Agenda item

Members to receive a report to provide the panel with an update on the activities undertaken by the Commissioner, his deputy and OPCC in relation to the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan and the Commissioner’s statutory duties covering the period March - June 2023.

Also included is a report to provide an update on People Zones to the Police & Crime Panel on activity and progress since the last report on 14/12/2022.

The Panel received a report to provide an update on the activities undertaken by the Commissioner, his deputy and OPCC in relation to the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan and the Commissioner’s statutory duties covering the period March - June 2023. Also included was a report on People Zones.

The PCC presented the report, it was noted that:

·         Several workshops had been held to help voluntary organizations with writing successful funding bids which didn’t fall on technical grounds. These workshops had been very well subscribed, therefore further workshops would be held.

·         The recently established Ethics and Transparency Panel had begun to hold regular meetings and were now looking at a wide range of important issues within the Force with an aim to improve public trust.

·         The Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) was now chaired by the Chief Constable. However, the OPCC was continuing to attend and administer the LCJB.

Members of the Panel were requested to give their views on the formatting and information included within the report so any changes could be made. Panel Members welcomed the concise information and headline views of the report. It was requested that the report also include data on PCC visits, including the specific location of the visits with a map and how they were initiated. It was noted that a map of visits would be included in the PCCs Annual Report. 

There was extended discussion between Panel Members, OPCC Officers, and the PCC on the issue of the Chief Constable chairing the LCJB. The PCC stated that the Chief Constable had suggested that as he was Chair of the National Police Chiefs Council that it would be appropriate for him to Chair the local portfolio as national and local work could be linked together, this had been sounded out with partners within the organisation who had seen the logic for the change. The Chairing arrangements were subject to review, this would involve consulting with the other bodies on the LCJB.

It was noted that the majority of LCJBs across the country were Chaired by PCCs. Concerns were raised that this dual role of Chief Constable and Chair of the LCJB presented a conflict of interest. The PCC stated that this issue had been reviewed when the change was suggested and that no potential conflict of interest was found. It was noted that previously Chief Constables had Chaired LCJBs when there was a more regional structure and that this had only changed with the introduction of PCCs. It was noted that the OPCC still had independent oversight of the data going to the LCJB and that the work of the LCJB was scrutinised at the Corporate Governance Board.

It was noted that national guidance suggested that an amendment would soon be made to give LCJBs a statutory footing and mandate that the PCC acted as Chair. The PCC stated that if that was mandated then the LCJB would comply.

It was noted that the Assistant Chief Constable was the Deputy-Chair of the LCJB, suggesting that this was more just than about the individual regarding Chairing arrangements.

In response to these concerns certain Panel Members spoke in favor of the change noting that national expertise being brought into the LCJB was positive.

An update on People Zones was requested, it was noted that these Zones were put in place in specific areas of high deprivation and high crime rates, representatives from different agencies and groups in the area would be brought together to cooperate to improve the area. Some funding was available as part of this for voluntary groups. There were currently 3 active Zones and these were working well. The next steps were to scale back OPCC support to allow the Zones to be run independently and use the resources to establish new Zones. Work was now ongoing to identify areas which fit the profile for a Zone. Quantitative data on the impact of these Zones would be reported on in future however a lot of this work was focused on a longer-term impact.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Panel notes the report.

2.    That the Panel requests that Members comments be noted by OPCC staff.

3.    That the Panel requests that the potential conflict of interest from the Chief Constable Chairing the LCJB be investigated.

4.    That the Panel requests that future reporting provide details of the location and reason for PCC visits.