PCC press briefing 11/2013

11th March 2013

This week’s briefing covers stories from 14 police areas in England and Wales across the following BTP regions:

London North (2): Hertfordshire, Suffolk
London South (2): Dorset, Hampshire
North East (3): Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire
North West (2) : Greater Manchester, Merseyside;
Wales & Western (5): Avon & Somerset, Dyfed-Powys, Gloucestershire, South Wales, Wiltshire

In this issue:

Policing costs

West Yorkshire Police has lost its appeal case over the costs of policing matches at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium. [BBC News]

  • The force will have to hand back more than £1 million paid to them by Leeds United for policing matches at Elland Road. [Yorkshire Post]

Hertfordshire’s PCC suggested a late-night levy on pubs and bars across the county as another source of revenue. [Morning Advertiser]

Police and crime plans

A number of areas revealed police and crime plans this week, including:

  • South Yorkshire (“Cutting crime and anti-social behaviour, protecting vulnerable people and heightening police visibility are all on the agenda,” says [The Star])
  • Dorset (Police are ‘atrocious’ at keeping victims of crime informed, the PCC said as he announced a new Victims’ Bureau, reports the [Daily Echo])
  • Hampshire ([This Is Hampshire]: “The new plan includes a 3.4% rise in council tax”)

National stories

[ITV News] travelled around the country to mark the first 100 days of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Hundreds of thousands of phone calls to the new police non-emergency 101 number are going unanswered, figures from forces in England and Wales suggest. [BBC News]

A police ballot to demand the right to strike failed yesterday because just four in 10 officers went online to vote. [Daily Telegraph]

By BTP area

London North

Special constables in Suffolk could be given a council tax discount, as the county’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) seeks to boost their numbers. [BBC News]

London South

Police and crime commissioners and chief constables across the South West – including Avon & Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire – met for the first time yesterday to discuss ways of co-operating across the region. [This Is Dorset]

Wales and Western

South Wales Police is at the centre of six investigations into serious failings in the handling of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault complaints, [The Guardian] reveals.

North West

Writing in the [Manchester Evening News], Greater Manchester PCC Tony Lloyd says “getting out into all the boroughs and listening to the public is what’s  important … to help shape the police and plan.”

Merseyside PCC Jane Kennedy approved the development of a new joint Police and Fire Command and Control Centre. [Liverpool Daily Post]

North East

Talks are being held in a bid to resolve the suspension of Lincolnshire‘s temporary chief constable. [BBC News]

Appointments

North Yorkshire‘s police and crime commissioner has said she hopes to have found a new chief constable for the force by mid-April. [BBC News]

The new chief constable of Dyfed-Powys Police is Simon Price. [This Is South Wales]