PRESENT: Councillors John Story (Vice-Chair & Acting Chairman), John Bowden, Gary Muir (sub for Hashim Bhatti) and Shamsul Shelim (sub for Hari Sharma).

Also Present: Councillors Colin Rayner, Samantha Rayner, and Marion Mills. Superintendent Kate Ford (Thames Valley Police), Chief Constable Francis Habgood (Thames Valley Police), Parish Councillor Pat McDonald (White Waltham Parish Council) and Parish Councillor Spike Humphrey (Sunninghill & Ascot).

Officers: Claire Gomm, Tanya Leftwich, Brian Martin, Craig Miller and Michaela Rizou.

TRIBUTE

The Acting Chairman, Councillor John Story, paid tribute to award-winning Royal Borough community warden, Ben Page, after his sudden death. It was noted that the 32-year-old was one of the borough’s longest-serving community wardens and covered the area of Ascot, Sunningdale and Sunninghill. The Chairman stated that Ben would be greatly missed at the Royal Borough and passed his condolences to his family, which was echoed by the Panel.


APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received from Councillors David Hilton, Lisa Targowska, Hari Sharma, Hashim Bhatti and Simon Werner.


DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None.


ITEMS

i) Annual presentation by the Chief Constable Francis Habgood

The Acting Chairman welcomed the new Chief Constable, Francis Habgood, and Superintendent Kate Ford to the meeting and invited the Chief Constable to address the meeting.

The meeting commenced with a presentation to the Panel by the Chief Constable Francis Habgood. The Chief Constable informed the Members that an annual assessment (PEEL Programme) of police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy took place annually and that the first assessment had been published on 27 November 2014. It was noted that this assessment drew together evidence from force inspections so that the public could judge the performance of their force and policing as a whole. Members were informed that thematic inspections would continue to be used to complement and contribute to the PEEL assessment. Members noted the next set of results would be published in February 2016.

The Chief Constable explained that:

• The force had low overall crime levels and maintained high levels of victim satisfaction (89%), they had a good understanding of local priorities and targeted resources at fighting crimes that mattered most for local people and put extra staff in frontline roles and specialist teams investigating crimes such as child sexual exploitation and on-line grooming in spite of financial austerity.
• That the Thames Valley were on track to achieve its required savings of £58.9m over the spending review period, and were on track to meet its further financial challenge in 2015/16.
• The force was acting to achieve fairness and legitimacy in most of the practices that were examined. It was noted that the chief officer team provided strong leadership and their ethical stance was recognised across the force. Members were informed that the force was committed to embracing the Code of Ethics and that the process for identifying and addressing the risks posed by misconduct, unprofessional behaviour and corruption were effective.

The Chief Constable outlined the Police Delivery Plan Strategic Objectives 2015/16 which were as follows:

• To cut crimes that were of most concern to the community.
• To increase the visible presence of the police.
• To protect the communities from the most serious harm.
• To improve communication with the use of technology to build community confidence and cut crime.
• To increase the professionalism and capability of our people.
• To reduce costs and protect the frontline.

The Chief Constable explained that with regard to cutting crimes that were of most concern to the community (objective 1) the performance figures for 01 April – 10 September 2015 compared to the previous year were:

• Reducing crime – violence against the person (RBMW 11.4% & Thames Valley 10.6%)
• Reducing crime – burglary dwelling (RBMW -8.7% & Thames Valley -21.3%)
• Detecting crime – burglary dwelling (RBMW 11.9% & Thames Valley 19.3%)
• Detecting crime – violence against the person with injury (RBMW 45.2% & Thames Valley 46.8%)
• Detecting crime – rape offences (RBWM 29.8% & Thames Valley 21.9%)

It was noted that crime (dwelling burglary, violence against person and all other crime) was reducing year on year.

The Chief Constable explained to Members that the Delivery Plan Aims for 2015/16 were to reduce domestic burglary and increase the volume of rape investigation which resulted in prosecution, increase the percentage of rape prosecution files submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service assessed as trial ready, increase the volume of domestic abuse investigation which resulted in charge or caution and to increase the percentage of violence with injury (excluding domestic abuse) prosecution files submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service assessed as trial ready.

Members were informed that the Diagnostic Indicators for 2015/16 were to monitor the repeat victimisation rate for domestic abuse related violent crime, to monitor the proportion of domestic abuse investigations and rape investigations which did not result in a prosecution, monitor levels of victim satisfaction, rural crime (based on NFU insurance claims) and dwelling burglaries / levels of violence at the CSP and force level.

The Chief Constable explained that with regard to increasing the visible presence of the police (objective 2) the number of Special Constables was 567 with 125,254 hours operational policing in 2015 with 4,308 hours in Windsor and Maidenhead. It was noted that the Police provided support to Major Crime investigations, maintained public order at local regattas and festivals, provided visible presence to night time economy operations and visited licensed premises, conducted force-wide operations to execute arrest warrants, set up a new rural team in South Oxfordshire and the Vale and had 19 Cadets in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Members were informed that with regard to increasing the visible presence of the police the force had put in place a Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat signed by 22 national bodies, had in the last twelve months detained 11,181 people under S136 of the Mental Health Act (a reduction of 6.3%) – 67 of those were detained in Windsor and Maidenhead (a reduction of 18.3%) and had launched Street Triage pilots in Berks West, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

The Chief Constable explained that with regard to protecting our communities from the most serious harm (objective 3) a significant issue for the TVP was tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE). It was noted that the TVP had:

• A comprehensive CSE action plan including awareness-raising and training.
• Invested over £3.5m in dedicated resources since 2011.
• MASH in Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough and Aylesbury.
• 190 cases under investigation Force-wide in June 2015.
• In 2014 – 250 referrals and 39 abduction notices in Berkshire.
• Berkshire Local Authorities had met to identify how they could work together.
• Police due to be co-located in Windsor and Maidenhead’s MASH arrangements.

Members were informed that with regard to Organised Crime Groups there were:

• 153 organised crime groups mapped within the Thames Valley with 61 currently active.
• 59 disrupted in 2013/14, 37 in the last financial year.
• National Cyber Crime Unit Officers within the Regional Organised Crime Unit.
• Operation Litmus in Windsor and Maidenhead – an OCG involved in serious acquisitive crime and the illegal use of drugs. Two members sentenced to four years imprisonment for burglary and two remanded in custody – one pleaded guilty to burglary and the other was charged with two burglaries, theft from vehicles and shopliftings.

The Chief Constable explained that with regard to improving communications and the use of technology to build community confidence and cut crime (objective 4) the following was in place:

Social Media

• Targeted communications to inform the public about crimes in their neighbourhood, witness appeals and crime reduction advice.
• Provided information / reassurance to the public during large events (search for Jed Allen in May – 4 million, EDL marches and the Reading Festival).
• Thames Valley Alert – 93,256 people were signed up.
• 174, 076 Twitter followers.
• 10,473 Country Watch followers.
• 43,508 Facebook followers’.
• 705,287 YouTube viewings.

Members were informed that with regard to improving communications and the use of technology to build community confidence and cut crime one IT system to link crime, intelligence and missing persons had been in place from April 2015, a shared network services agreement equated to 20% savings, 15 body warn video cameras in Windsor and 15 in Maidenhead with eight docking stations, a pilot was taking place to enable officers / staff to give evidence remotely without having to attend court in person and new technology was being piloted to enable effective working away from police stations.

The Chief Constable explained that with regard to increasing professionalism and capability of the Police (objective 5) the TVP had a code of ethics which:

• Defined the principles and standards of acceptable behaviour expected.
• Became statutory Code of Practice on 15 July 2014.
• Was applicable to all police officers and police staff.
• Provided a framework to maintain the highest possible standards to uphold the reputation and legitimacy of the Police.
• Action plan to embed the Code included Ethical Leadership Conferences in Spring 2015 and Professional Decision Making training from May 2015.
• Misconduct hearings could be held in public from 1 May 2015.

The Chief Constable explained to Members that with regard to reducing costs and protecting the frontline (objective 6) the Force Strategy Group had in September 2014 agreed to adopt Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) and that its methodology would be used as far as possible within existing productivity work streams. It was noted that the PBB review of the force was to be carried out by September 2015 and opportunities would be explored to work with other partners or stakeholders to support the process.

The Chief Constable went onto explain to Members that with regard to reducing costs and protecting the frontline the Government Funding had £382.6m available in 2015/16. It was noted that overall percentage reduction would equate to -5% since 2010/11.

The Chief Constable concluded by informing Members that whilst he did not know what the budget would look like over the next four years he did know that cuts would have to be made. It was noted that the TVP were continuing to plan as carefully as possible for future budget savings.

(Full copies of the Chief Constable’s presentation are available on request – please contact Tanya Leftwich in Democratic Services).

The Chief Constable responded to a number of questions which had been submitted in advance of the meeting from Members:

Acting Chairman Councillor John Story asked the Chief Constable if RBWM residents who were victims of a burglary or an attempted burglary should always expect a police officer to come to their home to carry out an investigation. The Chief Constable responded by answering yes. It was noted that a press headline a few weeks ago had been reported incorrectly and assured the Panel that the Police expected to get to domestic burglaries within the hour, unless not convenient to the victim. It was noted that not all crimes were reported within 24 hours of them taking place.

Acting Chairman Councillor John Story asked the Chief Constable what more could be done to assist the Police in bringing prosecutions for offences relating to child sexual exploitation in the RBWM area. The Chief Constable responded by explaining that victims of child sexual exploitation often did not recognise themselves as victims and that an awful lot of work had to be done to support and give victims confidence to get through the process. The Chief Constable stated that everyone should not be complacent, that we must all work together to recognise the signs of child sexual exploitation and refer victims to statutory organisations. It was noted that the Police had done a lot of work with the Crown Prosecution Service both at national and local level.

Councillor Colin Rayner asked the Chief Constable to confirm the number of crimes he believed to have been rural and how many have been arrested / sent to prison for any crimes in the Thames Valley? The Chief Constable responded by explaining that the Police had changed over their crime recording system over the last year and as a result was only able to provide figures for April - August 2014 which had resulted in 12 cases. It was noted that since them there had been 20 cases of rural crime in the Royal Borough. Members were informed that the Police believed rural crime to be under reported and that they needed to build confidence levels so people came forward to report crimes. The Chief Constable informed the Panel that he did not have data on the number of prosecutions that had been made although he was able to say that the campaign had been a success.

Councillor Colin Rayner asked the Chief Constable a third question which was whether incidents could be reported on-line in order to be able to share information between areas. The Chief Constable responded by explaining that this was something that could already be done now although it was not publicised as the system was hoping to be improved by 2016.

Councillor David Hilton who had been unable to attend the meeting had submitted in writing a question to the Chief Constable which was as follows:

“The Home Secretary stated that, national targets, key performance indicators and reams of unnecessary bureaucracy have been stripped away and that this has saved much police time. Is this the experience on the ground and how has this contributed to reducing the cost of policing?” The Chief Constable responded by explaining that regarding national targets the need was to set local priorities at local and national levels and that this was now much better than it had been a few years ago. The Chief Constable went onto explain that with regard to bureaucracy and streamlining he had undertaken a piece of work called the journey to streamline the process and that work was being done at a national level to reduce the forms used by the force. It was noted that the Police were also streamlining a number of policies and that Chief Constable believed that the use of technology would result in the biggest change especially through the criminal process.

The second question Councillor David Hilton had submitted in writing a question to the Chief Constable was as follows:
“In my capacity of Chairman of the Crime Overview & Scrutiny Panel I have spent time with Officers and saw firsthand how officers can spend hours caring for people who are upset, disorientated and potentially with mental health issues. The ambition is for police to reduce the amount of time they spend dealing with these people. How will that be achieved and assuming that this will be through wider partnership working are partners prepared to accept the cost?” The Chief Constable responded by explaining that by the Police and Ambulance Service working together they could reduce levels for each other. It was noted that currently if someone with mental health issues was arrested the Police would have to call specific services into their custody areas which in turn incurred big costs. The Chief Constable explained that a longer term process was needed in order for the Police to protect the public and provide a value for money.

The Acting Chairman then opened up the meeting to people who wanted to ask questions that had not been submitted in advance of the meeting, to which the Chief Constable had agreed. The following was noted:

Councillor John Bowden informed the Chief Constable that he had been a resident in the Royal Borough for 19 years and that he had heard via the Neighbourhood Watch alerts that Chief Inspector Lee Townsend was retiring. The Chief Constable responded by confirming this was the case but assured Councillor Bowden that Inspector Emily Roberts would be the new acting Neighbourhood Inspector. It was note that Inspector Emily Roberts former role would be covered by Acting Sergeant Jo Buckley and that Sergeant Joe Buckley’s former role would be covered by Acting Sergeant Emily Evans.

Councillor John Bowden asked the Chief Constable what the plans were with regard to the Windsor Police Station. The Chief Constable responded by stating that the Windsor Police Station was still there and open and that the Police wanted to retain a Police Station in the centre of Windsor. It was noted that whilst less car parking would be available at the new premise less staff would be moving across. Members were informed that the Police would like to move to the new premise sooner rather than later due to the age of the boiler, etc.

Councillor Samantha Rayner asked whether frontline resources had been increased. Superintendent Kate Ford explained that the number of PCSOs had increased and that the patrol numbers were in a healthy position (ambition was to have 15 per team).

Councillor Samantha Rayner asked whether there were any plans to increase the number of frontline staff in the future. The Chief Constable responded by stating that there were currently no future plans to increase numbers on the frontline.

Councillor John Bowden asked the Chief Constable whether fraud crimes were reported to the Royal Borough or to a central office. The Chief Constable responded by explaining that all were reported to a central unit and distributed accordingly to specific areas. Superintendent Kate Ford confirmed that the Royal Borough had experienced a high level of courier fraud which the Police had done a lot of work around.

Acting Chairman Councillor John Story asked whether it was true that Superintendent Kate Ford was retiring next February. The Chief Constable responded by saying that whilst he was delighted for Superintendent Kate Ford she would be a great loss to the force. It was noted that the Chief Constable hoped to appoint a full-time Superintendent as soon as possible. Superintendent Kate Ford explained that next February would be her 30 years service but that she would be physically finishing her role this October. The Acting Chairman congratulated Superintendent Kate Ford on her distinguished career, thanked her on behalf of the Panel and wished her well.

The Chairman thanked the Chief Constable and Superintendent Kate Ford for attending the Panel and answering all the questions asked, which Members echoed.

iii) Date of next meeting

Members noted that the next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 22 September 2015 (5pm in Desborough 2/3, Town Hall, Maidenhead).

iv) Meeting

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting.

The meeting, which opened at 6.00pm, closed at 7.00pm.