Councillors accuse police of being '˜unwilling to engage'

A review panel of six East Riding councillors, which reconvened after Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary branded Humberside Police “inadequate” last October, has come up with fresh complaints about it and the police and crime commissioner’s “lack of willingness to engage”.

Their report out today complains that chief constable Justine Curran and former Tory East Riding councillor and PCC Matthew Grove “rejected” their invitation to take part in the review, although both Ms Curran and Mr Grove had offered to attend a full council meeting.

The panel’s chair Coun John Dennis said remarks made by the PCC on TV “that the council should stick to collecting bins” did him no credit and were “not helpful.” He said: “We have a job to do and that job is scrutiny - it is not just a right, it is a duty under the Police and Justice Act 2006...Our residents pay the most in the precept and as such we think they are entitled to a good service.”

The first of 16 recommendations by the panel call for “further enhancements” to the police’s command hub and 101 system as a “matter of urgency.” It was revealed last year that thousands of non-emergency calls had gone unanswered, although the police have since claimed improvements, with 80 per cent answered within 30 seconds in November.

Coun Dennis, whose panel is also calling for the force to regularly publish performance data, said they would “like to see the evidence.” He also wants the PCC to reinstate funding for neighbourhood watch and anti-social behaviour teams.

Humberside Police and the PCC said they could not comment as they had not seen the report. A letter sent by Mr Grove to the council’s chief executive last month, in which he offered to attend a scrutiny meeting in public, said he lacked “confidence in the sincerity or intent” of the panel, which was being held behind closed doors.