Wirral Collision Reduction Partnership

Minutes of meeting held on Wednesday, 8 July 2009 at 2.30 pm

in Cheshire Lines Building, Birkenhead

Attending:

David Green, DirectorChief Superintendent Jon Ward

Mark Smith, Head of ServiceChief Inspector Mark Stanton

David Rees, Head of Road SafetyInspector Kate Cunningham

Laura Furlong, Press & PRMr David Foulkes

Alan Murphy, Performance ManagementSheila Jones (Minutes)

Apologies received from:

Chief Inspector Chris Markey

Inspector Mark Pennington

Natalie Bates, Merseyside Police

Superintendent Michael Cloherty

Marie Armitage, Joint Director of Public Health, Wirral

Pual Gibson, Merseyside Fire & Rescue

Chief Superintendent Jon Ward introduced Chief Inspector Mark Stanton as the new ECU.

Minutes:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7 / Actions from previous meeting (Thursday, 21 May 2009)

Action 1

Inspector Cunningham and Mr Rees to meet with Mr Ray Fitzpatrick and Chief Inspector Markey to sort out the anomalies in data recording transcription errors
Meeting arranged by Inspector Kate Cunningham and David Rees for 14 July.
Action carried forward for update at next meeting.

Action 2

Inspector Cunningham to meet with Mrs. Lynda Oldham (CPS) to discuss RTC prosecutions and encouraging the mentality of exception reporting in respect of RTC’s.
Inspector Cunningham has obtained a list of offences and she is continuing to discuss this matter with the CPS. Chief Superintendent Jon Ward has met Magistrates and the District Judge and they have agreed to assist in raising the importance of road safety during prosecutions.
Action closed.

Action 3

ENF 5.1 Review & Develop Policy for undertaking eyesight testing at scene of RTC’s and during roads policing operations.
Inspector Pennington to chase up Chief Inspector Chris Markey for an update.
Chief Inspector Markey is going to remind officers to include eye sight testing when they suspect that this may have been a contributor in an incident. Inspector Cunningham advised eye sight testing is only permissible by officers when they have reason to suspect that the incident has occurred because of eye sight problems. David Green confirmed that Marie Armitage had agreed to assist the Partnership in promoting the road safety issues in relation to poor eye sight and testing.
Action carried forward for update at next meeting.
Action 4
Inspector Cunningham and Mr Rees to arrange to see Wirral Roads Policing Unit staff to update them and raise awareness of the joint-agency work being undertaken in order to reduce RTC’s.
Inspector Cunningham and David Rees confirmed that their schedule of meetings with Wirral Roads Policing Unit staff will be completed within the next four weeks.
Action closed
Action 5
Ms. Bates to look into the possibility of roads policing advertising being displayed on the walls of Merseyside Police premises and also prepare an internal communication linking in with Mr Gibson and Mr Rees.
The use of large panels advertising the Roads Policing campaign is ongoing.
Action Carried forward for update at next meeting.

Action 6

It was highlighted that in Cheshire they have fire engines with signage (a pledge for speedometers that they will be driven 30 miles per hour or less). Mr Gibson undertook to look into this and report back.
Action carried forward and apologies given by Ms Bates and Paul Gibson. Action held over until next meeting.
Action 7
Mr Rees to explore the idea of WMBC/partner agency staff using a vehicle to take pictures of persons committing mobile phone offences/seat belt offences. The pictures could be given to Merseyside Police to use as evidence in order to bring prosecutions.
Dave Rees reported the use of CCTV vehicle to observe the mobile phone/Seat belt offences by drivers is possible. If the vehicle and the driver can be clearly identified and a statement obtained the police will be able to prosecute.
New action David Rees to discuss Action Plan to undertake additional enforcement using Wirral Council’s CCTV vehicle with David Green.
Action 8
Mr Green, Inspector Cunningham and Mr Gibson to look into road safety matters being delivered in future to a target audience of elderly people by way of a Conference. A trial conference for older people will be carried out in Sefton by the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership in September 2009.
Action 9
Post 2010 Target Consultation
Inspector Pennington to speak to Chief Inspector Markey/Mr Roy to ascertain if Merseyside Police have been invited to respond to formal consultation. Is there an expectation we will respond with the Local Authority on an Area basis or via a Force response? If there is a Force response, the author of the Force response should be encouraged to link in with each Local Authority.
Both Wirral Council and the Merseyside road Safety Partnership have prepared draft responses to the DfT consultation on road safety targets. Merseyside representatives in the policing unit are responding on behalf of Merseyside Police.
Minutes of last meeting
Minutes of meeting held on 21 May 2009 at Manor Road Police Station were agreed.
KSI Performance – 2009 update
Inspector Cunningham reported that June’s figures were relatively good and brought us closer to the LAA target. Chief Superintendent Jon Ward asked for clarification as to when the yearly cycle for recording LAA target starts/finishes – fiscal or calendar year?
Mark Smith/David Rees reported on the definition of the National Indicators from the Audit Commission: NI47 and 48 are specifically based upon calendar year.
Mark Smith also informed the meeting following the provision of information to the Audit Commission the evidence for road safety now looks satisfactory and is not subject to a Red Flag.
Chief Superintendent Jon Ward noted that child casualties are well on target.
Action Plan Update
A review of the Amber/Red items highlighted.
ENF1.1 - Amber minor discrepancy of 2659 against target of 2700 FPN’s.
ENG1.5 - Chester Road, Heswall. Minor slippage due to recommendations of speed limit review.
No Reds.
David Foulkes reported positive progress for Camera FPN’s of 5595 against target of 5500 (Jan-June 2009) and rolling 12 month average mobile camera time for Wirral now 30% as agreed.
David Green asked for an update on central ticket office capacity issues and David Foulkes responded that this capacity within central ticket office was recognised as an issue by Merseyside Police and was under review. Staffing within the camera enforcement team recently been bolstered with four appointments into vacant posts.
Action – Chief Superintendent Jon Ward to discuss this matter within the police
PREV1 – Inspector Cunningham gave an update on the Community Speed Watch Scheme and reported Wirral now had four volunteers with a further two awaiting medical checks. Discussion around volunteers being discouraged from joining the scheme due to the onerous nature of the Merseyside Police’s application document.
Dave Rees and Inspector Cunningham to discuss community speed watch with Carolyne Hankey.
The issue of a revision of the recruitment pack could result in a long delay due to the extensive consultation process required.
Mark Smith queried the distribution of community speed watch leaflets and David Rees reported that community speed watch leaflets had been distributed to all Area Forums and to all Councillors. In addition each household in the Drive Accidents Down 2zer0 initiative have all been leafleted.
Communications Strategy
Whilst the communication strategy is being delivered, however, Chief Superintendent Ward recognises a delay in communications due to the police communications officer being off on long term illness and he will discuss the matter with Inspector Kate Cunningham.
Inspector Cunningham queried whether a joint enforcement between Merseyside Police (CSO’s) and the local authority enforcement officers could be undertaken outside schools in September 2009. David Rees confirmed that plans were in hand for a September enforcement campaign on school zigzag markings, pavement parking and confirmed that he will be pleased to work with police officers (CSO’s) who can undertake prosecutions for obstruction.
Action Point – David Rees and Inspector Cunningham to arrange a meeting to consolidate combined enforcement in September 2009.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue
Unable to update due to apologies from Paul Gibson -to be discussed at next meeting.
Date of next meeting
16 September 2009 at 10.00 am in Manor Road Police Station, Wallasey.
21.7.09 /

For Action By

Insp.Kate
Cunningham/
David Rees
Chief. Insp.
Chris Markey
Natalie Bates/Paul Gibson
Paul Gibson
David Rees
Insp. Cunningham/
David Rees
Area Commander Jon Ward/
Insp.Cunningham
David Rees/
Insp. Cunningham