Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Loydall and Cutkelvin.

Members will be asked to declare any interests they have in the business on the agenda.

Members were asked to disclose any pecuniary or other interest they may have in the business on the agenda.

There were no declarations.

The minutes of the meeting held on 30^TH September 2021 are attached and Members will be asked to confirm they are an accurate record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 30^th September 2021 be  confirmed as an accurate record.

None received.

None received.

Members to receive an update of the Corporate Governance Board and the oversight of Leicestershire Police performance by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and his Office.

Members will be asked to discuss, comment and note the new structure of the report and provide feedback on the new report.

The Panel considered a report which provided an update from the Corporate Governance Board and the oversight of Leicestershire Police performance by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and his Office.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews and Interim Chief Executive Officer, Lizzie Starr, presented the report. It was noted that the report was the first received in the new format and was work in progress, as the process was still being established and strengthened. It was planned to be the first of a regular series of reports.

The Police and Crime Commissioner informed Members of his key intention in standing for election, which was to build public trust and confidence in the Leicestershire Police force. He would do this by ensuring that reports on the funding and operation of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Police Force were made publicly available, and that the operations of both were transparent for public and Panel scrutiny.

It was noted that the new report format allowed the Police and Crime Commissioner  to explore Police Force actions in more detail, as well as provide more in-depth, informed reports to the Panel. He further specified his objective to ensure the safety and connectivity of the Leicestershire area through the collaborated efforts of his Office and the Panel.

Further details of the Corporate Governance Board procedures were provided, and it was confirmed that the minutes from the Board would be provided to the Panel on an ongoing basis. The Interim Chief Executive Officer requested further feedback and comments from the Panel, with the intention to be incorporated in reports for the foreseeable future.

The Chairman thanked the Police and Crime Commissioner and Interim Chief Executive Officer for the report and commented that the format was welcomed. The report was useful, easy to read and informative, giving the Panel a greater insight into the work of the PCC and OPCC in holding the Police Force to account.

The ensuing discussion included the following comments and suggestions:

In relation to page 17 of the report, regarding hospital admissions from knife crime and the impact of the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) upon these figures was queried, and a request was made to invite the VRN Director to a future meeting. The Police and Crime Commissioner explained that the work of the network was always likely to take time to show results, but experience from elsewhere had shown a significant impact in reducing public harm and progress would be monitored. He also noted that the Panel were welcome to receive a report to a future meeting which the VRN Director could attend. Some concern was noted about yearly Home Office funding for the VRN which led to some instability.

In relation to the reference on page 14 / 15 regarding spiking via injection, the view of the Police and Crime Commissioner was sought. The Commissioner confirmed that he was confident about reporting levels. He felt that the figure which appeared high was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

Members to receive and note the content of the letter from the Home Office following their review of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP.)

Members of the Panel received a report, which provided a copy of the letter received from RT Hon. Kit Malthouse (MP) in relation to Leicestershire Police Financial Planning. It was recommended that the Panel note the contents of the letter.

The satisfactory result of the review regarding the financial sustainability of Leicestershire Police and the Medium-Term Financial plan was welcomed, but it was commented that the process undertaken without the involvement of the Chief Constable was thought to be unfortunate.

RESOLVED:

                        That the reports contents be noted.

Members to receive an update on the Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse (DSVA) recommissioning project and insight in relation to the role that alcohol abuse plays within this area of crime.

Members will be asked to comment and note the contents of the report.

Members of the Panel received a report which provided an update on the Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse (DVSA) recommissioning project and provided some insight in relation to the role that alcohol abuse played within this area of crime.

The Head of Strategy and Commissioning for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Down, presented the report. After a recent recommissioning project, it was noted that local specialist providers had been successful in the recommissioning contract process.

The successful contract providers were noted as follows:

·         Helpline and Engagement Service – FreeVA

·         Domestic Abuse Locality Services – Living Without Abuse

·         Sexual Violence and Abuse Service – FreeVA

·         Refuge Lot – Women’s Aid Leicester

·         BME Refuge Lot – Panahghar

·         Perpetrator Interventions Contract – FreeVA

·         Domestic Abuse Children and Young People Service – Living Without Abuse

·         Dispersed Accommodation – Under Investigation and yet to be filled

A question was noted regarding point 10 in the report, about what was happening in Leicestershire and Rutland County with the Perpetrator Intervention Provision (PIP). It was noted that the Home Office released an opportunity to bid for 4 months funding in 2020 provided that Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) found match funding from the locality. A years’ worth of match funding was secured from individual local authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups’, the Probation service, as well as the OPCC itself, to which the Home Office later provided a further 6 months of funding. The Home Office’s funding would cease at the end of September 2022, which allowed more time to build a business case and secure agreement across the local partnership to continue funding the County and Rutland Provision, as well as the City provision which would continue to be funded past the deadline.

Noting that there was uncertainty over future funding for the PIP, it was requested that a report be provided to a future meeting of the Panel which included relevant statistics on the effectiveness of the provision’s short and long-term impact on Domestic Abuse figures. It was further commented that a positive business case should be developed in support of the PIP provision due to the importance of prevention being better than cure and identifying abusive behaviour at an early stage, particularly within schools.

A further point was made regarding the importance of ensuring that reports highlight impacts, particularly related to equalities and financial, as it was felt there were clear equality impacts arising from this project.

A particular point was raised about the rise in domestic violence in the city, particularly over the pandemic period. Concern was expressed about a possible link to alcohol and substance abuse. It was also noted to be of concern that funding for this project was only in place until 2022, and there should be a joint approach to ensuring continuity of provision beyond this point.

The Panel agreed on the importance of retaining this important programme and requested the issue be brought back to a future meeting.

Domestic Violence Presentation

Jemima  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

Members to receive a report which informs the Panel of the changes to the Ethics, Integrity and Complaints Committee and the recruitment timelines moving forward.

Members will be asked to comment on the contents of the report.

The Panel considered a report which outlined the proposed changes to the Ethics, Integrity and Complaints Committee and the recruitment timelines moving forward.

The Police and Crime Commissioner introduced the report by outlining his intention of making the re-constituted Ethics, Integrity and Complaints Committee a powerful tool in assisting his office in monitoring the moral, transparency, and ethical aspects of the Police Force, especially in light of public concerns around the case of Sarah Everard. He felt that the terms of reference for the Committee reflected this intention. He noted that applications for the Committee were still welcomed until 12^th December 2021 and noted that 12 applications had already been received. He further noted that the Membership of the Committee would be regularly changed, and it was intended to reflect the Force area’s diverse population. Progress reports on the work of the Committee would be reported regularly to the Panel.

The report, the establishment of the Committee and its focus on integrity and transparency was welcomed. Members felt reassured about the Panel membership in being independent of mind and representative of the diverse communities of the City and Counties. It was noted that a report would be received at the next meeting on the background of successful candidates to the Ethics and Transparency Panel.

Concern was however expressed about the removal of the whole Committee which was previously in place and whether there had been engagement with the previous Committee. The Police and Crime Commissioner clarified that the previous Committee had been disbanded, as part of a review of all Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner structures and that past Members were able to apply for the new Committee. There had been no recent challenges by prior members of the committee about disbanding, but some emails had been exchanged. It was noted that prior Members did not have an employed status, instead being an independent committee who had been paid an allowance.

Members questioned the changes in the Terms of Reference between the old and newly established Committee, to which the Police and Crime Commissioner clarified that the report highlighted the key differences between both bodies, where the prior Panel’s Terms of Reference had been changed annually, leading to confusion about the committee’s duty and responsibilities.

The Police and Crime Commissioner stressed that the intention for reconstituting the Ethics Committee had been to address a variety of factors, including the regularity in which reports are brought to the PCP as well as to reassure the public on the ethical and transparent basis of reviewing the Police Force, not to criticize the work of the prior Committee.

The Panel welcomed the two-year term change in Panel membership, referring to charity boards which did the same thing to allow for renewal and diversity of thought.

The Chairman thanked the Police and Crime Commissioner for the report.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the report and comments made by the Panel be noted.

2.    That a report on the successful applicants to the Ethics,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

Members to receive a report providing a brief update of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.

Members will be asked to discuss, comment and note the contents of the report.

The Panel considered a report which provided a brief update of the Police and Crime Plan.

In introducing the report, the Police and Crime Commissioner described his role as the democratically elected head of the Police force, noting the election endorsed his manifesto, and the Plan was the means to put his manifesto into action. He noted that the Police and Crime Plan had been through rigorous stages of scrutiny and amendment, including public consultation, which had received over 3,000 responses. Furthermore, there had been discussions with the Chief Constable and Officers on strategic policing requirements and the Police and Crime Plan. Updates on the Plan would be reported to the Panel on a regular basis.

The Interim Chief Executive Officer confirmed that the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner were working with the Police Force to develop an operational delivery plan for the Police and Crime Plan. The delivery plan will be a regular item on the Corporate Governance Board agenda, which will be brought through to the Police and Crime Panel as updates occur. It was further noted that a summary of the responses received from the Police and Crime Plan consultation would be published on the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Website.

The Chairman noted that the first draft of the Police and Crime Plan would be considered at the Corporate Governance Board on 14^th December and requested a draft of the Plan be circulated to Panel Members in advance of its publication. The Police and Crime Commissioner confirmed he was happy to share the draft plan.

The Chair thanked the PCC for the report.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the contents of the report be noted.

2.    That a copy of the draft Police and Crime Plan, being considered by the Corporate Governance Board on 14^th December be circulated to the Panel prior to its formal publication.

Members to receive a report intended to provide the Panel with an update on complaints relating to the Police and Crime Commissioner over the last 12 months.

Members will be asked to note the content of the reports.

The Panel considered the annual report on complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner, which intended to provide the Police and Crime Panel with an update on complaints relating to the Police and Crime Commissioner over the last 12 months.

The City Barrister clarified that the primary purpose of the report was to assure the Panel and public of the process for complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as note the engagement of the Police and Crime Commissioner in resolving any complaints made.

Members discussed possible options for a different report format to provide more narrative on the complaints, whilst balancing the need to retain anonymity. There was a general view that more detail would be of use to the Panel, such as any themes regarding the complaints, providing a summary of them and some detail about how they were dealt with. The City Barrister confirmed he would consider changes to the report for future versions. He also commented that he would engage with the new Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner about how best to take forward.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted, and the suggestions made be taken into account for future reports.

Members to receive a report which recommends revisions to the Constitution following review of it by the Monitoring Officer in accordance with the duty under Part 3 paragraph 115 to do so once per year.

Members will be asked to consider the revisions proposed, and either agree, amend or reject them.

Mehrunnisa Lalani and Keith Culverwell declared an ordinary disclosable interest in this item, as the report considered the level of allowance for Independent Members, but as neither were applying for the role again, the interest was not felt to be prejudicial, therefore they remained in the meeting.

The City Barrister, Kamal Adatia presented the report, which recommended a new rate of remuneration for future recruited Independent Members of the Panel. The proposed rate was to be aligned to the rate paid to other Independent Members who took roles at Leicester City Council, plus a 50% uplift to reflect the additional meetings of the role and to be consistent with other Police and Crime Panels.

In response to the proposed new rate, it was noted that the work of an Independent Member included more than just meeting attendance, but also considerable background reading and detailed research. It was further noted that those attracted to become Independent Members would be more motivated by an interest in the subject area and public service, rather than the remuneration. The proposed rate was generally felt to be acceptable.

Arising from the discussion on the remuneration, the Chairman commented that she would welcome further clarity about the Home Office grant which funded aspects of the Panel’s work. She therefore requested details be provided to a future meeting which looked at matters such as the amount of grant available, what it was used for and whether there was any unused funding which could be utilised for the improvement of the Panel.

The City Barrister referred to the Terms of Reference regarding handling Police and Crime Commissioner complaints and suggested technical changes to the procedure in referring criminal complaints to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC).

It was noted that whilst the power to deal with such complaints was vested in the Panel, referring such complaints to the IOPC could only be delegated to the Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, not the Monitoring Officer, which was currently the case. Therefore, a technical change was proposed.

A query was raised regarding who undertook the assessment about whether a complaint was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The City Barrister noted that whilst there existed national Guidance on IOPC referrals it was not primarily aimed at referrals about PCC conduct. There was a balance to be struck between establishing that a potential criminal allegation is made, versus not becoming embroiled in an investigative process. His own practice was to err on the side of caution and make referrals if the complaint asserts criminal misconduct, leaving it to the IOPC to lead.

The Panel thanked the City Barrister for the report.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the amended rate of the Independent Members Allowance be approved for future appointments.

2.    That the power of delegation to refer criminal complaints to the IOPC be amended to the Chief Executive Officer of the OPCC with immediate effect.

3.    That details of the Home Office grant be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

Below are the dates of future meetings of the LLR Police and Crime Panel:

·         Weds 2^nd February 2022 at 1pm               Pre Cept meeting

·         Mon 14^th February 2022 at 1pm                if veto used and pre cept to be reconsidered

·         Mon 4^th April 2022 at 1pm                          ordinary meeting

·         Mon 20^th June 2022 at 1pm                       AGM

·         Weds 27^th July 2022 at 1pm                      ordinary meeting

·         Mon 26^th September 2022 at 1pm            ordinary meeting

·         Weds 14^th December 2022 at 1pm           ordinary meeting

All meetings to commence at 1pm unless notified otherwise. Meetings will take place either at City Hall, Leicester or County Hall, Glenfield and will be notified in due course.

Details of member pre-meetings and Chair/PCC pre-meetings will be circulated separately and will continue to be held virtually using MS Teams.

The Chairman noted that the next meeting of the Panel was due to take place Wednesday 2^nd February 2022 at 1pm, to consider the precept, which if it was vetoed, would mean a further meeting to be held on Monday 14^th February. Venues for future meetings would be notified in due course.

The Chairman has agreed to take the following item as urgent business:

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Panel Work Programme 2021

The Chairman agreed to consider the Work Programme as an item of urgent business as it was missed off the original agenda.

Members to note the ongoing work programme.