Agenda item

The Council received a presentation by the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, Mr Stephen Watson concerning his plans and approach for policing in South Yorkshire. Dr Alan Billings, the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, was also in attendance.

Mr Watson outlined his analysis of South Yorkshire Police and referred to the present context and situation. There was he said, a need for substantial improvement and the organisation was not performing to its potential. However, he said that South Yorkshire Police would improve and had potential to do so. There had been issues which had undermined confidence and trust in the organisation but there was also goodwill and people wished see a police force in South Yorkshire that was successful. The building of confidence and trust were both matters which were included in the plans for the organisation.

There were reports relating to the force in the public domain, including those by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and a peer review, the results of which had been published. These were felt to be a fair and objective assessment of South Yorkshire Police at this time and they underpinned his assertion that the organisation was underperforming against its latent potential. He considered that there was both adequate capacity and capability to achieve the improvements required within the necessary timescales.

As regards morale, it was acknowledged that people had been affected by the recent and historic events and context for the organisation and this had damaged morale. Nonetheless, he said that he was generally pleased with peoples’ response and the evident desire to get back to winning ways quickly and their sense of optimism. He had not detected resistance to proposed programme of change which the organisation was to embark upon. Support would be provided by peer support and the College of Policing and there were leading practitioners assisting with the implementation of the Peer Review and Recovery Plan.

Turning to his analysis of the situation and plans for recovery, Mr Watson said that the force did appear to have lost its strategic direction from senior officers. There was clarity in respect of the Police and Crime Plan but insufficient understanding of how to achieve its objectives. Whilst there were many pockets of good practice in the organisation, these were not as systematic as they needed to be. The force had been favourably recognised in HMI reports on both serious and organised crime and custody. However, these were not systematised and greater strategic clarity was required.

As with other public services, including the City Council, South Yorkshire Police was operating in a context of relative scarcity of resources and working to make best use of those resources to achieve required outcomes. The force had a budget of £72.4 million less than it did in 2011/12. With the benefit of learning, it could be seen that South Yorkshire Police had undergone a programme of unsophisticated cost cutting. It had also been seen to act defensively and struggle to deal effectively with problems because it was an organisation under pressure, a point illustrated by its approach in response to Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham.

Demand had undermined the organisation’s ability to deal with issues as it had been reactive and had not dealt with those problems ‘upstream’. As a result, the organisation was effectively ‘chasing its tail’ and demand would continue to increase and situations would worsen if this were to continue. In order to proactively solve problems, there needed to be an understanding of the nature of demand, to get ‘upstream’ of it and work to reduce or stop the flow of demand. A key issue in structural terms was the force’s ability to problem solve and effective neighbourhood policing, focussed on problem solving was thought to be an important part of the solution. However, this was not in place at the present time and therefore a neighbourhood policing offer would have to be established. South Yorkshire Police was committed to working with partner organisations, including local authorities, to develop place-based co-designed services which provided a sophisticated response to issues relating to policing and crime. Mr Watson commented that he had been heartened by conversations with local authorities in the region and he believed that South Yorkshire Police would be well supported. 

There were other issues which were affected by a lack of strategic direction, including performance management, in relation to which a structure would need to be developed. There was insufficient capacity in relation to delivery of change and this affected the capacity for effective continuous improvement and organisational development. It was important to create a successful team which was pulling in the same direction. The response to this issue was the creation of a strategic delivery plan to deliver the Police and Crime Plan with the core priorities being crime and anti-social behaviour and protecting vulnerable people. The plan was simple and focussed and written on a single page.

A number of key appointments were being made to ensure that a strong and stable leadership team was in place by spring 2017. A business change team was examining the design of the organisational structure and demand; and undertaking ward needs analysis to inform the allocation of resources. The structure was underpinned by the assumption that there would be a neighbourhood policing offer, together with other specialist policing resources. Whilst resources were limited, the force would be reoriented to deal with demand and in order to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. In addition, services such as call handling were important in improving the quality of care for victims of crime.

Mr Watson stated that it was his view, that in the next 18 months South Yorkshire Police should strive to be assessed as ‘good’ in all areas. It should implement best practice and put the right people in the right place. There were some issues in relation to which the organisation could not problem solve on its own. For example, control of licensed premises required a number of organisations to work together with the police, including the local authority, health organisations and the Fire and Rescue Service.            

The force would seek to achieve improved outcomes in relation to crime-fighting, reducing crime and improving detection rates, victim satisfaction and trust and confidence. This would be done in the context of South Yorkshire Police’s core values.

Members of the Council asked questions and made comments to which the Chief Constable responded as summarised below:

There was support for the change in approach towards neighbourhood policing. A question was asked about the role of local councillors in relation to the neighbourhood approach and with regards to anti-social behaviour. In response, Members were informed that effective neighbourhood policing would help to reassure people and it was also a good way to engage with communities. Neighbourhood policing was a necessary part of the requirement to get upstream of demand as regards crime. Local councillors could influence and help to facilitate the development of neighbourhood policing through neighbourhood fora and the local authority and through named police personnel who would be tethered to communities and would be more visible. Whatever engagement model was employed was up for debate, but local authorities would have a key role and it was important that the police worked with its partners in this regard. Existing neighbourhood structures would be examined and every councillor should have a satisfactory way of accessing the police.

A comment was made that policing was done with the consent and support of the community. Concern was expressed that due to recent and historical events, what were once good community relationships may have been eroded and a question was asked about the extent to which reassurance could be given to people now that a neighbourhood policing model was being put forward. Secondly, reference was made to comments that South Yorkshire Police should be amalgamated or disbanded and whether it was fit for purpose. Mr Watson responded that a small number of people may have advocated the disbanding of the force, but he did not think that was a serious suggestion. The answer was to make what was in place better. He did think South Yorkshire Police was fit for purpose and that it would be made much better quickly and within the agreed timescales.

Questions were asked in relation to tackling gun crime in some parts of the City; how he might ensure that attention was given to the issues which most matter to people and how the police could work better with the local authority and others; and how anti-social behaviour could be dealt with most effectively as people were sceptical that it could be dealt with.

In response, Mr Watson explained that he had experience of dealing with gun crime and gang related crime as Commander for both an area of East London and Liverpool. Best practice in both London and Merseyside was also reflected in Sheffield. It was important to be proactive at a neighbourhood level in terms of interventions and diverting young people at risk of criminality and imprisoning people only when other measures had failed. There was evidence of engagement and a positive community spirit in Sheffield, but it was essential that this was nurtured and not taken for granted. The perceived withdrawal of the police service in communities might mean that the police were not as close to the community as they had been previously. With regard to anti-social behaviour, it was necessary to apply measures consistently and to work with young people, families and schools. Neighbourhood policing would help to solve problems including radicalisation, sex offending and anti-social behaviour. Public Service Reform was also an area which might lead to integrated services for vulnerable young people.

A question was put regarding the effect of the external perceptions of South Yorkshire Police on the wider community and the ability to attract people to the region and what was planned to address the issues of perception and reputation. In response, Mr Watson said that collective reputations were important and he felt a strong sense of responsibility in this regard. Whilst Hillsborough and Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham became increasingly historical events, there was a need to make sure they did not reoccur.  HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Home Secretary, Permanent Secretary to the Home Office and the Home Office were supportive of the strong desire to bring about improvements. The force could learn from the past and be optimistic about the future.

Questions were asked regarding public confidence in the police’s ability to deal with criminal behaviour including anti-social behaviour; communication between local councillors and the Police, councillors being able to provide intelligence and acting as ambassadors for the Police and councillors being kept informed in relation to events which had occurred locally; the extent to which the workforce reflected communities; and with regard to joint commissioning. Responding to those issues in turn, Mr Watson said that improvements were needed with regard to performance and engagement. The loss of neighbourhood policing in recent years had also resulted in a loss of communication. The role of community Inspector would be re-introduced to enable community impact assessments and responses to incidents. The force was recruiting at this time and was actively looking at issues of diversity and ways to support under-represented groups. This would take time to address. People wishing to become a Police Officer and who were not university graduates would, if recruited, be placed on an apprenticeship programme leading to a policing degree.

Questions were asked concerning the role of the police in events on Rustlings Road relating to highways trees and with regard to the use by the police of body cameras and the approach to dealing with the proceeds of crime. Mr Watson said in response that the Police worked in partnership and sometimes things did not go right and that there would be learning from such issues. Body worn video was not yet routinely used in South Yorkshire Police but this was something which he was interested in implementing and he was also more generally supportive of the use of mobile technology. As regards the proceeds of crime, there was not enough done at present and this was due to capacity and the force was actively looking to support this activity further.

Mr Watson said that he did not know what the safer neighbourhood teams would look like. However, each neighbourhood area would have dedicated personnel, an engagement function and they would be designed in partnership with the local authority, with ward councillors having a role. Firm proposals would be developed for discussion.

In response to a question concerning licensing, Members were informed that as part of the review of neighbourhood policing, it was implicit that neighbourhoods would have licensed premises within their areas. The licensing policy should be robust, fair and include an enforcement policy. People who ran well managed premises were potentially undermined by those with bad practice. It was necessary to control licensed premises to control safety in the City. Sheffield was a safe place and this was largely as a result of practical problem solving through partnership.       

In relation to a question concerning the urgency of implementing a neighbourhood policing model, Mr Watson stated that he was conscious of the time pressure to implement neighbourhood policing, although it would take time to make sure it was co-designed and not something which was imposed. The development of neighbourhood policing was an existential matter for the force and proposals would be developed. With regard to public confidence to report incidents to the police, dedicated personnel were in place to deal with demand.  

A question was asked concerning collaboration and partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service and other emergency services and Mr Watson said that collaboration did take place with the Fire and Rescue Service. If this could be developed further as regards joint procurement of assets or sharing of premises, it would help to achieve financial savings, which might enable more resources to be used for front line services. It may be possible to widen the extent of collaboration to joint use of other resources. However, it was sometimes better to deploy the specific resources available to the Fire Service to incidents which they were trained to deal with. It might also be possible to train Fire Officers in relation other areas, for example to identify vulnerable children. There were structural issues between the Police and the Fire and Rescue service which might be examined with a view to bringing about efficiencies and it was beneficial that both organisations had a coterminous boundary.

Following a question concerning intelligence sharing, it was thought that broader intelligence sharing was beneficial but this was not to neglect intelligence at a local level. There were good intelligence structures in place but there was more that could be done.

A question was asked concerning how the confidence of residents of Rustlings Road could be rebuilt and Mr Watson responded that the police were engaging with the Sheffield Trees Action Group via the Police and Crime Commissioner, to understand the issues and residents had views about the collective approach to this issue.

Comments were made concerning hate crime towards Muslim women and under-reporting of such incidents and that people did not have confidence that the Police would take the issue seriously. Questions were also asked concerning action that would be taken with regard to anti-social behaviour and drug related crime and ensuring residents’ safety; and concerning the Police and Crime Panel not being representative of the Community. Mr Watson stated in response that he would be pleased to discuss specific issues relating to particular areas of the City. He believed that action was taken with regard to crime and drug related crime and anti-social behaviour. However, the performance was not as good as he would like it to be. Effective neighbourhood policing was the right approach to deal with the type of issues outlined. The question concerning the composition of the Police and Crime Panel would be referred to the Police and Crime Commissioner with a request that he provide a written response.

Mr Watson emphasised that what he outlined to Members was his analysis of the situation with regard to South Yorkshire Police. There was a plan and vision for the organisation and good people were being put in place. Once these things were aligned, it was hoped that the force would get back to winning ways.

Comments were made in relation to difficulty in inputting details on the 101 website. Questions were asked about whether there would be a transitional period with regard to the implementation of the neighbourhood policing model; and in relation to tangible activities and priorities which local councillors, as ambassadors, could use in their communications with local people. Two supermarkets had said that they would not deliver to an estate in the City because of safety concerns and the Chief Constable was asked to comment. In responding, Mr Watson stated that the work would be done to improve the website. Core communications would be produced to be given to local councillors and others with regard to South Yorkshire Police. The issue relating to the supermarkets was of the type that a neighbourhood Inspector would deal with. However, that was something which was intolerable and would need to be dealt with. In relation to prioritisation, there was sufficient capacity not to leave people without support. There was a wish to take a victim centred approach and it was believed that if the organisation looked at issues from the perspective of a victim, the priorities would become clear.

Members were requested by the Lord Mayor to put any further questions in writing to the Chief Constable.

The Council noted the information reported in relation to policing in South Yorkshire and thanked the Chief Constable for his contribution to the meeting.