Agenda item

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (24 March 2023). 

106.1        Attention was drawn to the report from the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel, circulated separately, which gave an update on matters considered at the meeting held on 24 March 2023.

106.2        The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel advised that a presentation had been given in relation to the improvement plan being implemented within the Force which was designed to address performance issues, including those highlighted in the last report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary which had found that the operating model was not fit for purpose and resources had not been appropriately allocated.  A lot of work was ongoing and a new Enhanced Operating Model had been agreed in October 2022; this involved a redesign of workflows which was a very complicated process but had now reached the implementation stage with 1,300 staff being allocated postings under the new structure – approximately 76% had been given their first preference posting.  It was noted that 30 staff were appealing against their new postings due to the nature of the change.  The Police and Crime Panel had asked about the impact of the Baroness Casey Review of the Metropolitan Police in terms of its relevance for Gloucestershire and had been advised that, although some of the findings were specific to the Metropolitan Police, there were things that needed to be seriously reflected upon for Gloucestershire.  The review had identified seven areas for change on which progress should be reviewed every two years; however, the continuous improvement culture in Gloucestershire meant it was intended to look at those areas on a more regular basis with detailed reporting every 6-12 months.  There had also been a discussion about morale within the Force and it was recognised that, although it had been impacted by workload and the change process, morale was now fairly good, albeit there was a continuing issue with the amount of pressure some individuals were under.

106.3        The Council’s representative went on to advise that the Police and Crime Panel had also received a presentation on the role of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Commissioning Team which looked at gaps in performance of the Force and what others were doing in order to establish whether any lessons could be learnt.  The results of any changes identified were reviewed on an 18 month cycle.  The Commissioning Team also prepared the bids for central government funding and it was noted that Gloucestershire had secured two major wins, totalling £3m, under the Safer Streets Home Office initiative which highlighted the importance of a high-performing Commissioning Team.  The Police and Crime Commissioner had also submitted a report on current activities which included the success of the Cheltenham Festival with action taken to address antisocial behaviour, and the recent visit of the Knife Angel to Gloucestershire Cathedral.  It was also noted that a number of local authorities had signed up to the Solace multi-agency forum on tackling anti-social behaviour – Tewkesbury Borough Council was expected to join in the near future.  The Police and Crime Commissioner had again mentioned his lobbying efforts to get the Police to be considered as part of the Section 106 process in local planning applications; more residents meant a bigger Police Force was needed including additional Police Stations.

106.4        The Council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel indicated that four questions had been raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at previous meetings which he had put to the Police and Crime Commissioner.  The first related to the method used for the public survey which had been conducted and he confirmed that social media had been used to attract participants as well as engagement with local community contacts.  It was intended to undertake further surveys in future and it was accepted that these needed to be better publicised as feedback had been relatively limited in terms of the overall population.  With regard to the question around the treatment of injured officers who were retained in desk jobs for long periods on higher pay, the first assumption of the Police and Crime Commissioner was that he was suggesting that Officers were being discriminated against and not being allowed to progress within the Force; the Council’s representative had made clear that was not the nature of the question which was about whether they were acting as blockers for other people and if that was fair and reasonable.  It was accepted that there were issues with the treatment of Officers on “adjusted or limited” duties and that had been looked at as part of the Enhanced Operating Model with the number of Officers designated as such being reduced with a series of allocations to more evenly distribute them between functions.  The final two questions had related to vetting of Officers and how to restore women’s confidence in the Police and, due to the seriousness of the findings of the report and the related topics, it was agreed those matters would be included for more detailed reporting at a future meeting of the Panel.

106.5        It was noted that a report had been submitted by the Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in relation to the performance of the Gloucestershire Police Force and a number of questions had been raised about the increase in recorded crimes.  The increase suggested there had been a change in culture around recording incidents, particularly less serious crimes such as antisocial behaviour, and cultural change was also likely to be the reason for the higher numbers of crimes such as sexual assault and domestic violence.  A new standard Home Office reporting pack was expected which would bring greater comparability across Forces.  It was noted that a reported jump in the number of homicides was likely to be misleading as many of the investigations were open and would subsequently be removed, resulting in negative statistics for cases in future reporting - suspicious deaths involving falls were an example of where such recategorisations occurred. 

106.6        A Member indicated that he had previously raised concern regarding the 101 phone service and had been advised it would be improved; however, he had spoken to several people who had tried to report antisocial behaviour but had been unable to get through within a reasonable period of time which meant the perpetrators were able to leave the scene before anything could be done.  In response the Council’s representative explained that, whilst there would always be exceptions, on average it took 15 seconds for a 999 call to be answered and two minutes for a 101 call with performance varying depending on the amount of calls, for instance, calls increased during Cheltenham Race Week.  The Police and Crime Commissioner had made a commitment to raise the headcount across the Force and some resource had been diverted to the control room to ensure that the key issues raised were being recorded – he recognised the issue had not been solved but believed that progress was being made.  The Member asked whether this had been measured previously and was advised that it had not received the level of attention it should have done.

106.7        A Member indicated that he had noticed improvements with policing in Brockworth so he felt the Enhanced Operating Model was working.  He sought clarification as to what the £3m funding received by the Commissioning Team could be spent on and was informed it was related to the Safer Streets Home Office initiative which was focused on schools and making streets safer for children and women in particular.  The Member felt it was a shame the Police were having to ask for Section 106 money but he welcomed the suggestion that more Police Stations were needed as this was an important way for local residents to make contact with Police Officers.  The Council’s representative indicated that antisocial behaviour was recognised as a key issue – both nationally and locally – and early intervention often prevented people from going on to commit more serious crimes.  He pointed out that nitrous oxide use was not always seen as a significant issue but disproportionately affected young people and underprivileged communities. 

106.8        Another Member noted that Gloucestershire Police had previously looked at helping schools but there was no funding available to youth clubs specifically for girls.  She asked whether the Police could do anything to support, or work with, the girls youth club in Brockworth.  In response, the Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel advised that the Force had access to funding via the Commissioner’s fund and 20 grants under £20,000 had been given to the community – if a grant was given, the expectation was that the Police would be involved.  He undertook to take the specific point away and provide a response following the meeting.  A Member queried whether Police numbers were keeping pace with the increasing amount of residents within the county and was advised that the Home Office was very happy with Gloucestershire in terms of its recruitment rates which were above the national average.  A Member asked if recruitment included Special Constables, as opposed to paid Officers, and was advised it was both.  The number of frontline full-time Officers had been lower than originally anticipated as a lot of Officers had been put directly into areas which had been criticised, such as the control centre.  The Police and Crime Commissioner was enthusiastic about the role of Special Constables so those numbers were being increased as well.

106.9        The Chair thanked the Council’s representative for the informative update and it was

RESOLVED           That the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel update be NOTED.