The Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) Regulations 2009 state that “A crime and disorder committee shall meet to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other action taken, in connection with the discharge by the responsible authorities of their crime and disorder functions as the committee considers appropriate but no less than once in every twelve month period”.
In line with this the Committee have invited Chief Inspector Gary Crowe to outline recent changes to the Neighbourhood Policing model and answer any questions from Members.
Minutes:
The Chair, Councillor John Walker, introduced Chief Inspector Gary Crowe from Lancashire Constabulary to the meeting.
The Crime and Disorder (Overview and Scrutiny) Regulations 2009 state that “A crime and disorder committee shall meet to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other action taken, in connection with the discharge by the responsible authorities of their crime and disorder functions as the committee considers appropriate but no less than once in every twelve month period”.
CI Crowe advised that he is usually an Inspector at South Ribble, but has temporarily been promoted due to the secondment of Chief Inspector Mike Adamson. He has 20 years’ experience in the Police, including neighbourhood policing and special ops. He has also had a career break in private industry.
CI Crowe outlined the different functions of Lancashire Constabulary and that uniformed officers previously undertook emergency response or neighbourhood policing. Previously resources have been prioritised by risk and this has worked to a point. Resources are stretched and the police are becoming involved in cases outside of crime. Roughly 20% of resources are spend on crime and 80% on vulnerable people who slip through the cracks of other services. This means that emergency response has overflowed into neighbourhood policing.
This has impacted in neighbourhood policing and the Assistant Chief Constable has commissioned a review. As a result some of the constables who had previously been engaged in neighbourhood policing have been moved to emergency response. There are no savings arising from the review, just a realigning of resources.
Over the last six months several Community Beat Managers (CBM) haven’t been replaced and neighbourhood policing is now moving to a new model of six CBM’s rather than 12. This has no impact on the PCSO’s.
There has been an investment in an additional 50 call handlers and officers who undertake special investigations, for example, cybercrime. This includes assistant investigators who are not necessarily police officers. The amount of cybercrime had been greatly underestimated.
Members noted 19 PCSO’s are currently employed, this includes those engaged on early intervention. There is currently one vacancy on the team, but a new intake is expected in December. CI Crowe undertook to confirm this following the meeting.
CI Crowe advised that the force has learned a lot over the last few years about how to best use Special Constables. There is now a dedicated officer responsible for Special Constables. Once the review has finished there will be a recruitment exercise for Special Constables.
Members discussed the solutions in place for visiting football fans and the need to continue the positive joint working. The Police have to be agile and responsive, both in terms of a presence on match days and in taking actions against the minority who cause trouble. A meeting has taken place with the Chairman of Chorley Football Club as they have the power to exclude certain fans from the ground using an Acceptable Behaviour Contract.
CI Crowe outlined the process when processing information received from the public. Information must be corroborated, and the source tested. Information is invaluable when establishing a pattern and although the Police cannot act on all information it does contribute to the wider picture. The Police will focus on taking out the top tier of criminals.
Members noted that the fear of knife crime is an issue both nationally and elsewhere in the region, but CI Crowe said that locally the figures have not shown increases in the same way as some areas.
The stop and search power was discussed and CI advised that this is a useful power, when based on intelligence. There has to be grounds for the use of stop and search and it has to be quality assured by a supervisor. In the wider UK there is a higher proportion of stopping certain groups and it is used more in high crime areas.
Members queried the relationship with the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and noted that the high-level priorities are set by the PCC, such as protecting vulnerable people.
Members reported that the communication tool “intheknow” and support for Neighbourhood Watch has not been as active in recent times. CI Crowe undertook to investigate this following the meeting.
Councillor Kim Snape left the meeting at 7pm.
Members queried how the Police force has changed since CI Crowe joined the force 20 years ago. CI Crowe explained that being a Police officer, for him, is a vocation. The force has changed with the demands of the community it serves, with an increased focus on vulnerable people.
CI Crowe explained that there is currently a focus on cross border burglaries. ANPR technology is an effective tool. There is a need to educate residents to lock their homes and cars to protect themselves.
The Chair thanked CI Crowe for his attendance. Any further queries can be fed back through the Democratic Services Officer.