Agenda item

[Chief Superintendent Richard Fisher (West Midlands Police) to present report.

 

Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, will also be attendance]

 

The Chair commented that Community Safety Session 2 scheduled for 8 February would focus on the issue of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in more detail. The inclusion of an overview of ASB work in the presentation is within the overall context of understanding partnership arrangements for delivering Community Safety for the Wolverhampton area.

The Chair invited Chief Superintendent Richard Fisher to present his report.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that the presentation would give an overview of the rollout of the ASB preventative work in Wolverhampton and the role of Safer Wolverhampton Partnership Board (SWPB). The SWPB is statutory board enacted under the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) with representatives from strategic partners and additional invited partners to support the delivery of the SWP strategic priorities.

The Chief Superintendent gave an overview on the role and responsibilities of the SWPB and the approach to tackling ASB.  The Chief Superintendent explained that the difference between ASB and crime reflects the separation of the different roles among the partnership. The Chief Superintendent explained the legal definition of ASB and the types of issues that would meet the criteria, for example, neighbour disputes, noise nuisance and threatening and intimidating behaviour.  The Chief Superintendent explained that given the range issues covered by ASB that tackling it is more than the responsibility of the police and covers the work of other strategic partners. The work of the ASB Team in Wolverhampton Homes was highlighted as an example of this wider statutory responsibility of this organisation to deal with tackling ASB issues.

The Chief Superintendent added that where behaviour is criminal that the reporting process is to use either the emergency number 999, the 101 non-emergency number or the West Midlands Police (WMP) live chat function. The Chief Superintendent acknowledged concerns of Councillors about the performance of police call handling service. There has been investment in the service following the appointment of the new WMP Chief Constable Craig Guildford. The investment has led to call handling performance moving from being one the lower performing services nationally to be in the top 10 in terms of its response times performance, for example, 90 percent of 999 calls are answered within 10 seconds and 101 calls are answered in average of 43 seconds.

The Chief Superintendent advised the real challenge to the force is managing the call volume which is equivalent to that of Police Scotland in terms of 999 calls received.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that the issue of ASB is prioritised as it is a key community concern and commented on the importance of people feeling safe in the places they live and work. 

The issue of ASB is being tackled collectively by the SWP Board because of evidence nationally about the devastating impact of ASB particularly when it is targeted on a single person, or somebody within their home.

The issue of ASB can only be tackled holistically at the partnership level due to the different contributory and complex factors outlined in the presentation.

The Chief Superintendent commented that the aim of approach is to avoid moving the problem from one place to another and address the underlying factors which are causing the harm. The issue of vulnerable people being targeted by low levels of ASB highlighted as a concern and in response it was important to offer a different and proportionate response in cases involving vulnerable people.

The Chief Superintendent added that in the view of the wide definition of ASB it was important to look for alternative solutions in situations which may suggest no evidence of criminality for example a neighbour dispute. In this example, mediation could be a more appropriate response rather taking action that could lead to people being labelled as ‘criminal’.

The Chief Superintendent gave an overview of ASB hotspot areas in Wolverhampton based on the analysis of extensive ward level data which has been used to match reports from telephone calls and other contacts. The aim is to use the intelligence to target police resources in the most effective and efficient way possible.

The Chief Superintendent gave an overview of activity being taken to deal with ASB issues and highlighted examples of a Home Office targeted funded pilot project and other funded schemes. The range of schemes gives the police the opportunity to target ASB flexibly rather that adopt a one size fits all response.

The Chief Superintendent commented that drug misuse is a factor in ASB and advised that the intelligence approach is the taken to build up a picture and the information is used to enforce warrants on the addresses concerned. The Chief Superintendent highlighted the success in this approach in August 2023 where cannabis more than £1 million was seized as a result of two successful drug warrants. 

The Chief Superintendent reassured the panel that while the public reporting incidents do not immediately see police action in response that the information is being used to build up the intelligence picture when applying for a warrant. The information reported also needs to be verified by other sources before taking action.

The Chief Superintendent commented on the range of tactics such as premises closure notices issued in response to reports of ASB and advised that the police work directly with the local authority to achieve this. In response to emerging hotspots of ASB the initial response might be increased visible patrols and work done with wider partnership to develop a more longer-term solution with the aim of avoiding displacing the issue to another area.

The Chief Superintendent commented that Love Your Community meetings have replaced the previous PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meetings as it agreed that a change to take a more whole system approach including communities, with everyone working together to make areas of Wolverhampton a better and safer place to live.

The Chief Superintendent gave details of the policing numbers for Wolverhampton and advised the panel that the issue is complex as it is West Midlands Police service which is part of a British policing resource and not a Wolverhampton police resource.  This arrangement provides a process where police forces can call on the resources from another police force area for extra support. The Chief Superintendent commented on the resources under his direct control which can be directed in response to changes in the approach to policing or to another area of Wolverhampton depending on the priorities or issues the service is responding to

The Chief Superintendent commented on the additional policing resources and the dedicated resources available. For example, there is a dedicated gang’s team which looks at organised criminality.

The Chief Superintendent commented on changes to resources and additional leadership posts. There are now two additional Chief Inspectors in addition to the previous roles of crime and local policing, and these roles are supported by the five additional sergeant roles.

The Chief Superintendent commented on other resources that deliver services in Wolverhampton outside of his direct control, highlighting the public protection team and specifically the child protection work team. The work of the team covers child protection safeguarding matters and domestic abuse. There is also a vulnerable adult’s team that investigate high risk domestic abuse victims and cases where there are concerns about vulnerable adults in care settings.

The Chief Superintendent commented the Police and Crime Commissioner works with Chief Constable Craig Guildford to set the local strategic policing direction which follows the Governments strategic priorities. The strategic priorities are then filtered down to devise the operational day to day priorities. This work is supported by a daily localised Police Tasking Meeting which is used to review the events from the previous day to ensure responses are prioritised and followed up as appropriate.

The Chief Superintendent commented on how strategic and operational changes relate the experience of residents, and highlighted improvements in performance of the service. Wolverhampton police is currently second within the West Midlands in terms of its response to immediate incidents, seeing increased numbers of suspects are being arrested, especially in relation to domestic abuse. The Chief Superintendent commented on reductions in robbery, house burglary, and vehicle crime rates since April 2023 and that overall, the service is performing well.

The Chief Superintendent invited the panel to comment on the presentation.

The Chair thanked the Chief Superintendent for the presentation.  The Chair advised the panel of the following updates on crime reduction performance measures reported in the presentation.

 

Crime type	Offences (Year to date)	Percentage change from 2022/2023
Robbery	360	-10%
House burglary	530	-22%
Vehicle crime	1502	-2%
Theft from person	144	-23%
Serious youth violence	439	-12%

 

A panel member expressed concerns about delays in getting responses from the police to major local incidents which have caused concern in the community and being criticised on social media for not appearing to be taking any action. There was a request for more information to be able to meet responsibilities of being a local councillor.

Chief Superintendent Fisher explained that he was not able to comment on the issue recently reported on social media as it is still a live police investigation. The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that major incidents trigger a statutory mechanism to notify local councillors and the service will always review how the current arrangements can be improved.

The Chief Superintendent advised that the first point of contact in response to the type of incident referenced would be the Local Neighbourhood Policing Team. If a councillor does not get a response, then the matter can be escalated to the Neighbourhood Inspector for the area and then on to the local Chief Inspector.

The Chief Superintendent added that it would be rare for the issue to be referred to the Chief Inspector level and highlighted the importance of councillors building a positive relationship with local neighbourhood team.

The importance of good communication and taking a partnership working approach was highlighted. The Chief Superintendent offered to meet with the Councillor to discuss any further concerns about the issue.

A panel member queried the police response to the issue of the inconsiderate and dangerous use of fireworks and what could be done in the future to improve the situation and respond to complaints from residents.

The Chief Superintendent commented that police have a role in enforcing the laws relating the use of fireworks and suggested that a review of the current laws would be needed to respond to the concerns highlighted. The Chief Superintendent acknowledged the increase in celebrations events involving fireworks beyond Halloween and bonfire night which presents a challenge to the service in responding to the increase in the number of calls from the public.

The panel discussed concerns about not being able to contact the Neighbourhood Policing Team and highlighted the impact of the turnover of staff and absences when trying to resolve issues reported by residents and suggested that contact details need to be updated and shared with Councillors.

The Chief Superintendent reassured the panel that the email account for the local neighbourhood team is monitored by everyone on the team and not just Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant and that given the increase in policing numbers and the frequency of rotations would make it difficult to provide an accurate contact list. The panel were advised that the Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant was the key person to speak to initially and then, if necessary, the matter can be escalated to the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector.

The panel suggested the preference was to have a named person to speak to where there are concerns about not being to escalate matters wanted to know which members of the neighbourhood team was available to speak to.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that they will already have contact details for the neighbourhood policing inspectors – James Bird – West, Ned Kelly – East and Sophie Clement for City Centre but offered to share details.

The Chief Superintendent reassured the panel that ASB can be dealt with if it meets the requirements for an immediate or priority response and this would be by response officers working 24/7, so is not affected by the Neighbourhood team being on duty or not is dealt with as an immediate or priority by the Response Officers in the Neighbourhood Policing Team.  If there is a critical incident, then panel members were advised to use either 999 or 101 and this will be included into the reporting system and a response time graded according to the police profile criteria and consideration other priorities.

A panel queried the lack of police base in the south of the City and asked for details about the number of police patrols at peak times, as there is concern about response times as the current neighbourhood team base is located at the other side of the city that covers this area of Wolverhampton. There was also concern about the lack of police visibility in the area. A panel member wanted the original decision to move the neighbourhood policing base to be reconsidered to the south side of the city to provide a local presence.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that building was closed, and neighbourhood policing team relocated because of health and safety concerns. The building was also not considered to be fit for purpose in terms of meeting the policing needs for safe storage and security. The Chief Superintendent added that there has been a challenge in finding a suitable base in the right area and that work is ongoing to identify an alternative site.

Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) commented that the local neighbourhood team was relocated for the reasons stated from Penn Wood Court and it was planned that the team would move to a building at Low Hill, which has been refurbished. The lease on the Penn Wood Court ends in February 2024.

The PCC commented on the current police estates strategy and that nationally over the past 13 years 640 police stations have been closed in response to budgetary pressures.

The PCC commented on the impact of policing policy because of the reduction in spending on local priorities. The PCC added that there is a requirement for West Midlands Police to achieve savings of £28 million in 2023-2024 and a further £21 million of savings in 2024-2025 which has led to difficult expenditure decisions. The PCC explained that decisions about the police estate strategy is an operational decision based on the independent judgment of the Chief Constable.

A panel member supported the decision to close the building and offered to suggest alternatives that would address the concerns highlighted and improve police response times. A panel member commented on the importance of having a police presence in the area to help the public to feel safer and supported the work being done, while acknowledging the challenges.

The Chief Superintendent thanked the member for the comments and accepted the challenge of changing public perception about crime levels and added that Wolverhampton is a very safe area and has among the lowest crime rates comparable for a city across the country.

The Chief Superintendent highlighted the collective responsibility to change public perceptions and the challenges presented by ease in which the incidents of local crime are shared widely on social media. The impact of this technological changes has been to drive up levels of fear among the public and presents a challenge to the police and others in providing reassurance. In addition, the public also have access to range of other information sources about local incidents.

The Chief Superintendent commented on the importance of continually reinforcing the positive message about Wolverhampton and competing against negative influences.

A panel member commented on the role of Councillors in hearing both criticism and praise from the public about the performance of the police which provides a good source of local intelligence. A panel member commented on details on the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership Board website and suggested that information needs to be updated and other changes made to make it more helpful to the public when looking for information.

A panel member commented on the important role of the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership Board to the public and the Council and stressed the need to provide the public with opportunities to talk to the local police. There was concern about the impact of closure of police stations further limiting public access and general visibility.

A panel member welcomed the increase in policing numbers across the West Midlands but queried the accuracy of the reported crime statistics which did reflect local experiences. The member commented on the importance to the public of being able to visit a local police station to report a crime and the need to retain their support for the reasons previously stated.

The Chief Superintendent acknowledged the technological changes and the impact that they have had a policing. The Chief Superintendent responded to issues about the service not engaging with public highlighting both the volume of calls received and using social media to report incidents. The Chief Superintendent challenged the view that the public would want to visit a police station to report an incident as the level of people who choose this option is very low. The evidence would suggest that more people are using mobile phone to report incidents and there is less risk using this method than being seen to be speaking to the police. The Chief Superintendent highlighted the importance of providing a range of different ways for the public to communicate with the public.

The Chief Superintendent commented on concerns about the recording of crime statistics and highlighted the impact of changes introduced by Home Office which has led to changes in the requirements for the recording of incidents. The Chief Superintendent offered to support Councillors in interpreting local crime data statistics and is committed to building a good working relationship.

The Chief Superintendent accepted the concerns about police visibility and commented on the changes in policing and increase in crimes causing significant harm such as child sexual exploitation and criminal exploitation of vulnerable people and the need for the service to respond to these hidden crimes. The Chief Superintendent commented on the funding challenges and expressed concern about the current formula used to calculate the budget for West Midlands Police.

The PCC acknowledged concerns about waiting times and that priority has been given to improved performance of responses to 999 calls to address this issue. The PCC commented on the importance of rebuilding community policing and outlined actions to achieve this.

The PCC commented on the challenge in maintaining police visibility as a result of the reduction in police numbers and queried the resources allocated to other areas who are not experiencing the same level of threat and demand when compared to the West Midlands region but have higher levels of funding for policing.

The PCC stated his commitment to the Neighbourhood Policing Team being located at Wednesfield Police Station until a suitable alternative location has been found and highlighted the importance of this issue to residents.

The PCC commented on the issue of violence and sexual offences being the top in reported crime data and most cases involve violence against women and girls but the locally this is not raised as an issue. The PCC added that about 40 per cent of recorded crime in the West Midlands relates to violence.

A panel member commented on the loss of confidence in the police and queried how messages offering reassurance to the public that crime levels are falling can be promoted.

The Chief Superintendent outlined the range of measures being used to communicate with the public and promote messages about improved 101 and 999 performance response times and positive improvements outlined in the presentation about the quality of service.

The Chief Superintendent commented on people increasingly using the social media outlets to communicate both good and poor experiences when contacting the police. The Chief Superintendent commented on the success of the Police live chat channel a digital platform which is used by young people as their preferred method of contacting the police as example of work being to promote positive messages to engage the local community.

A panel member queried the impact of the policy of sharing police resources across the region and the extent this would hinder a quick response to local issues of car cruising where specialist cars for example, are being used elsewhere.

The Chief Superintendent reassured the panel of that there was no risk arising from the policy of moving resources across the region. The Chief Superintendent added that the nature of policing is very dynamic and unpredictable, and the West Midlands works closely with colleagues in West Mercia and Staffordshire police forces as offenders’ cross borders, particularly around vehicle crime and burglary offences.

The Chief Superintendent explained how the use police resources are co-ordinated and prioritised against the level of risk at the national and regional levels. The Chief Superintendent added that car cruising in Wolverhampton and in other locations typically involves the same offenders operating in different locations. The approach has been using new technology on a larger scale and to invest in a dedicated team to collect intelligence and review car footage videos. There is a commitment when evidence has been collected that enforcement and prosecution action will be taken quickly against people involved in this criminal behaviour.

The PCC commented on a work of Operation Hercules, in relation to car cruising which the organisation contributes funding and commented on the good partnership working across the region in terms of issuing civil injunctions to prohibit and prevent car cruising and street racing activity. The PCC gave examples of the range of different initiatives aimed at tackling the issue.

A panel member queried the role of the police in situations where someone becomes mentally unwell as the presentation refers to trauma informed practice locally but was told recently when contacting the police that they could not offer help and referred them to another agency.

The Chief Superintendent acknowledged the reference to mental health issues as a key priority and commented on the links to other policing priorities. The Chief Superintendent reassured the panel that the police are still involved with people with mental health issues as part of a wider health agenda and representatives contribute to the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board and the mental health partnerships.

The Chief Superintendent commented that the police were too often seen as the go to agency for all aspects of supporting people with mental health issues and officers were neither trained nor equipped to provide this role. The police have powers to detain people under the Mental Health Act 1983. The Chief Superintendent added that nationally there is a shift in previous policy and the introduction to the Right Care, Right Person toolkit in deciding who is the best agency to support an individual with mental health issues. The Chief Superintendent commented on the benefits of the new approach and is working with agencies to ensure they have the capability to respond to such calls.

A panel member queried action being taken to respond to complaints about the misuse of electric scooters. The Chief Superintendent acknowledged the environmental benefits of using electric scooters but commented on challenge of the lack of regulation to enable people to lawfully use them and manage people who should not be. The Chief Superintendent commented on the need to make parents understand the risks to riders and others when being used at speed and reassured the panel that when people are caught action will be taken. Further legislation will be needed to manage the risks.

The PCC commented that the policy of Right Care, Right Person is about ensuring that people with mental health issue can see a mental health care professional rather than a police officer and that the policy is being rolled nationally. However, the PCC added that the policy is being introduced gradually in the West Midlands region and people with a mental health issue should not be advised against contacting the police.

The panel discussed the possible benefits of rolling out the portable police stations scheme and the opportunities to publicise them in areas where the usage has been lower than expected.

The Chief Superintendent commented on the high level of engagement with the public and that the service has a good understanding of their needs. The service receive 6000 calls a day and the responses can be analysed to give a detailed picture about needs of the public.  The Chief Superintendent commented on the value of school intervention officers who visit schools to talk to young people representing different communities to better understand the issue that matters to them most. The police service is working to respond to the different issues and challenges presented during these meetings with young people.

A panel member expressed concern about police response times to recent incident, while acknowledging improvements in performance. There was a query about how response figures were calculated. There was support for a local police base in Merry Hill ward area.

The Chief Superintendent advised the panel that average response times are based on the median calculation and by the target percentage achieved. The median figure is used because of the wide range of incident types and there needs to be a balance when prioritising situations where a quicker response is needed.

The Chief Superintendent added that a grading profile is also used to assess performance and other factors based on the threat of risk and harm based on national definitions. The statistics referred to in the presentation are times for immediate police response against the national target of 15 minutes and the service is achieving a median of 11 minutes.

The Chair thanked the presenters again for attending the meeting and answering questions from the panel. The Chair reminded the panel that the meeting on 22 February 2024 would focus on ASB and that the Chief Superintendent and the PCCr would be invited to attend, plus representatives of other organisations.

The Chief Superintendent commented on the presentation was as a result work done by members of the SWP who have had a key role in putting the information together and his attendance is a representative showcasing the work being done to support the priorities set out.

The panel discussed the idea of undertaking a public consultation on crime and community safety to find out their concerns about policing matters and to comment on the priorities outlined in the presentation.

John Denley, Director of Public Health, queried that the proposal and expressed concern that the plan would involve a major public consultation exercise and the highlighted potential challenges to be considered before the idea could be taken forward.  The Director of Public Health suggested a starting point would be to review how rigorous the service has been in engaging with communities and the extent to which people have already taken the opportunity to share their concerns. The Director of Public Health welcomed the challenge and suggested.

Resolved:

The panel proposed a public consultation on crime and community and policing matters. The issue to be discussed with the Director of Public Health noting the comments expressed about the proposed way forward.