Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Jonathan Grimes (Pembrokeshire County Council).
Member Agenda Item No. Interest Cllr. S. Hancock All Items. Family member currently serves within Dyfed-Powys Police. Cllr. S. Wright All Items. Family member currently serves within Dyfed-Powys Police. Member is a retired officer from the force and a current member of the National Association of Retired Police Officers. Mrs H. Thomas All Items. Family member is currently training to become a Police Officer with Dyfed-Powys Police. Another family member is part of the selected Panel responsible for appointing the new Chief Constable.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Panel held on the 29th April 2025 be signed as a correct record.
In relation to the Commissioner's note about circulating a summary of the performance data resulting from the uplift in funding for substance misuse, members indicated that they had not at present received this. The Commissioner advised that a report containing this information would be brought to the Panel during the Autumn.
A BBC News story on 31 May 2025 highlighted a sharp rise in domestic burglaries in Dyfed Powys, for the year ending December 2024. In your role of PCC, what actions are you taking to re-assure the public and ensure that the Chief Constable has put in place appropriate measures to address such criminality? · The statistics in the article represent a 'snapshot in time' through a year-on-year comparison from 2024 to 2025. · Over a more extended period, domestic burglary offences have decreased within the Dyfed-Powys Police force, based on the national baseline for measurement used from 2018/19. · The article focuses exclusively on data from Dyfed-Powys Police, without providing comparisons with other forces in England and Wales. · In response to media interest, the Commissioner conducted a radio interview to provide context and reassure the public regarding the statistics. · In comparison to other forces, Dyfed-Powys Police has the third lowest number of dwelling burglaries among the 43 police forces in England and Wales, with only the City of London and Cumbria recording lower figures. · Despite a rise in one particular year, a longitudinal study conducted reemphasises an evident decrease in burglary offences. · Two measures have been set to address these issues, including holding the force accountable for its performance. It was raised in a recent Strategic Performance Board meeting with Chief Officers regarding the measures being taken within the force to ensure awareness and response to these emerging trends. · The force is aware of a trend, as there has been a noted rise in 'Acquisitive Crime', including thefts, burglaries, and shoplifting, over the past 12 to 18 months. · As part of the Forces' awareness on the issues, they are undertaking work with communities, through the Neighbourhood Policing and Prevention Teams, providing advice and guidance on how to prevent these types of crimes and have a greater guardianship of activities. · A notable nuance within the data is the significant 34% increase in dwelling burglary offences during the Winter months compared to Summer, which has been highlighted as part of the trend the Force is aware of. · Further to holding the Force accountable for its performance and undertaking media activity, ongoing monitoring of these issues will be conducted through the Policy Team. · The next Office for National Statistics dataset is expected soon, which will be reviewed to determine if recent increases are part of a continuing trend or whether the previous year's figures were anomalies.
In March of this year, the Home Office announced it would make additional funding available in the fight against Rural and Wildlife crime. Will Dyfed-Powys be entitled to any of this funding and, if not, how will it benefit the fight against rural crime in the force area. · The Home Office has not allocated specific funds/grants for rural and wildlife crime. However, there may have been general announcements or support for the Rural Crime Network and other initiatives that have been undertaken. · The police force has an established Rural Crime Team, which remains active and involved in various projects and initiatives addressing a range of offences and activities, including livestock theft, livestock worrying, and illegal slaughter. · The Commissioner is involved with the National Rural Crime Network, and has representations from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in activities including being present at the launch of the new Wales Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy for 2025 – 2028, for which the OPCC and the force's Rural Crime Team are identified as key stakeholders. · The OPCC undertakes ongoing collaboration and regular meetings with the farming unions – the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and Farmers Union Wales (FUW) to respond to their calls for support. A direct follow-up question was raised by the member based on the response provided. The OPCC's Chief Finance Officer explained that while the Home Office has pledged support, funding has been directed to the Rural and Wildlife Crime Network, rather than to individual forces. The force remains involved in ongoing discussions at the network's meetings through the force's lead, as future funding to individual forces through the network may be possible. The Commissioner noted that participating in ongoing discussions through the Rural and Wildlife Crime Network could benefit Dyfed-Powys Police by providing opportunities to access and utilise available funding, particularly as the forthcoming Policing Settlement is likely to be unfavourable. The Commissioner also advised that where there are opportunities to gain additional funding for activities, these have been appropriately capitalised upon, and would endeavour to do the same for rural and wildlife crime. A series of further follow-up questions related to the responses provided to item 5.2 was raised by Panel members, which the Commissioner responded to accordingly.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be received.
[NOTE: Councillors S. Hancock, S. Wright and Mrs H. Thomas, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting during its consideration and voted]. The Panel received the Annual Report of the Police and Crime Commissioner for 2024-2025 for consideration. In presenting the report, the Commissioner noted that it was currently in draft format and that the report's style had been revised to provide greater clarity on aspects such as strategic activities, key projects, and pilot schemes that have been funded across various areas. The following matters were raised relating to the report: · A question was raised about whether a report was available containing the findings of the 'Night Time Economy Analysis' conducted as part of the 'Serious Violence Duty'. While unsure if it had been published publicly, the Commissioner advised that they would review this, welcoming the opportunity to circulate the analysis findings with the Panel. · In relation to the Commissioner's attendance at the Wales Anti-Slavery conference, a question was raised on how much of an issue modern slavery and human trafficking are within the force area. The Commissioner advised that these are considered hidden, low-volume crimes, which have a high degree of harm. The Commissioner noted they had signed up to a variety of initiatives to ensure oversight on these offences, and that the Force has strategies in place and works closely with partners to manage these issues, citing the recent arrests undertaken as part of Operation Scotney as a successful example of this in practice. The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, requested that the Commissioner convey their complementary remarks to the authors of the report regarding its content and presentation. RESOLVED that the report be received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be received.
[NOTE: Councillors S. Hancock, S. Wright and Mrs H. Thomas, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting during its consideration and voted]. Following the Panel's request to the Commissioner for reports outlining the progress made in delivering the priorities set out in the Police and Crime Plan, members received a progress report related to Priority 1 for review. Upon reviewing Priority 1's progress, a range of focus areas for scrutinising force performance was identified. Despite undertaking a range of strategic and operational changes over the past 12 to 18 months, the Commissioner was assured that the force's overall performance is improving, and that the force's leadership had oversight of potential disparities in performance delivery and how those can be addressed. The following questions or concerns were raised by the Panel: · The Commissioner acknowledged that the figure of over 40% of victims declining/withdrawing support each month for domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and sexual offences is excessive. There are various reasons as to why victims withdraw. However, efforts are underway to reduce this figure through initiatives, including the Domestic Abuse Video Response Unit (DAVRU). · In response to a question on the reduced presence of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) at community meetings, the Commissioner advised this is likely related to the need for them to be active in other areas given the reduction in overall numbers of PCSOs, and the Force's new strategy, which posits PCSOs undertaking more visible policing and problem-solving work within communities. · A question was raised on 'Victim engagement, complaints and victims' rights' regarding the extent to which Dyfed-Powys Police has focused on Restorative Justice, given its relation to victim experience. The Commissioner asserted that this is an area that generally requires further exploration and investment, and that it hadn't been a key priority within the Force across recent years. · In response to a query on the Force's progress towards achieving the target range of 95% in terms of 'Crime volumes, outcomes and data integrity' and whether Dyfed-Powys records all crimes, the Commissioner informed the Panel that the force is making progress towards the 95% target. The Force is currently surveying a significant number of crimes every month, which depicts proximity to the target threshold. However, the Commissioner was unable to provide complete assurance that every crime is recorded. · A question was raised about variation in the 40% figure for domestic abuse, stalking, harassment, and sexual offences, and whether victim-blaming was evident within those. The Commissioner confirmed both the variance and the presence of victim-blaming. As a result of Operation Soteria, officers now receive training to identify victim-blaming throughout investigations and victim response processes. Operation Soteria has led to the development of a Sexual Offence Problem Profile by the Force, which could be shared with the Panel (pending Force approval) to highlight the scale of these issues and efforts to achieve positive outcomes in serious sexual offence cases. · The Commissioner, in response to a query on the force's current position on recruitment and staff turnover, noted that recruitment is consistent throughout the year due to the number of staff who need to be recruited. Staff turnover remains a challenge, with the vacancy factor in the revenue budget increased this year to accommodate this. Steps have been taken to mitigate retention issues, including flexible working requests, but the problem persists. RESOLVED that the report be received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be received.
[NOTE: Councillors S. Hancock, S. Wright and Mrs H. Thomas, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting during its consideration and voted]. The Panel considered a report on decisions the Commissioner made between the 1st of April and the 30th of June 2025. Section 28 (6) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 requires all decisions and actions undertaken by the Commissioner to be reviewed in alignment with the discharge of his functions, with reports and recommendations related to those decisions and actions to be made as considered appropriate by the Panel to the Commissioner. The Commissioner drew particular attention to the decision relating to the 'Select Committee', with the first activity on this taking place on July 16, 2025, which included representation from the Police and Crime panel. Amid the decisions impact on the Commissioner’s Governance and Scrutiny arrangements, it was actively recognised that the completion of the first activity highlighted areas for learning. The Commissioner also wished to note formally, given their personal geographical proximity to the beneficiaries of the 'Calon Tysul Funding' decision, that they had no involvement in any aspect of this decision. RESOLVED that the report be received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
[NOTE: Councillors S. Hancock, S. Wright and Mrs H. Thomas, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting during its consideration and voted]. The Panel received a performance report for review in relation to the Policing Protocol Order for Quarter 1 of the 2025-26 financial year. It was reported that over the last quarter, the performance of many actions resulted in more Ambers than Greens, which was predominantly attributed to the requirement of appointing a new Chief Constable and the subsequent elements associated with that process. A summary of the timetable and current actions/decisions undertaken relating to the process was provided to the Panel. The following questions or concerns were raised by the Panel: · A question was raised about the 'Explore and maximise external funding opportunities' action, specifically the £1m Hotspot Action Fund and the opportunity to apply for Hywel Dda Funds. Regarding the Hotspot Action Fund, the Commissioner noted that it was allocated but must be drawn from the Home Office per the grant's terms and conditions. Conversely, with the Hywel Dda Funds, due to not having the detailed information to hand regarding this, it was noted that this could be looked into for the Panel. · In response to a query about collaboration sites with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, amid concerns over police station closures, the Commissioner noted that these opportunities to collaborate at specific police station locations had been outlined in previous meetings. Collaboration is ongoing, with some sites currently being co-used and others awaiting sale. The Commissioner wished to reiterate that the arrangements are not related to a withdrawal of services, but rather serve to safeguard emergency services presence in communities and ensure a more prudent use of finances towards future capital investment. RESOLVED that the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
[NOTE: Councillors S. Hancock, S. Wright and Mrs H. Thomas, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting during its consideration and voted]. The Panel received the progress report of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner's (OPCC) Business Plan for Quarter 1 of the 2025-26 financial year. The report outlined the progress made in delivering the business plan's requirements in alignment with the priorities of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan. In terms of the progress made to date against delivering the new business plan, it was noted that many areas were still in the initial phases of progress achieved, although some significant developments had been realised, including with the Select Committee Approach. RESOLVED that the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
[NOTE: Councillors S. Hancock, S. Wright and Mrs H. Thomas, having earlier declared an interest in this matter, remained in the meeting during its consideration and voted]. The Panel received the OPCC's Business Plan for 2025-2026 for review. The Panel was reminded that changes had been implemented to the OPCC's business planning process to reflect a greater focus on assessing progress on a longer-term basis, to ensure greater alignment with the Commissioner's Police and Crime Plan. RESOLVED that the report be noted.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
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