Agenda item

Police, Fire & Crime Panel Work Programme 2022/23 and operating arrangements

Guide time: 11.45am – 12.15pm

 

Decision:

RESOLVED that:

a)    The Panel agrees that its work programme for 2022/23 should include the following matters:

·         A Police, Fire & Crime Plan delivery update presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·         Police and Fire & Rescue Authority budget updates presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·         A report from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner on the outcomes of the latest HMICFRS inspection of Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service to the Panel meeting on 8th September 2022

·         A report from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner giving an overview of the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology in Northamptonshire to the Panel meeting on 8th September 2022

·         A report from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner giving an overview of the Independent Custody Visitors scheme in Northamptonshire to the Panel meeting on 1st December 2022

·         The Joint Independent Audit Committee Annual Report 2021/22 to the Panel meeting on 8th September 2022

·         Briefing sessions with the Chief Constable and with the Chief Fire Officer on their organisations’ operating environment, priorities and challenges at least once during the year

·         A workshop session on the development of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner’s proposed precepts for 2023/24 as in previous years

·         A briefing session on road safety strategy in Northamptonshire and supporting activities.

b)    The Panel agrees that its work programme for 2022/23 should include a piece of focussed task and finish work on early intervention activity in Northamptonshire.

c)    The Panel agrees that councillors Gonzalez De Savage, Maxwell, McGhee, Mercer and Smith would be included in the membership of a task and finish working group on early intervention.

d)    The Panel agrees that Panel members not present at the meeting would be contacted subsequently to identify any additional members interested in being on a task and finish working group on early intervention.

e)    The Panel agrees to continue its membership of the East Midlands Police, & Crime Panels Network for 2022/23.

f)     The Panel agrees to continue its membership of the National Association of Police, Fire & Crime Panels for 2022/23.

 

 

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Assistant Manager presented the report, highlighting the following points:

·         The Panel should use its first regular meeting of the new municipal year to consider its work programme, identifying the topics that the Panel wished to scrutinise in addition to its mandatory tasks.

·         The report provided an outline work programme as a basis for discussion. This was modelled on the Panel’s previous approach and included some potential topic areas suggested by the previous Panel and by the PFCC. 

·         The Panel had previously been a member of two relevant partnership bodies: the East Midlands Police & Crime Panels Network and the National Association of Police, Fire & Crime Panels. The Panel should determine whether it wished to renew its membership of these bodies.

·         The report also included the link to information about the current public consultation on Fire & Rescue Service reform. Panel members were invited to consider the consultation document outside of the meeting and feed back any points that they wished to be included in a response by the Chair.

The Panel considered the report. The Chair made the following initial points:

·         The outline work programme provided a good basis on which to proceed.

·         The Panel had previously found the proposed briefing sessions with the Chief Constable and Chief Fire Officer and the proposed workshop session on the development of the PFCC’s proposed precepts to be worthwhile.

·         The previous Panel had identified the potential to carry out some more in-depth scrutiny work on early intervention in the county. It was open to the Panel now to consider whether this topic should be included in its work programme.

The Panel considered what further action it should take on the topic of early intervention. Several Panel members encouraged that this topic be pursued and the Chair suggested that a working group might be set up for this purpose, although another member questioned whether it was relevant to the remit of the Panel. In response to questions the Democratic Services Assistant Manager provided additional information as follows:

·         5 – 7 members was generally an appropriate size for a working group.

·         It would be important to identify clear aims and outcomes for the proposed work to reflect the remit of the Panel and produce the most value for the time invested in it.

·         The working group could meet to draw up a draft scope for the proposed work for final approval by the Panel.

Panel members went on to make the following points relating to the overall work programme:

·         Consideration could be given to inviting the Chief Constable to attend Panel meetings more frequently.

·         The Panel should take more of an overview of complaints about the conduct of the PFCC.

·         The Panel should seek an update on the Fire & Rescue white paper at its meeting in December 2022.

·         The Panel should invite the new Chief Fire Officer to attend a meeting 3 – 6 months after he had taken up the post.

·         The Panel should request an update on the outcomes resulting from investment in interceptor vehicles in Northamptonshire.

·         The Panel should seek an update on the outcomes of the latest HMICRS inspection of NFRS at its next meeting.  

The Chair noted that the Panel had previously used briefings more than its formal meetings to engage with the Chief Constable. The Chair also referred to the role of the Complaints Sub Committee in carrying out the Panel’s complaints function.

The PFCC made the following points during the course of discussion:

·         He had suggested that it could be useful for the Panel to receive updates on the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology and the operation of the Independent Custody Visitors scheme (ICV) in Northamptonshire. ANPR had been the subject of local investment. The provision of ICVs was part of the PFCC’s statutory responsibilities that might not be widely understood.

·         He could arrange for the Panel to receive a briefing on road safety strategy more generally, which could be held at an appropriate location.

The Panel considered whether to continue its involved in the two partnership bodies identified. In response to a question the Democratic Services Assistant Manager gave the view that membership of the East Midlands Police & Crime Panel did add value to the work of the Panel in return for the £420 cost, which could be met from the Home Office grant funding stream that supported the operation of Police & Crime panels.  

RESOLVED that:

a)  The Panel agrees that its work programme for 2022/23 should include the following matters:

·      A Police, Fire & Crime Plan delivery update presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·      Police and Fire & Rescue Authority budget updates presented to each regular meeting of the Panel

·      A report from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner on the outcomes of the latest HMICFRS inspection of Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service to the Panel meeting on 8th September 2022

·      A report from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner giving an overview of the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology in Northamptonshire to the Panel meeting on 8th September 2022

·      A report from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner giving an overview of the Independent Custody Visitors scheme in Northamptonshire to the Panel meeting on 1st December 2022

·      The Joint Independent Audit Committee Annual Report 2021/22 to the Panel meeting on 8th September 2022

·      Briefing sessions with the Chief Constable and with the Chief Fire Officer on their organisations’ operating environment, priorities and challenges at least once during the year

·      A workshop session on the development of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner’s proposed precepts for 2023/24 as in previous years

b)  The Panel agrees that its work programme for 2022/23 should include a piece of focussed task and finish work on early intervention activity in Northamptonshire.

c)  The Panel agrees that councillors Gonzalez De Savage, Maxwell, McGhee, Mercer and Smith would be included in the membership of a task and finish working group on early intervention.

d)  The Panel agrees that Panel members not present at the meeting would be contacted subsequently to identify any additional members interested in being on a task and finish working group on early intervention.

e)  The Panel agrees to continue its membership of the East Midlands Police, & Crime Panels Network for 2022/23.

f)   The Panel agrees to continue its membership of the National Association of Police, Fire & Crime Panels for 2022/23.

Supporting documents: