Minutes:
The police update was given by the Borough Commander Chris Hafford.
The Borough Commander explained that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was accountable to MOPAC and to the London Mayor. The MPS were currently working on MOPAC 7 targets which involved reducing costs by 20%, and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction levels. In the last twelve months:
· Burglary had fallen by 8.5%
· Criminal damage was down by 1.9%
· Motor vehicle crime was down by 12.5%
· Violent Crime was up by 14.7%
There had been an increase in Domestic Violence Cases. Of all violent crimes reported, one hundred and seventy five were related to domestic violence. It had been thought by some that this would increase with the onset of the World Cup, but this had not manifested to date. It was noted that public confidence was at 66%, which was 3% better than the previous year. The Commander then updated the Committee with respect to response to emergency calls. It was noted that the response to “I” calls (999 calls) was that 91.6% were responded to within the 15 minute target. “Significant” calls to the police (requiring a response time of 60mins) were responded to within targeted response times in 92.8% of cases.
With respect to staffing levels, it was noted that the current number of Bromley police staff was 546.3—the odd figure related to part time staff. The target for staffing levels was 543. Twenty seven new recruits were currently being trained, and should be on operational duties in the next month.
The Committee was informed that Deputy Borough Commander Jo Oakley was being promoted; this unfortunately meant that Bromley were losing her as she was being transferred to Lewisham. The transfer was effective from July 7th 2014. Carron Schlusler was also being promoted, and going to Croydon.
The Borough Commander informed the Committee that usually there would be meetings held once a week with the Assistant Commissioner to discuss how Bromley police where performing with regard to the various aims and targets of the London Policing Model (LPM). Areas for discussion included matters such as workloads, performance, sickness rates, and an overview of whether or not the aims and objectives of the LPM were working in Bromley, and if any modifications and flexibility were required. It was also noted that the number of officers on generic Emergency Response Teams (ERT) were in the region of 120-129; the number of ERT Officers working with CID was 108. There had been no reductions in the number of Police Community Support Officers.
The Borough Commander referred to the issue of police officer shift patterns, and recognised that these were not universally popular; reviews were in progress. Another issue that was also being reviewed was the use of Contact Points, as it appeared that the use of contact points was not providing value for money, and was a waste of resources.
The Commander advised that the issue of using an increased number of marked vehicles was being considered, but there were not any imminent plans to make any fleet changes as the MPS fleet was currently under review. The Borough Commander was pleased that Bromley police had a good relationship with Bromley Council and other partners, and that morale was good in the Bromley force.
Grace Stephens (Bromley Youth Council) commented on the lack of visibility of police officers in public. She stated that a higher visibility should be aimed for to make the public feel more secure. The Borough Commander responded that this was a good point, and that he was looking at ways to deal with this issue, and also to encourage and increase public engagement. Monthly meetings were held to discuss these issues.
Councillor Pierce noted that if 91% of emergency calls were being responded to within the fifteen minute response time target, this still meant that approximately one in ten were not being responded to in time. Councillor Pierce asked if this was acceptable. Councillor Pierce also commented on the issue of the use of contact points. He stated that part of the problem of apparent under usage of the contact points may in fact be because members of the public did not know when they were open. The Borough Commander replied to the question of response times by explaining that sometimes the response time target may be missed by a matter of seconds or minutes. There were sometimes problems with a lack of resources. The police force tried to “triage” real emergencies to the best of its ability, so that these calls were always given priority. Obvious failings would be held to account. With respect to the matter of the contact points and their opening times, the Borough Commander noted that these were mentioned in various places such as the “New Shopper” newspaper, and also on the police web site. Even so, the police would look at ways of re-advertising and marketing the contact points.
Councillor Peter Fortune asked if monies being channelled into the problem of domestic abuse were demonstrating results. The Borough Commander responded that there had been an increase in third party reporting, but that this was a difficult question to answer. Councillor Fortune also queried how the police make people feel safe in these situations. The Borough Commander responded by stating that the police were reviewing how quickly they responded to domestic abuse calls. The police were also looking at increasing the size of its Community Safety Unit, and were also looking at ways to prosecute offenders for other crimes as well as domestic abuse. The Portfolio Holder mentioned that Councillors should defer to Officer Clare Elcombe in matters relating to domestic abuse and perpetrator programmes.
Councillor Cartwright stated that members of the public were concerned about the reduced numbers of sergeants and PCSOS’s. The Borough Commander answered that Bromley police were currently 4/5 sergeants below target, but potential new candidates for sergeant positions were being looked at for promotion. Councillor Botting asked why the number of PCSO’s had been reduced. The Borough Commander responded that this was because of promotion and decreased resources.
Councillor Philpott asked a question concerning front counter levels at the West Wickham Contact Point. The Borough Commander indicated that he was in contact with the Volunteer Co-ordinator who was very good, and would get feedback for the Committee.
The Chairman made reference to the Maudsley Hospital site, and a recent meeting with the Chief Executive. Apparently there was previously a mobile police contact point at the hospital that did not appear to be there now. The Chairman enquired if this facility had been withdrawn, and if so—why? The Borough Commander responded that a meeting had been scheduled to discuss the issue.
Laila Khan (BYC) stated that young people were often not aware of why they were being stopped and searched, and that police officers should explain why. Miss Khan also asked what qualified for a 15 minutes response to a 999 call. The Borough Commander explained that if there was a suspect still at the alleged crime scene that required arresting, then that would be one example of a 15 minute response. Other examples would be when dealing with the elderly because of their vulnerability. Most of the time it revolved around the issue of whether or not a suspect was still available to arrest.
RESOLVED that the Borough Commander’s update be noted.