TMSTH Area Forum Meeting - 21st June 2018

DORSET Office Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC): TALK ON PROPOSED AMALGAMATION OF THE DORSET, DEVON, AND CORNWALL POLICE FORCES .

SUE BLOSS & JOHN

John working for the merger team

Four pillar approach. The plan is available to be seen at police stations.

Protecting people from risk and harm:

E.g. Volunteering, road safety

Supporting victims very important.

Transforming the future: Funding, drones, cyber crimes, digital dogs.

We listen to the concerns of the public

Safeguarding: modern crime has changed. Modern day slavery, online crime. Still old fashioned crimes. Knife crime is also affecting Dorset, related to drugs activity.

Vulnerable people: Everyone can be a victim. E.g. modern slavery, car washes, agriculture.

Frauds, scams getting more sophisticated. People in the audience are nodding, they know these things are a concern.

'Dorset Now’ highlights fraud, working with banks. In the last 3 months the local papers have been reporting on big scams. More awareness.

Mental health, Dorset police have improved. There are now ‘places of safety’ for people with mental health issues.

John: custody is not always the right place for people. Some people are in crisis. Hospital may be better.

Street mental health workers, helping free up police time.

People may open up their own front room to be a ‘safe place’ for people in crisis.

John: Enhanced crisis line. This line gives people ability to contact via digital means to get to the right people. Skype is good because it’s better to see people when you talk to them.

Sue: Working with communities is another important aspect.

Problem solving forums: fly tipping, massive issue. Not a direct police issue, joint effort between Council and police is needed. For Example, prior to the homeless forum being set up, some of the different teams hadn’t worked with each other.

Rural crime unit: sheep being stolen, bird eggs. Protecting farmers. Sheep tagging an answer?

OPCC funding another Marine Unit Officer.

We need volunteers, as ‘critical friends’, for PR work. Incredibly important.

Road safety: big issue, older drivers’ forum. Drink drive limit, Martin Underhill (Police and Crime Commissioner) wants to lower drink drive limit.

Gordon Ramsey on TV dealing with drink drivers. Also drug drive kits. Dorset Road Safe, cycle initiative. How can we encourage better understanding between cyclists and drivers?

Cyber crime: work with trading standards

Safer Dorset Fund- small grants £100-£3000? For anti-crime initiatives

Martin wants to put power back in the hands of local people.

Helping businesses with ‘business champion’ and ‘Hotel watch’ connecting people up.

Restorative justice: v important

Restorative mediation

Restorative justice

Everyone must agree to take part. But offender must accept responsibility. Everything is risk-assessed. Outcomes can be varied: apology, compensation, find out why the person committed the offence.

Complainant advocate- works with you all the way to court.

OPCC supports victim support, victim bureau

Mentoring offenders, e.g. AFC Bournemouth works with young offenders.

Transforming for the future e.g. drones helping with finding missing people. Digital dogs sniff out mobile phone sim cards.

Future plans: adult ‘return to home’ interviews. Need to do more for the victims.

How are we going to generate income in future? We have a very small team.

Strategic alliance: 2014, last year 2 Chief Constables agreed that they’d propose a merger. Community engagement survey coming up in the next few weeks. Please give your views. It’s being lead by the Chief Constables.

This Summer we’ll be talking about what we’ll be doing. Lots of services are already shared with Devon and Cornwall.

OPCC scrutinises the work of the police, Council Police and crime panel holds Martin Underhill to account.

Qs. Why do we want the amalgamation? There’s no motorway between the counties

As. There are benefits. Making sure that we are being efficient, future proofing. Crime not reliant on car travel.

Q. Is the amalgamation a done deal?

A. No. If it didn’t work, we’d break it up. We share a lot already, but not a done deal.

Q. Huge area from Lands End to Christchurch. Why not Somerset? That makes more sense.

A. Somerset and Wiltshire are already in partnership, so we can’t join them at the moment. Policing will not change, the officers aren’t going to come from far away.

Q. Cllr John Adams: we scrutinise OPCC, we are a friendly bank manager. From 2015, one of the major issues has been procurement, much cheaper to buy in bulk. Also there will only be one OPCC and Chief Constable.

A worry is that stations will close enquiry desks, some small places say they don’t have a patrol any more. The police coverage is supposed to be where the crime is.

Wages, Devon Dorset and Cornwall one department paying wages. Obvious saving.

A. efficiency drive is important cut down on duplication.

Q. Cllr Clarke: where would the Chief Constable be based?

A. Don’t know. No decisions made. There may be a HQ in each county.

Martin Underhill is based at Winfrith

Cllr Weinhonig: the Commissioner doesn’t seem to be as publicly available as he might be.

Re the consultation. How can we get involved with that? I’m chair of community panel, members and public.

A. The main survey will be online, there will be printed copies. The main body of the survey is quite short. Lots of public engagements coming up. Bourne Free, King’s Park Fun day.

We are setting up residents’ meetings that Martin will be at over Dorset.

Q. Scotland now has one police force, had serious problems. Lack of communication, how to avoid the Scottish problems?

A. I’ve spoken to the them in Scotland about the issues, this is voluntary. Scotland wasn’t.

We’re doing a lot of work now, the merger isn’t definite.

Q. Will the merged departments stay in-house with the police or be contracted out?

A. Can’t answer definitively. There may be savings at middle and senior level.

Q. Cut backs by Conservative Government . Are there going to be job cuts?

A. You pay for the services it’s an area that we’ll look at

Q. The Battle of Orgreave, Thatcher government spent a lot of money on police.

A. Can’t comment on Conservative party policies. This isn’t a party political issue.

PC GARETH BRIDGER – BOURNEMOUTH POLICE –LOCAL POLICE ISSUES: Constable Gareth Bridger

I’m a ‘Beat bobby’, but there are not as many of us as there used to be. I work in Winton, but also Throop, Townsend, Muscliffe.

What’s Devon Cornwall etc got to do with me?

Winton had 12 police areas. Cuts have meant fewer police, we have to adapt. There is now a team that is aware of your issues.

I haven’t worn a police uniform for 12 months, because my knee was broken in an incident. We need to be able to share knowledge, no good if only I know about my area.

Rather than 1 officer for each area, a team 4-5 officers, plus some PCSOs. They don’t have the same powers.

PCSO was told something by a victim who passed it on to officers which resulted in drugs bust.

Anti-social behaviour, mopeds other crimes. We need your support, cuts & rules sometimes change but we are where we are. Can’t do things now that we could 15 years ago.

Some PCSOs have had further training. Police Civilian support investigative officers. PCSO’s main job is to reassure, but the training means potentially less admin burden on the officers. This system is new.

There’s no one to replace me in Winton.

The 101 number has had its issues. There are still safer neighbourhood teams. Martin Underhill supports them. So you have a point of contact. You see far more than I do, I walk around Castle Point in hi-vis jacket, drug dealer disappears.

Visit our Facebook page, you may see something you think is v small and don’t tell us. Better to tell us and it’s nothing rather than not tell us and it’s something...

We would like to talk to you, sit down with you for more time, but must prioritise. If you’re a victim of burglary you’ll have a police officer come round but maybe not if it’s criminal damage. Just like A&E

We would encourage you to join neighbourhood watch. Help you gain evidence.

You will still have your local police, not related to merger.

Q. If there was a disaster in Cornwall what would happen? One of the problems in the country at the moment, some people turn to crime from poverty. Cut backs.

A. Police forces have mutual aid. When there is a major incident, officers are called in from outside but not everyone would come from here.

Q. Cllr Weinhonig: we should complement our police force, pressures under any government. Partnerships with others such as the Fire Service. I’d like to congratulate the local police.

Cllr Adams: there’s a special fund for emergencies. Terrorism, input of people who shouldn’t be here. Terrorism is a massive issue, there should be a special fund.

Chair Ray O’Luby: in the local area (Townsend Muscliff area) crime is quite low

PC: yes, though there are issues, garden break ins, fly-tipping. If people don’t tell us when they see something, how can we deal with it?

Q. Someone went to Longham Tip and charged £65 so what we expect of people?

Ray: the tip charging is an issue. We should ask Council why they charge what they do. Perhaps people wouldn’t tip if there were no charges?

Cllr Trickett: Don’t get something for nothing, you pay someone cheaply to pick up your rubbish, they might just dump it. Then indirectly you pay for the council to collect the tipped rubbish.

WARD BOUNDARY CHANGES

Cllr Weinhonig: very much against reducing the councillor number to 2 from 3. The area would be huge.

Cllr Clarke: 1 councillor per 4000 people

Cllr Wilson: not a done deal, the proposals suggested the Bournemouth School for Girls would be in Queens park, I oppose this.

Ray: how will the consultation be publicised?

Cllr Clarke: in Echo, online boundary commission

Q. why are they doing this? To save money?

Cllr Borthwick: yes to save money

Cllr Trickett: Weinhonig and Adams and I are Strouden Park ward councillors. Apparent to us that identity is important to many and people are concerned that local identity is being lost. Whatever happens with the amalgamation, every one of these areas is just as important. Townsend is an up and coming area, cannot afford to let these places slip into oblivion. MP numbers also to be reduced. Economies of scale are not always for the better.

Ray: we’ll put info on the Forum website

Cllr Weinhonig: this morning went out around Townsend with Royal Horticultural Society to see the community gardens. They were very impressed. Really fantastic.

WESSEX FIELDS/A338 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

Ray: A338-Wessex Field application, thought it would go to the Planning Board in July, now appears not.

Ray: we had an event at Cob Barn to which 90 people turned out. It’s the oldest building in Bournemouth and it’s been neglected by its owners Bournemouth Council.

Wendy SHARPE –( Holdenhurst parish meeting ) -: it will not be July, they need to add more appendices. So we don’t know when it will go to Planning board.

BOURNEMOUTH LOCAL PLAN REVIEW CONSULTATION

Bournemouth Plan Local Plan Review Consultation: when will it happen?

Councillors unsure-suggested referring to Council’s website.

Regarding details on housing policy:

Cllr Weinhonig: some targets set by government, we’re trying to reduce housing targets.

Q. Bmth doesn’t build council houses anymore.

A. Cllr Weinhonig: we actually lead the way in building council houses.

Q. Can you please provide evidence?

A. I can’t give chapter and verse, happy to give you my email. Either the questioner accepts what I say or calls me a liar.

Chair Ray: I suggest you chat to Cllr afterwards.

HICKS FARM-THROOP

Hick’s Farm: owned by Council, been neglected, but plans to turn it into an ecological interpretation centre. Transport issues, there are concerns. There was a meeting last night with Michael Rowlands and local residents, some feel that local people haven’t been well informed.

Cllr Clarke: We don’t know that much about the proposals either. There will be some consultation.

S Fisher: 80 people attended the event we organised. Good reasonable chat, M Rowlands was reasonable. Residents at the meeting wanted a full consultation.

When the meeting opened to the public all the questions were about traffic. Hundreds of thousands coming to Throop. The traffic department must recognise that the local roads in Holdendurst and Throop are saturated. Serious issues with lorries. There are alternatives in north Bmth to the Hicks Farm, it’s a high density attraction.

Stour valley plan need close work with traffic dept. Fed up of the inability to deal with Castle lane East problems.

Chair Ray: Too many cars, the mayor said the same at the last meeting.

I also wrote to the Yellow Buses (reads reply).

Speaker: number 4 bus, why can’t they come up Broadway lane?

Cllr Clarke: I spoke to yellow buses about better provision, but they don’t want to provide it.

Cllr Borthwick: council spends 90% of its budget on health. Central Government has made huge cuts.

Hick’s Farm, there’s a poster, which has more on it than should be. We are not projecting anything near 500,000 visitors, there will be no large coach and car park. We will be looking at putting out a draft consultation plan, no work will go ahead without full consultation

Council is responding to local people’s desire for something to be done about the Hick’s farm. We will do our best for our residents, we got the water lorries off the road and out the back.

Speaker: ironic that all this money is spent on health but we can’t get a bus in Throop

Cllr Borthwick: there are many people with severe health needs.

Cllr Weinhonig: need to get petition going, local councillors would support move towards a community transport scheme.

Speaker: UK obsession with road building.

Chair Ray: I agree

Cllr Trickett: Removal of services from Throop, if community really gets going and shows that they want a service, the council will step forward and put out a tender for a subsidized service. Many people can’t drive and situation is ridiculous when people have to walk miles. Lobby the bus services and the council.

Cllr Wilson: I feel motivated to try and get the bus companies moving on this, get together with my colleagues.

Chair Ray: Echo asks people to write in response to their current campaign on tackling traffic congestion.

MEETING ENDS 9 10PM.