The Police & Crime Panel for Lancashire met on Monday 2nd December 2024. The meeting was scheduled to include a presentation of the new Police and Crime Plan for Lancashire, an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner, and an update on the appointment of Anna Hopkins as Chief Executive.

The most significant item on the agenda was the Police and Crime Plan 2024/29¹. This five-year plan sets out how the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, Clive Grunshaw, intends to deliver on the public’s policing priorities.

Police and Crime Plan for Lancashire 2024/29

The Police and Crime Plan for Lancashire identifies four key priorities:

• Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls: The plan aims to reduce the number of victims of violence against women and girls by tackling domestic abuse, rape and sexual offences, and stalking.
• Tackle Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour: It was scheduled to be discussed that the force aims to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour through a range of measures, including Operation Centurion, which targets anti-social behaviour hotspots; and Operation Vulture, the response to retail crime.
• Get Tough on Serious Violent Crime: The plan includes a commitment to tackling serious and organised crime, including county lines, alongside a commitment to tackling knife crime.
• Rebuild Public Trust and Confidence: The plan was scheduled to set out how it aims to rebuild public trust and confidence in the police, through a focus on neighbourhood policing, improving public contact with the police, increasing opportunities for citizens to become involved in policing, raising standards and focusing on victims' needs.

The plan also sets out how the Police and Crime Commissioner will work with partners to prevent crime and support victims. The plan identifies several ways in which this will be achieved, including a commitment to working with the Lancashire Criminal Justice Board, Community Safety Partnerships and the Pan Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership.

Police and Crime Commissioner's Update

The Panel was also scheduled to receive an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw. The Police and Crime Commissioner's Update Report was provided to the attendees, and provides information about the Commissioner's activity since the last meeting, that took place on 1 October 2024. It reports that, amongst other things:

• The Commissioner met with the Chief Constable, Sacha Hatchett, to discuss the performance of the force control room;
• £125,000 was allocated to 28 community projects through the Commissioner's Community Fund;
• The Commissioner continued their engagement with the Lancashire MPs that were elected in the July 2024 general election;
• The Commissioner has continued to call on the Government to do more to tackle retail crime, and for the creation of a specific offence of assaulting a shop worker; and
• That the Commissioner has been engaging with stakeholders on how the force should respond to the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters.

Police and Crime Commissioner Decisions

The Police & Crime Panel for Lancashire were scheduled to review the Police and Crime Commissioner's recent decisions as set out in the Decisions Report that was provided to the attendees.

The report lists the funding decisions that had been made by the Commissioner since the last meeting. This included funding for:

• A Pan Lancashire Stalking Service;
• A Digital Fingerprint Service;
• White Ribbon Accreditation;
• A new Contact Policy;
• The Community Fund; and
• A Pan-Lancashire All Age Sexual Violence Service.

Confirmation Hearing

Finally, the panel were scheduled to receive an update on the Confirmation Hearing for Anna Hopkins, who is to be appointed as the new Chief Executive. The meeting was likely to discuss the arrangements for this hearing, which is a statutory requirement for the appointment of a new Chief Executive.