To invite the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary Alec Wood, accompanied by Chief Inspector Laura Hunt, to address the Council.
Mr Wood has been requested to comment on (in no particular order) -
v the working relationship between the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner;
v policing levels across Huntingdonshire;
v the Strategic Plan for Cambridgeshire;
v the relationship between the Police and Speedwatch; and
v action against rural crime.
Chief Inspector Laura Hunt has been asked to address the Council on closer working arrangements with the Police.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed Mr A Wood, Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary to the meeting, accompanied by Ms L Hunt, Chief Inspector of Cambridgeshire Constabulary who had been invited to address the Council.
Mr Wood thanks Members for the invite and indicated that this had been the first Council meeting he had been invited to speak at since his appointment as Chief Constable. He explained that he would be outlining his vision for Cambridgeshire Constabulary and how he would be moving it forward and Ms Hunt would further expand on the specific local policing issues.
In outlining his vision for policing, Mr Wood explained that he would be building upon the vision of creating a safer Cambridgeshire, through the core values of the police officers and the positions they held in the community. He indicated that one of the primary purposes of the police was to safeguard the vulnerable in our communities, which had included the prevalence of domestic burglaries. It had been reported in the press that the police had not been able to attend all burglaries, but Mr Wood had stressed that this had not be the case in Cambridgeshire and they had endeavoured to attend all reported cases and investigate the circumstances.
In addressing the subject of criminality, Mr Wood outlined to Members the work that had been undertaken of preventing crime though working with partners, including Councils and other agencies. This had been a particular challenge with decreasing budgets and whilst enabling value for money and continuing to reassure the public.
The Council had been informed of the relationship with Sir G Bright, Police and Crime Commissioner, whose commitment had been to maintain independence whilst working closely with the police to deliver the best possible service for the Community on Cambridgeshire. The Police and Crime Commissioner had been elected democratically to reflect the views of the constituents of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
In referring to the ongoing budgetary constraints that had been challenging all public sector organisations, Mr Wood explained that the Constabulary had identified a £9m budget shortfall in the ensuing financial year and work was ongoing to deliver efficiencies through collaborative work with neighbouring forces, including Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Specifically, work had been undertaken on combining the HR and ICT functions with these forces, coming to fruition the following year and would contribute to addressing the budgetary deficit.
Over the term of the current Parliament, budgetary challenges would continue with £24m taken from the Constabulary’s budget and Mr Wood indicated his uncertainty of the budget forecast to 2019/20. He explained that the Home Office had suggested that front line services would be critically maintained and an effective front line service would be delivered in Cambridgeshire, but it had not been possible to provide reassurance that the number of front line constables would exist.
Mr Wood outlined the importance of local communities with local teams, particularly with the prevalence of rural crime and he recognised that the fear of rural crime can often be forgotten. The Constabulary had developed a strong Strategy through the deployment of officers to tackle these issues. Mr Wood provided some headline statistics that had been prepared by the National Rural Crime Network and had reported that 39% of the rural population had confidence in the police to tackle rural crime. In addressing these issues, Mr Wood explained that he was keen to explore the development of rural special constables to work with district communities.
Ms Hunt continued the debate focussing on the staffing in Huntingdonshire and outlined the Teams involved and work with Councillors on tackling community safety involving effective communication. Moving forward, Ms Hunt indicated her desire to undertake more work with Councillors and developing work with communities through Speed Watch and Neighbourhood Watch.
Councillor D M Tysoe indicated his interest with relation to engagement with Members and Mr Wood explained that his attendance at the Council meeting had commenced these discussions and also reported that he would like to attend, with Ms Hunt, on a regular basis to update Members and utilise the opportunity to listen to concerns and identify any issues.
In response to a question from Councillor B S Chapman on responses to incidents, specifically in relation to The Priory, St Neots, Ms Hunt explained that they had been working closely with the premises to address the issues.
In relation to a question from Councillor D A Giles regarding the value of CCTV, Mr Wood reported that the presence had made a massive difference to crime and stressed the importance of supporting CCTV in Huntingdonshire and across the county. Ms Hunt also indicated the imminence of streaming CCTV images to front line officers to provide a more effective decision making process.
Councillor T Hayward highlighted problems in his Ward, specifically in relation to Speed Watch and the 20 mph limit and Ms Hunt indicated her support to such schemes through the delivery of warning letters.
Councillor Mrs S J Conboy raised a question in relation to encouraging communities to be more pro-active in utilising 101 and plans for harnessing new technology to assist in reporting. Mr Wood explained that the Constabulary had one of the fastest pick up rates for 101 calls and explained that the use of social media would be encouraged to reduce the demand on the control room.
In response to a question from Councillor P Kadewere on the anti-social behaviour difficulties he experienced in his ward and his concerns regarding the loss of front line constables, Mr Wood indicated his determination to preserve constables and Police Community Support Officers to deliver local policing within the budgetary constraints.
Councillor T D Sanderson questioned the success on the Public Space Protection Order in existence in Huntingdon Town Centre and Ms Hunt explained that it had been successful through the partnership working with Street Rangers, the Fire Service and other agencies that had policed the area. Unfortunately, a problem still existed with the displacement of previously reported problems to other areas, but was being continually monitored.
In response to a question from Councillor M F Shellens on the fear of crime and measure of response, Ms Hunt explained that they had undertaken a telephone survey on how safe you feel in your community. The results had fed into the development of the Confidence through Communication Action Plan and Mr Wood undertook to improving upon the communication to communities that action had been taken.
Councillor J W Davies shared his concerns regarding the budget reductions and Mr Wood explained that there would be greater use of collaborative working of back office functions to enable front line officers to be maintained.
In concluding the debate, the Executive Leader, Councillor J D Ablewhite shared the views of increased collaborative working and indicated his openness to new ideas within the ongoing constraints of budgetary pressures. Mr Wood thanked Members for the opportunity to address the Council and welcomed a further debate at a future meeting.
Actions:40 Minutes