Response to Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner RE: Annual Report 2021/22

Mr B Adams
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Ref: Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel - 27 June 2022 - Consideration of Annual Report 2021/22

In accordance with Section 28(4)(d) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 I am writing on behalf of the Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel to formally report to you their views on your Annual Report for 2021/22 following consideration of its contents at the Panel’s public meeting on27 June 2022.

Accordingly, I summarise below the main points of interest to, and discussed by, the Panel:

This is your first Annual Plan which sets out your priorities and the progress you have made in the relatively short time you have been in office.

In relation to the recent HMICFRS inspections which had highlighted some failings in the system, you explained that the new operating model and transformation programme had been developed in advance of the inspections and had gone live on the day of our meeting. It was hoped that this model would address some of the issues. It was also noted that performance of the Contact Centre remained a top priority but that you felt it would take some time to resolve all issues. You explained that new officers were being trained; a new Chief Superintendent, experienced in contact services had been appointed; the service had undergone a recent peer review; and other force areas had visited to assist with best practise were among some of the initiatives undertaken in an attempt to improve services. The Panel felt that improvement needed to be seen quickly and we will be monitoring performance through the public Chief Constable Performance meetings you hold. We hope this information will also be in the update reports that the Panel receive at our Panel meetings.

Members felt that public confidence needed to improve and one way to do this was to share the improvement plans and performance information on your website. This could include how Staffordshire perform against other Police authorities and Key Performance Indicators. The Panel reported that unfortunately the website was not currently available, and this needed to be addressed.

Under the preventing harm and protecting people priority, it was noted that additional funds had been secured for Safer Streets and Safer Women at Night Funds. Clear commitment had been made through funding for Community Safety Partnerships; Victim Support Services; and services to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour; and Hate Crime Services. The effectiveness of the extra funding for Safer streets would be measured, and you explained that you expected to see an increase in the night economy; an improved feeling of safety and less street crime as a result of the initiatives. You also explained that the Government collected data on how the funding had been spent and set targets to demonstrate how effective it had been.

Road Safety is an important issue which affected all areas of the county. The Deputy Commissioner was invited to attend the next meeting to brief the Panel on what work was taking place.

The effect of any Barristers/court staff strikes may affect the backlog in the system and would result in extended periods of bail and remand waiting for a Crown Court trial. This is a concern and will be questioned at future meetings.

We look forward to seeing future updates on the Annual Report which will demonstrate the progress on delivery of your Strategy.

This letter will be published on the Panels website. You are requested to publish it on your website alongside your Annual Report.

Yours sincerely

Bernard Peters
Chairman - Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel