Agenda item

The Sussex Police and Crime Panel are meeting on the 27 January 2023 to consider the Sussex Police Precept for 2023 – 24.  This report provides the opportunity for Committee Members to express their views on the proposed precept. 

(Councillor Gregory arrived at the meeting during this item.)

The Wellbeing & Communities Manager introduced the report and advised members that the scheduled Police and Crime Panel meeting to be held on 27 January 2023 would consider the precept for 2023/24 and the proposed precept report was published on the Police & Crime Panel website on 20 January 2023, she confirmed that this was circulated to Members the same day. She then outlined some key findings from the public consultation as well as confirming that there was a proposed £15 per annum household increase on Band D property. She confirmed that the Chair (Cllr Pendleton) would be in attendance at the meeting to be held on 27 January 2023 and that this was the committee’s opportunity to express any views they had and provide feedback to the Chair ahead of the meeting.

The Chair then invited members to make any comments they had a summary of the points raised by Councillor Haywood is below;

·                It was good to see priority 1 strengthened for local Policing most will agree it is local policing that people are worried about, particularly when it comes to youths in local areas. Parishes would welcome any physical presence of police that they can have. A local ballroom dancing club now had to lock itself in when it performs due to youth aggravation and anti-social behaviour in the area. More PCSOs to tackle this behaviour would also be welcomed.

·                Support for the £15 per annum for Band D properties as it was understood that local Policing was needed.

·                Overall the report contained great aspirations, however there was a fear these would not be achieved.

The Chair confirmed that Councillor Haywood had identified two important areas with her comments, and she would raise these at the meeting. She knows that more local Policing is what members and residents want, but this would be managed against the requirement to focus on national issues, eg. drug issues, it was important for the Police to break the county lines and stop cuckooing as well as being important for local residents that drug dealing in their local areas was also focused and minimised.  

Councillor Thurston advised the committee that the local PCSO in her area was doing a brilliant job and had been able to respond to community concerns very quickly. Because of this she was also supportive for an increase in Police Officers. She also commented that PCSOs noticed that the Community Engagement Strategy had been very much improved.

The Chair made comment on the importance of good communication with local Police Officers, in particular understanding where they are located and what they will be doing during their time in that location. However, Councillor Yeates highlighted that she was aware of the difficulties with the 101 service, from the length of time to answer an incoming call, to being cut off once through to an individual. It was felt that there needed to be a shift in the way people were able to contact the Police. In responding to this concern, the Chair  referred to her recent visit to the call centre for 101 and 999 emergency calls. She explained that they had recently changed the way they deal with 101 contact and she assured the committee that the service had been much improved. She explained that what she saw on her visit appeared to be very effective, in particular the way they processed each call ensuring the caller ended up with the right person to provide help. She then asked the Wellbeing & Communities Manager if the council received any stats relating to the call centre, It was confirmed that not currently, however it could be requested. The Vice-Chair suggested that a question could be added to the Safer Arun Survey that asked respondents ‘How easy was it for you to contact the Police’.

In summing up the Chair raised another communication barrier was that the relationship between Parish, District and the districts local Police Officers/PCSOs was important to get right. She confirmed that she would represent this point strongly at the meeting.

The Committee the agreed to note the content of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel precept report for 2023.