Agenda and minutes

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.

135.    In accordance with the code of conduct members of the Panel declared the personal interests contained in the table below.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting on

136.     The Panel noted that the response to the action arising from the last meeting around the work between Sussex Police and the Clinical Commissioning Groups had been circulated.

137.     Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel held on 23 January 2015 be confirmed as a correct record.

138.      The Chairman provided a verbal update on the status of the Working Groups currently set up by the Panel. The following points were raised:

·         The Target Operating Group (TOM) Working Group was originally set up to input into the development of the new Local Policing Model’. It was now apparent that the working group would provide more value looking at the implementation of the new plan and therefore it would be more suitable for it to convene in 2016 as work progresses.

·         The Commissioner has invited the Victims’ Services Working Group to broaden its remit to include scrutiny of the Commissioner’s work on Restorative Justice. The Working Group was also due to carry out a visit to the Victims Assessment and Referral Centre (VARC) in late May.

139.       The Panel raised the points below in the discussion that followed:

·         The monitoring and implementation of the Local Policing Model should be added to the Panel’s Forward Plan for January 2016 when a decision on whether it’s the appropriate time for the TOM working group to convene can be taken.

·         The attendance of representatives of the Commissioner at the Community Safety Partnership meetings was a valuable way for district-level concerns on the local policing model implementation to be raised.

·         The Panel was supportive of the visit to the VARC and agreed that the invitation should be extended to all Panel members. The Panel also agreed to extend the remit of the Victims’ Services Working Group to include Restorative Justice.

140.       Resolved – That the Panel notes the update on the working Groups.

141.       The Panel considered the response provided by the Commissioner following the Panel’s recommendations on the proposed precept made at its meeting on 23 January 2015.

142.        Resolved – That the Panel notes the response provided.

143.        Mr Bill Bentley left the meeting 11:00AM

144.        The Panel received a report from the Police and Crime Commissioner providing an update on the investment Sussex Police was making to introduce new mobile technology to increase efficiency.

The Chief Executive of the OSPCC highlighted the follow:

·         The new technology would provide the support required to Police Officers so that they could spend more time on the ground  with the public.

·         100 Samsun Galaxy Note 4 devices were currently being trialled by Police Officers. The trial was in an early stage, however it was expect that, if successful, the devices would be ready to be rolled out when the new Policing Model was implemented in 2016.

145.      Mr Peter Lamb joined the meeting at 11:05AM

146.      The Panel raised the points below in the discussion that followed:

·         The introduction of modern technology was a positive step for the Police Force; however the Panel questioned whether technology and connectivity were advanced enough for what was required by the Police Force to carry out their work. The Commissioner confirmed that connectivity work and the ability of being able to input data without being connected to the internet had been built in to the project.

·         The Panel asked if there were any legal implications in the use of digital technology, for example the validity of witness statements. The Chief Executive confirmed that there was a national programme to digitalise the Justice System and that this work was integrated into the Mobile Policing project. The Chief Constable of Sussex Police was the lead for the national Mobile Policing programme 'Digital First’

·         Sussex Police were working collaboratively with various other police forces, including Dorset Police on the project, and with all forces that use ‘Niche’ (a police data base system) on the Minerva Programme.

·         Work was being done in the pilot programme to ensure security was robust enough to minimise the risk of hacking into the new systems. The pilot was being undertaken slowly to ensure that security was sufficient and that police officers were able to easily access the systems.

·         A disaster recovery agreement was in place between Sussex and Surrey Police to provide a back-up system should there be a system failure.

147.       Resolved – That the Panel notes the report.

148.      The Panel considered a report by the Clerk to the Police and Crime Panel outlining the performance data for call handling as reviewed by the Panel in June 2014. The Police and Crime Commissioner provided a verbal update to the Panel on the performance levels since the last report. The following points were highlighted:

·         In 2013/14 the percentage of calls being answered within 60 seconds was 57%. The public frustration in the wait times has been raised several times with the Chief Constable to challenge the performance levels.

·         In 2014/15 the percentage of calls being answered within 60 seconds had rises to 61% with an incremental improvement over the last 5 months, including 84% in March 2015 with an average wait time of 36 seconds (compared to 2 minutes in 2013/14).

·         A single site call centre based in Lewes went live in November 2014 and 50 new call handlers had been recruited which had contributed to the improvement of results.

·         The Commissioner thanked staff for the large amount of work that had been done to improve performance.

·         These calls were not related to emergency 999 calls.

149.       The Panel raised the points below in the discussion that followed:

·         The Panel were very pleased with the improved results and requested a copy of the 2014/15 performance report.

·         The Panel asked if the time for callers to select options was included in the response time. The Commissioner agreed to investigate and come back to the Panel to confirm.

·         The Panel members who had visited the call centre were very impressed with the operation and thanked staff for the progress they had made.

·         A contract was set up with Surrey Police for disaster recovery should the call centre software fail.

·         A resolution centre was being established to help sign post individuals which would, along with the Mobile Policing work, reduce demand on the 101 service.

·         Sussex Police had seen an increase of crime reporting online (12-14% of all crimes were now reported online) and this was a key part of the Sussex Police Strategies.

150.      Resolved – That the Panel notes and welcomes the updated call handling performance figures.

151.      The Panel received a verbal update from the Police and Crime Commissioner on the creation of the Sussex Elders’ Commission. The following points were highlighted:

·         The vulnerability of the elderly and the increase in the elderly population had been recognised and therefore the Sussex Elder’s Commission was launched a month ago.

·         The Commission was made up of 30 individuals over the age of 60 from across Sussex.

·         The members of the Commission were currently consulting with their local communities to establish the key priorities that the Commission would focus on over the next year.

152.       The Panel asked what the selection process was for the members of the Commission and the age spread. The Commissioner advised that Local Authorities and Senior Citizen Organisations were contact to encourage applications. CVs were subsequently submitted and telephone interviews were held. The membership represented a good age spread of between 60and 84 years of age.

153.      The Panel highlighted the importance of partnership working and the need to make the whole community aware of the issues of the elderly community, and asked the Commissioner how issues would be fed back locally. The Commissioner agreed of the importance of partnership working and would include this on the plan for the Elders’ Commission to discuss.

154.       Resolved – The Panel notes and welcomes the creation of the Sussex Elders Commission.

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

156.        The Panel received the schedule of written questions submitted prior to the meeting and the responses from the Commissioner’s Office. One question had been considered to be operation in nature and a response would be published within the minutes.

157.         In relation to the question regarding the reduction in Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), a member of the Panel raised concern on the impact this would have on local communities. The Commissioner advised that this was a five-year plan and so changes would not be immediate. Sussex Police would continue to work with the Local Authorities and other partners to monitor and scrutinise how the new Policing Model was implemented.    

158.        A member of the Panel sought assurance from the Commissioner that following the upcoming election, Sussex Police would continue to lobby the new Government for further resources for Sussex Police. The Commissioner confirmed that they would continue to work to ensure the public were represented at every level.

159.         The Panel highlighted the importance of the channel shift to mobile/online working and recognised its importance in reducing the demand for the 101 service and the Police Force. The Commissioner confirmed that the Resolution Centre implementation and Mobile Policing work would be key to this work. The Panel agreed that this could be considered in January 2016 when members consider the Local Policing Model and the potential establishment of the TOM working group.

160.       The Commissioner was asked about changes to neighbourhood policing in the new Local Policing Model and if using them to backfill other areas would result in fewer police officers on the front line. The Commissioner confirmed that no response officers would be taken out and that she would continue to monitor where police were put.

The meeting ended at 12:05PM

Chairman.