Agenda item

1.    The Panel were presented with a report which provided a comprehensive summary of how best the public could contact Kent Police; the structure of the Force Control Room; emergency (999), non-emergency (101) and digital contact performance between 2019-2022; and the measures used by the Commissioner to hold the Chief Constable to account on performance.

2.    The Chair introduced the item and reminded Members that the report had been requested following continued monitoring of 101 call handling performance and concerns that further improvement was required to regain prior strong performance and provide the public with a responsive and reliable means of contacting Kent Police.

3.    The Commissioner gave a verbal overview of the report, which included coverage of the broad range of contact methods and trends. He encouraged the use of Crimestoppers, which was utilised by Kent Police. He explained that a significant recruitment drive was underway, which would directly lead to an increase in 101 call handlers and improved performance, with it noted that the latest intake had occurred 3 weeks prior to the meeting with further intakes to come. Concerning the posting of police officers into the Force Control Room, the Commissioner noted that 6-month deployments had been in place as a temporary measure and emphasised the benefits of the experience and skills exchange for Force Control Room staff as well as response teams and other officers working across the county which would improve force cohesion. It was added that supervisor ratios, exit interviews and shift patterns were under review. Regarding call attrition, which took account of unanswered calls, he explained that there had been a reduction from a peak of 59% in October 2022 to 16.25% in January 2023, with further work required to improve the force’s standing nationally. He reminded the Panel that he received weekly performance updates on the issue from the Chief Constable and had visited the Force Control Room on multiple occasions witnessing strong performance. 

4.    Following a question from a Member, the Commissioner explained that 999 should be used to report a crime in progress and agreed to clarify public messaging on the issue.

5.    In response to a question from a Member on the measures in place to ensure a positive working culture, the Commissioner noted that the Force Control Room had a Culture Board and that he had not been alerted to any cultural concerns. He reminded the Panel that staff in the Force Control Room were often the force’s first point of contact with the public and that morale, pay and retention were among his key considerations.

6.    Concerning Force Control Room vacancy levels, a Member asked what had caused the significant increase and whether staff were placed in division pods based on their local knowledge. The Commissioner explained that post-pandemic mass recruitment campaigns by many industries had been a major factor in the higher vacancy rate. He added that many staff also left to become police officers and emphasised the importance of a handover of expertise. He confirmed that staff were not placed in pods based on local knowledge and encouraged members of the public to use what3words which was used by the force as a means of pinpointing the location of reports.

7.    A Member asked whether best practice had been sought from other public and private sectors bodies. They suggested that different approaches to attracting and retaining staff should be considered in order to provide greater long-term service resilience, home working arrangements were given as an example. The Commissioner reassured the Panel that private sector resources and forecasting were utilised, with public and private sector experts working directly with the force. He gave the previous matching of police staff pay increases with officer pay increases as an example of Kent Police’s enhanced pay offer for staff in the Force Control Room, though noted that pay remained an ongoing issue. Concerning home working, he confirmed that it was being investigated, noting that an integrated force control room system was in the process of being commissioned and stressed that ensuring appropriate safeguards were in place was vital to any changes in working arrangements.

RESOLVED to note the report and request a further update at the Panel’s September 2023 meeting.