Agenda item

To receive an update from the Council’s representative on matters considered at the last meeting (28 September 2021). 

50.1          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 discussed at the last meeting of the Panel held on 28 September 2021.

50.2          The Council’s representative on the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel advised that this was the first substantive meeting since the election of the new Police and Crime Commissioner and he reminded Members that the role of the Police and Crime Panel was to scrutinise the actions and decisions of the Police and Crime Commissioner; part of the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner was to hold the Chief Constable to account for the exercise of his functions.  Accordingly, the Council’s representative clarified that he was able to take back questions from the Committee to the Panel around how the Police and Crime Commissioner was doing his job.  At the meeting on 28 September, the Police and Crime Commissioner had given a commentary on his activities since taking up his role and the areas he would like to focus upon.  Whilst it was early days, the Council’s representative felt there was a greater desire to engage with the Police and Crime Panel and the public and he indicated that a number of public meetings had already been held within Gloucestershire.  The Police and Crime Commissioner’s new manifesto included recruiting an additional 300 Police Officers across the force which would be achieved by reallocating some of the existing budget.  He also intended to focus on the failure of the interface with the public, for instance, the wait time on 101 calls was unacceptable and a detriment to the public’s perception of the Police.

50.3          There had been a lively debate about E-Scooters and Members were informed that a trial was currently being run in Cheltenham and Gloucester with Zwings; as part of that, the E-Scooters could only be used on the road and were speed restricted.  The E-Scooters involved in the trials contained chips which enabled them to be closely monitored.  The Panel had recognised that E-Scooters were probably here to stay but concerns were raised about riding on pavements or in a dangerous manner and multiple people riding on the same scooters etc.  The feedback from the Police and Crime Commissioner had been that there was no abdication of responsibility on the part of the Police and, if there were misdemeanours, they would be pursued.  The Council’s representative indicated that he was aware of E-Scooters from his role as a County Councillor and the popularity of the scheme had resulted in it being extended.  The main issue was capacity as the E-Scooters had to be left in certain designated locations where they could be recharged and serviced.  Another item that had been discussed was the future of the mounted Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner had advised that he had not reached any firm conclusions as yet.  In the Police and Crime Commissioner’s view, the previous Police and Crime Commissioner had spent a lot of money on buildings and not enough on people - that had included stables for the four horses working across the county which were used at public events for crowd control.  It was noted that the horses were also leant to other areas and would shortly be travelling to Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).  Although the horses were quite an expense, they were emblematic and it was difficult to capture their value but it was necessary to weigh up if they were a sound use of money.  The Council’s representative went on to advise that the Panel had expressed its discontent with the budget setting process for the Police which was essentially presented to the Panel as a ‘fait accompli’ when it was too late to make any comments or have an input.  As such, the Panel had requested a greater lead time going forward and that was being considered. 

50.4          A Member indicated that she had written to the Police and Crime Commissioner over three weeks ago on behalf of Minsterworth Parish which was experiencing an above average amount of anti-social behaviour but she had not received a response or even an acknowledgement.  The Council’s representative asked the Member to forward the email to him and he would chase this up.  The Member explained she had completed an online form rather than sending an email but she would see what information she could find.  Another Member asked how much the mounted Police horses cost each year and was advised that it was in the region of £200,000 including the Officers.  The Member indicated that he wondered how many more Police Officers could be employed for the cost of the horses and the Council’s representative advised that he believed that one horse cost the equivalent of 1.5 Police Officers.  In response to a query regarding the transporting of horses to places like Glasgow, Members were advised that the Police did have its own transport for them which was an additional cost.  Confirmation was also provided that there was space for four horses at the stables.  The Council’s representative asked whether Members had a particular view on the horses which he could feedback to the Panel and a Member felt it was important to look at all possibilities, for instance, using the horses for exhibitions etc. could generate an income stream to help offset their cost.  Another Member recognised that the horses had a visual impact but, in his opinion, with only four horses covering the whole of the county, they were seen very infrequently in areas of the borough which did not seem to reflect their cost; however, another Member indicated that the horses were often seen within her Ward so this did seem to vary across the borough.

50.5          A Member noted that the Police and Crime Commissioner intended to spend less money on buildings and he questioned whether that meant less Police Stations.  The Council’s representative advised that no specifics had been mentioned but a lot of money had been invested in the training centre at Bamfurlong which the Police and Crime Commissioner had indicated he would have considered excessive had he been in charge.  With regard to the 101 wait times, a Member queried whether the Police and Crime Commissioner had any targets he was working to and the Council’s representative advised that he did not know the detail but the wait time was currently several minutes when the nature of the calls meant that even one minute was too long.  In response to a question about the roll-out of electric vehicles, the Council’s representative advised that this had not been discussed specifically but the Police already had a number of electric vehicles and, given the need for engagement around climate change, he doubted that any commitments would be retracted in that regard.   A Member asked the Council’s representative to find out what was being done to restore confidence of women in the Police; she noted that the Police and Crime Commissioner was looking to recruit an additional 300 Officers and many other forces had been looking at their vetting procedures.  The Council’s representative undertook to find out and report back to the Committee.

50.6          The Chair thanked the Council’s representative for his update and it was subsequently

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