Written evidence submitted by
Martyn Underhill, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset

 

Executive Summary:

 

 

Introduction:

 

I have been the PCC for Dorset since November 2012 having previously served as a Police Officer for 30 years.  I am a passionate advocate for victims and am proud to have introduced the Dorset Victims Bureau and other initiatives aimed at giving voice to victims of crime and improving services which make a difference.

 

I have campaigned strongly for people with mental health issues resulting in the provision of a Street Triage service and ensuring that those in crisis are not taken into Police Custody but supported at an appropriate place of safety.

 

My office and Dorset Police have worked hard since 2012 to make the efficiencies required of us and have achieved significant savings through our Strategic Alliance work with Devon and Cornwall Police.  The County is a mixture of rural and urban areas with a population of approximately 750,000, a third of whom are over the age of 60.

 

I chair or sit on a number of National Boards which combined with my role in Dorset has provided me with an insight into all areas of Policing including the changing demands and new challenges and it is for this reason that I wanted to make this submission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reforms which may be necessary to ensure the police service has the ongoing capacity and capability to fulfil its primary task of ensuring public safety, in the face of new and evolving threats and challenges.

 

  1. The police service doesn’t just face resourcing issues, it also faces a perception issue. The changes in police pay and conditions have led to a national change in perception of the service as a career. People now view the role as a job not a vocation, which means retention is a real issue for the future. 

 

  1. Policing has also seen a change in priorities – “threat risk and harm” is a new and worrying way of allocating resources. It means that “lower risk” crimes which don’t feature vulnerability (such as business crime, the lower end of ASB, cycling offences, theft etc) are downgraded or ignored. Policing is creating two tiers of victims.

 

  1. From a training perspective, every police employee now needs to be a competent cyber investigator as cyber infiltrates across all areas of policing, yet training and mind-set is still locked into specialists undertaking this role.

 

  1. PCC’s have a huge role to play here in increasing the role of the citizen in community safety and policing.

 

  1. PCC’s also have a role to play in challenging other agencies such as Local Authorities, who are shrinking their community safety role to fulfil statutory obligations only.

 

  1. PCC’s are starting to engage with hard to reach communities, leading to more increased reporting, but there is still much to do.

 

Current and future crime trends and their implications for policing in England and Wales, including emerging or growing categories of crime (such as online crime and child sexual abuse) and under-reported types of crime.

 

  1. Abuse of the elderly is going to become the new growing issue coming over the horizon, policing needs a step change to cope with this new and growing issue, PCC’s have to start raising awareness of this crucial area.

 

The extent to which the police are sufficiently equipped to deal with these changing patterns of crime and other operational demands, such as mental health crisis work, and where gaps in capacity and capability are likely to lie.

 

  1. In relation to MH, capacity and capability can both be improved by policing undertaking more demand management and reduction. Examples include:

 

 

  1. Other issues for consideration in relation to mental health are:

 

 

All issues that are being worked on but still need addressing.

 

  1. Also, is there a need for a single Mental Health Minister or Commissioner, with sole responsibility for the issue, working across HO, MoJ, DH, DfE?

 

The relationship between public expectations of the police, including desired visibility and perceived priorities, and the operational realities of policing within the current financial context.

 

  1. There continues to be a need for a mature debate with the public over the precise role of the police service in the current climate and a realistic management of public expectations as a result.

 

  1. At the local level, public concerns continue to be predominantly focused on relatively low-level matters at neighbourhood level. Whilst there is a heightened awareness of issues such as child sexual abuse through high profile cases and associated media coverage there remains a general lack of understanding of the complexity of policing, the resource intensive nature of ‘hidden harms’ and the genuine difficulties in meeting the basic public demand for a visible policing presence despite this not always being the best allocation of resources. 

 

  1. The current structure of policing also creates difficulties in responding quickly and effectively to some of the emerging crime issues that have surfaced in recent years. Cyber and on-line crime is an obvious example of this – where victims seek a response from their local police force when the perpetrator of the crime could be anywhere in the country, or even beyond.

 

  1. In paragraph 3, above, I talk of a need to upskill all police employees in relation to cyber-crime rather than seeing it as a role purely for specialists – but there also continues to be the need for a much clearer picture as to how the police service as a whole should be responding to this threat at the national, regional and local level, with clear role definitions to avoid overlap and duplication.

 

  1. There also needs to be much more emphasis placed on the ‘what works’ and ‘what doesn’t work’ nature of policing to build up a clear evidence base of successful and appropriate interventions. Evaluation of tactics, methods and initiatives continues to be a weakness and potential diverts resources away from the most effective means of delivering services. Such evaluation and evidence will also be helpful in informing the public around decisions taken with regard to resource allocation and operational policing delivery.

 

Police funding levels, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, including the role of Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in driving innovation and reform.

 

  1. The Chief Constable and I remain disappointed in the settlement provided for policing in Dorset for 2017/18. The settlement represents a cash reduction in funding and will directly impact the delivery of policing services across the county. The expectation placed on me to increase the precept by the maximum available simply to maintain funding at flat cash levels compared to 2015/16 reduces the local control that I have whilst still resulting in a real terms reduction in resources once inflationary factors are accounted for.

 

  1. The settlement presents continuing challenges for us to deliver policing to the county through a balanced budget. Part of the calculations presented to deliver a flat cash settlement are an assumed increase in the tax base. Whilst this will increase the funding available from the precept it is as a direct result of the increase in number of properties in the county and therefore an increase in the demand placed on the police service.

 

  1. The decision to increase the amount of the government grant that is reallocated to specific areas further erodes local accountability. The top slicing to Police Transformation Fund also leads to forces investing resources in a competitive bidding process for short term projects rather than having the local control to direct to the PCC’s priorities.

 

  1. Whilst appreciating the work on the new formula, the absence of any indication of funding beyond 12 months is disappointing. The ability to formulate a realistic medium term financial plan is significantly compromised and places the police at a disadvantage and out of step with the rest of local government who received a four year deal.

 

  1. Whilst there is evidence of individual PCCs across the country driving innovation and reform our hands are tied to a large extent by some of the funding and resourcing issues set out above. This is further exacerbated by the financial challenges being faced by our public sector partners where a number of key priorities relating to crime and community safety are shared.

 

The role of digital technology in policing, including take-up, risks and barriers to use.

 

  1. People will always be the most important element of policing but it is imperative that we equip our officers and staff with the best, and most current, equipment available to support them in effectively doing their jobs.

 

  1. Policing continues to lag behind in areas such as use of technology and remains hamstrung by numerous different solutions to the same problem being generated across 43 different forces. One example would be the introduction of Body Worn Video (BWV). The use of BWV is generally considered to be a positive initiative, both in terms of evidence gathering and potentially reducing complaints against officers, but has been rolled out in a piecemeal fashion with a lack of common standards and shared learning from the process. 

 

  1. The introduction of the Police ICT Company is a positive move in trying to co-ordinate technology related matters at a national level but the sheer size, scope and complexity of systems, requirements and contracts across the current policing landscape makes this an extremely challenging task, with little real progress made to date.

 

International best practice examples of innovation in policing, and the extent to which they could be replicated in England and Wales.

 

  1. I believe we should examine the model used in some parts of Europe, where victims have their own lawyer. That lawyer will adopt an advocate role on behalf of the victim, representing them during cross examination, reading out the Victim Personal Statement to the court, and helping to fight for compensation. I have lobbied the Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor to sponsor a pilot scheme here in Dorset, and I will continue to do so.

 

Other comments

 

  1. Current legislation states that the PCC and criminal justice bodies “….must make arrangements (so far as it is appropriate to do so) for the exercise of functions so as to provide an efficient and effective criminal justice system in the police area”.  In line with the recent reforms providing PCCs with greater scope for governance over the Fire Service, I would like to see consideration given to extend this further across criminal justice service (CJS) partners.

 

  1. As PCC I have responsibility for ensuring that Dorset Police deliver efficient and effective policing locally. A large amount of crime is committed by a relatively small number of offenders which is why reducing reoffending features prominently in my (and other PCC’s) Police and Crime Plans. Yet being able to tackle reoffending meaningfully requires coordinated effort across all CJS services. Whilst I currently have a duty to work closely with these services I have no real power or influence over them to affect change and improvement.

 

  1. The Transforming Rehabilitation reforms have also had a direct impact for Dorset. Our allocated resettlement prisons for Dorset offenders are all located out of county. This makes it unnecessarily difficult to work with and support offenders prior to their release back into the community. It is also an area that the CRC have struggled to deliver on in an effective and consistent manner.

 

  1. PCCs are ideally placed to facilitate and promote a more joined up and consistent approach across CJS services than currently exists.  This is especially important in ensuring that local residents and visitors receive the best possible service, irrespective of the differing and often wider geographical areas covered by the main CJ partner organisations.  In addition to my desire to see PCCs have greater scope for governance across the CJS service, I believe there should also be consideration given to providing PCCs with greater opportunities for commissioning witness services and for commissioning services dealing with offenders, perhaps along similar lines to the current provision of Ministry of Justice grants that enable PCCs to commission victims’ services.  This would provide PCCs with the means to create more tailored and effective CJS services for local victims, witnesses and offenders in their area.

 

 

Martyn Underhill, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset

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