PCC praises “social conscience” of officers dealing with young offenders on Teesside
Police and crime commissioner Matt Storey has praised the “social conscience” of officers dealing with young offenders in a new Teesside custody suite.
He stressed a focus on support for victims of crime and vulnerable people, and stopping young people getting into crime and reoffending, as he spoke of his police and crime plan at a public meeting. He said: “We can’t just lock people up constantly.
“Those solutions are not going to be sustainable long-term. We need to use all the tools at our disposal,” he told the Safer Stockton Partnership at its last meeting in July.
He said other forces were borrowing from Teesside, with Merseryside Police visiting a youth custody suite in Middlesbrough: “That has been really carefully designed and tailored towards young people. I was really blown away by the way the officers have a real interest in the welfare of people coming through the door.
“The way they looked at it was, ‘This is the one and only time we want to see you. How do we make sure you don’t ever come back?’ That social conscience I think is really clear, I think that’s something we can be really proud of.”
Stockton district commander Superintendent John Wrintmore had asked about spotting young people “on the cusp” and stepping in early. Mr Storey said this needed to be targeted in a tailored, creative and interactive way rather than “talking at kids”.
Responding to another question about early intervention, Mr Storey said: “If we’re not doing enough of that I think we should be. It can’t just be about dealing with things when they’ve happened, we need to do more preventative work.”
He said public health, including homelessness and mental health, was important as police logs were “choc full” of people in mental health crisis or who were missing from home: “It’s a massive part of what the police have to deal with.
“We can help people and reduce crime, reduce homelessness, tackle substance misuse and mental health if we pool our resources. What I want to try and do is get people together to make a difference.
“I want to look more at drug treatment. We can’t enforce our way out of issues around drugs.”
Mr Storey, who took over the PCC job in May, outlined his priorities including more visible and effective policing. He questioned the effectiveness of seeing bobbies on the street alone, saying he had seen how neighbourhood policing teams spotted and solved problems: “It’s how we work, how we’re creative with very limited resources.
“Anti-social behaviour can be just as damaging as crime and we need to make sure it gets the prominence it deserves,” he added. He also spoke of the “massive problem” of off-road bikes, having been on a police operation.
He said: “It is incredibly difficult when the bikes are out, when it’s happening, in some respects that’s the most difficult time to get them. That intelligence in the community about where the bikes are stored and who has the bikes, that is more valuable.”
“It’s about making sure people feel comfortable reporting crime. There are ways to anonymously report crime, they can get that information to police without there being reprisals,” he added, referring to Crimestoppers (0800 555111), the COPA (Cleveland Online Policing App) and community hubs.
He also wanted to improve safety for women and girls, tackling misogyny and talking to young men “rather than putting the demands always upon women to change their behaviour”, and making the most of charities and local expertise. He added: “It’s about trying to make sure we prevent danger before it happens, essentially.”
Responding to a point about male domestic abuse victims, he said he wanted to help them too: “I think we can do both.
“But I do think we have to make sure it’s focused on women’s safety. Whether it’s upskirting or whatever example you want to give, culturally certain things in this country are acceptable in a way that I think is absolutely appalling.”
He said he wanted to make communities resilient and involved in decision-making, and to build confidence in the justice system: “I want to create a public scrutiny panel where members of the public can apply to sit on it. It’ll be a cross-section across Cleveland, trying to open it up a bit more, and making sure the public feel involved.
“I need to be that conduit between local people and the force. It is important that everyone has a say.”
The plan – with its tagline “working together to build safe, strong and confident communities” – is out for public consultation with a survey open until September 1. It sparked discussion of topics including county lines drugs gangs, organised crime, knife crime and stop and search. Supt Wrintmore said anti-social behaviour, drugs and burglary were the top issues raised in recent surveys.
Councillor Norma Stephenson, Stockton Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “I think there’s a lot to be done on perception. Some of it is what people read on Facebook and we could be more visible.
“My mantra’s always been ‘policing Cleveland is not solely the job of Cleveland Police’. We all have a role to play, including the public out there.”
Cllr Pauline Beall said: “We’ve still got a lot to do but I think we’ve got to be recognising the vast amount of work that’s going on. Sometimes it’s behind the scenes and residents don’t think it’s happening.
“They might not see the results for quite some time down the line. But when they do, they’re extremely happy.”
Mr Storey said a spending review would provide more clarity: “I’ll be doing whatever I can to push for better funding and to get our fair share.” He said he wanted to tackle organised crime but “I don’t want to make too many hard and fast claims right now”.
He wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently calling for the government to urgently revise the “broken” funding formula for policing, saying its reliance on council tax means deprived areas with high crime rates like Teesside receive less money.
He said: “It’s far from fair to ask those least able to afford it – but who are most in need – to essentially pay twice for the same service.
“The police funding formula hasn’t been revised since 2013 and is long overdue an overhaul. It is no longer fit for purpose and needs to be changed to benefit areas in desperate need of help – like Cleveland.”