The Derbyshire Police and Crime Panel met to discuss the annual report of the panel, the balanced appointment objective, and drug dealing and substance misuse. The panel was also scheduled to receive announcements from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and an update on forthcoming events.

Drug Dealing and Substance Misuse

The panel was scheduled to discuss a report from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) on the strategic priority of drug dealing and substance misuse. The report summarised ongoing initiatives and activities, and key performance indicators (KPIs) related to crime types in this category. A Public Assurance Meeting (PAM) report produced by Derbyshire Constabulary was included as an appendix.

The report stated that public consultation in Autumn 2024 identified drug dealing and substance misuse as a top concern, with 35% ranking it as a first, second, or third priority.

The report also provided an update on the Derbyshire Drug and Alcohol Strategic Partnership (DASP), which was established in 2022. Key achievements of the DASP included:

• A 9.6% increase in the number of adults in structured substance misuse treatment, from 5,807 in March 2022 to 6,366 in March 2024.
• 179 county lines disruptions recorded in the past year.
• Over 1,000 police officers trained to administer Naloxone¹, which has been used 20 times since June 2024, with each use resulting in a life saved.
• Development of a new Local Drug Information System (LDIS) to monitor the emergence of potent synthetic opioids and other high-risk substances.

The report also summarised key legislative and policy changes, including:

• New national guidance issued in May 2025 to help local authorities, police, and health services respond to the growing threat of synthetic opioids.
• Project HOUSEBUILDER, led by the National Crime Agency, to disrupt the supply of synthetic opioids.
• Expansion of Naloxone availability, with over 20,000 police officers and nearly 900 police staff across the UK carrying naloxone daily as of December 2024.
• Continued support for the use of Drug Testing on Arrest (DToA) powers to identify individuals whose offending is linked to class A drug use.

The panel was also scheduled to discuss the Young Futures Prevention Partnership Panels pilot, which is part of a national government initiative to reduce serious youth violence, knife crime, anti-social behaviour, and violence against women and girls. Derbyshire's PCC has been selected as one of only three national non-Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) pathfinder areas to lead the Young Futures pilot from October 2025 to March 2026.

Appendix A of the report offered a comprehensive overview of the current progress against each of the six sub-points under the Drug Dealing and Substance Misuse strategic priority.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to crime data were also included in the report.

Balanced Appointment Objective

The panel was scheduled to review its composition following local government elections held in May, and to consider the number of co-opted Councillor Members to ensure the panel continues to meet statutory balance requirements.

According to the report on the balanced appointment objective, Schedule 6 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 outlines the responsibilities councils have in establishing and maintaining a police and crime panel. The act makes provisions for panel composition, including:

• Where a force area consists of 10 or fewer councils, the number of members of the panel will be 10, not including the co-opted members.
• Additional councillors may be co-opted onto the panel. The total size of the panel must not exceed 20 and the Secretary of State approves the co-options.
• Two independent co-optees should also be included in the panel membership.
• Composition should be carried out in accordance with the fair representation objective .
• Panels should be politically proportionate.

The report stated that each of the 10 constituent authorities in Derbyshire has nominated a panel member for the new municipal year, resulting in a panel of 7 Labour members, 1 Conservative Member, 1 Liberal Democrat Member and 1 Reform Member, which does not achieve political balance.

The political balance of the Panel can be adjusted by co-opting additional Councillor Members. The panel was asked to consider and approve the co-option of 4 Councillor members, which would mean the addition of 2 additional Conservative councillors, 1 additional Reform councillor and 1 Independent councillor.

The panel was also scheduled to consider which authorities to approach to seek further nominations for co-optees, considering the geographical balance and the skills and knowledge of potential co-optees.

Annual Report of the Derbyshire Police and Crime Panel 2024/25

The panel was scheduled to consider the proposed annual report of work undertaken by the panel, and to consider the process for the future publication of the annual report.

According to the report, Derbyshire County Council was provided with a grant of up to £66,180 as the host authority in respect of the Derbyshire Police and Crime Panel. The grant agreement stipulates that the key performance indicators to be monitored and reported on are:

• The number of public meetings held.
• Scrutiny documents and publications produced, including the Panel's annual report.
• Engagement with the work of the Panel by members of the public and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire Constabulary.

The annual report included information on the membership of the panel, a schedule of meetings, and work undertaken. The required functions of the Panel are:

• To consider the Commissioner's proposed police precept²
• To monitor delivery of the Commissioner's Police and Crime Plan
• To review and scrutinise action and decisions taken by the Commissioner
• To handle PCC conduct complaints

The report stated that the panel met formally 5 times during the 2024-2025 municipal year in June, September and November 2024, and January and March 2025. There were also two additional meetings held for confirmation hearings.