Agenda item

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable, Francis Habgood will be attending the meeting with Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Matt Barber to deliver a presentation on the work of Thames Valley Police over the last year.

The Chief Constable, Francis Habgood, gave a presentation on significant policing issues across the borough and Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Matt Barber also attended to speak to Members about the 2016 -17 Crime Performance Headlines and the results of the PCC Survey 2016. 

The Chief Constable showed the meeting a short film which was a brief round-up of what had been happening across the force told by officers in various roles serving the communities of Thames Valley.

The Chief Constable highlighted that the force had taken part in the Channel Four programme ‘Catching a Killer’ in order to show what was involved in murder investigations. He noted that demand for services had been particularly high over the summer but that Bracknell Forest continues to be a safe place to live and work. Burglary and violent crime figures were both down on the year to date. It was recognised that increases in domestic violence were potentially due to both changes in reporting and an increased confidence in reporting. He reflected that partnership working was embedded with the Council with successful joint problem solving meetings and sharing of information. He added that they were working towards an appropriate response to crime for example recognising that young people exploited to carry out crime were also victims.

He was pleased to report that Neighbourhood Policing Team had won the Lord Lieutenant’s Shrievalty Award in March 2017. Three Community Forums had been set up and Community Speed Watch had been successful in Crowthorne and Sandhurst.

The Chief Constable advised the meeting that local officers had reported a sense of pride around the Town Centre redevelopment and had been keen to see the changes to previous problem areas such as Jubilee Gardens.

Chief Inspector Sarah Grahame, Local Policing Area Commander also attended the meeting to respond to Councillors’ questions.

In response to a question regarding the mini motorbikes and antisocial behaviour around the Wildridings /Mill Pond area the Chief Constable explained that an operations order was in place, evidence of offences had been gathered and interviews had been undertaken. Community Forums were the place to raise issues and the Neighbourhood Policing team could answer queries.    

In response to a question about how the closure of Crowthorne police station would impact on the response time for officer attendance at Sandhurst the Chief Constable explained that the service had not changed only where officers were deployed from. The force was investing in people rather than premises and instead looking at technology to support this change in practice which should not result in a change in presence.

In response to a question about investigation response times the Chief Constable  explained that investigation resources were prioritised in terms of vulnerability and risk but he recognised that with finite resources available if there were no lines of enquiry to pursue then cases were slowed down.

In response to a question about whether the Bracknell Forest Youth Offending Team would continue to receive appropriate levels of financial support the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner replied that he could not make any formal commitment but did not anticipate any changes. He agreed to discuss this outside of the meeting with Councillor Mrs Temperton.

In response to a question about the local response to fraud against vulnerable people the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner reiterated that there was a national response to fraud and cyber crime. He noted that the challenge was that whilst communities want to see a police presence the reality was that they were more likely to be victims of soft crime. He added that discussions were ongoing on how to resource anti-fraud campaigns.

The Chief Constable added that prevention was key and their project ‘Protect Your World’ was highlighting the action individuals could take. Cadets were working with the older generation to educate them in personal cyber security. He stated that they were adopting Sussex scheme which prioritises the most vulnerable.

In response to a question about the BBC South Today programme which suggested that the new operating model was not working the Chief Constable replied that it was unfortunate that the research had been conducted early on in the implementation of the model. He acknowledged that there had been teething issues such as introducing the new shift pattern and they were reviewing this. He added that his officers still love their jobs.

The meeting joined Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Regeneration in thanking the local team for their role during the opening weekend of the Lexicon. He had witnessed some positive engagement with the public. The Chief Constable replied that this had been the first time that the security team working in the area had been asked to have powers and had been given them.

The Mayor thanked the Chief Constable and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for their attendance and informative presentations.