Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Les George (Powys County Council), Councillor Karen Davies (Carmarthenshire County Council) and Mrs Helen Thomas (Independent Co-opted Member).

The Chair extended the Panel’s condolences to the Commissioner on the recent passing of his father.

VARIATION OF BUSINESS

The Panel agreed, at the Chair’s request, to vary the order of the business on the Agenda so as to move Item 3 and Item 4 to the last items to be discussed.

The Panel was advised that Councillor Brian Hall was in attendance at the meeting in January, but his name was omitted from the minutes. Minutes to be amended to include Councillor Brian Hall.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Panel meeting held on the 27^th January 2023 be signed as a correct record, subject to the amendment detailed above.

No matters were raised at the meeting.

5.1  QUESTION FROM PROFESSOR IAN ROFFE

       “Poor officer health and well-being and the early departure of experienced

       staff can often have a detrimental impact on the efficiency and

       effectiveness of a police force. How are you ensuring that the Chief

       Constable is addressing these issues appropriately and are you satisfied

       with the results of his efforts.”

5.2  QUESTION FROM PROFESSOR IAN ROFFE

      “The report of Baroness Casey, into the Metropolitan Police highlighted

       many serious concerns with that force. What relevance do you see that

       the report has for Dyfed Powys and what steps will you be taking to

       ensure that the lessons identified are not missed.”

5.3  QUESTION FROM COUNCILLOR WILLIAM DENSTON POWELL

      “The tackling of rural crime is an area where DPP has made real progress

       in recent years.  However, there are concerns that momentum has

       slackened of late.  Do you share these concerns. What steps will you be

       taking to ensure that the good progress is maintained in the future?”

5.4  QUESTION FROM COUNCILLOR WILLIAM DENSTON POWELL

      “In July 2022, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation

       published its review of police firearms licensing and highlighted significant

       variations in the efficiency and effectiveness of forces across England

       and Wales. Dyfed-Powys was in the middle quartile, taking and average

       of 93 days to deal with each application.  These delays are a cause for

       concern. What steps are you taking to ensure that the Force is

       maintaining an efficient and fit for purpose Firearms Licensing regime for

       Dyfed-Powys?”

5.1 QUESTION FROM PROFESSOR IAN ROFFE

“Poor officer health and well-being and the early departure of experienced staff can often have a detrimental impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of a police force. How are you ensuring that the Chief Constable is addressing these issues appropriately and are you Satisfied with the results of his efforts?”

Response by the Commissioner:

The Commissioner advised that a report with a full response to the question would be emailed outside of the meeting.

The Commissioner advised that the majority of the force have less than five years in service and there were less, senior colleagues to support the younger officers.  The Force have a People, Culture and Ethic Board where wellbeing strategies and occupational health issues are discussed.  The 2021-22 Inspection Report highlighted work undertaken in the Dyfed Powys Force in offering staff a good range of support networks.  The Commissioner was satisfied with the support for all staff and the Force had recently received a gold award for Investors in People.  The Commissioner informed the Panel that staff have opportunities to hold private sessions with Occupational Health if requested.

5.2 QUESTION FROM PROFESSOR IAN ROFFE

“The report of Baroness Casey, into the Metropolitan Police highlighted many serious concerns with that force. What relevance do you see that the report has for Dyfed Powys and what steps will you be taking to ensure that the lessons identified are not missed.”

Response by the Commissioner:

The Commissioner advised that when speaking with new recruits, the one message he delivers is one of the high standards that the Dyfed Powys force holds.  The Panel were informed that there is a National recommendation around vetting and re-vetting of staff and that his office had recently been through this process.  

5.3 QUESTION FROM COUNCILLOR WILLIAM DENSTON POWELL

“The tackling of rural crime is an area where DPP has made real progress in recent years. However, there are concerns that momentum has slackened of late. Do you share these concerns. What steps will you be taking to ensure that the good progress is maintained in the future?”

Response by the Commissioner:

The Commissioner reassured the Panel that progress will be maintained in rural areas.  The Force is more proactive around intelligence in criminal activities.  The Panel was advised that there had been an investment in drones, supplementing the rural crime team.  This will be part of the wider team as and when required.  The Commissioner informed the Panel that access to the dashboard was now available to his team to monitor some of the performances.  The Strategic Board would now be re-invigorated.

5.4 QUESTION FROM COUNCILLOR WILLIAM DENSTON POWELL

“In July 2022, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation published its review of police firearms licensing and highlighted significant variations in the efficiency and effectiveness of forces across England and Wales. Dyfed-Powys was in the middle quartile, taking and Average of 93 days to deal with each application. These delays are a cause for concern. What steps  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

[NOTE: Councillor S. Hancock had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Panel considered a performance report in relation to the Policing Protocol for Q3 of the financial year 2022-23.

The following issues were raised:

In response to a query as to why the review of the Corporate Governance was a light touch, the Panel was informed that it was important to ensure that the document was up to date.  There is a force review being undertaken currently and a re-organisation.  Once the new structures were in place and embedded a deep dive on the framework would take place.

In response to a query on page 27, the Panel were advised that the timeframe for responses to be returned on the community consultation had been extended, and results would be reported back to the panel.

The Panel were informed that sustainability statistics would be reported to the panel at a future meeting.

Reference was made to priorities that were now green and the progress made to improve.

The Commissioner referred to energy efficiency savings being carried out at buildings to reduce costs.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

[NOTE: Councillor S. Hancock had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Panel considered a report detailing grant funding arrangements. The PCC has multiple income streams which can be utilised to fund additional projects and resources in support of the Police and Crime Priorities.

The External Funding Manager and the Chief Finance Officer meet on a fortnightly basis to discuss the budget balance, expenditure and commitments against each of the income streams.

The following issues were raised:

In response to a query regarding the Accountability Board Meetings, the Panel was advised that the next meeting would be held in Powys and that dates would be scheduled for the forthcoming year.

A query was raised on whether a Police Cadet scheme in the Gwendraeth valley could be formed, due to the level of anti-social behaviour in that area.  The Commissioner stated that he would liaise directly with the member.

In response to a query raised over unsuccessful applications, the panel was informed that feedback was provided to agencies informing them as to why they were unsuccessful and how their application didn’t fit into the Crime Plan guidance.

The panel was informed that applications had been received in the past, from women’s refuges.

Panel members thanked to the Neighbourhood Policing teams that have attended community meetings and hoped that having their presence would continue.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

[NOTE: Councillor S. Hancock had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Panel considered a report on decisions taken by the Commissioner between 18^th January 2023 to 11^th May 2023. The Commissioner advised that the report contained some decisions predating December 2022, which had been omitted from previous reports.

In response to a query regarding the re-location of the Police Station in Milford Haven, the Commissioner advised that the level of Policing would remain the same in the area and that the public would be notified of the re-location.

RESOLVED that the report be received.

[NOTE: Councillor S. Hancock had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Panel considered a report by the Performance sub-group scrutinising how the Police and Crime Commissioner performed against the requirements of the Policing Protocol Order as one of its key priorities for the coming year.

RESOLVED THAT:-

9.1 The PCC continues to provide performance reports to the Panel on a quarterly basis.

9.2 The quarterly reports appear to be unique to Dyfed Powys and there is the potential for disseminating this good practice elsewhere. This will have the added benefit of enabling benchmarking. It is therefore recommended that the PCC and the Panel seek to use their influence to have this approach adopted in other force areas.

9.3 It is recommended that these reports appear higher on the agenda of Panel meetings to allow more time for their consideration.

9.4 It is recommended that the Panel review aspects of the Reports in more detail either in Panel meetings or via Panel sub-groups.

9.5 It is recommended that the Panel adopt a similar approach to rating and reviewing its operations against the span of its responsibilities.

[NOTE: Councillor S. Hancock had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Panel considered a report by the Performance sub-group scrutinising how the Police and Crime Commissioner performed against the requirements of the Policing Protocol Order as one of its key priorities for the coming year.

RESOLVED that:

10.1        the PCC continue with his approach of holding Policing

     Accountability Board (PAB) meetings in local colleges.

10.2       the PCC and CC reflect on the relative importance of public

    accountability and secure the dates in their diaries for these

    meetings.

10.3       meetings should be held regularly and clearly promoted to

    the public and stakeholders. Dates of PAB meeting should be

    publicised on the PCP website well in advance.

10.4       steps be taken to ensure that the way information is

    presented at the PAB takes into account the public nature of the

    meeting and its audience as this would be beneficial in helping

    the public in fully understanding the replies.

10.5       the PCC should aim to more clearly demonstrate how he has

    held the CC to account in relation to all those matters specified in

    section 1(8) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act

    2011.

[NOTE: Councillor S. Hancock had earlier declared an interest in this item.]

The Panel considered an update of estates management.  Owing to significant delay in members of the Panel being appointed by the Home Office following the May 2022 local government elections, the Panel was unable to progress this piece of work during the 2022-2023 municipal year.

The Panel resolved to undertake this task during 2023-24 as part of its wider scrutiny of the Police precept.

Resolved that the report be noted.