.

The PCC informed the Panel that PCSOs were the bedrock of neighbourhood policing and that they needed more powers. However, the more powers they were given, the less they were PCSOs, so it was important that the right balance was found. Increased responsibility and powers would mean more paperwork and less time spent out in communities. There could be an option of introducing supervisory roles within the role of PCSOs.

The Chief Constable commented that PCSOs were vital to Thames Valley and referred to mainly younger PCSOs who left the service to become police officers. This required looking at to ensure retention.

(4)   Reference was made to Thames Valley having a low pro rata number of police officers to residents compared to other force areas which was misleading in terms of recent police numbers increasing as the population in Thames Valley had increased.

[The PCC acknowledged the point made, however, in the last 20 years, policing had changed. Frontline police officers now also dealt with cyber crimes and scams. Some Forces had increased their numbers of police officers and put them into civilian posts.

In relation to police officers and the population of the Thames Valley, there were around 10 police officers to every 100,000 residents. There would be a continuing increase in numbers of police officers and making sure they were in appropriate locations.]

(5)  The PCC was asked about the engagement with communities at Parish level which had fallen away since the Pandemic. There used to be informal forums with TVP and Parishes, in which time the number of PCSOs had been reduced.

[The PCC replied that he would have a look into this. There would be a standardisation of increasing community engagement. There were teams good at this and some that were not. There was the need to get back to good neighbourhood teams who would provide crime data for local areas.]

(6)  The PCC was asked whether he was working with other PCCs and the Home Office on looking to address the falling number of PCSOs across the UK (38% down in the last 8 years). Reference was made to the work which local authorities undertook in relation to care workers which included incentivised retention packages.

[The PCC replied that the Home Office was not to blame for the decreasing numbers of PCSOs. The main issue has been the recruitment of more police officers which has had an impact on the number of PCSOs. The retention of PCSOs was a national issue, although some forces have taken the decision to reduce numbers. In Thames Valley there was a commitment to increase the numbers and get back to full establishment.]

(7)  The PCC was asked how would he deal with the challenge of getting low levels crimes reported, particularly against the backdrop of low conviction rates for such crimes?

[The PCC acknowledged that there was a problem around conviction rates, however, it was difficult to compare conviction rates of different crimes. The reality was that historically, the communication of convictions for low level crimes was not communicated. With the increased use of social media and technology there was more communicated to the public.

Low level crimes were heard at magistrates’ courts which often did not get reported. An example was given of criminal damage to vehicles, where the compiling of evidence was difficult if there was damage to several vehicles by one perpetrator and it was difficult to identify all the victims of such incidents.]

RESOLVED -That the reports of the PCC, together with the information provided be noted.