Minutes:
Councillor Dave Thompson asked the Commissioner for any information he had on the extra staffing resources that Cheshire could expect following the Prime Minister’s recent announcement. The Commissioner noted that work was being co-ordinated nationally through the College of Policing, but there was not yet firm information as to how many additional Officers Cheshire might expect. He indicated that at a national level the number of additional officers that the Prime Minister had announced would not take the overall police establishment to the level it had been in 2010. He did express concern that the additional funding announced did not include issues such as police cars, pensions and equipment.
Councillor Paul Findlow warmly welcomed the announcement of additional Police Officers, but also raised the issue of Police productivity, asking what steps the Commissioner was taking in this area. The Commissioner stressed his concerns that there was no national plan for the introduction of additional Officers. In his view the Prime Minister’s proposals were inadequately funded, ill thought through and incomplete.
Councillor Dave Thompson sought clarification from the Commissioner on the approach that the Chief Constable was taking in relation to the use of “Section 60 stop and search powers” (Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994). The Commissioner indicated that he had spoken to the Chief Constable in some detail on this important issue, where Government policy, at least in the short term, had changed. The Commissioner indicated that the Chief Constable had assured him that the new powers would be used sparingly. They had recently been employed in Crewe following an incident involving knife crime. In that case he was satisfied that the application of the new powers had been proportionate and part of a wider strategy. Councillor Thompson referred to research undertaken by the College of Policing which questioned the benefit of additional stop and search powers.
Councillor Norman Plumpton Walsh referred to the allocation across Cheshire of additional funding for youth work targeting county lines crime. This funding had resulted from a successful sub regional bid made by the four Cheshire local authorities. The allocation of the grant was based on population rather than need, which had, in his view, disadvantaged Halton. The Commissioner noted that his resources were normally allocated on need. He criticised the approach which required organisations to bid for funding, whilst core funding had been very significantly reduced. Councillor Dave Thompson noted that allocation of resources should be based on need, rather than population.
Councillor Andrew Dawson asked the Commissioner how much discretion he had over redressing unfair allocations of resources. The Commissioner responded by saying that the situation varied from case to case, but that as a general principle resources were allocated on need.
Councillor Jan Davidson expressed concern at media reports over the number of sex offenders who could not be traced. The Commissioner asked her to provide him with further information, when this was available he indicated that he would take the issue up with the Chief Constable.
Mrs Sally Hardwick sought clarification over the work of the Youth Commission and the Commission’s representation at any events on youth crime. She expressed concerns over the best way of engaging with hard to reach young people. The Commissioner thanked Mrs Hardwick for her engagement with the Youth Commission and congratulated the Youth Commission for the work that they had undertaken, which had led to a number of positive changes.
Mrs Hardwick asked for an update on which model for handling complaints the Commissioner would be adopting, noting that he had offered to hold a workshop on the issue. The Commissioner indicated that he was still committed to holding a workshop, but noted that there had been delays at the national level in introducing the necessary Regulations.
Councillor Norman Plumpton Walsh, referring to his time a professional, qualified youth worker, echoed the comments made by Mrs Hardwick. He extended an invitation for young people to participate in some way with the work of the Police and Crime Panel. The Chairman welcomed such an invitation.
Councillor Andrew Dawson, referring to Mr Andrew Selby (who had exercised his right to speak at the meeting – item 3 above) asked the Commissioner if he was still investigating the complaint made by Mr Selby. The Commissioner indicated that any comment by him could possibly be prejudicial as the Panel could become involved in the issue at a later stage. Ms Suzanne Antrobus, clarified that it would not be inappropriate for the Commissioner to comment on the process followed in relation to the complaint. The Commissioner reiterated that he thought it would not be appropriate for him to comment.
Mrs Sally Hardwick sought clarification from the Commissioner on how the Constabulary dealt with accusations of rape. She noted that reported cases were down, but this was possibly due to a change in the methodology for recording allegations. She was concerned that the published statistics indicated that there was a large increase in cases where the alleged perpetrator was known, but no further action taken. She also commented that rates of rape appeared to be particularly high in Halton. The Commissioner responded that full and comprehensive records were now been kept. It was an issue that he discussed on a regular basis with the Chief Constable, suggesting that this could be an issue that was discussed with the Panel in detail at an informal meeting.