Annual Report 2023/24

Introduction

As your Police and Crime Commissioner, it is my privilege to present the Annual Report for 2023/24. This report highlights the efforts and achievements of Warwickshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in maintaining safety, reducing crime, and supporting communities over the past year.

The past year has seen significant strides in enhancing Warwickshire Police’s policing capabilities, particularly through the successful recruitment of additional police officers, which now brings force strength to 1,140 officers. This expansion, coupled with investments in technological advancements under the Empower programme, has greatly improved operational efficiency and effectiveness.

I have continued to prioritise victim support and have successfully commissioned a range of services aimed at addressing the needs of victims of crime, including those affected by sexual violence, domestic abuse, and modern slavery. The commitment to reducing reoffending has been reinforced through the re-commissioning of substance misuse services and the development of a new Reducing Reoffending Framework that places Integrated Offender Management at its core.

Public engagement remains a cornerstone of my approach. Through a comprehensive programme of community events, I have ensured that the voices of Warwickshire residents are heard and acted upon. The work with Community Safety Partnerships and the successful securing of additional funding for crime prevention initiatives, such as the Safer Streets Fund, underscores the dedication to making communities safer.

Financially, I have ensured that we have managed resources prudently, achieving a balanced budget while ensuring that critical services are adequately funded. The positive audit outcomes and the strategic allocation of funds for future needs reflect my commitment to transparency and accountability.

Looking ahead, I will continue to focus on key areas such as tackling serious violence, improving support for victims, and enhancing the visibility and effectiveness of policing services. I am committed to working collaboratively with partners and the community to build on successes and address the challenges that lie ahead.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Together, we can make Warwickshire a safer place for all.

Philip Seccombe TD

Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire

1.1 Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner

As the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Emma Daniell has been committed to supporting the Commissioner in her role and continues to direct her energy in attending community events and gathering information from residents. These interactions feed directly into both the force and the OPCC to improve delivery of policing services across the county.

Emma’s portfolio of interest has grown over the last 12-months as she has responded directly to the rise in retail theft across the county and is now leading the Retail Crime Response within the OPCC, where a partnership event was held in February 2023 to encourage partnership working around both prevention and detection of shop crimes. Several commissioned services and grant recipients are directly involved in the Retail Crime event and the benefits of these services are being seen across businesses.

Emma is now also a board member on the Regional Cyber Resilience Forum and is working hard to ensure that Warwickshire is being supported by this regional resource to prevent cyber-attacks to businesses in the county.

Emma continues in her role as the Senior Responsible Officer for the Drug and Alcohol Strategic Partnership, bringing together all joint partner agencies in a collaborative and cohesive way to ensure that Warwickshire can deliver on the ‘National Combatting Drugs Outcome Framework’.

The Operational Control Centre continues to increase its level of service to the community and widen the variety of ways in which the public can engage with and contact police. Emma is continuing to monitor the roll out of these changes and the effect it is having on the level of service that is being offered to the community of Warwickshire. A further focus for the year ahead is to oversee the roll out of Right Care Right Person it is a crucial element to protecting communities that residents receive the right and proper agency to support them, the expectation is that this will relieve police officers to focus on criminality.

2. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

This year has been a period of growth and change for the OPCC, with the addition of a Strategic Estates Manager and a Commissioning and Grants Officer to better support me in my responsibilities and to deliver the objectives of my Police and Crime Plan, including the improvement of the police estate. The four sub-teams of the OPCC each have their own clear responsibilities and objectives to enable greater accountability and efficiency:

1. Business Services and Assurance
2. Policy and Partnerships
3. Finance and Commissioning
4. Communications and Engagement

During the year, there have been some departures of OPCC staff to face new challenges, and I sincerely thank them for their contributions. I have also been pleased to welcome their successors and value the fresh perspectives and experience that they bring.

In December 2023, the OPCC moved from its previous location at Northgate Street, Warwick to Warwickshire Police headquarters at Leek Wooton. This new accommodation is modern and open-plan and therefore more conducive to effective working and to improving the health and well-being of the staff. The move has also provided a significant revenue cost saving on paying rent.

3. National Issues – Public Trust and Confidence

Trust and confidence in policing is a critical issue to the residents and communities of Warwickshire. Nationally there have been several cases of police abuse of authority, corruption and criminality which have emerged over the past twelve-months, including some examples from Warwickshire. Police forces need effective systems to prevent unsuitable applicants from joining, but no system is watertight, so timely reviews are required throughout the duration of police officers and police staff employment. I note the activity undertaken by the Home Office, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and the National Police Chiefs Council to address these concerns.

I remain commit to ensuring that the standards of behaviour within Warwickshire Police are at the very highest level and have supported the Chief Constable with increased resources each year to help drive forward change and reform. In return, it is my role to hold the Chief Constable to account and ask searching and sometimes difficult questions on behalf of residents to obtain that reassurance and to help restore trust and confidence.

I hope that the action that I am taking provides reassurance to Warwickshire’s communities that these important matters that cause so much damage to the public’s trust and confidence in the legitimacy of the police service are being appropriately addressed with the urgency and vigour that they deserve.

4. Police and Crime Plan

I continue to report on the current Police and Crime Plan which runs from 2021-2025. A summary of the activities undertaken in support of the plan’s objectives is as follows:

4.1. Fight Crime and Reduce Offending

Violent Crime

Serious Violence Duty 

On 16 December 2022, the Home Office released the awaited statutory guidance in relation to the new Serious Violence Duty, which came into effect on the same day. This duty, which applies to a range of specified authorities in Warwickshire, requires them to work together to prevent and reduce serious violence and the causes of that violence, and to prepare and implement a strategy to do so.  The office has worked closely since that time to oversee and support local implementation of the requirements, including putting in place the necessary governance and funding arrangements to ensure success. Following completion of a Strategic Needs Assessment, a refreshed countywide Serious Violence Prevention Strategy is now in place and being actively delivered.

Serious Organised Crime

Partnership Delivery

The office has worked closely with Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire County Council (WCC), and other partners, to review the necessary partnership governance and oversight arrangements for Serious Organised Crime (SOC), recognising the links from this to Serious Violence (SV), and to develop and propose new arrangements that are fit for the future. This review concluded with the introduction of a revised partnership governance and delivery structure for both Serious Organised Crime and Serious Violence, overseen by a new Executive Group. Work is now underway to establish a new Serious Organised Crime strategy for the county and to implement Operation Stronghold, which is Warwickshire’s branding for the nationally mandated ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ intervention methodology.

Cyber-crime

Cyber-crime is another significant activity of Serious Organised Crime that is often international in its origin and scope. Supporting victims of cyber-enabled and / or cyber-dependent crime is a priority for Victim Support, who I commission to support victims of crime in Warwickshire. Victim Support currently receive from Action Fraud approximately 250 victim referrals per quarter. Improving the connections between Victim Support, Action Fraud, and the Warwickshire Police Economic Crime Unit have been therefore reviewed to ensure that the most vulnerable victims of cyber-crime are being effectively supported.

Reducing Reoffending

Substance Misuse

The office has been working with partners on delivering the local requirements arising from the Government’s 10 Year Drug Strategy: From Harm to Hope. Under this strategy there is a requirement upon every police force area to establish a Combatting Drugs Partnership to help deliver a programme of activity and to jointly commission appropriate services and projects. In Warwickshire this requirement is delivered through the Drug and Alcohol Strategic Partnership, which is chaired by the Deputy PCC acting in the capacity of Senior Responsible Officer. We are working closely with Warwickshire County Council to support and further develop the partnership.

In relation to the issue of re-offending and substance misuse, additional funding was allocated to police force areas for the expansion of the existing ‘Drug Test on Arrest’  programme. I have also re-commissioned substance misuse services for adults and children who come into contact with the Criminal Justice System, with a view to diverting them away from further offending. The OPCC also collaborated closely with WCC and local service providers to monitor the situation with synthetic opiates that have recently caused an increase of drug related deaths in the region.

Reducing Reoffending Strategic Framework

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires Community Safety Partnerships to formulate and implement a strategy to reduce reoffending. The office has assisted in a review of the approach in Warwickshire, resulting in a new Reducing Reoffending Framework being developed that is fit-for-purpose for the future, and which places Integrated Offender Management processes at its centre. This framework will ensure that all partnership activity aimed at reducing reoffending is appropriately co-ordinated via three main workstreams: offender management, prevention serious violence, drugs and alcohol.

Warwickshire Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme

I was successful in securing a further £600,000 of Home Office funding over two years (2023-25), which with my provision of match funding has allowed me to continue supporting the Warwickshire Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme. This programme works closely with perpetrators to change their behaviour and is currently seeing a 95.1% success rate against key performance outcomes. This is an excellent achievement that further supports my Police and Crime Plan priorities and protects vulnerable victims.

4.2. Deliver Visible and Effective Policing

Extra Police Officers

In 2016 at the start of my first term of office as Police and Crime Commissioner, Warwickshire Police had some 800 police officers in post. A key pledge of my Police and Crime Plan 2021-2025 was to continue have more police officers as part of my wider plans to deliver visible and effective policing. My ambition was to achieve a head count of 1,100 officers by year-end 2022/23. Thanks to a combination of increases in the local Council Tax Police Precept and funding from the Government’s Police Uplift Programme, I am extremely pleased to be able to confirm that this figure has not only been met but has been exceeded. At the end of March 2024 Warwickshire Police had a headcount of 1,140 officers in post.

This increase in establishment, together with advances in its technological capabilities, has enable Warwickshire Police to transform its operating model through the Empower change programme to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its investigation, engagement, and prevention – to the benefit of the communities it serves.

In June 2023, I was immensely pleased to attend with the Chief Constable a celebration of Warwickshire Police’s very first graduation ceremony for the students of the Police Constable Degree Apprentices and the Degree Holder Entry Programme.

The Apprentice students were awarded a BSc (Hons) degree in Professional Policing Practice and degree holder students received a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice. Both courses were delivered by Staffordshire University.

I was delighted to share this occasion with the officers. It was good to meet and talk to many of them and their families, and to get the opportunity to thank them on behalf of the communities of Warwickshire for joining the force.

Neighbourhood Policing

Safer Neighbourhood Teams

In return for increased officer numbers and providing strong support for the welfare of the police workforce, communities rightly expect to receive a high standard of services and to see their local Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) stabilised with more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to tackle persistent issues and increase police visibility and public confidence. I will be doing all I can to support the force in achieving these aims now that the rapid pace of police officer recruitment has lessened.

In the third week of January 2024, the Neighbourhood Policing week of action took place. This national event provided an opportunity to support SNT officers and staff, with a range of informative updates and wellbeing inputs to support them in their challenging role. It also allowed the police to take a moment to celebrate the achievements of all SNTs.

Rural Crime

I remain committed to providing effective policing in rural communities, whose residents sometimes feel isolated, vulnerable and at risk. I therefore welcomed the launch of the NPCC’s Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-25, which reflects the position that wildlife and rural crime often equates to serious and organised acquisitive crime. The office is now engaged in building upon this by establishing a new partnership strategy in relation to rural, wildlife and heritage crime.

Operationally, Warwickshire Police’s Rural Crime Team, which I continue to fund, continues to deliver impressive results. This includes actively contributing to the National Rural Crime Action Week (18-24 September 2023), and the recovery of millions of pounds worth of stolen vehicles and plant, equipment and tools.

Transforming Warwickshire Police

Warwickshire Police’s Empower change programme is now drawing to a close, with the following priority areas delivered:

Empower: People

This has created a new operating policing model for the force, with a renewed focus on investigation, engagement, and prevention. It will ensure sustainability of the increased number of police officers and PCSOs in order to increase public confidence, boost visibility of policing in neighbourhoods and improve the effectiveness of investigations. It has also delivered improvements to how the public contact the police, through better customer service, reduced waiting times on 101 and better access within communities, such as at customer resolution centres.

Empower: Place

A number of high level estates priorities have been considered as part of a Place focussed change programme. The recruitment to the OPCC of a Strategic Estates and Assets Manager will ensure that effective oversight and scrutiny is applied to this complex and specialist subject of estates management and sustainability.

Sustainability is also a key component of the Empower: Place change programme to improve environmental efficiencies across the force estate and infrastructure. The strategic intent is to update the estate in line with policing requirements, to maximise utilisation of the freehold estate by embracing new technologies and supporting agile working. Adapting the estate to ensure the force are fit for a sustainable future, with a clear and recognised sustainability culture. There are five key areas of focus:

• Culture: Establish a clear and recognised sustainability culture within the force, with clear engagement from all staff and officers with an understanding of their sustainability obligations both individually and as part of a wider organisation.
• Carbon Reduction: Inform adaptions to physical infrastructure and working practices to reduce overall ecological impact and greenhouse gas emissions in line with UK government carbon emission reduction targets, without impacting on the ability to protect communities.
• Waste: Inform approaches to minimise the overall creation of waste in the first instance, and where unavoidable, ensure they are applying the waste hierarchy’ effectively, to maximise the value of the resources.
• Procurement: Evidence a clear and transparent commitment to their responsible procurement obligations, including prompt payment code, ethical sourcing, supplier diversity and modern slavery, ensuring ethical and secure employment for all people and organisations involved within the supply chains.
• Community: To play our role in developing a thriving and prosperous community in Warwickshire and surrounding areas.

Empower: Technology

Following the significant investment made to improve the technological capabilities and efficiency of Warwickshire Police, this programme is now transitioning into business as usual and realising the benefits of the investments.  The force continues to develop and implement new technologies; in addition to the opportunities provided by Microsoft 365 to enhance effective communication and information sharing, Apps have been developed to improve the effectiveness of police operations. Work continues to explore the potential for further developments.

4.3. Keep People Safe and Reduce Harm

Violence Against Women and Girls

The office has worked closely with the County Council and other partners in producing an updated Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy and delivery plan. The strategy is closely aligned with the Police and Crime Plan and the county’s Serious Violence Prevention Strategy.  The office continues to support efforts being made by Warwickshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to improve the prosecution rate for VAWG offences, including the work being undertaken under Operation Soteria with regards to rape offences. However, concerns remain regarding the progression of VAWG cases within the Criminal Justice System, particularly the backlog of cases being listed for trial in the Crown Court.

Interpersonal Violence Against Men and Boys

By recognising the growing concern in relation to ensuring male victims of interpersonal abuse receive the right support from services and a quality investigation by police, the office supported the VAWG Board with a deep dive into this area of concern, the outcomes from which are now being developed.

Vulnerability

Hate Crime

The pernicious presence of hate crime continues to traumatise and victimise people in Warwickshire. The protected characteristics of race, disability, and gender status continue to be the targets for hateful behaviour. Consequently, the office is an active member of the Warwickshire Hate Crime Partnership and has assisted in producing a new 3-year partnership strategy and action plan.

In addition, my office worked in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and the Equality and Inclusion Partnership to organise a ‘Big Conversation’ event on 14 June 2023. This event enabled partners to seek collaborative ways to address the hate crime and discrimination that is faced by Warwickshire’s communities. This work now has much added importance in view of the continuing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Homelessness

The victim services that I recently commissioned included a requirement to understand the ‘duty to refer’ under the ‘Homelessness Reduction Act 2017’ and make referrals in line with the guidance. The office has therefore begun a piece of work to review whether more needs to be done to prevent homelessness, leading to individuals becoming victims or offenders due to their increased vulnerability. This has included attending the county’s Homelessness Strategic Group as well as its Offenders Accommodation subgroup, which is looking specifically at the difficulty in housing those leaving prison.

Gambling

Gambling has links to issues of vulnerability and substance misuse and so there needs to be a greater focus and understanding of its role in driving people to criminality. The Police and Crime Plan therefore makes a specific commitment to reducing problem-gambling and gambling addiction in Warwickshire, by providing better awareness of the issues and better support for those who need it.

In progressing this area of work, the specifications for the new commissioned victim services include a requirement that the successful provider ensures its frontline staff receive training in Gambling Harm Awareness. This is designed to ensure that hidden-harms are holistically recognised by all services. Where problem-gambling is identified, the service provider will be expected to refer the service user into appropriate gambling support services.

Safeguarding Children: Working Together 2023

On 15 December 2023, HM Government issued replacement statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’. It sets out key roles for individual organisations and agencies to deliver effective arrangements to help, support, safeguard, and protect children. This latest version is the first update since 2018 and makes several substantial changes, including the formal introduction of a new role of Lead Safeguarding Partner. The Chief Constable is one of three role holders of this role along with the Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council, and the Chief Executive of the Integrated Care Board.

I have already engaged with the Chief Constable in relation to these recent changes, with implementation anticipated to be in Autumn 2024. The office is working closely to support the force and Warwickshire Safeguarding during this time.

Mental Health: Right Care Right Person

The OPCC continues to be engaged in overseeing the implementation of Right Care Right Person in Warwickshire. A priority focus of this work is to ensure those in mental health crisis are attended too by the right emergency service. The force is actively engaged with relevant partners in planning the change, and the partnership board across Warwickshire, Coventry, and the wider West Midlands region continues to meet to ensure there is a coordinated and consistent approach. Learning from the implementation of this programme in other areas of the country is a crucial element of the approach taken. If implemented successfully, people with mental health needs will see an improved response from those organisations that are best placed to support them to recover; the police will also be relieved of many hours’ worth of officer time that can be redeployed into core policing responsibilities.

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

Warwickshire continues to develop a joined up and more knowledgeable approach to modern slavery and human trafficking through the work of county’s Modern Slavery Steering Group, actively supported by the office. I have commissioned a new Independent Modern Slavery Advocacy service, which has supported 19 individuals during 2023/24 and the office is now a member of the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network, thereby enabling a better understanding of the regional picture and the challenges that this serious and organised crime activity presents.

Road Safety

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership

As the Chair of the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership (WRSP), my aim is to improve road safety throughout the county. The Partnership has adopted a formal road safety strategy, at the core of which is the aim of reducing by 50% the number of death and serious injury (KSI) incidents on the roads by the year 2030. My 2025 priority is in keeping with an incremental approach to the 2030 target. The challenge that lies ahead in achieving this target should not be underestimated.

An OPCC staff member now chairs the Operations Board of the WRSP, helping to ensure that casualty reduction targets are met. To assist with this activity, I have invested a further £10,000 in Community Speed Watch to help schemes start-up in Warwickshire.

At the beginning of April 2023, we hosted a ‘Motorbike Action Day’ at Caffeine & Machine near Stratford, with the aim of sparking engagement and discussion at the start of the new motorcycle season to initiate a long-term change in behaviours. The event was well-attended and included bikers and drivers from across the county and beyond, able to relax and show off their machinery in a safe environment. The event was organised in conjunction with Project EDWARD, the national initiative to create a society that celebrates ‘Every Day Without a Road Death.’

Community Speed Watch

I continue to be a passionate supporter of Community Speed Watch, which enables communities to help themselves. There are now nearly 39 fully trained groups operating across 84 approved sites, helping to make Warwickshire roads safety by deterring excess speed.

World Day of Remembrance

On Sunday 19 November 2023, at the Collegiate Church of St Mary in Warwick, I participated in the annual service for Remembering Lives Lost and Injured on our roads in Warwickshire. This day is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The 18 November 2023 also marked the 30^th anniversary of the dreadful crash on a section of the M40 motorway in Warwickshire, when a school minibus from Hagley RC High School collided with a maintenance vehicle at night, resulting in the deaths of 12 pupils and their teacher. The service marked this event and demonstrated Warwickshire’s commitment to the victims and witnesses of road death and injury.

On 7 July 2023, I attended the formal unveiling of Warwickshire’s public memorial to all those killed or seriously injured on the County’s roads.

The memorial was commissioned by the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and the event was very well attended by many individuals, groups, and agencies, receiving extensive media coverage.

Independent Road Victim Advisor

I am pleased to report that I have now fully commissioned an Independent Road Victim Advisor (IRVA) service, the contract has been awarded to Brake for the next 3 to 5 years. Brake is a Road safety charity that since 1995 has been working with communities and organisations across the UK to stop the tragedy of deaths and injuries on our roads and supporting those who have been seriously injured or bereaved.

4.4. Strengthen Communities

Involving Communities

Engagement

I remain committed to hearing the voice of under-represented communities, to enable them to be actively engaged in how services are shaped and delivered. During the year, my Deputy PCC and I took part in several initiatives to support this commitment, working with partners where appropriate to do so.

Figure 8: The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner spoke at an engagement event organised by my Office for members of Nuneaton’s Muslim Community.

Highlights included attending the Child Friendly Warwickshire – Voices of Tomorrow youth conference in November 2023. This brought together young people from across the county aged between 11 and 17 years old to take part in a series of workshops run by organisations, including Warwickshire Police. The event offered young people a chance to voice their opinions on how safe they feel in Warwickshire and what they would like to see happen to make Warwickshire feel safer. The key issues and concerns identified from the workshops were that:

• Better lighting in parks was needed.
• Concerns about people drinking alcohol in public places outside schools.
• Wanting to see additional CCTV cameras.
• Having support points in town centres to help young people who feel unsafe.
• Making sure women and girls are safe within school and when working.

The work of the OPCC and partners to address these issues, including the focus on Violence Against Women and Girls, Safer Streets funding and activity, Anti-social behaviour hot-spot funding and activity, have all contributed to meeting these needs. The office had an information stall at the event and we were able to engage with many young people on the day and hear of their experiences. During the year, my Deputy PCC and team also met regularly with the Youth Council’s nominated community safety representative; I am keen to develop this relationship further.

Another milestone in achieving greater community empowerment included another Big Conversation event organised through the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board. This event was on the theme of Safe, Healthy, and Empowered Communities and brought together a wide variety of organisations and community members. I gave the opening address before we heard from a range of inspirational speakers who shared their local and national experiences of involving communities in their work.

Volunteer Schemes

I operate two volunteer schemes to assist with the activities and scrutiny of Warwickshire’s two custody facilities at the Justice Centres at Nuneaton and Leamington Spa. These volunteers have continued to offer significant assistance and I am very grateful to every member who has played a role in improving the criminal justice system. The office continues to work closely with custody officers and staff and has supported in offering insights to improve the custody environment.

Independent Custody Visitors – The Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) Scheme, which I am mandated to host and govern by the Home Office, continues to operate in Warwickshire. The North and South ICV Panels meet regularly and yearly events support county wide learning and new initiatives, participating in productive conversations about ways to improve and strengthen the scheme and the ICVs’ activities in Custody.

Appropriate Adults – I also host a volunteer Appropriate Adult scheme. This enables Warwickshire Police to provide best-practice provision for vulnerable adults in custody, where the dedicated volunteers provide an invaluable support service. The significant advantages of this scheme are realised by the detainees, Warwickshire Police, and the office. The vulnerable detainees have the benefit of being supported by a local resident who is a fellow member of their community, has knowledge of local matters, and can attend quickly with little notice.

In the first week of June 2023, during National Volunteers’ Week, OPCC staff presented at a volunteering fair at Nuneaton Job Centre organised by Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action (CAVA). Over the course of the day they met with individuals interested in volunteering, to tell them about the opportunities available to join the Independent Custody Visiting and Appropriate Adults schemes.

I am a strong supporter of volunteering in all its forms and the work of volunteers in keeping Warwickshire safe cannot be underestimated, so I would encourage anyone interested in donating their time to take inspiration and find out more about how they can get involved. More information on volunteering opportunities can be found on the OPCC website.

Crime Prevention

It is well understood that the prevention of crime is not the sole responsibility of the police. Indeed, Section 6 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires ‘Responsible Authorities’ (commonly referred to as a Community Safety Partnership/CSP) in a local government area to work together in formulating and implementing strategies to tackle local crime and disorder in the area. The office has actively worked with CSPs and third sector organisations to ensure that prevention and diversion is a central tenet of their operations and to ensure that the funding I provide to support them is effectively utilised to prevent crime and disorder.

Retail Crime

On Thursday 22 February 2024, I hosted a Warwickshire Retail Crime Conference with stakeholders to discuss our collective approach to addressing this growing area of concern. Retailers of all scales continue to lobby for improved police response to unprecedented levels of theft from the retail environment.

Those criminally operating in this landscape range from determined individuals funding a significant drug habit to organised crime gangs using vulnerable people to steal who are often victims themselves of trafficking and slavery. I am therefore pleased to report that Warwickshire Police has implemented a dedicated investigation team to respond to retail crime. In their few months of operation they have radically improved the investigation outcomes.

Figure 10: talking to retailers and partners at the Retail Crime Conference Event

Partnership working

Community Safety Partnerships

The office has contributed to the current Home Office review of the role of Community Safety Partnerships and their relationship with PCCs, and I await the review’s conclusions and recommendations with a keen interest. In the meantime, the office continues to work closely with the county’s CSPs, and with the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board, to progress the priorities of my ‘Police and Crime Plan’ and to further develop a mature collaboration between organisations. This has included work on Serious Violence Prevention, VAWG, Safer Streets and Crime Prevention.

The office supported the annual review of the SWPB structures and the content of the county’s Community Safety Agreement, including attending and presenting at a workshop on 19 October 2023.

WCC Community Safety

The office also continues its ongoing successful collaboration with the Community Safety Team from Warwickshire County Council. In addition to my funding Community Safety Coordinators and Analysts, hosted by WCC, this collaboration has also resulted in securing of additional funding from central Government to support crime prevention and community safety initiatives through successful bids to Rounds 4 and Round 5 of the Home Office Safer Streets fund.

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Communities

The Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) community remains a sensitive and complex area of focus. I am pleased to report that our office, in collaboration with the Warwickshire Police’s GRT lead, has now completed a refresh of the Unauthorised Encampment County Protocol. This updated document has been circulated and adopted by all partners. I will be holding an event later in the year to further promote the Protocol and to review the most recent legislative changes on civil and criminal trespass, emphasising the need for effective partnership working.

My office also helped to fund and took part in a special event at Leek Wootton to celebrate the history and contribution the GRT community has made to Warwickshire, as part of GRT History Month.

Anti-Social Behaviour

The office is currently leading on a comprehensive review of the partnership approach to tackling ASB across the county. This is being overseen by the county’s Anti-Social Behaviour Partnership Forum and has commenced with the drafting of a countywide approach to the undertaking of ASB Case Reviews and subsequent appeals, to bring Warwickshire in-line with new statutory guidance released by the Government.

In addition, the Analysts I fund (hosted by WCC) have built a new ASB Dashboard that will give greater clarity and understanding of ASB through the analysis of a combination of data sets from different agencies and organisations. This dashboard is available to all CSPs and partners to use.

4.5. Deliver Better Justice for All

Victims and Witnesses

Following a comprehensive Victim Needs Assessment, I commissioned a range of new or renewed services for victims of crime in Warwickshire, which commenced in 2023. These include a General Victims Service, and separate services for victims of Sexual Violence and Abuse, Child Exploitation, Modern Slavery, Restorative Justice, and Serious Road Collisions. This is in addition to the victim services I have already co-commissioned with partners, such as the Domestic Abuse Support Service, and the Sexual Assault referral Centre.

The office continues to chair the county’s Victim and Witness Forum, which gives a voice to victims and survivors about the Domestic Abuse Court and the criminal justice response to serious sexual offences, to escalate to the Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB). I remain concerned about the impact the current court situation continues to have on victims in Warwickshire, and on the delivery of effective justice in a sensible timeframe for perpetrators. Locally, pressures continue in the court system with delays and limited capacity to reduce the backlogs. This is reflected in the fact that the force’s Witness Care Unit currently have a substantial number of victims and witnesses in the system awaiting court outcomes.

It will take some time to return to a pre-pandemic normality, but I am committed to leading our criminal justice partners to ensure we are applying our best efforts. To that end it is pleasing to report that seven Crown Courts are now sitting in Warwickshire as opposed to four. Early signs are favourable but there is still some way to go. However criminal justice professionals are extremely concerned at the lack of availability of barristers and with a developing exodus of young barristers away from the profession. Further innovations will need to be found to tackle the backlog, as well as sensitively managing the expectations of victims and witnesses.

I much welcome the arrival of the new Victim and Witness Bill, as it demonstrates a strong will from all quarters to do more for victims and witnesses and strengthens their rights and the holding to account of agencies in relation to the Victim Code

Improved Communication

As the Chair of Warwickshire’s Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) I can confidently report that the Board continues to be well attended and functional. Nevertheless, in Warwickshire we always seek to improve where possible, so I am pleased to report that the extensive review of Warwickshire’s LCJB was completed in December 2023, which included a refresh of the multi-agency strategic priorities and focus areas, a new delivery plan, together with the introduction of new policy mechanisms to aide and assist the important work of the LCJB.

In the last year, I specifically encouraged a closer look at Warwickshire’s Domestic Violence Courts following concerns raised by some partners about its present location in Coventry and its operating practices.  As a result, many of the concerns raised have been resolved, with more appropriate listing practices taking place and improved police and HMCTS communication. The response has been positive, but the LCJB will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that appropriate provision is in place for the victims of domestic abuse.

Justice Outcomes

A key area of work for the office and the LCJB remains a focus on the complex workings of the Criminal Justice System and improvements in the process of cases being brought to justice. Whilst this includes tackling the court backlog, it more broadly requires key agencies to apply their best efforts to ensuring a quality investigation, consideration of out-of-court resolution options, and where necessary an effective prosecution.

The office has continued to support efforts being made by Warwickshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to improve the prosecution rate for VAWG offences, including the work being undertaken under Operation Soteria with regards to the investigation of rape offences.

Significant work has been undertaken during the year to improve the awareness and uptake of Restorative Justice (RJ). The office has worked with the RJ practitioners and with key partners – including the Probation Service and Warwickshire Police – to encourage uptake of training, strengthen the communication of key messages around its use and benefits, and increase the rates of RJ referrals. This has been a very successful piece of work.  Warwickshire Police also launched Project Repair to specifically encourage referrals in cases of burglary, acquisitive crime, and anti-social behaviour. This initiative is to ensure that a broad spectrum of cases can benefit from restorative justice.

With support from the office, Warwickshire Police have gone ‘live’ with the new two tier Out of Court Resolution Framework ahead of the national roll-out. Through the work of the LCJB, I am interested in developing an evidence-based profile that shows how, and what, out-of-court resolutions are being used in Warwickshire. It should be noted that dispensing justice outside of the courts via proportionate and appropriate means is not a new phenomenon; this has been a part of mainstream criminal justice for many years, but I am hopeful that this regeneration will provide both immediate and future benefits to the criminal justice system and wider society, such as reducing traffic going through the courts, and where appropriate, giving offenders the chance to change their behaviour.

My Criminal Justice Policy Officer has been developing a closer working relationship between the LCJB and the Family Justice System. This has emerged as a crucial area of work collaborative work and will benefit those transcending through both the criminal and family court systems.

5. Governance

5.1. Police and Crime Panel

It is important that my activities as the Police and Crime Commissioner are statutorily reviewed to provide a ‘check and balance’ to the decisions that I make and the authority that I hold. The Police and Crime Panel principally perform this role, as detailed in The Policing Protocol Order 2023. An important distinction is that the Panel is not responsible for ‘holding to account’ either the Chief Constable or Warwickshire Police, its purpose is to function as a ‘critical friend’ to me by providing both support and challenge to me in my role as the PCC for Warwickshire. Over the year the Panel met several times to discharge its important statutory functions.[1]

I would like to take this opportunity to formally express my great appreciation and thanks for to the members of the Panel, both past and present, for the public serving support and challenge that they have provided to me during the past year. The meeting papers for the Panel can be found at:

Committee details – Warwickshire Police and Crime Panel – Warwickshire County Council

5.2. The Joint Annual Governance Statement

The Joint Annual Governance Statement reflects the established governance framework, and it is published alongside the annual accounts of the PCC. The joint corporate governance framework also sets out how governance operates for both the Chief Constable and the PCC.

5.3. Joint Audit and Standards Committee

A Joint Audit and Standards Committee (JASC) serves to scrutinise both Warwickshire Police and my position as the PCC for Warwickshire. This committee provides independent advice and recommendations to both me as PCC and the Chief Constable on the adequacy of the governance and risk management frameworks, the internal control environment, financial reporting and ethics and standards; thereby helping to ensure efficient and effective assurance arrangements are in place.

I greatly value the work of the committee and thank its members for their professionalism, scrutiny, and the insight they provide in discharging their responsibilities. The papers for the JASC meetings can be found at: –

Joint Audit and Standards Committee – Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire (warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk)

5.4. Regional Governance Group

At the regional level, the four forces of Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police and Staffordshire Police and their respective PCCs collaborate across several specialist areas of policing to increase efficiency and effectiveness and to meet their obligations under the Strategic Policing Requirement.  This is achieved through the scrutiny and consideration of a number of collaborations; including regional organised crime delivered through the ROCU, counter terrorism, police air support, public order training.  The ROCUWM is the primary interface between the National Crime Agency and individual police forces.

Governance of the collaborative activity primarily takes place at the Regional Governance Group made up of the four PCCs and four Chief Constables. The structure enables oversight and collective decision-making in respect of the formal collaborations. It also provides a forum for oversight of national programmes that may have local and regional implications. This activity is facilitated by two Regional Policy Officers, jointly funded by the four PCCs. They provide policy support and scrutiny and lead the coordination of regional criminal justice governance arrangements.

5.5. Formal Decisions

A list of my formal decisions made can be found on the OPCC website at: – https://www.warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk/your-pcc/decision-making/

6. Assurance and Scrutiny

My primary obligations as a police and crime commissioner include:

• A statutory duty and electoral mandate to hold the police to account on behalf of the public.
• To maintain an efficient and effective police force for the police area.
• To scrutinise, support and challenge the overall performance of the force including against the priorities agreed within the Police and Crime Plan.
• To hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the force’s officers and staff.
• The following are some examples of the arrangements that are in place to facilitate these requirements:

6.1 HMICFRS

Annual Assessment of Policing

In June 2023, Andy Cooke as the Chief Inspector of Constabulary published the ‘Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2022’. The report clearly reflected public concerns at that time; in that he noted that the police are experiencing one of their biggest crises in living memory, where the relationship between the police and the public is severely strained. He observed that the public’s trust and confidence are unacceptably low and the fundamental principle of policing by consent, upon which the service is built, is at risk.

The report also reflects that the police service is a complex system operating within an even more complex criminal justice system and that there are widespread systemic failings in both. Some of these account for the present state of policing. In broad terms, these are: –

• The police aren’t always focusing on the issues that matter most to the public, and charge rates are far too low.
• The police and the wider CJS aren’t getting the basics right, as shown through the withdrawal from neighbourhood policing.
• Some critical elements of the police’s leadership and workforce arrangements need substantial reform.

Mr Cooke has also noted that the police need to prioritise the issues that matter most to the public, where forces are failing to get the basics right in investigation and responding to the public, and they need to concentrate on effective neighbourhood policing. He considers that forces need to show professionalism, get the basics right when it comes to investigating crime, and respond properly when someone dials 999. This is what matters most to the communities they serve, and this is the way forward for the police to regain the public’s trust.

There are many elements of the report that closely align with my views as expressed in my ‘Police and Crime Plan 2021-2025’. Several of the concerns continue to be addressed by Warwickshire Police, principally through the Empower programme. I will continue to scrutinise force performance and ‘hold to account’ the Chief Constable on these critical matters.

HMICFRS PEEL

HMICFRS regularly inspect individual police forces under their Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) assessment framework. Preparatory work is being undertaken by Warwickshire Police in preparation for the continual assessment of the force which will commence in June 2024 and throughout the remainder of 2023/24. It is anticipated that HMICFRS findings and assessment grades will be published in early 2025/26.

6.2. Strategic Policing Requirements

The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) sets out those threats which, in the Home Secretary’s view, are the biggest to public safety and must be given due regard by Police and Crime Commissioners when issuing or varying Police and Crime Plans. It supports PCCs as well as Chief Constables to plan, prepare and respond to these threats by clearly linking the local response to the national, highlighting the capabilities and partnerships that policing needs to ensure it can fulfil its national responsibilities.

A revised version of the SPR was published in February 2023 which provided strengthened detail around the action required from policing at the local and regional level to the critical national threats. It sets out seven identified national threats: –

1. Serious and Organised Crime.
2. Cyber-crime.
3. Child Sexual Abuse.
4. Violence Against Women and Girls.
6. Public Disorder.
7. Civil Emergencies.

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 stipulates that PCCs create Police and Crime Plans and publish Annual Reports. The SPR 2023 legislation requires PCCs to provide evidence of the requirement to pay due regard to the SPR and the threat types within both documents. Accordingly, the first four threats are captured within my ‘Police and Crime Plan’ and have been comprehensively reported upon in this Annual Report.

Tackling Terrorism is a priority for all police forces and assurance regarding the ability of the four forces of the West Midlands Region to provide a coordinated and collaborative approach is provided through the Regional Governance Group, facilitated by the Regional Policy and Research Officers employed by the four PCCs of the region.

In March 2024, the subject of Public Order and Public Safety was explored as a Focus Topic at the Governance and Performance Boad meeting and assurance provided regarding Warwickshire Police’s contribution to this SPR.

The subject of Civil Emergencies is coordinated through the Local Resilience Forum formed under the ‘Civil Contingencies Act 2004’. Exercises during the year were attended by representatives from the OPCC to gain assurance regarding the effectiveness of the police response and their duty to assess, plan, and advise. Police and Crime Commissioners are neither a Category 1 nor 2 Responders under the Act, which preceded the introduction of PCCs in 2012.

6.3. National Crime and Policing Measures

As part of the Government’s strategic priority for there to be a relentless focus on cutting crime and to improve police performance, the National Crime & Policing Measures (NC&PM) have been introduced as an element of its ‘Beating Crime Plan’. The measures therefore set out the Government’s key national priorities on crime: –

1. Reduce murder and other homicides.
2. Reduce serious violence.
3. Disrupt drugs supply and county lines.
4. Reduce neighbourhood crime.
5. Tackle cyber-crime.
6. Improve satisfaction among victims – with a particular focus on victims of domestic abuse.

These measures are monitored on a quarterly basis against the levels in 2019, a national baseline that has been selected by the Home Office.

The Specified Information Order 2011 (amended 2021) had placed an obligation on PCCs to publish information regarding their force’s performance in respect of the NCPM, they are consequently published on the OPCC website.

6.4 Holding to Account

To facilitate my statutory duty under the Police Reform and Responsibility Act 2011 to ‘hold to account’ the Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police for policing services in the county, I hold a weekly meeting with the Chief Constable to discuss topical issues and matters of concern. In addition, each month I hold a formal Governance and Performance Board with the Chief Constable and senior officers from the force and the OPCC. The schedule of meetings incorporates an in-depth scrutiny of force performance and finance, along with topical issues of interest. At each GPB meeting a ‘Focus’ topic is selected for additional scrutiny; the list of topics for the last year is shared here:

• April 2023      –      Sustainability
• May      –      Road safety
• June      –      Cyber-crime
• July      –      Police use of firearms
• August      –      Rural crime
• September      –      Violence Against Women and Girls
• October      –      Serious Violence / Crime prevention
• November      –      Engagement / Right Care Right Person
• December      –      Empower – People Change Programme Review
• January 2024 – Safeguarding children
• February      –      Victims and Witnesses Bill / Victims Code
• March      –      Strategic Policing Requirements
• April      –      Road safety

Minutes of these meetings, together with a report providing a quarterly scrutiny of the force’s performance are published on the OPCC website.

6.5 Professional Standards Department

High standards of behaviour of those working in policing is essential to ensuring that people have trust and confidence in those who serve them. Warwickshire Police’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) is responsible for the management of complaints against police officers and police staff. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) retains this responsibility for more serious and complex investigations.

Together with members of my team I meet with senior managers from PSD to scrutinise performance and raise any issues of concerns in respect of police complaint, ant-corruption, and vetting. In addition, the office is represented at the force’s Ethics Board, to explore ethical dilemmas, enabling me to have a better understanding of matters of interest.

Complaint Reviews

Since February 2020, I have had responsibility for carrying out the appeals for complaints that have been dealt with by Warwickshire Police. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) retains this responsibility for more serious and complex complaints. These are called complaint reviews and enable members of the public dissatisfied with the Warwickshire Police’s handling of their complaint, or the complaint’s outcome, to apply for it to be reviewed by the OPCC.

Since this legislation came into effect, the OPCC have conducted 144 complaint reviews. In 2023/24 a total of 31 reviews were completed, of which 12 were ‘upheld in that the handling and or outcome of the complaint was not reasonable and proportionate.  Of the remainder, 15 reviews were not upheld and in four other cases the IOPC were identified as the correct Relevant Review Body. Arising from the reviews, a total of 22 recommendations were made to Warwickshire Police for service improvement, all of which have been accepted.

This responsibility to conduct complaint reviews provides me with a good insight as to the issues and themes that result in public complaints and provides me with an avenue to formally remedy a member of the public’s continued dissatisfaction with the service provided by the force. Complaint reviews are a mandatory responsibility, but there are further areas in which I could have a role if I determine this would offer a better service to the public. I continue to keep this under consideration.

6.6 Police and Crime Plan Monitoring

The OPCC meet to assess progress against the objectives and the success measures of the Police and Crime Plan 2021-2025.  There are five overarching principles that govern the monitoring to ensure that it is:

• Transparent: Clear and pre-determined performance measures and interventions.
• Consistent: A uniform approach across all five priority areas, at different levels of the system, and across different types of providers.
• Proactive: Thresholds for intervention that identify underperformance at an early stage, so that it can be swiftly addressed.
• Proportionate: Intervention is related to risk and appropriate to the local circumstances.
• Focused: On recovery initial interventions will focus on improvement and will include action to address the root causes of issues, including ‘system-level’ risk.

The performance monitoring has been developed to demonstrate principles for change. The consistency and transparency will better enable all parts of the system to work together to tackle underperformance and managed by the OPCC via Red, Amber, Green (RAG) status rating. The review of the current Police and Crime Plan has served to broadly identify where success has been achieved, and where further work and investment is required. The process has identified areas for improvement in the development of the next police and crime plan, in terms of making each objective SMART (Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Timely).

The following table provides the OPCC assessment at quarter 4 year-end as to the status of the objectives and focuses of the Police and Crime plan 2021-2025, in terms of delivering the stated success measures: –

7. Engagement

It is essential that the public’s voice is fully heard by the police and other agencies. As your elected representative, I am committed to ensuring that all agencies work together to reduce crime, support victims, and make our communities safer.

My Communications and Engagement Strategy guides the activities we undertake to support the Police and Crime Plan’s focus on strengthening communities. The strategy outlines several strategic objectives, ensuring all communications and consultation activities align with one or more of the following strands: –

• Inform: Ensuring communities and service users clearly understand my role, priorities, services, activities, and achievements.
• Engage: Providing opportunities for communities to engage with me and the OPCC, raise issues, highlight priorities, and receive feedback on actions taken.
• Assure: Building trust in the OPCC, ensuring public money is used wisely, meeting statutory obligations, and holding the force accountable for delivering efficient and effective policing.
• Involve: Involving residents, service users, partners, and businesses in decision-making, shaping service delivery, and enabling actions to enhance community safety.

7.1 Engagement Activity

Over the past year I have actively engaged with communities across the county, attending a diverse range of events to reach as many people as possible, assisted by the Deputy PCC. I have met with members of the public, partner agencies, and elected officials covering all aspects of community safety, ensuring we receive feedback from a wide range of participants. These engagement activities reflect our commitment to building safer communities and fostering a legacy of cooperation and improvement in Warwickshire. Some of the key highlights from this programme are listed below.

• Knife Angel: On 1 June 2023, the Knife Angel was unveiled during a ceremony in Nuneaton, and was a particular highlight. This powerful sculpture, made from 100,000 seized blades, serves as both an educational tool and a memorial for victims of knife crime. The month-long focus on preventing violence and aggression included workshops, art projects, and knife surrender bins.
• Warwickshire Pride: On 19 August 2023, I attended the Warwickshire Pride event. Our presence allowed us to engage with the public, explain our role, and seek feedback from diverse communities.
• Warm Hubs: Throughout the winter we visited several Warm Hubs organised by the Warwickshire Rural Community Council. These visits provided valuable opportunities to discuss community safety and policing issues with residents who might not otherwise have had the chance.
• Anti-Slavery Day: On 18 October 2023, I joined Nigel Oseman from the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network and other partners at Nuneaton Market. We engaged with residents about the ongoing work to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.
• Warwickshire Youth Conference: On 3 November 2023, we participated in the ‘Warwickshire Youth Conference’ at Warwick University. This event was organised by young people for young people and provided a platform for youth to voice their concerns and help shape the future of Warwickshire. The OPCC stand facilitated direct conversations with over 50 delegates about our work and received valuable feedback.
• Neighbourhood Policing Awards: In February 2024, I attended the Neighbourhood Policing Awards in Rugby, celebrating the critical role of the SNTs. I was delighted to present the ‘Team Initiative of the Year Award’ to the Nuneaton & Bedworth SNT for their efforts in bringing the Knife Angel to Nuneaton and tackling youth violence.

7.2 Consultation Activity

Gaining feedback from the public and allowing residents to have a say on how policing services are delivered in the county is another critical element of my Consultation and Engagement Strategy. Over the course of the year, I was able to gain feedback from the public on a range of issues which helped to inform the work of the office.

I once again ran a summer ‘Your Police, Your Views’ online survey, which was supplemented by a series of face-to-face and Teams meetings with residents’ groups, elected officials and the business community. The questions were designed to help me understand what the public’s priorities are for policing and community safety and to see whether there were changes from previous consultation.

To give the maximum amount of time for consultation activity to take place, and to ensure it could feed into the budget planning process from its earliest stages, the first phase was launched in October 2023 and ran (in online form) until just before Christmas 2023. In addition, Warwickshire Police undertook its own public perceptions survey between October and November 2023, the initial findings of which were shared with the office, with particular emphasis on the priorities the public wish to see the police focus on.

The results of first phase of consultation were used to develop the key deliverables of the draft budget, which were then put out for further feedback and public comment in January 2024. The views of the Chief Constable and her senior leadership team were also obtained through a series of meetings throughout the budget setting process. Results from the full range of consultation activity have therefore been used to ensure that the views of the county’s residents and businesses on the proposals for the revenue and capital budgets have been obtained prior to making the recommendation to the Panel.

During the year I also promoted several external consultations organised by other relevant bodies to help them gain valuable insight into aspects of police performance and experiences within the Criminal Justice System, as well as to support the commissioning of support services locally.

8. Commissioning and Grants

In total, the office financed over £2.4m of commissioned services in 2023/24 partly funded from central government grants and from other local funding including the precept. These services include general support services for victims to help them cope and recover in addition to providing other specialist victims services in the high harm areas such as domestic abuse, rape, sexual assault, and drugs and alcohol support, through a variety of outreach services and referral centres.

Included in this total is the additional circa £0.840m of funding that was bid for by the OPCC in response to government funding opportunities from the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office. This additional, but time limited funding has been used to finance other project and commissioned work with partners throughout the year.  This has included the local enhancement of sexual violence and domestic abuse services, resulting in an increased number of advisors to support victims, who are managing higher numbers of referrals, and contributing to a reduction in the wait times for those receiving much needed support.

Positive outcomes are also being reported from the PCC funded bespoke Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme in Warwickshire that diverts perpetrators away from future offending, whilst also offering parallel therapy and counselling support to connected victims. These efforts demonstrate the successes being achieved in meeting the objectives and key areas of focus of my Police and Crime Plan.

8.1 Commissioning

Several newly independently commissioned services commenced on the 1 April 2023, which will run for the next three-years with an option to extend those contracts for a further two-years beyond that. These services have been designed to support thousands of victims and vulnerable people across Warwickshire to help them cope and recover, but also to reduce reoffending rates and thereby help to meet the objectives of my Police and Crime Plan. These services include new contracts where specific needs, and specialisms have been identified.

They include support services for the victims of modern slavery, support for those killed or seriously injured on Warwickshire roads, and a dedicated service to support restorative justice services as part of the criminal justice process. The office works closely with service providers who are expected to submit a variety of performance reports and attend quarterly performance monitoring meetings to ensure that the services being delivered are fit for purpose and offer value for money.

During 2023/24 work was also undertaken in the office to re-commission the provision of criminal justice-related substance misuse services for adults and a separate contract for children and young people. These services commenced in April 2024, with enhanced service provision and the co-location of service providers in the police estate to ensure the best outcomes and to increase referral rates.

Work has also progressed at some pace in 2023/24 to jointly commission the Adult Sexual Assault Referral Centre support service from May 2024 working with regional policing colleagues and with NHS England as the lead commissioner. This was a complex commissioning and mobilisation process, but the new contract awarded to Mountain Healthcare is to deliver services across the whole West Midlands region. This includes the Blue-Sky Centre based at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, which went live in May 2024. This contract will run for five-years, with the possibility of a further three-year extension.

8.2. Commissioner’s Grant Scheme

Grants 2023/24

In 2023/24, I made £510k of funding available for small grants, road safety grants and for Community Safety Partnerships (CSP’s) across Warwickshire. Much of the 2023/24 PCC grants process work was undertaken in late 2022/23 with more than 50 projects receiving funding. All awards and projects are detailed within the Grant and Commissioning Directory which can be found on the PCC website:

https://www.warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk/your-pcc/commissioners-grants/2023-24-commissioners-grants-scheme-awards/

In May 2023, I hosted an event at Benn Hall in Rugby that brought together representatives from the funded grant projects and from the commissioned service providers to share and showcase their fantastic work to help make Warwickshire a safer place for us all. There were a range of projects which support different aspects of my Police and Crime Plan, with a mix of newly funded organisations and others that are familiar to us.

This event has helped to forge greater cooperation and coordination between service providers and boosted knowledge amongst public-facing services of the specialist support that is available to help support victims-survivors and divert people away from crime. We heard some inspiring stories from the various presenters, and I am excited to see how this work is progressing and how the differing organisations are coming together and working more closely with each other to achieve improved outcomes.

This work continues and over the past year, grant recipients have submitted monitoring returns to us that detail the successes and outcomes that their funded project has generated for Warwickshire.

Grants 2024/25

In 2024/25, I have made similar amounts of funding available again for small and road safety grants, and for CSP funding. The scheme was launched much earlier than normal, with organisations invited to apply for funding of up to £15,000 for projects or initiatives that support my Police and Crime Plan’s objectives and that have the overarching themes of ‘prevention’ and ‘diversion’.

Over 30 organisations were ultimately awarded funding for 2024/25, representing a mix of small and larger organisations and offering an exciting variety of projects to help to keep Warwickshire communities safe over the next twelve months.

This scheme included road safety grants specifically aimed at being a holistic mix of behavioural change, and education, to achieve sustainable solutions and interventions that focus on reducing deaths and serious injury. I am also a keen supporter of the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, where I have provided over £100,000 of separate funding, so a key requirement of my PCC road safety grants is that projects should complement and support the work carried out by the partnership, and that of the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and Warwickshire Police.

A different approach to the funding the county’s Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) has been adopted for 2024/25. Representatives of the CSPs can now apply for funding over the course of the year, to enable greater flexibility to adapt to changing priorities. As such, £30,000 of funding has been set aside for each of the five Local Authority areas across Warwickshire, along with a further £25,000 of funding for any county-wide projects by the CSPs.

8.3 Additional Funding

Safer Streets 4

As a result of a successful prior year application to the Home Office, the OPCC has received over £203,000 of funding to oversee the delivery of several environmental interventions in Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford, and Leamington for the period April to September 2023. The success of the project has been achieved through strong partnership working, with all key partners through the Safer Streets 4 Steering Group which met regularly to monitor key project milestones and outcomes, which should improve safety.

Safer Streets Fund Round 5

Under the Safer Streets 5 initiative, the Home Office initially allocated £1m of Safer Streets 5 funding to Warwickshire to deliver interventions from October 2023 through to 2024/25, (£465,000 in 2023/24 and £565,000 in 2024/25).

However, the Home Office subsequently informed PCC’s that nationally the funding for the 2024/25 element would be reduced by £180,000 per Local Policing Body, thereby reducing our 2024/25 allocation to £335,000.  The table below summarises the intervention type and the range of partners that we worked with to deliver outcomes in 2023/24. Further work on delivering interventions continues into 2024/25.

The 2023/24 allocation has delivered the following elements: –

Serious Violence Duty Funding

In 2022/23 the office secured funding from the Home Office to assist the specified authorities in Warwickshire to support the implementation and delivery of the Serious Violence Duty. The office has acted in the capacity as Grant Holder on behalf of the Home Office, with local responsibility for ensuring effective allocation and utilisation of the funds. Throughout 2023/24 we have continued to work closely with local Duty Holders, in particular Warwickshire County Council, to deliver interventions.   

9. Finance

Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 I have a statutory duty to set the force budget and determine the policing precept. In properly exercising this responsibility it is essential that I achieve value for money and seek to drive out inefficiencies and maximise effectiveness wherever possible.

9.1. Value for Money

Each year the external auditors consider whether the arrangements that I and the Chief Constable have in place for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness are adequate. In February 2024, as part of the 2022/23 statutory audit, I am pleased to confirm that Grant Thornton concluded that against their criteria for financial sustainability and improving economy efficiency and effectiveness they identified no significant weaknesses in arrangements identified and no improvement recommendation were made. Against the governance criteria they have identified that there are no significant weaknesses but have recommended that prompter implementation of internal audit recommendations should be undertaken, which I will continue to monitor.

During 2023/24, the office with involvement from the force, fundamentally reviewed the joint corporate governance framework. This document which includes the financial and contract regulations, outlines the processes and rules that we set to ensure that value for money is achieved from the spending. To illustrate this, the recommissioning of a significant number of high value services procured through an open and transparent process in line with our contract regulations. The ongoing process to monitor performance is critical to this, and as such a series of key performance indicators have been set and are reviewed quarterly by the OPCC.  This ensures that providers are delivering services that meet the needs of users, that any issues are overcome in a timely manner and that the contracts are consistently delivering. I will continue to ensure that the Chief Constable delivers value for money in operational policing through the holding to account process.

9.2 Annual Budget for 2023/24

In 2023/24, I approved an increase in the precept of 5.3%, which supported a fully costed net budget of £125.997m to deliver the Police and Crime Plan priorities. Over 95% of the annual budget is delegated to the Chief Constable to deliver operational policing. The 2023/24 revised capital budget also includes separate provision of £10.527m for capital investment in longer life assets including estates, fleet, and ICT to further support the effective delivery of policing in Warwickshire.

2023/24 Out-turn Position – Revenue

The actual out-turn for the 2023/24 revenue budget is £125.519, which is £0.863m less than the £126.382m net revenue budget. The net budget has been funded by £64.459m from central government grant, £60.728m from precept result in a £0.332m to reserves.

This forecast out-turn has been closely monitored and reported to my team and I on a regular basis throughout the year. The underspent out-turn position has arisen primarily due to underspends on staff and PCSO pay and increased income, some of which could not have been anticipated earlier in the year. The underspending has been used to increase the direct revenue financing to meet the costs of some capital investments in year, and the remainder has been allocated to reserves at year-end and will be used to partially fund future services, notably further capital investment thus reducing the need to borrow.

The increased income in 2023/24 has arisen from several different issues, including one-off central grants including for pay, and use of custody space to house prisoners, in addition to additional grant for incentivised uplift officers. Other income streams remained buoyant throughout the year, which is welcome as income is an increasingly important element of the annual budget and risks associated with it are understood and are being monitored closely as part of the monthly reporting and holding to account process.

2023/24 Out-turn Position – Capital

The actual out-turn for capital in 2023/24 is £6.495m across estates work, ICT projects and fleet replacement. This has been funded primarily through a combination of direct revenue financing, reserves, Section 106 funding and borrowing. Whilst the total expenditure in year fell short of the budget, due to delays with the delivery of vehicles and with other projects £5.755m will be slipped into 2024/25 to ensure that the projects will be completed as planned in due course.  These investments will help to ensure that our estate and fleet are both compliant and fit for purpose, and that we continue to invest in digital services to maintain the infrastructure that will help to improve our productivity and efficiency and avoid the re-accumulation of technical debt.

Reserves

Reserve levels remain resilient and total £13.455m as of 31 March 2024. Although this is a decrease of £1.559m when compared to 2022/23, this was planned as part of the budget. Reserves provide the main mechanism for managing risk in an increasingly uncertain world, although a proportion will also be used to fund revenue and capital commitments over the medium term in line with the MTFP and reserve strategy. The reserves strategy shows reserve levels reducing but being maintained at around £10m throughout the plan period. Although reserves are one-off, they can also provide time to identify more permanent savings, by funding ongoing expenditure on a temporary or one-off basis, or to help manage any known timing fluctuations evident across the medium term in funding and costs.

Statement of Accounts

The 2023/24, the Statement of Accounts for the force and OPCC have been produced and were published on the 31 May 2024, with the external audit work commencing shortly afterwards. The OPCC and Warwickshire Police will be working with new external auditors for the 2023/24 audit, with all recent prior year’s accounts being up to date and audit opinions issued by Grant Thornton. Finance staff will be working alongside the auditors to meet the 30 September 2024 audit deadline for the 2023/24 statements. This would see a continuation of our excellent track record with the annual accounts process and mean that as a force and OPCC we would remain unaffected by the governments approach to dealing with the huge national backlog with Local Authority audits.

9.3 Annual Budget and Police Precept 2024/25

In preparing the budget for 2024/25, there were several key principles that both the Chief Constable and I agreed remained fundamental to the proposals I was putting forward. They are supported through my Police and Crime Plan and the force’s strategic plans and form the backdrop to how we will deliver improvement to Warwickshire Police. They include:

• Sustaining and increasing where possible the number of police officers and PCSOs to increase public confidence, boost visibility of policing in neighbourhoods and improve the effectiveness of investigations.
• Improvements to how the public contact the police, through better customer service, reduced waiting times on 101 and better access within communities, such as at customer resolution centres.
• Improved efficiency, making best possible use of the investments in ICT made in the past few years to reduce bureaucracy and increase productivity.
• An enhanced police estate, with buildings that are fit for purpose for the people that use them and retain the geographic footprint around the county, further improvements to vehicles used by the force and a reduced carbon footprint with lower energy use.

That is why I proposed to increase the Precept by 4.7%, considerably below the rate of inflation at the time. This is equivalent to £14 per year on an average Band D property, or around 27 pence per week. Those in lower Council Tax bands will pay proportionately less and there is considerable help and support for those on lower incomes, including through the Council Tax relief schemes offered by our District and Borough Councils.

On the 5 February 2024, a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel was convened to fulfil their statutory function to consider my proposals for the Precept, the Panel voted to support my proposal.

9.4 The Medium-Term Financial Plan (2023/24 to 2027/28)

Financial resilience remains a key focus for my next term of office. The medium-term financial plan (MTFP) which was fundamentally reviewed as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process covers the five-year period to 2028/29. It is based on several assumptions and known information regarding all items of expenditure and income and is an important element of our financial planning to ensure that Warwickshire Police and the OPCC remains sustainable into the future.

Over 80% of the annual revenue expenditure relates to pay related costs, for officers and staff. Much activity has been undertaken during the course of 2023/24 to understand the implications of the force’s workforce planning for police officers, following recent years of sustained and high recruitment, and less certainty regarding retirement after 30 years following pension changes. The workforce demographics indicate significant cost pressures over the medium-term and these will need to be managed and financed as part of the financial planning cycle.

The 2023/24 budget and MTFP has also showed an increasing reliance on income, to fund core policing activity, outside of the normal financing available from precept and central government grant. Despite this increase in income the MTFP has identified a £4m gap between core funding and operating expenditure over the medium-term, which must be bridged to deliver a balanced budget. The Chief Constable has delivered over £1m of savings from April 2024, but further options will need to be agreed for bridging the remaining gaps in funding over the medium-term.  The intention is that these will be achieved from improving productivity and greater efficiency, but I look forward to receiving her options for achieving this in the coming months. My aim remains to deliver a financial strategy and MTFP, which is affordable, sustainable, and resilient, which factors in the risk that the current challenges pose and which in turn supports the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan and effective policing in Warwickshire.

10. Looking Ahead

On 2 May 2024, I was elected to my third term of office as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, thereby extending my period of office for a further four years. I thank all of those who voted for me.

I have sworn an oath to serve all the people of Warwickshire, pledging to act with integrity, transparency and diligence and give voice to the public, especially victims of crime. I also pledged to ensure the police can cut crime and protect the public, respecting the operational independence of police officers, and to work with partners to ensure the safety of the community and effective criminal justice.

One of the most talked about issues in policing is ‘trust and confidence’. There have been nationally – and sadly locally – cases where police officers have not conducted themselves as they should. I will be holding the Chief Constable to account to root out those officers who do not behave well and indeed to make sure that we don’t recruit new officers and staff who have a history that is not becoming of the service.

Setting out my priorities for the next four years, I want to:

• Further reduce crime, anti-social behaviour, and re-offending.
• Continue to increase police officer numbers.
• Increase support for victims and survivors of all crimes.
• Reduce road traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
• Engage with and listen to residents and communities.
• Build further financial resilience for Warwickshire Police.

I am now looking forward to preparing a new Police and Crime Plan and will continue to engage with the county’s residents and communities to listen to what they have to say and act upon their concerns and priorities. There is still plenty of work to do and I’m looking forward to working hard to ensure that I deliver better policing and more safety for our communities during the next four years. I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can in the coming months.