Agenda item

To consider, in accordance with Full Council Procedure Rule 1.1-H, the Notice of Motion to be moved by Councillor Lamb and seconded by Councillor Yasmin Khan.

The Full Council considered Notice of Motion 1 – Improving Policing in Crawley – as set out on page 85 of the agenda. The Motion was moved and presented by Councillor Lamb, who in doing so gave further explanation of the reasoning behind the Motion. It was seconded and supported by Councillor Y Khan.

Councillors S Mullins, Crow, Pritchard, Millar-Smith, Lanzer, and Burgess all spoke during the debate on the Motion.

The Mayor then called for a vote on Notice of Motion 1 – Improving Policing in Crawley which was carried by 20 votes in favour, 14 against and 0 abstention.

RESOLVED

This Council notes:

·                That overall responsibility for policing in England and Wales continues to rest with the Home Secretary

·                That since the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act (2011), the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner has borne ultimate responsibility for policing across West Sussex, East Sussex, and Brighton and Hove.

·                That day-to-day responsibility for operational decisions is held by the Chief Constable across Sussex, and within Crawley by the District Commander

·                That while s17 of the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) created a general responsibility for local authorities to do what they reasonably can to prevent crime and disorder within their area, since the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act (2011), councils have lacked any formal influence over the actions of their local police

·                That despite this, Crawley Borough Council has a democratic obligation to act upon the concerns of local residents

This Council further notes:

·                The incredible work of police officers and police community support offers in Sussex, who regularly put themselves at risk to protect others from harm

·                That despite the work of individual officers and PCSOs, official statistics now show that of the 11,875 crimes reported in Crawley over the last 12 months, just 6% resulted in a suspect being charged

·                That when discussing criminal activity with the council and its representatives, residents and businesses regularly state that they no longer report criminal activity to the police due to a disbelief that it will be acted upon

·                That the Labour Party has announced plans for an addition 13,000 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs

This Council believes:

·                That the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner is failing to take the concerns of local residents and businesses seriously

·                That a failure to act to address anti-social behaviour and low-level criminal activity encourages the growth of more serious criminal activity

·                That the policing needs of the Crawley community are best addressed through a return to local neighbourhood policing

·                That residents should not be forced to wait until the return of a Labour Government to see their concerns acted upon

This Council resolves:

·                To call upon the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner to refocus the strategic priorities of Sussex Police to place a greater emphasis on neighbourhood policing

·                To support the work of the Safer Crawley Partnership and the Cabinet Member for Public Protection in creating an ongoing programme of regular public meetings across Crawley which will allow a greater number of opportunities for residents, elected members and the Police to have dialogue on issues relating to crime and antisocial behaviour within the borough and how this is prioritised.