URL: https://westmorlandandfurness.moderngov.co.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=127

Decision Maker: Police, Fire and Crime Panel

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Purpose:

Content: David Allen, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner gave a verbal update on the direction of the Police and Fire Rescue Service National Policy following the General Election.   The pledges outlined in the Labour Manifesto relating to policing and fire are the areas that Cumbria had been focusing on – serious violence, antisocial behaviour and violence against women and girls.   His own manifesto had also included elements around these priority areas for Cumbria. Labour’s first step for change from a Police, Fire and Crime perspective was the ‘crack down on antisocial behaviour’ in which they had committed to more neighbourhood policing, tougher new penalties for offenders and a new network of youth hubs.   There was work ongoing in line with the national expectation to tackle antisocial behaviour. His Office was delivering a hot spot policing approach across Cumbria, and the Constabulary under Operation Enhance was providing dedicated patrols in hotspot areas to tackle antisocial behaviour.  That was being accompanied by a problem orientated policing response to consider a preventive approach to antisocial behaviour. He was working with the Chief Constable to shape how the number of Community Beat Officers could be increased across the County. During his election campaign he had made a commitment to the people of Cumbria to increase police visibility. Labour had pledged to introduce a range of tough new penalties for offenders to help the police better respond to crime.  These included the introduction of a new Respect Order - powers to ban persistent adult offenders from town centres; a specific offence for assaults on shop workers, and a new criminal offence for spiking. Labour had also made a commitment to introduce a new network of youth hubs that would have youth workers, mental health support workers and careers advisers on hand to support young people’s mental health and avoid them being drawn into crime. His Office would work with key partners to review the national guidance when it was provided. Through the serious violence duty funding, he was working with the youth justice services to extend the national Turnaround Programme to identify and prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system.  The Turnaround Programme worked with young people on the cusp of offending. The additional funding provided enabled the Turnaround Intervention to be begin at a much earlier stage.  That provided dedicated support and interventions for young people.   The Labour Party Manifesto also had outlined other pledges to ‘take back our streets. Funding to support the serious violence duty was challenged through his Office.  The Office were working with all responsible authorities to the duty, which included policing and fire, to tackle serious violence identified across communities via a strategic needs assessment which was updated annually. Through his internal governance and accountability processes, he was holding the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer to account for their delivery of this duty. Labour had committed to introduce Martyn’s Law to strengthen the security of public events and venues.  As chair of the CONTEST Board for the County, he would ensure the introduction of Martyn’s Law in Cumbria, in conjunction with partner agencies. The Constabulary was currently undertaking a full analysis of knife incidents across the County to identify the areas of need and would work with the Chief Constable. Through his Office he commissioned a number of services to support women and girls who had been a victim of violence to help them cope and recover.  He also supported men and boys who fell under the definition of VAWG via a Men’s Centre. The Women Centres also worked with female offenders to address their offending behaviour and the vulnerabilities behind their offending to assist transition back into their community. He had commissioned a Violence Against Women and Girls Independent Scrutiny Panel which was chaired and attended by the volunteer members of Cumbria Victims Charitable and representatives from the Constabulary and his Office.  The Panel provided constructive, independent scrutiny at both an organisational and individual level to promote best practice, identify potential policy or staff development needs, and more effective working practices. He would be working with the Chief Constable to shape a VAWG Strategy and would be lobbying Government for funding opportunities to support that Strategy. He would continue to monitor the impact of the Probation Reset Programme through the Safer Cumbria Partnership.  That Programme was a revised way of working for the Probation Service where the majority of their input was in the first two thirds of their licence. Again, he would and his Office work with key partners to review any national guidance in relation to prison capacity. To help put victims first, a countywide process for antisocial behaviour case reviews had been introduced, ensuring all victims of persistent antisocial behaviour had a route to raise concerns if they considered that antisocial behaviour had not been dealt with appropriately by the relevant authority, including the Police and Fire. In Cumbria, the Constabulary and CPS had been working collaborating to provide a targeted approach to rape and sexual offence cases.  The impact of that would be monitored through the Safer Cumbria Partnership, as the Local Criminal Justice Board for Cumbria. He was chair of the Combatting Drugs Partnership for Cumbria and the senior responsible officer.  Through that partnership work would continue to minimise the associated impact of drug use across the county. Any new national directives relating to drugs would be managed through that established partnership. As part of his internal governance arrangements, his Office managed a Commissioning Group, attended by senior managers and Chief Officers in the Constabulary.  The group would work together to identify interventions / partnership working to deliver that pledge. Cllr Johnson asked the Commissioner whether he knew how many additional police officers Cumbria were getting and when. He also asked whether there had been any significant changes to Fire and Rescue. David Allen the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner commented that the Government had committed to 13k of which 10k were new and 3k were from the former Conservative Governments programme.  The 10k would be frontline officers and staff which would be funded by savings from procurement and other matters.  No funding formula had been determined at the present time.  Regarding the question in respect of the Fire and Rescue Service there had been no changes outlined.  The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners had written to the Home Secretary asking that flooding and other rescue service type work be included on a statutory footing and that funding be provided. Cllr Battye stated that she was pleased to hear what the Government was going to reinvest in Youth Work.  She asked that the Constabulary work with local councils on youth issues.  In response the Commissioner stated that he was keen to work with local authorities.   Cllr C McCarron-Holmes asked whether the Commissioner had access to multi-agency working should a similar incident happen to what had just occurred in Leeds.  She also asked whether there was any sign of improving social worker out of hours attending with the Police on sectioning cases.  The Commissioner gave an example of excellent multi-agency working at Appleby Fair and Mrs G Shearer, Chief Executive, Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner agreed to take the matter away and come back with an update regarding sectioning.   Cllr Derbyshire asked whether the Commissioner was going to encourage the Police and Fire Service to continue to work closely with Parish Councils. The Commissioner commented that his office does work with Parish Councils and that he had meet already a number of Parish Councils in the County.  The Neighbourhood Policing Teams would work with the community but that would be subject to the demands on their time.  He was also working with the Chief Constable currently for the Neighbourhood Policing Teams to attend Parish Council meetings at least once in a calendar year.   The Vice Chair asked Cllr Derbyshire to share what had been done in those parishes regarding the 20mph speed limits.   He also asked the Commissioner whether the Constabulary currently complied with the commitment by the Government that each force would have a dedicated Rape Team.  He also mentioned that an Inspectorate report had been published on Tuesday and asked the Commissioner how he was working with the police on the outcomes of the report. Linked to that report was a press article regarding a survey around staff morale?  The Commissioner commented that low staff morale was to do with the national pay settlements and lack of support from the previous Government.   The Commissioner agreed to bring back details to a future meeting of the approach the Constabulary would take regarding a dedicated Rape Team and also a top level action plan agreed with the Chief Constable regarding the Inspectorate report.  

Date of Decision: July 25, 2024