Agenda and minutes

The Panel is asked to appoint a Chairman and Vice-Chairman for a period of

one year.

1.    The Panel proposed and seconded Brad Watson as Chairman of the Panel for the forthcoming year. The appointment was agreed by the Panel.

2.    Resolved – that Brad Watson is elected Chairman of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel for the ensuing year.

3.    The Chairman welcomed both new and returning members to the Panel and advised that if members required any advice or support on the work of the Panel to please contact Ninesh Edwards.

Election of Vice-Chairman

4.    The Panel proposed and seconded Bill Bentley as Vice-Chairman of the Panel for the forthcoming year. The appointment was agreed by the Panel.

5.    Resolved – that Bill Bentley is elected Vice-Chairman of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel for the ensuing year.

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personal interest in any business on the agenda. They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it. If in doubt contact Democratic Services, West Sussex County Council before the meeting.

6.      In accordance with the code of conduct members of the Panel declared the personal interests contained in the table below. Paragraph X also contains declarations of interest.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting on 24 April 2015

7.  Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel held on 24 April 2015 be confirmed as a correct record.

The Panel is required to undertake an annual review of proportionality to

take account of any changes to the political composition of constituent

authorities during the course of the previous year. The report

provides the latest political composition of local authorities in Sussex and a

calculation of proportionality of the Panel.

The Panel is also required to consider the appointment of those members of

the Panel with a one year term of office including independent co-opted

members, and one additional member from each of the two county councils

in Sussex to address any perceived imbalance in political proportionality.

8.  The Panel considered a report by the Clerk to the Panel which set out the political makeup of the Panel’s constituent authorities. The Panel was asked to: consider the reappointment of the two independent co-opted members; consider whether the two County Councils should be invited to make one additional appointment each to address the political balance of the Panel; and agree the party political affiliation of any additional members.

9.   Resolved – that the Panel agrees:

 1) To a Panel membership of 18 with two independent members.

 2) To renew the appointment of the two independent co-opted members for a period of one year;

3) The appointment of two additional local authority members from the County Councils for a period of a year; and

4) That the two additional County Council appointments should be made as follows: the additional member from West Sussex County Council should be drawn from the UKIP Group and the additional member from East Sussex County Council from the Liberal Democrat Group.

A total of up to 45 minutes will be allowed for questions from the public to

the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Panel.

Better responses can be provided when we receive advance notice of

questions. Therefore it would be helpful if questions could be submitted by

noon on 26 June to allow substantive answers to be provided. If you intend

asking a question of the Commissioner or the Panel under this section of the

agenda please can you contact Katherine De La Mora prior to the meeting by

calling 0330 22 22535 or email pcp@westsussex.gov.uk.

The questioner will be able to ask his/her question at the meeting, to which

the Commissioner will provide a verbal response. On hearing the response,

the questioner will have the opportunity to ask a supplementary question

(one further question, which must be on the same subject as the original

question). Supplementary questions, due to their nature, need not be

submitted in advance. Members of the Panel may be allowed to pose follow-up

questions, at the discretion of the Chairman. In the event that the

questioner is unable to attend the Chairman can ask the question on their

behalf.

Questions can be posed to the Commissioner or to the Panel.

Questions to the Commissioner:

• Should relate to the role of the Commissioner, (strategic/policy

issues), and not to operational matters or to individual grievances.

• Must not be defamatory, frivolous, vexatious or offensive

• Must not require the disclosure of confidential information

Questions to the Panel:

• Should relate to the role of the Panel (which is to hold the PCC to

account).

• Must not be defamatory, frivolous, vexatious or offensive

• Must not require the disclosure of confidential information

10.       The Chairman introduced the public question time which was an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions of the Panel and the Commissioner. No questions had been received prior to the meeting, and no members of the public attended to ask a question.

11.      The Chairman agreed to consider the possibility of receiving an officer report or setting up a small Working Group in the future to look at ways to publicise the work of the Police and Crime Panel and to consider how the Panel could carry out their role more effectively.  

The Police and Crime Panel is required to review the Commissioner’s annual

report. The Commissioner will outline the attached annual report which

provides an update on the performance against the priorities, objectives and

measures set out in the Police and Crime Plan for the period 1 April 2014 –

31 March 2015.

The Panel is asked to review, put questions to the Commissioner, and make

recommendations on the annual report if necessary. All recommendations

agreed by the Panel will be published in a report from the Chairman to the

Commissioner

12.     The Panel considered the Commissioner’s Annual Report which provided an update of the Commissioner performance against the priorities, objectives and measures as set out in the Police and Crime Plan for the period 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015.

13.    The Commissioner introduced the report, highlighting the aim to deliver an effective and efficient service across Sussex, within the recognised financial challenges. Sussex had a 55% overall reduction in recorded crime over the last ten years. A 7% increase in the reporting of crimes relating to domestic abuse, serious sexual offences anti-social behaviour and hate crimes was recorded over the last year due to the promotion and encouragement of reporting these types of crimes. The Commissioner also highlighted the work that had been completed under the four key objectives, including investment in frontline policing, safeguarding and tackling cyber-crime; the development of the victim services contact, the work of the Sussex Youth Commission and the Performance & Accountability meetings (PAMs) that the Commissioner held monthly to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of Sussex Police.

14.      The Panel raised the following issues with the Commissioner:

·         The Panel highlighted residents’ concerns in local policing and asked if PCSO levels would continue to be maintained as they had been in 2014/15. The Commissioner advised that Sussex Police were currently reviewing neighbourhood and local policing and would be able to provide details once the review was complete.

·         The Panel queried the 7% increase in reporting of certain crimes and asked what benchmarking had been done against other Police Forces who had also promoted improved reporting to seek assurance that the rise did not reflect and actual increase in crime. The Commissioner identified two areas that has affected the increase in crime reporting. Firstly a national report had indicated that 82% of crimes were being reported accurately by Sussex Police. As a result a lot of work had been carried out to improve recording of crimes, with crime integrity data now at 97%. Secondly, the reporting of these types of crimes (domestic abuse, serious sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and hate crimes) had been encouraged and were traditionally very underreported. The Panel asked for a breakdown of the increase of each of the different stands of crime identified.  

·         The Panel welcomed the achievements of the Commissioner, however they requested that information on areas that required improvement or further development were also included in future reports. The Commissioner highlighted the financial challenges that faced the police force and that the Local Policing Model would be implemented over the next 4-5 years to tackle this. The nature of crime was also changing, for example cyber-crime and online fraud, and the Sussex Police needed to look at how they flex to react to these changes. The Commissioner assured the Panel that the Chief Constable was clear on the key requirements for the Police; catching criminals and protecting the vulnerable. The Commissioner also highlighted that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) was carrying out an efficiency  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Host Authority is required to submit to the Panel an annual budget

report (attached) detailing income and expenditure of the Panel during the

previous year. The report also includes a summary of the main achievements

of the Panel over the last year.

The Panel is asked to consider and comment on the annual budget report.

18.     The Panel considered the annual report from the Clerk to the Police and Crime Panel which provided the annual budget report setting out the costs of the operation of the Panel over the course of the last year and a summary of the main achievements of the Panel. In addition the report asked the Panel to note the new mileage rate of 49.26p per mile and the requirement for the publication of Panel expenditure on the Police and Crime Panel website.

19.      The Chairman thanked the host authority for their work in supporting the Panel over the last year and East Sussex County Council for the use of their facilities.

20.     Resolved – that the panel:

          1. Notes the budget outturn for 2014/15

          2. Notes the new mileage rate of 49.26p per mile

          3. Notes the requirement for the publication of Panel expenditure on the
        Police and Crime Panel website

The Panel is asked to agree the attached Work Plan for 2015/16 and suggest any further topics to be added to the work programme as either agenda items or for the establishment of a Working Group.

21.      The Panel considered the Work Plan of the Panel for 2015/16. The Chairman invited the Panel to make any comments on the topics highlighted in the Work Programme and make suggestions on any further topics that should be considered by the Panel.

22.      The Panel raised the following points:

·         That the potential set up of a Working Group to look at the new policing model  should be included on the Work Programme for the Panel to consider at its meeting in January.

·         Suggested that the Panel receive a report on Road Safety with input from Sussex Police and local highways. The Chairman agreed to discuss with the Commissioner the best way to handle this topic.

·         Requested that the results of the HMIC report on efficiency (expected in September 2015) be added to the Work Plan as a potential agenda item for a future meeting.

23.      The Commissioner advised that a consultation had recently been published to explore how Police complaints were handled and she would welcome the support of the Panel to explore the best way forward, potentially through the establishment of a Working Group.

24.     The Panel agreed to add the complaints consultation to the Work Plan as a potential topic for a Working Group and also for a short agenda item to a future meeting.

25.      Resolved – That the Panel agreed the Work Plan, subject to the additions as set out in paragraphs 2.1 – 2.3 above.

26.      Claire Dowling left the meeting at 12.20pm.

The report provides the Panel with an overview of the activity the Police and Crime Commissioner is undertaking, in relation to tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE).

The Panel is asked to note and comment on the content of the report.

27.     The Panel considered a report by the Commissioner that provided an overview of the activity the Commissioner was undertaking in relation to tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE)

28.     Michael Jones declared a personal interest as a member of the Safer Crawley Partnership.

29.     The Chief Executive of the OSPCC introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

·         CSE was now a national Strategic Policing Requirement and was recognised as a very complex area including a large number of crimes and activities.

·         The Commissioner was in constant liaison with the Chief Constable to be briefed on the work being done by Sussex Police to understand the local problem profile and what action plan was being put in place.

·         Sussex Police were leading on an assessment of ‘what the picture looks like for Sussex’, recognising the importance of multi-agency working and with the intention of creating a new Pan-Sussex Safeguarding Structure.

·         Brighton and Hove was a pilot area for the ‘See Me, Hear Me’ initiatives.

30.      The Chairman recognised the serious and complex nature of the issue and confirmed that the Panel’s role would be to monitor the work of the Commissioner, whilst recognising that this was a much wider issue affecting multiple partners across the region.

31.     The Panel raised the following issues with the Commissioner:

·         Asked if the trust young people have in the police was an issue that affected the number of CSE related crimes that were reported and if any work would be undertaken to increase young people’s confidence in the police. The Commissioner confirmed that Brighton was one of three pilot areas for the See Me, Hear Me initiative that would be carried out over two years, look specifically at child exploitation. The work and evaluation were being underpinned by the University of Sussex to help create clear outcomes on best practice. Any learning would be disseminated across Sussex immediately through the Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse and Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Group. The Panel asked if the data from the pilot would distinguish between new and historic crimes. The Commissioner advised that the evaluation criteria would be set by the Office of Child Commissioner. The Chief Executive advised that in the last year approximately 4,000 crimes had been reported that linked to CSE. Of these, 40% had been reported within one month of occurring and 4% of the crimes were classed as historic  (having occurred up to 25 years ago).

·         Questioned whether the increased media coverage of CSE had resulted in a large number of historic cases being reported to Sussex Police and what impact this was having on resources. The Commissioner confirmed that part of the precept increase over the last two years had been used to increase funding in this area. A serious and Sexual Offence Unit had been established, constituting of 36 officers and the Commissioner would be constantly reviewing the resourcing in place to ensure it was adequate. The Panel welcomed the addition of the Sexual Offence Liaison Officers (SOLOs) and asked what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Panel is asked to consider the report of any complaints received since the previous meeting in April 2015 and the initial handling of complaints by the Monitoring Officer. The report also provides progress on those complaints previously reported to the Police and Crime Panel.

Four pieces of correspondence have been received since the last meeting of the Panel. None is considered to be a complaint against the Commissioner, as defined in the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2011.

34.        The Panel received and noted a report providing an update on complaints received in the last quarter and progress made on live complaints. No new complaints received by the Panel over the last quarter pertained to issues within the remit of the Panel.

Written questions may be submitted by members of the public up to two

weeks in advance of a meeting for which the Panel Chairman or

Commissioner will be invited to provide a response by noon of the day before

the meeting.

There have been two written questions received prior to this meeting of the

Panel. The questions to the Commissioner and the responses provided are

attached for the Panel to note.

Please can members ensure that any supplementary questions relate to the

subject matter of the written question.

35.          The Panel received and noted the schedule of written questions submitted prior to the meeting and responses from the Commissioner’s Office.

The Panel is asked to raise any issues or queries concerning crime and policing in Sussex with the Commissioner.

36.         The Panel welcomed the debate and topics that had been covered in the meeting and had no further questions for the Commissioner at the time.

The meeting ended at 1.20pm.