Issue - meetings

Police and Crime Commissioner

 

 

Meeting: 26/06/2017 - Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 8)

Police and Crime Commissioner

Martin Surl, Police and Crime Commissioner

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Police and Crime Commissioner (P&CC) and asked that, before providing verbal responses to the questions which had been submitted by members of the committee, (see table below) the P&CC give a brief overview.  

 

Whilst he had been happy to accept the invitation by the committee, in the spirit of co-operation, he reminded members that it was the role of the Police and Crime Panel to scrutinise him in his role as P&CC.  Despite the shortcomings reported in the press and without trying to make any attempt to belittle the child protection issues that had been raised, he wanted to assure members that there were also many successes.  This was not to say that the force were not under monumental pressure, having lost £30m of funding and over 200 officers, reducing numbers from 1300 to 1053.  The Chancellors announcement that funding would remain at the same level equated to, for Gloucestershire, a £4.2m shortfall if the force maintained the current level of officers (1058) and a £6.5m shortfall if the P&CC kept to his commitment to increase officer numbers to 1100.  This at a time when crime was increasing and growing in complexity.  His Police and Crime Plan, identical to his manifesto, set out what he aimed to achieve, during this current 4 year term, his second after his re-election in 2016 and this plan acknowledged the importance of neighbourhood policing and this included the need for improved Neighbourhood Watch schemes.  

 

1.

Question from Councillor Payne

 

In light of the recent heightened terrorist threat, could you explain how the £1 million you allocate to community projects contributes to public safety.  Have you considered to option of redistributing this money to combating the terrorist threat?

 

The £1m allocation equated to only 1% of the P&CCs overall budget and was set up after he was first elected in 2012.  He assured members that the counter terrorism network was very well funded by the Government and suggested that what was severely lacking was neighbourhood policing, which resulted in the loss of contact with communities and the intelligence that came with these community links, as well as the reduction in crime.  The funding had supported over 300 successful projects across the county, including the Street Pastors project in Cheltenham and he highlighted that these projects had been able to draw in funding from other areas.  He felt that these projects represented his most successful achievements.  

2.

Question from Councillor Payne

 

I take the view that a good working relationship between the local police and councillors benefits the whole community. At a recent meeting with your deputy, he stated that Neighbourhood Policing had significantly improved. There appears to be little or no evidence to support that statement. Could you please give your assessment of the current state of Neighbourhood Policing?

 

Crime rates in Cheltenham were rising, meaning increasing pressure on ever reducing resources and funding.  The Constabulary were committed to neighbourhood policing and were in the process  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8