Agenda and minutes

Contact: Matthew Nundy 

Items
No. Item

346.

Welcome and Introductions

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the virtual meeting of the Police and Crime Panel and invited all in attendance to introduce themselves and identify the local authority they were representing.

 

347.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Resolved - That it be noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Birch, Nickerson and Weeks (East Riding of Yorkshire Council), Councillor Chaytor (Hull City Council), Councillors Rogers and Silvester (North East Lincolnshire Council) and Mrs Whittaker (Independent Member).

348.

Substitutions

Minutes:

There were no substitutes in attendance.

349.

Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Personal or Personal and Prejudicial interests (such declarations are to be made in accordance with the members’ respective council’s Code of Conduct)

Minutes:

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and personal or personal and prejudicial interests.

 

350.

To take the minutes of the meeting of the panel held on 6 October 2020 as a correct record and authorise the chairman to sign pdf icon PDF 233 KB

Minutes:

Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the panel held on 6 October 2020, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and signed by the chairman.

 

351.

Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner – Update

Minutes:

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Humberside provided a comprehensive update on the following areas –

 

Ø  Re-shape of commissioning practices at the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner.

Ø  Operational capability of Humberside Police during the pandemic.

Ø  Lockdown compliance.

Ø  Anti-social behaviour.

Ø  Additional funding secured to assist victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

Ø  Re-structure of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Ø  Changing probation landscape.

Ø  National policing during the pandemic.

 

Following the Police and Crime Commissioners comprehensive verbal update, the Chairman facilitated a discuss between the Panel and the PCC.

 

          Resolved – That the verbal update be received with thanks.

 

352.

How the Police and Crime Commissioner holds the Chief Constable to account pdf icon PDF 89 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman invited the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to guide the Panel through the mechanisms that were in place to hold the Chief Constable of Humberside Police to account for the performance of the Force.

 

The Panel was reminded that the  role of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was created in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. 

 

The PCC was elected by and accountable to the public. Their role was to be the voice of the people in policing and to hold the Chief Constable to account.

 

The Chief Constable was responsible for operational policing matters, direction and control of police personnel, and for putting in place proper arrangements for governance of the Force.  The PCC was required to hold the Chief Constable to account for exercise of those functions and those of persons under their direction and control.  It followed that the PCC must be assured the Chief Constable had appropriate mechanisms in place for maintenance of good governance, and that these operated in practice.  The relationship between the PCC, Chief Constable, Police and Crime Panel and Home Secretary was guided by the Policing Protocol Order 2011, which stated the PCC had a legal power and duty to scrutinise, support and challenge overall performance of the Force including against priorities agreed within the Police and Crime Plan.

 

The Panel was informed that the PCC held the Chief Constable to account in a number of formal and informal ways through systems and processes comprising the PCC’s current governance and assurance arrangements:

 

·       Police and Crime Plan 2017-2021.

·       Delivery Plan 2020-2021.

·       PCC Accountability Board.

·       Assurance Arrangements.

 

Assurance arrangements included daily informal interaction, joint PCC/Chief Executive/Chief Officer briefings, assurance conversations, Joint Independent Audit Committee (JIAC), proposed Independent Ethics and Scrutiny Board (discussed later), and complementary work through the OPCC independent scrutiny (and proposed changes to strengthen this further). 

 

Members were reminded that the aforementioned, (with the exception of recent scrutiny proposals) had been previously outlined to the Panel in the Annual Delivery Plans for 2018-19 and 2019-20.  The Panel was also a key part of these arrangements, scrutinising the work of the PCC and acting as critical friend through independent challenge.

 

The Guidance on Holding Humberside Police to Account was originally published in February 2019.  This was included at Appendix A of the report.  It had subsequently been updated to reflect recent independent scrutiny changes in particular.

 

Following the verbal presentation, the Panel discussed with the PCC and Chief Executive Officer at the OPCC holding the Chief Constable and Humberside Police to account.

 

Resolved - That Mr Hunter and Miss Cook be thanked for their attendance, verbal presentation and for answering members’ questions, and (b) that the verbal presentation be noted.

 

353.

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Substance Misuse Commissioning pdf icon PDF 117 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Commissioning and Contracts Manager at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to the meeting.  Mr Hunter and Mr Atkinson had been invited to the meeting to update the Panel on the work which the OPCC was progressing to lead, develop and support intervention for substance misuse across Humberside, specifically in relation to criminal justice.

 

The Panel was informed that the OPCC currently contracted with separate Unitary Authorities for the delivery of substance misuse interventions across Humberside.  The contractual terms varied but were held between the Public Health Director (local authority Client) and the contracted service providers.  The OPCC topped up these budgets, the summary of contract terms were:

 

·       An initial 3 year period commenced April 2018 for the South bank

·       Hull had a 6 year contract which commenced in 2018

·       The contractual terms facilitated two 12 month options to extend.  These were now being used on the south bank

·       The combined contractual value was circa £1m per annum

 

The investment was aligned to the police and crime plan aims, putting community safety, and reduction of harm at the heart of the approach.

 

Evidence showed that being in treatment itself reduced levels of offending.  The Modern Crime Prevention Strategy focused on the need for treatment, prevention and enforcement to mitigate the impact of drug-related crime.  Evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment could help reduce harm to the individual and the local community and delivered real savings, particularly in terms of crime costs.

 

The OPCC investment specifically included:

 

·       Screening and referral within Police custody

 

·       Management of substance misusing offenders within the community, including multi agency work with local partners such as Probation, Police, Courts.  To support license conditions and manage those with coexisting substance misuse and offending into treatment.

 

·       Liaison with through the gate services for continuity of care post prison release, Prison Healthcare, Offender Managers and prison visits to ensure continued engagement of treatment both through prison and post release, enabling safety of service users and their families and the wider community. Often this included;

 

Ø  Assess for and deliver community disposals (Alcohol Treatment Requirements / Drug Rehabilitation Requirements).

 

Ø  Work across a range of Criminal Justice partners to ensure pathways were in place, effective engagement and referrals into structured treatment.

 

Ø  Engaging clients in structured treatment to prevent further harm.

 

·       Priority services for those who were vulnerable to serious harm from others.  Priority groups included:

 

·       High risk and priority offenders/prison leavers and those involved with Criminal Justice System

 

·       Offenders where substance misuse was associated with offending behaviour, including: Domestic abuse perpetrators and those subject to Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), Multi Agency Tasking and Coordination (MATAC) and Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)

 

·       Individuals on discharge from prison

·       Those subject to a court ordered treatment requirements or with a Licence Condition requiring treatment

·       Those residing within Approved Premises 

 

Following the verbal presentation from the Commissioning and Contracts Manager at the OPCC, the Chairman facilitated a discussion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 353.

354.

Humberside Police - Finance Update pdf icon PDF 21 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman invited the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Finance Officer at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to update the Panel on the Force budget.  Mr Hunter and Mr Wilson gave a comprehensive verbal presentation on the Force budget.

 

The Chairman then facilitated a discussion between the Panel Members and Mr Hunter and Mr Wilson.

 

Resolved – That the Humberside Police – Budget Update be received with thanks.

 

355.

Complaints Report pdf icon PDF 44 KB

Minutes:

The Secretary to the Police and Crime Panel circulated a report which provided the Panel with an update on complaints made against the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner during the period 1 June 2020 to 31 October 2020.

 

As part of the complaints procedure it was agreed that the Police and Crime Panel would receive quarterly monitoring reports, at their formal meetings, on the number of complaints received.

 

There had been no new complaints received since the last update report was considered.

 

Resolved – That the report be noted.

 

356.

Date and time of next meeting

Minutes:

The next meeting of the Humberside Police and Crime Panel would be held on 4 February 2021 commencing at 10:00 am.

357.

Any other items that the Chairman decides are urgent by reason of special circumstances that must be specified

Minutes:

There were no urgent items for consideration at the meeting.