Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Les George, Councillor Mike James and Councillor Rob Summons.

The Chair advised that he had written to extend the Panel’s condolences to the Chief Constable regarding the recent death of his father.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Emlyn Schiavone (Carmarthenshire County Council) to the meeting and advised that, subject to approval by the Home Office, Councillor Schiavone would be replacing Councillor Jim Jones (Carmarthenshire County Council). The Chair thanked Councillor Jones for his contribution to the Panel.

The Chair advised that he, Prof Ian Roffe and Robert Edgecombe had recently attended a meeting of the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Police and Crime Panels across Wales. Prof Roffe provided an update on the meeting to the Panel. He advised that it had been discussed how Police and Crime Panels could effectively scrutinise the work of Police and Crime Commissioners in accordance with Police and Crime Plans. The Panel thanked Prof Roffe for his report.

VARIATION OF BUSINESS

The Panel agreed to vary the order of the business on the agenda so as to move Item 10 (Anti-Social Behaviour) back to discuss after Item 13 (Update Report – Use of Force).

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

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Panel meeting held on the 3^rd July 2019 be signed as a correct record.

Minute Item 7.1. – Question from R.R.

In response to a query on the 17.5% increase in staff numbers at Dyfed-Powys Police, the Commissioner advised that the number of warranted officers had remained constant and support staff numbers had increased. He further advised that the Neighbourhood Policing Team around Llanelli was currently undergoing restructuring and service delivery would be monitored, however this did not affect the availability of response officers.

Minute Item 8 – Mental Health and Policing

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that the Health Board was leading on the provision on Crisis Care Cafes and sanctuaries. Facilities had opened in Llanelli and Aberystwyth and a timescale regarding further facilities could be provided to the Panel.

In the event that the Prime Minister’s promise of an additional 20,000 police officers becomes reality, is the Commissioner satisfied that Dyfed-Powys Police has the ability to recruit and train its share of those officers? Is the commissioner able to give any indication of how many additional officers this will result in for Dyfed-Powys?

“In the event that the Prime Minister’s promise of an additional 20,000 police officers becomes reality, is the Commissioner satisfied that Dyfed-Powys Police has the ability to recruit and train its share of those officers? Is the commissioner able to give any indication of how many additional officers this will result in for Dyfed-Powys?”

Response from the Police and Crime Commissioner

The Commissioner advised that, if the Prime Minister would follow through on the promise, Dyfed-Powys Police would aim to recruit forty-two additional officers by March 2021 in response to the first round of funding. Further plans had not yet been determined. The Commissioner also advised that Police Community Support Officers received specific training tailored to their role.

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

The Panel considered a report on a Deep Dive Review on initial public contact with Dyfed-Powys Police, undertaken by the Commissioner’s office. The Commissioner advised that appended to the report was a letter from the Chief Constable outlining how the Force was intending to respond to the fourteen recommendations made in the report.

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that the Force recognised the need to balance the use of modern technologies with more traditional modes of communication in order to reach a diverse range of audiences in the region.

In response to a query on mobile police stations, the Commissioner advised that he was engaging the Chief Constable on how the units could be used in a more frequent and structured manner.

In response to a query on user satisfaction in relation to being kept informed (Recommendation 8 of the report), the Commissioner advised that progress was being monitored by the Force Victim and Witness Group and expected timescales for investigations and updates needed to be communicated appropriately.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Panel considered a report regarding the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan in respect of domestic and sexual violence. The Commissioner emphasised the importance of lobbying to increase the provision of support services. He advised that the report listed recommendations relation to future commissioning and partnership working as well as a list of grants that he had provided to community organisations working on sexual violence and domestic abuse.

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that the report acknowledged a lack of therapeutic services for child victims, His office was engaged in lobbying on the subject and had provided funding for cognitive therapy in relation to the Youth Offending Teams.

A query was raised in relation to press reports of a court case where sentencing of a confessed offender had taken over two years. The Commissioner advised that he had raised concerns over the timeframe with the Force over the last twelve months and suggested that the delays were partly due to recent changes to the Bail Act and complex disclosure requirements. The Force had installed an Investigation Standard Gold Group that would focus on lengthy investigations. Further to this, the Commissioner’s next Deep Dive Review would consider victims’ experience in the prosecution process.

In response to a query on the high rates of underreporting of domestic violence and sexual abuse, the Commissioner advised that the Chief Constable had identified this as a priority and dedicated a full-time member of staff to reviewing the issue. The Force was collaborating with Swansea University to improve risk assessment procedures and was looking into further multi-agency working.

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that staff received specific training on domestic violence and sexual abuse which was taking into consideration recent legislative changes in relation to stalking, harassment and coercive control.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Panel considered a report on decisions made by the Commissioner in the period between 27^th June and 18^th October 2019.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Panel received a report on the Police Accountability Board meeting in Lampeter on the 6^th August 2019, which had been attended by Councillor Lloyd Edwards, Councillor Keith Evans and Prof Ian Roffe. The Panel thanked them for their informative report.

RESOLVED that the report be received.

The Panel considered a report from the Commissioner on the progress being made by Dyfed-Powys Police in tackling illegal drugs. The Panel was advised that the report provided an update in relation to the recommendations identified in a Deep Dive Review which had been presented to the Panel in April 2019.

In response to a query, the Commissioner advised that the Offender Diversionary Scheme was aiming to improve referrals to support services.

With regard to drug awareness programmes in schools, the Commissioner advised that a report had been produced exploring further opportunities for police officer engagement in this area.

RESOLVED that the report be received.

The Panel considered a report from the Commissioner on the progress being made by Dyfed-Powys Police in relation to the recommendations identified in the a Deep Dive Review, which had been presented to the Panel at a previous meeting.

The Commissioner advised that the increased availability of body worn cameras as well as in car video footage facilitated the assessment of stop and search activities however in some instances footage had not been appropriately saved by police officers. Use of force by Dyfed-Powys Police would be subject to ongoing monitoring by the Quality Assurance Panel.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Mrs Christine Clarke from the Carmarthenshire Disability Partnership who gave evidence to the Panel in relation to the experience of anti-social behaviour and the response of authorities. Mrs Clarke advised that she was very concerned about anti-social behaviour in town centres and adjunct areas especially under the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol. Anti-social behaviour was particularly intimidating to disabled people who might be unable to just “walk away” from a threatening situation and some members of the Carmarthenshire Disability Partnership were avoiding town centres for this reason.

In response to a query, Mrs Clarke advised that her personal experience was mainly based on Llanelli. Working relationships between the Carmarthenshire Disability Partnership and the Neighbourhood Policing Team were good however they perceived the team as insufficiently staffed to fully address anti-social behaviour.

It was suggested that licensed premises and off-license shops partially contributed to anti-social behaviour and a collaborative approach with licensing and trading standards departments could be used to address this issue. Further comments were made suggesting that licensing regulations left limited scope for this and that the presence of police officers in town centres was crucial.

RESOLVED that the presentation be received.