Minutes:
1) Crisis care response
A question was put to the Panel on behalf of Councillor Andrew Lee in his capacity as Chair of the North Yorkshire Council Scrutiny of Health Committee, as follows:
“At the NYC
Scrutiny of Health Committee’s Mid-Cycle Briefing on Friday 19 July, we were
presented with concerns surrounding the crisis care response for individuals
with complex mental health needs.
Councillor Paul Haslam (NYC) has raised his concerns with the Scrutiny
of Health Committee on behalf of a particular resident in crisis who was met
with an armed police response.
Councillor Haslam is of the view that the case presented is not an
isolated one and is keen to identify how the different agencies link up around
such cases and whether the support in place is working effectively. Clearly such an issue does not just involve
one agency or scrutiny committee.
To this end, I
have agreed that I will facilitate co-ordination of a meeting among partners to
better explore and consider the following:
·
Is
the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ (RCRP) model monitored and reviewed internally
within NYP? Has it been effective in
North Yorkshire and York thus far?
·
What
challenges has RCRP faced, and how have these been addressed?
·
What
processes are in place to co-ordinate between North Yorkshire Police and Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust, both operationally on
individual cases, and strategically?
·
Are
the funding levels supporting mental health care adequate, and how do they
compare to funding levels across other ICBs?
I am aware that
the Police, Fire and Crime Panel has a longstanding interest in scrutiny of the
Mayor’s (previously Commissioner’s) oversight of the RCRP policy in terms of
its implementation and efficacy. I am
therefore writing to invite the Panel Chair and Vice Chair (or other suitable
representative) to attend a meeting of partners to discuss this further. I intend that this meeting includes the
following:
·
North
Yorkshire Police (NYP)
·
Deputy
Mayor for Police, Fire and Crime from York and North Yorkshire Combined
Authority (Y&NYCA)
·
Tees,
Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV)
·
Humber
and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)
·
Chair
and Vice Chair of North Yorkshire Council’s Scrutiny of Health Committee (SOH)
·
Chair
and Vice Chair of North Yorkshire Council’s Care and Independence Scrutiny
Committee (C&I).
I will be
writing to representatives of the above groups and agencies with the aim of
meeting later in the year to explore these issues further. The meeting would be internal, with a written
summary provided to the public meetings of the two council Scrutiny Committees.”
Members considered
the issues raised by Councillor Lee’s correspondence, noting that recent visits
to the Force Control Room had highlighted an efficient triage operation. Members raised that it would be helpful to
see data behind the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) model and whether it is
evidence-based. Concerns were raised
that support through Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS
Trust is not available 24 hours a day.
The Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime (‘the DMPFC’) acknowledged
the issues raised and that further discussions should also include the relevant
portfolio holder on City of York Council. DCC Bisset commented on the strategic
and tactical governance arrangements in place around RCRP to review demand but
noted that it’s often not police officers who should be attending where someone
is in crisis.
The Panel agreed that
the Chair and Vice Chair will attend a multi-agency meeting to discuss these issues
further.
2) Bailing of
perpetrators
The DMPFC was asked
whether she felt assured that operational policing decisions around bailing perpetrators
to addresses in the immediate vicinity of alleged victims wasn’t re-traumatising
victims. The DMPFC responded that she
was aware of the pressures in the system and could explore these further but
acknowledged the impact on victim safety and confidence. DCC Bisset invited detail on specific cases
to be fed through to the force.
3) Force Control
Room – staffing and CCTV access
Following recent
Panel visits to the Force Control Room (FCR), Members highlighted concerns that
the FCR is operating at about 20% fewer staff than there should be, especially
around dispatch. The FCR also doesn’t
have access to live CCTV feeds in some key areas of North Yorkshire. DCC Bisset highlighted that dispatch roles
are harder to recruit to as the role is more complex and/or the training is
difficult; whereas the FCR currently has the highest number of communications officers
it has ever had. York is also a
difficult labour market for such roles as there are many customer
service-type roles available, although the service has tried to adjust salaries
to assist. It was also highlighted that staff
in the FCR often see this as a stepping stone to other
roles within the service. The concerns
around CCTV were acknowledged and the DMPFC will explore this aspect further.
4) County Lines
The DMPFC was asked
about work around County Lines issues in Malton and Scarborough. The DMPFC acknowledged the need for investment
in prevention and early intervention and noted that the issue is much wider
than just a policing matter. The Mayor
reinforced the need for an economic framework which will support communities in
all aspects.
5) Induction
programme for DMPFC
In response to a
question regarding induction training, the DMPFC highlighted the range of
events and briefings she has received, such as on VAWG, briefing on the early
release of prisoners and starting to better understand the law around some of
the aspects of work. Simon Dennis added
detail around a programme including meeting and listening to victims and an
induction curriculum provided by the Association of Police and Crime
Commissioners. Members highlighted the importance of the DMPFC engaging with
staff associations and unions as part of her induction, in addition to
attending the FCR. The DMPFC thanked the
officers and staff of North Yorkshire Police for their work.
6) PCSOs
In response to a
query on the development plan for PCSOs and whether recent recruitment had been
effective, Panel were advised that the service is in the middle of a
neighbourhood policing review but that communities have been put at the centre
of this. There is a need to ensure the
correct blend of officers and targeting those areas with most need; some areas
require further work with partners to tackle issues rather than necessarily
drawing on additional PCSOs.
7) Retail crime
Members raised
concerns regarding retail crime and being able to get investigating officers engaged. The DMPFC highlighted that this will be reviewed
and the Mayor outlined that the High Street Fund is aimed at getting businesses
to invest and make communities safer.