Meeting Details

In terms of Standing Order 20 and the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, there were no declarations from Group Leaders or Spokespersons in regard to any prior decisions taken on how Members will vote on any item on the agenda or any declarations of Member’s interests in respect of any item on the agenda.

The minute of the meeting of the Police and Fire and Rescue Services Committee dated 23 August 2018 was submitted and approved.

The Committee noted that no written questions had been submitted.

Mr David Scott, Station Manager Elgin, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, provided a verbal update on the Community Asset Register outlining to the Committee what the Community Asset Register, also known as the CAR Scheme, consists of and what assets are held in Moray and throughout Scotland.  He advised that the Register has been live since November 2017 and is a scheme where volunteers across Scotland who own boats, 4x4 vehicles and have other specialist skills and equipment can work in a unique partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and other partner agencies to provide support and keep people safe at operational incidents.   He further advised that the value of the CAR Scheme came to the fore during the major snow storms earlier this year when specialists with 4x4 vehicles were mobilised alongside fire fighters to reach stranded motorists and households, particularly in the Central Belt. The Scheme is a data base of non-paid community volunteers and their assets.  Once approved they will become visible to the Fire Service Operations Control Room on a map which can then be filtered down using various parameters to identify which assets may be useful at incidents.  Whilst the volunteer assets don't receive payment, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has an expenses process where they can recoup their costs.  He advised that the CAR assets in Moray currently consist of a UAV (Unmanned Aeriel Vehicle) Drone which can be useful for missing person searches, wildfire planning and other emergency planning, and also 4x4 vehicles which are part of the Community Off-Road Transport Action Group (COTAG) whose members live in Moray and volunteer their services.  Elsewhere in Scotland there are various assets, in particular, a robocut which is a remote controlled small tank which can be deployed into a hazard area, particularly during wildfires to cut down trees and provide fire breaks which can stop a wildfire in its tracks.  The CAR Scheme is currently in phase one operation, work is on going to identify assets, register them and get them onto the data base map. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service currently are the administrators of the system and register all asset applications.  Phase two will be to develop the Scheme in such a way that other responder operations controls such as Police Scotland and Scottish Ambulance Service, can access it via their operation control rooms.  In regard to how assets can be added to the CAR Scheme he advised that this is done through a series of simple stages, the first being information gathering through media campaigns to attract volunteers into the Scheme, they will then present themselves to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, complete a questionnaire looking for vehicles, particular skills, equipment and personnel that could provide support at incidents and also people with buildings that may be able to offer temporary accommodation to emergency personnel during incidents and warm and shelter for displaced members of the community during incidents. Checks are undertaken to ensure that they are appropriately qualified to operate their asset and equipment is inspected to ensure it is safe. This is followed by a short on-line programme of learning to ensure that they can operate safely at incidents.  On completion, a Minute of Agreement is prepared which clarifies the responsibilities, guidance on mobilisation and should be understood and signed by the volunteers.  Thereafter a certificate is issued to the asset or volunteer and this is provided to the commander of an incident when on scene in order for them to be deployed.  In conclusion he took the opportunity to thank all those volunteers to date who have committed themselves to the CAR Scheme.  Their time, expertise and willingness to support their community has been greatly received and appreciated by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the whole community.

Thereafter the Committee joined the Chair in thanking Mr Scott for his very informative update and joined him in his thanks to the volunteers.

A report was submitted by the Local Senior Officer, Aberdeenshire and Moray informing the committee of the performance of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) locally in respect of Moray Local Fire and Rescue Plan 2017-20.

Following consideration the Committee agreed to note performance outlined in the report applicable to annual performance for 1 April 2018 to 30 September 2018.

A verbal update on the work of Police Scotland was provided by Chief Superintendent Campbell Thomson who advised the Committee that performance figures had been published by the Scottish Government on the day of this meeting and that information in this regard will be provided in the next scheduled performance report but advised that performance continues to be strong and detection rates continue to be very positive.

He referred to the support provided by the Committee in relation to licensed premises, school liaison officers and some road safety issues in community, and thanked the Committee for their support in linking in with Chief Inspector Millar and the pro-active work that was on going.  He advised that, in regard to the Care Inspectorate Review which Police Scotland were a part of in relation to Children's' Services, the Inspectorate will be returning to Moray the week commencing 5 December for focus groups.  He further thanked those who had attended the road shows in relation to future technology and hoped it had been of some benefit. He stated that he wished to give the assurance that was keen to ensure that the North East Division and in particular Moray are at the forefront of pioneering and piloting the new equipment. In conclusion he stated that he would wish to arrange a suitable date in the new year to bring to Moray some of the officers and equipment from the specialist services such as the armed policing, roads policing, specialist operational support services which includes searches and the dogs section and this would provide an opportunity for the Committee to interact with these services.

Thereafter the Committee agreed to:

1. note the informative verbal operational update from Police Scotland; and
   
   

2. accept the offer by Chief Superintendent Thomson that a suitable date be arranged in the new year to bring officers and equipment from the specialist services to provide an opportunity for the committee to interact with these services.

A report was submitted by Chief Superintendent Campbell Thomson, Divisional Police Commander, North East Division, Police Scotland informing the Committee about domestic abuse in Moray.  The report highlighted that although there is a decrease in the number of domestic incidents in Moray, there is still a requirement for partner representation and input to ensure victim safety is suitably addressed and joint, proactive action is taken in respect of perpetrators who pose a significant risk. The report outlined the development of A Violence Against Women Partnership (VAWP) and a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) Management Group in Moray which are a positive step to address the gap in the area since the end of 2016. The report also outlined awareness raising work that is on going to ensure multi-agency attendance at meetings and that concerns regarding this will be raised with the MARAC Management Group and the VAWP.

Following discussion during which the violence reduction programme in Scotland was highlighted, the Chair stated that  one of the main elements of that was treating the offender and treating violence as a disease and asked if information on how this could looked at further and dealt with in Moray could be brought back in a report to this Committee in the future.  This was agreed.

Thereafter the Committee agreed to note the information provided in the report in relation to Domestic Abuse within Moray.

A report was submitted by Chief Superintendent Campbell Thomson informing the Committee about Hate Crime in Moray.  The report outlined the National, North East and Moray context relating to the volume of Hate Crimes reported during 2016/17 nationally and during 2017/18 in the North East and Moray. The report advised that although within the national context the number of reports of Hate Crime being received in the North East remains reassuringly low, such reports are continually managed and reviewed by Police Scotland who with its partners remain focused on ensuring that the North East is a place where victims of Hate Crime  can report these incidents with confidence in the knowledge that they will be comprehensively investigated. 

Following consideration the Committee agreed to note the information provided in the report in relation to Hate Crime within Moray.

Whilst not a question, Councillor Divers stated that in regard to an e-mail that had been provided in relation to the 'safe drive, stay alive' campaign  which includesrepresentatives from Police, Fire and Ambulance along with survivors of incidents and family members of those who were killed and urged all Members to attend if possible as it was in his opinion was hard hitting and the effect that they will see that it has on young people will have an impact.

The meeting was chaired by Councillor Paula Coy.

The meeting resolved that in terms of Section 50A (4) and (5) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as amended, the public and media representatives be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the items of business appearing at the relevant paragraphs of this minute as specified below, so as to avoid disclosure of exempt information of the class described in the appropriate paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act.