Councillor Wright was elected to replace Councillor Haleem as the Chair for 2023/24.

Councillor B Miskell was elected to replace Councillor Pickering as the Vice-Chair for 2023/24.

The Chair Councillor Wright welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Councillor Wright expressed the Panels gratitude to the Members who had left the Panel this year.

Apologies for absence were noted as above.

None.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair is of the opinion should be considered at the meeting; the reason(s) for such urgency to be stated.

None.

To identify items where resolutions may be moved to exclude the public and press.  (For items marked * the public and press may be excluded from the meeting).

None.

None.

The Panel’s Rules of Procedure and the procedure for asking questions of the Commissioner and the Panel is available at: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/sypcp

If any member of the public wishes to ask a question of the Police and Crime Commissioner at the meeting, they should be submitted in writing at least 5 working days before the meeting and be no more than 100 words in length.  They must not relate to an individual case, and must not repeat, or substantially repeat, any question that has been asked and answered at a meeting of the Panel meeting in the six months preceding the date of the meeting.

Questions should be submitted to Andrew Shirt, Council Governance Officer (Host Authority for the Police and Crime Panel) by email – andrewshirt@barnsley.gov.uk

There were no questions to the Police and Crime Commissioner.

If any member of the public wishes to ask a question of the Police and Crime Panel at the meeting, they should be submitted in writing at least 5 working days before the meeting and be no more than 100 words in length.

They must not relate to an individual case, and must not repeat, or substantially repeat, any question that has been asked and answered at a meeting of the Panel meeting in the six months preceding the date of the meeting.

Questions should be submitted to Andrew Shirt, Council Governance Officer (Host Authority for the Police and Crime Panel) by email – andrewshirt@barnsley.gov.uk

There were no questions to the Police and Crime Panel.

Matters Arising / Action Log

The Panel discussed and noted progress in respect of the agreed actions captured on the Panel’s Action Log set out in Appendix A to the minutes.

RESOLVED –

i)           That the minutes of the Police and Crime Panel meeting held on 24 April 2023 be agreed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

ii)          Noted that the Panel’s Action Log would be updated following discussion and agreement at today’s meeting.

A report was presented setting out the membership of the Police and Crime Panel for the municipal year 2022-23.

The membership of the Panel for 2023-24 was noted as follows:-

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the membership of the Police and Crime Panel 2023-24.

A report of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was presented to provide Members with the Delivery Plan from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) which explained how the OPCC is contributing to delivery of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan for 2023-2025.

Appendix A of the report provided the Panel with the OPCC’s ‘Delivery Plan on a Page’ and Appendix B outlined the OPCC’s narrative Delivery Plan.

The panel noted that, in the Police and Crime Plan, the PCC had maintained the same overall aim for South Yorkshire: to be a safe place to live, learn and work. The PCC had also retained the same three strategic priorities of:

·       Protecting vulnerable people

·       Tackling crime and antisocial behaviour

·       Treating people fairly

M Buttery explained that new Members would be offered induction sessions on the PCC’s role and responsibilities and the work of the OPCC to develop their understanding.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the contents of the report.

The PCC presented the Panel with the fourth and final quarterly update for the performance year against the Police and Crime Plan 2022-25 – Safer Streets, More Police.

A discussion took place around police interaction with the public, Dr Billings explained that at times it was difficult for the general public to have trust and confidence in the Police due to negative information shared in the media (locally and nationally).

Councillor Osborne queried the requirement to share personal information when reporting crimes and stated it may put some individuals off due to the lack of anonymity. K Wright explained that there were no patterns in the data that suggest this. However, any anonymous reporting is passed to the Police through Crimestoppers. Dr Billings added that the Crimestoppers charity works with the Police to offer anonymity to those that feel apprehensive about reporting a crime.

Councillor Miskell queried the information on page 77 of the report, relating to cutting frontline policing. He asked the PCC if the correct structures were in place to promote cohesion when joining force with the community to fight hate crime. K Wright explained that a new point of contact within South Yorkshire Police (SYP) had been created specifically to focus on this. Community engagement was also key as the public need encouragement regarding reporting hate crime – it was noted that specific campaigns had helped to increase reporting.

J Griffin asked if there was correlation between residential burglary and the times of day in which the crimes occur. Figures showed that burglary in South Yorkshire was higher than the national average. Although there was no specific correlation to note. Dr Billings added that neighbourhood policing was essential and additional patrols had been added throughout the day to disrupt crime.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the contents of the repot and commented on any matters arising.

A report of the PCC was presented to Members to highlight the final consolidated revenue and capital out-turn position for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

E Eruero explained that the report covered the budget managed by the Chief Constable of SYP and budgets managed by the OPCC, such as partnerships and commissioning, capital financing charges and the office of the PCC. Additionally, an updated reserves position and narrative commentary was included to explain the key financial changes that have led to the year-end position.

Councillor Ransome queried the information on page 87 of the report and asked what ‘Agency’ related to in terms of the Chief Constables budget.

E Eruero responded that ‘Agency’ was related to a variety of factors such as recharging of staffing, external forensic costs, ICT costs, etc.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the contents of the report and asked questions on the matters contained within the report.

T Wright presented Members of the Police and Crime Panel with an update on Workforce Data, the key topics to note included:

·       The workforce mix of SYP

·       Strength versus establishment

·       Police officer headcount in relation to the national uplift target

·       Police officer joiners and leavers

·       Retention

·       Detective recruitment

T Wright outlined that retention (highlighted in section 4 of the report) was a key priority, maintaining new starters and creating an experienced workforce was essential. Current trends suggest that the retention rate for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme is 90% and for the Degree Holder Entry Programmes (DHEP/DDHE0) it is 94%.

The talent market for 2022/23 had been particularly turbulent nationally, SYP had also been impacted, but had seen a shift in the workforce as well as a big increase in the number of new officers joining the police service over a short period of time.

The current areas of focus around retention relate to:

·       Developing Leaders

·       The Launch of the SYP Values Framework

·       Smarter Ways of Working

·       The Equality Hub

Councillor Osborne queried the timelines involved with applying for a role within SYP and how long it would take for students to become officers. T Wright explained the recruitment process would usually take around 9-10 months and following this the normal timeline from student to operationally independent officer is around 2-3 years.

A discussion was taken around unrepresented groups and how SYP aims to recruit them. T Wright explained that the majority of unrepresented groups are made up of females (just under 40%). However, this was vastly improving. Additionally, there is now a 3.8% representation of the workforce from ethnic minorities due to the time spent building relationships in the community through targeted information sessions, briefings and the work conducted by the Neighbourhood Teams.

J Griffin raised concerns over exit interviews being too late to address any concerns leaving officers and staff had. T Wright reassured Members that both retention and exit interviews are conducted to gather a better insight into the reasons why staff leave, this information is used to develop the culture. Additionally, career led conversations are targeted towards those who are at risk of leaving. This could include career development strategies.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel received the report and noted the update.

Cllr Haleem – Safer Rotherham Partnership – 19 April 2023

M Buttery was invited to comment on this agenda item. She stated that new membership of the Panel was an opportunity for the panel to review what their involvement should be in relation to the PCC’s role in Community Safety Partnerships.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the update, and that the Panel’s Support Officers would consider the role and responsibilities of the Police and Crime Panel in their respect.

A report of the Clerk to the Panel was presented to inform Members that the Lead/Link Member arrangement had been cited as best practice for Police and Crime Panels across the county as an alternative model of delivering effective support and scrutiny for the PCC.

Following discussion, the Panel agreed that Councillor Peace be appointed to the Budget working Group.

The Panel also agreed that Jacqueline Griffin be appointed as the new Independent Member to the Complaints Panel.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel:-

(i)             Agreed that the current arrangements for the Budget Working Group continue.

(ii)            Agreed that arrangements be made with the OPCC for all Panel Members to attend Performance Induction Briefing later in the year.

(iii)          Agreed to consider appointing a Lead and Deputy Lead Members for performance following the Performance Induction Briefing.

(iv)          Appointed a Barnsley Member to the Budget Working Group.

(v)           Appointed the new Chair of the Panel and an Independent Members to the Complaints Panel.

The draft Police and Crime Panel Annual Report for 2022-23 was provided for Members consideration and approval.

RESOLVED – That Members considered the draft Police and Crime Panel Annual Report 2022-23 and approved that it be finalised and published on the Panel’s website.

An update was provided to Members regarding the current events alongside future plans regarding learning and development for the Panel.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the update.

Members considered the 2023-24 Work Programme and were reminded that they could submit issues for the Work Programme that fall within the Panel’s statutory role in support and scrutinising the PCC.

Members were also encouraged to attend the meetings of the PCC’s Public Accountability Board (PAB) to increase their knowledge of how the PCC holds the Chief Constable to account.

RESOLVED – That Members of the Police and Crime Panel noted the contents of the 2023-24 Work Programme.

RESOLVED – That the next meeting of the Police and Crime Panel be held on Monday 17 July, at 1:00pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Church Street, Barnsley.