Agenda and minutes

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, in the absence of the Chair (at the start of the meeting) and the Vice-Chair, that Councillor Rob Summons chair the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors John Prosser and Ken Howell (Carmarthenshire County Council), Councillor Keith Evans (Ceredigion County Council) and Professor Ian Roffe.

There were no declarations of personal interest made at the meeting.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Pane held on the 25^th January 2019 be signed as a correct record.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Pane held on the 15^th February 2019 be signed as a correct record.

25^th January 2019 - Minute 4.2. – Agenda Item, Question to the Panel by A.T., Carmarthenshire

In response to a query on increasing independent membership, the Legal Services Manager advised that a third independent member could be recruited as part of the recruitment process of independent members for next year. The Panel noted that recruitment of a third independent member was subject to approval from the Home Office.

The Chair advised that no question from Panel Members to the Commissioner had been received.

The Chair advised that no question from members of the public had been received.

The Panel considered a report on drug-related offences. The Commissioner advised that this was the second Deep Dive report provided by his office and that reports on further issues of importance to the public were planned for the future. A letter from the Chief Constable which responded to the report was circulated to Panel Members at the meeting.

The Commissioner advised that the findings of the report were generally positive but suggested improvements could be made regarding engagement with partner organisations and the implementation of the Pathfinders scheme and two-tier out of court disposals. The report further recommended reviewing the potential impact of Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs) on communities in Dyfed-Powys.

In response to a query on the number of drug-related deaths, the Commissioner advised that figures were comparatively high in Wales including in areas like Carmarthenshire, however figures were subject to considerable fluctuation in the Dyfed-Powys area. He further advised that there was evidence that DCRs could significantly reduce drug-related harm. The Chief of Staff advised that while figures on p. 33 [11] of the report were representative for England and Wales, the Commissioner’s office would look into more specific data for the Dyfed-Powys area.

In response to a query regarding the effectiveness of substance misuse treatment, the Commissioner advised that the outcomes of these services needed to be monitored on a long-term basis. He stated that, while the Force’s strategy regarding drug trafficking was sound, they were lobbying the Welsh Government and the Home Office on adopting a more health-focussed perspective in their substance misuse strategy. The Commissioner further advised that, although his office was not directly funding counselling services, it was contributing to the wider support network and Officers were regularly engaging with representatives of Hywel Dda Health Board at the quarterly Area Planning Board (APB) meetings.

In response to a query regarding the timeline and resources for a Stop and Search mentor scheme, the Commissioner advised that discussions were still at an early stage but further details could be provided to the Panel in autumn.

On the topic of drug consumption rooms, the Commissioner advised that the Policing Board in Wales provided opportunities to engage with the Welsh Government.

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that cross-border working between England and Wales was supported by healthy and well-established intelligence links.

In response to a query on public engagement, the Commissioner advised that intelligence links with local communities were crucial however the information provided was sometimes lacking in detail and could therefore not be acted upon. Initiatives to support local intelligence links included collaboration with Crimestoppers, a free phone number and the Fearless Campaign, which encouraged young people to provide information anonymously. The Commissioner further advised that the issue would be addressed in the next Deep Dive review.

In response to a query on substance misuse services, the Commissioner advised that the landscape of different service providers was complex. He suggested that a review of the Welsh Government’s substance misuse strategy from a health  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Panel considered a report on fraud and cybercrime, which had been provided by the Commissioner at the Panel’s request. The Commissioner advised that an HMRC review of the operational response to fraud on a national level had identified shortcomings regarding victim support and fraud investigation. He suggested that Dyfed-Powys Police, however, was at the forefront of identifying and investigating the issue. The Commissioner advised that he had provided additional support to the financial crime and cybercrime team during his time in office, including funding for the Operation Signature Safeguarding Officer. A number of partnership initiatives had taken place, including the annual St David’s Day Conference under the theme of fraud and cybercrime, two Safeguarding & Businesses events, and there was a Cybercrime Champion in every policing team. In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that the Force was collaborating with Trading Standards through Community Safety Partnerships and an additional investment to support collaboration at this level would be announced shortly.

In response to a query on victim support, the Commissioner advised that the Force had procedures in place to assess the vulnerability of fraud and cybercrime victims at the first point of contacts before they were redirected to Action Fraud.

In response to a question, the Commissioner advised that he would be happy to coordinate opportunities for Councillors to engage with Police Community Support Officers.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Panel received, for information, a report detailing the decisions made by the Commissioner for the period 16^th January – 26^th April 2019.

With regard to the fact that several decisions in the report were dated 12^th April, the Commissioner advised that these decision had been made over a period of time and the date merely represented when the decision log had been signed.

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that details regarding the Community Fund for 2019 were available on his website and would be circulated to the Panel and County Councillors.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.

The Panel considered the Draft Panel Annual Report for 2018-19. The Panel had resolved in 2018 to publish annual reports setting out its activities during the preceding year and aims and objectives for the following year.

The draft report detailed:

-       Any changes to Panel membership;

-       Activities undertaken  during the year;

-       Any complaints against the Commissioner that have been dealt with;

-       The Panel’s performance against its objectives for 2018-19;

-       The Panel’s proposed objectives for 2019-20.

The Panel thanked the Legal Services Manager for his work. With regard to Item 4 of the report (Review of the year) it was suggested that additional information could be provided to assist people with limited IT skills.

In response to a query, the Legal Services Manager advised that the report would be circulated both electronically and as a hard copy.

It was suggested that the report could make reference to staff members from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner who were attending Panel meetings on a regular basis.

In response to a query on CCTV, the Commissioner advised that the rollout was 90% complete and monitoring staff would be appointed shortly. He further advised that capital costs of £1.5m had been incurred and revenue costs would comprise mostly of staffing costs that were estimated at £160k per year for one CCTV coordinator and four operators. The CCTV system was a police initiative in cooperation with LAs which shared some of the costs such as electricity.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.

The Panel considered its Forward Work Programme for 2019-20, detailing planned Panel meetings and wider Panel activities between April 2019 and March 2020.

The Legal Services Manager advised that, following the discussion at this meeting, independent member recruitment and Deep Dive report updates from the Commissioner would be included as additional items for the Panel’s meeting in October.

In response to a query, the Legal Services Manager advised that he had no concerns over Panel Members attending political events during purdah as long as these events did not involve candidates for the EU elections. However, he advised that is was possible that other Monitoring Officers might disagree with his recommendation.

In response to a query on Public Accountability Board meetings, the Legal Services Manager suggested that Panel Member attendance could continue as agreed previously, with the relevant Panel Champion and two or more local Members attending each meeting.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the Forward Work Programme be approved.

THE REPORTS RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING ITEM ARE  NOT FOR PUBLICATION AS THEY CONTAIN EXEMPT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH 12 OF PART 4 OF SCHEDULE 12A TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AS AMENDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) (VARIATION) (WALES) ORDER 2007. IF, FOLLOWING THE APPLICATION OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST TEST, THE COMMITTEE RESOLVES PURSUANT TO THE ACT TO CONSIDER THESE ITEMS IN PRIVATE, THE PUBLIC WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM THE MEETING DURING SUCH CONSIDERATION.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item as the report contained exempt information as defined in paragraph 12 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

Following the application of the public interest test it was UNANIMOULSY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Act referred to in Minute 12 above, to consider this matter in private, as disclosure would place in the public domain sensitive personal information about a member of the public.

The Panel received a report on a complaint recorded against the Police and Crime Commissioner.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED

15.1.   To note the complaint;

15.2.   To send a report to the complainant and the Police and Crime Commissioner detailing the outcome of the complaint.