The Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) introduced the report which provided the final version of the Police and Crime Plan 2021-25, which was a statutory document as required by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and outlined the strategic direction for the PCC’s term in office and provided a means by which the Chief Constable could be held to account by the Commissioner. It was reported that the Commissioner had a statutory duty to produce the document, and the version before the Committee was based on the things outlined in the Commissioner’s election manifesto and input from a consultation exercise undertaken in the previous months. The Plan detailed three key pillars:

·  Fighting Crime and Proactive Policing

·  Supporting Victims and Safer Communities

·  Driving Change and Prevent Offending

The detail within each pillar was outlined to the Committee, where it was reported that an action plan was in place for each pillar and that collaborative work was ongoing with partners such as local authorities, fire and rescue services and health colleagues to implement the plan. The Committee was advised that one of the other priorities was to fight for fairer funding, with further information anticipated about funding following the policing settlement in December 2021.

Members raised a wide range of queries both in relation to policing on a Liverpool City Region scale and locally in Wirral. Several incidents were highlighted in relation to response times, and it was confirmed that the response time was determined by the assessed threat level of an incident and that over 90% of incidents were responded to on time. Further incidents were raised in relation to the night-time economy and road safety. It was queried why it was felt that Liverpool City Region did not get a fair allocated of resources, where it was outlined that whilst Liverpool City Region received a high amount of funding per head, it did not take into account issues around deprivation and the impact this had on crime and the need for more funding for preventative approaches across the public sector. Members noted the recruitment of a new chief constable with the priority of preventative measures to tackle crime and welcomed the approach.

Resolved – That the report be noted.