Agenda and minutes

Venue: Ergo Connects Centre, Bridgehead Business Park, Meadow Road, Hessle HU13 0GD

Contact: Matthew Nundy  Email: matthew.nundy@northlincs.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

407.

Appointment of Chairman

Minutes:

 

Resolved – That Mrs S Whittaker be appointed as the Chairman.  Thereupon Mrs Whittaker assumed the Chair.

408.

Appointment of Vice-Chair

Minutes:

 

Resolved – That Councillor Gateshill be appointed as Vice-Chair.

409.

Welcome and Introductions

Minutes:

 

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Humberside Police and Crime Panel and invited all attendees to introduce themselves and identify the local authority that they represented.

 

410.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

 

Resolved – That it be noted that apologies had been received from Councillor Holmes (East Riding of Yorkshire Council), Councillor Abrahams (East Riding of Yorkshire Council), and Mrs Chase (Independent Member).

411.

Substitutions

Minutes:

 

Resolved – That it be noted that Councillor Greenwood was substituting for Councillor Holmes and Councillor Weeks was substituting for Councillor Abraham.

412.

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.

413.

To take the minutes of the meeting of the panel held on 4 October 2021 as a correct record and authorise the chairman to sign. pdf icon PDF 299 KB

Minutes:

 

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting of the Police and Crime Panel held on 4 October 2021, having been printed and circulated amongst the  members, be taken as read and correctly recorded, subject to a minor amendment.

414.

Humberside Police - Attendance by the Chief Constable of Humberside Police

Minutes:

 

The Chairman welcomed Humberside Police Chief Constable Lee Freeman, to the meeting.  The Chairman explained that the Chief Constable had been invited to provide a general, verbal update on the police’s work and any recent developments.

 

The Chief Constable updated the Panel on workforce issues, identifying particular challenges with staff being required to undertake academic work.  An update on both 999 and 101 call volumes was provided, and it was identified that the Force was consistently rated as one of the best in the country, with other forces keen to learn from local arrangements.

 

An update on crime numbers was provided, highlighting a 12% overall reduction in crime since 2019, and improvements on priorities such as Domestic Abuse.

 

It was confirmed that assaults on police remained a concern, with 630 assaults in the last year.  Information on the steps that Humberside Police were taking to address this was provided.  Overall, morale and staff retention was good in Humberside, but there were national concerns about promoting the wellbeing of officers and staff.

 

The Chairman led a general discussion on the need for fostering a sense of respect in local communities, and on reducing violence and criminal activity.

 

The Chairman invited Mr Evison, Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner, if he had any comments to add.  Mr Evison stated that the police were only a single element of the criminal justice system, and there was a need for co-ordinated rehabilitation work to reduce reoffending, particularly in prisons.  Examples of police work with communities, including those at risk of offending, was highlighted by the Chief Constable.

 

Resolved – That Mr Freeman, Chief Constable of Humberside Police be thanked for his informative presentation and for responding to members’ questions.

415.

Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner - Update

Minutes:

 

The Chairman welcomed Mr Evison, Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner, and Rachel Cook, Chief Executive of the Commissioner’s Office, to the meeting.  The Chairman confirmed that Mr Evison had been invited to provide an update to the Panel on any matters of interest, and to respond to any questions about their role.

 

Mr Evison stated that resources were being shifted to tackle the priority areas of Domestic Abuse and Domestic Violence.  There had also been recent work with local authorities and venues to tackle reported cases of drink spiking.

 

An update was also provided on action to improve crime hotspots and ‘county lines’ exploitation.  Mr Evison confirmed that a demand reduction and management system was currently being developed, called ‘Right Care, Right Person’, and that they would wish to present this to the Panel in due course.  In addition, the local ‘Not in our Community’ campaign on preventing exploitation had been a huge success.  The Commissioner’s Office continued to work with local sports team to divert children away from crime.

 

The Chairman then led a wide-ranging discussion, with members asking questions about issues such as drink spiking, hare coursing, Covid enforcement, and follow-up of routine 101 calls.

 

Resolved – (a) That Mr Evison and Rachel Cook be thanked for their update and for responding to members’ questions, (b) that a query on drone use be followed up outside of the meeting, and (c) that details of a forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls meeting be circulated to all members by the Commissioner’s Office.

416.

Humberside Police - Finance Update pdf icon PDF 122 KB

Minutes:

 

The Chairman welcomed Kevin Wilson, Chief Finance Officer – Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, to the meeting.  Kevin had previously circulated a detailed finance report.

 

Kevin went through the report, highlighting key messages throughout.  It was confirmed that the financial settlement was expected shortly, with a paper on precepts likely to be considered by the Panel in due course.

 

Members asked questions about usual financial reserve levels, and how a likely pay increase had been budgeted for. Kevin responded fully, with the Commissioner also commenting that additional money received as part of the Covid-19 response, would be spent on local priorities.

 

Resolved – (a) That Kevin Wilson be thanked for his report and presentation, and (b) that the report be noted.

417.

Humberside Police and Crime Panel Annual Report 2020-21 pdf icon PDF 478 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman introduced the Humberside Police and Crime Panel’s Annual Report for 2020-21.

 

Resolved – That the report be welcomed and adopted.

418.

Complaints Report pdf icon PDF 112 KB

Minutes:

 

Resolved – That the Complaints Report be noted.

419.

Date and time of next meeting - 3 February 2022 commencing at 10:00 am

Minutes:

 

Resolved – That the date and time of the Panel’s next meeting be noted.

420.

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

Minutes:

 

The Chairman and Panel requested that a visit to the new Hub in Melton be arranged, when the facility had opened, including the hosting of a Panel meeting there.  The Chief Constable welcomed the suggestion.

 

Resolved – That suitable arrangements be made to allow the Panel to visit the new Hub site, and to host a public meeting of the Panel there.