Minutes:
The Panel received a presentation from the PCVC on the Quarter 1 public performance report which contained key performance data (for copy see file of Minutes).
The PCVC informed the Panel that he had previously presented the quarterly public performance report at the meeting of the Police and Crime Panel. The report had now changed to reflect the structure of the latest Police, Crime and Victims’ Plan which detailed four outcomes under which sat eight Key Performance Questions (KPQs) and cutting across all of these were twelve priority areas.
This quarter’s report focused on Outcomes 3 and 4 of the Plan and therefore on KPQs 5-8. The next quarter’s report would focus on Outcomes 5 and 6, KPQs 9-12, and subsequent reports would repeat this pattern.
Councillor Boyes informed the Panel that he set great store by Restorative Justice which worked and for every £1 spent resulted in savings of £8. However, there was a stubborn, hard-core group of individuals who seemed to never get sanctions against them and this made the Restorative Justice approach difficult to justify at times. The PCVC replied that a lot of acquisitive crime was carried out by people with drug dependency and work around this had been ongoing with both Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council for the last 12 to 18 months. The problem of this hard-core group of individuals required a partnership approach.
Councillor Knowles referred to a case reported in the Northern Echo whereby a prolific shoplifter had been released from a short custodial sentence and had received £46 upon release. The offender had shoplifted again and the Judge had not committed him to custody yet the sentence was too short for the Probation Service to take up. The PCVC replied that short prison sentences did not work, there was a need to get the offender stabilised and break the causes of activity.
Councillor Jones agreed there was a hard core of individuals whose behaviour was difficult to address. He asked whether there was any liaison with the Magistrates Association to ensure magistrates understood the thoughts of the public regarding this.
The PCVC replied that it would be wrong for him to interfere with the independence of the judiciary, however the public could make such representations. He understood that magistrates were keen to see changes to sentencing guidelines. In reply to a question from Councillor Boyes the PCVC confirmed that magistrates operated to uniform sentencing guidelines across the Country.
Resolved:
That the Performance Report be noted.
Supporting documents: