Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Edward Leigh, Councillors John Gowing, Marge Beuttell, and Susan Wallwork.

Councillor Mark Goldsack was in attendance as substitute for Councillor John Gowing.

Councillor Foice-Beard was in attendance as substitute for Councillor Wallwork.

Councillor Baiju Thittala Varkey declared that he was a criminal defence duty solicitor.

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2023 were agreed as an accurate record.

The Commissioner had taken several questions from the previous meeting and acted upon them:

·       The Effectiveness of the Vision Zero Road Safety Partnership – Statistics showed that fatal and serious injury road traffic accidents had reduced since 2019/20 but were still far too high, work was ongoing to reduce this, strategic discussions are taking place, and the Commissioner will update the Panel in the future. 

·       HMICFRS Links on OPCC Website – The links have been corrected and the inspection plans published.

Questions must be received before 12 noon on Friday 15^th September 2023 to be guaranteed acceptance in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

The Panel had received one question from a member of public who was not in attendance at the meeting and therefore the question was read out by the Senior Democratic Services Officer:

“Does the Police and Crime Commissioner have confidence that the Professional Standards Department of Cambridgeshire Police is capable of conducting adequate and independent investigations of misconduct complaints against police officers?”

The Commissioner responded to the question with the following reply:

“Yes, I have confidence that the Professional Standards Department are capable of conducting adequate and independent investigations of misconduct complaints. Indeed, my Police and Crime Plan includes ethical policing as one of my five themes. In my plan, I outline my commitment to hold the Chief Constable to account for ensuring officers and staff carry out their roles in line with the standards of professional behaviour expected of them. I have put in place robust arrangements for doing this and I report regularly to the Panel, publishing information in relation to deliverables, performance, governance and oversight of complaints. Also, at the last Panel meeting in July, I presented my Annual Report which included a section on ethical policing and a separate ethics and integrity report which detailed the arrangements I have put in place to hold the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary to account and both these reports have been published.”

The Panel received a report detailing the Police and Crime Commissioner’s approach to supporting partners in delivering against the Government’s Harm to Hope Drug Strategy.

The Panel made comment, asked questions, and received responses from the Commissioner and his staff regarding the Harm to Hope Drug Strategy, these included:

1.     Councillor Leeming asked when the successful pilot to save lives, which involved trained officers administering the nasal spray ‘Naloxone’ to counteract an overdose situation, would be rolled out to the rest of the county. Cristina Turner, OPCC, explained that Cambridgeshire were early adopters of this pilot, and this would be rolled out into Huntingdonshire next.

2.     Councillor Bradnam asked what age group the County Lines video that the Panel had watched previously, was aimed at and asked if the Commissioner was confident that the language used was suitable. Councillor Bradnam had concerns that the video may look like an instructional video and asked if it had been checked with young people as to how they had received/responded to it.  The Commissioner explained the video was aimed at 11- to 13-year-olds and he assured the Panel that the video had been made by professionals in safeguarding and believed the message was more important than the risk. The Commissioner also acknowledged that the same message was missing for primary school aged children and therefore a video was also being made, aimed at younger people. Councillor Goldsack stated that the video was great for those from urban dwellings but not relatable to those from rural villages. The Commissioner explained he was aware the video was very Cambridge central based

3.     Councillor Ferguson stated the video was appropriate but also thought the content would be appropriate to package up for Instagram/reels/tik toks etc for adults. The Commissioner agreed and stated that educating parents was as important as drug dealing was not a new phenomenon, drug dealing was and has always been exploitation.

4.     Councillor Bradnam asked how confident was the Commissioner that the demand hub could handle the reporting of crimes. The Commissioner explained that the public should always be encouraged to report any crimes, but that the Panel, after their recent visit, were aware of the issues around the demand on the demand hub, which existed nationally due to demand and aging technology.

5.     Councillor Tyler asked why the constabulary caught low level drug offenders and did not concentrate on the bosses of the gangs/offenders. The Commissioner stated this was operational, but this work was being carried out through the regional crime unit and the Constabulary, but the nature of the work meant that it was invisible to the public.

6.     Councillor Barkham stated that corruption was not mentioned within the report. The Commissioner stated that corruption came down to enforcement and there had been significant investments in policing and anti-corruption.

7.     Councillor Jones asked the Commissioner if there was anything that could be done through the OPCC to inform Councillors/Panel Members of the results/outcomes of successes, for example drug raids etc for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The Panel received a report detailing the Police and Crime Commissioner’s approach to supporting partners in delivering against the statutory Serious Violence Duty.

The Panel made comment, asked questions, and received responses from the Commissioner and his staff regarding the Serious Violence Duty Report, these included:

1.     Claire George asked if there had been an uptake on the pop-up knife crime events. Cristina Turner stated that one had taken place last week which had been due to take place in July but was postponed due to severe weather.

2.     Councillor Bradnam asked if knife crime awareness training could be offered to leaders of organisations/youth clubs. Ella Hayward, OPCC, stated this shared learning/upskilling was being offered to the voluntary sectors that support local communities and Cllr Bradnam was invited to forward details of the organisation she was thinking of.

3.     Councillor Leeming asked how Cambridgeshire was responding to Operation Soteria, what impact it had made and what changes had been made as a result. The Commissioner stated he was very much aware of Operation Soteria and many of the components of that operation were already taking place in Cambridgeshire; there was an emphasis focussing on perpetrators with Cambridgeshire Constabulary having a dedicated Rape Investigation Team and the Crown Prosecution Team having dedicated lawyers. The Commissioner stated that he would update the Panel regarding this.

4.     Councillor Goldsack commented that the public were unsure as to what deemed a 101 call or a 999 call and asked how Panel Members could be prepared to educate the public. The Commissioner explained that if in doubt, the public should call 101 or in an emergency call 999; the important communication to the public was to report and not take matters into their own hands.

ACTION

The Panel AGREED to note the report.

The Panel received a report detailing the Police and Crime Commissioner’s approach to supporting partnership working through the High Harms Board.

The Panel made comment, asked questions, and received responses from the Commissioner and his staff regarding the High Harms Board Report, these included:

1.     Councillor Barkham asked how success would be measured as no numbers appeared within the report. The Commissioner explained that the crime types covered by the Board were monitored through KPIs. Knife crime was believed to be down due to the anonymised hospital data we receive, not police data; as police data would not show the true picture the reduction in A&E admissions would be the truest indicator. Also, Violence against women and girls, the statistics for this would not give a true picture if it were seen to be reducing. Serious & Organised Crime – the constabulary have a wealth of information around this issue.

2.     Claire George asked how Panel Members could support the OPCC to embed/implement and improve the outcomes. The Commissioner explained as elected representatives in local communities, Panel Members were in an ideal position to encourage the public to report and help partnership materials reach into parts of the schools. The Commissioner was also able to use Panel Members as a second opinion on different issues.

3.     Councillor Barkham explained that the police cadets were in high demand and there was a long waiting list to join and asked if the Commissioner could help. The Commissioner commented that there were some fantastic volunteers and funding available, and he would investigate this and come back. The Commissioner added that there were also the Military cadets that young people could join.

ACTION

The Panel AGREED to NOTE the report.

(THE COMMISSIONER AND HIS STAFF LEFT THE MEETING)

The Panel received the Police and Crime Panel’s Annual Report.

The Panel AGREED to NOTE the Annual Report.