Funding A Better Future - Interview With Gloucestershire's PCC Martin Surl

Martin Surl became the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gloucestershire in 2012. One of 40 PCCs across England and Wales, Surl uniquely commits one per cent of Gloucestershire's policing budget annually to a Commissioners' Fund - a kitty which makes grants to voluntary and community sector organisations whose goals align with police and crime plan priorities. He believes treating these organisations as respected partners could help all public services achieve their goals

Now in his second term of office, which will see him serve until at least 2020, Gloucestershire's PCC Martin Surl regards setting up the Commissioners' Fund as his biggest achievement and one he hopes will remain long after his tenure ends.

Like all councils, PCCs have faced stringent austerity measures in recent years. Surl has already warned Gloucestershire residents that their council taxes will have to rise for the 2019/20 financial year - a power within his remit - to help meet the two per cent pay rise promised to police officers by the Home Office, despite no corresponding increase in the county's grant.

However, he is adamant that the one per cent of Gloucestershire's budget - around £1 million - which goes into the Commissioners' Fund is money well spent and that local police forces would agree. Like councils, police forces are realising they cannot meet all of the community's needs on their own.

"When I became commissioner, I faced massive cuts to youth services, to everything. The voluntary and community sector was under real pressure and at risk in some places of collapsing - which I thought was very dangerous - so we took some money from the police reserves to give a small percentage to the local voluntary sector to say 'you take on some of this demand to try to make things better'. It began with a commitment I put into my manifesto that I would elevate the voluntary and the community sector to the top table and treat them as seriously as I would local councils and other stakeholders," explains Surl.

The Commissioners' Fund has the power to make grants for projects aligned to its six police and crime plan priorities: Accessibility and accountability, Older But Not Overlooked (OBNO), Young People Becoming Adults (YPBA), Safer days and nights for all, Safe and social driving and Safer cyber. So far it has supported 440 projects. "The results have been overwhelming and stacks up as a business case as being the right way to deliver good outcomes," adds Surl.

With the youth provision falling away dramatically, Surl was keen to invest in projects in the YPBA category and has supported "dozens and dozens" of ventures in this area. "For me it is crystal clear, if you don't invest in your youth, you will pay a price further down the line."

In one case, the fund supported plans brought forward by the council and a voluntary organisation to open a boxing centre for youths in a town in the Forest of Dean suffering from the effects of antisocial behaviour. "We gave them £30,000, they provided the hall and the training and as a result numerous youngsters go through that club and the anti-social behaviour has almost completely fallen away. It is still going 4/5 years later."

The fund also put some money into an underground youth club called The Cavern. "We gave them enough money to get the building ready and to open for one night a week. As a result they grew and are now open 365 days a year and have expanded beyond all recognition. It was that pumppriming money which has made a huge difference to a huge number of young people."

Surl says the fund invests heavily in young people because they are most likely to be victims and offenders. "All the evidence suggests that once they are in the system it is hard to stop the rot. We want them to be happy, to pay taxes and not go down the other path, which is demand on the police, the criminal justice system, the prison service, councils, social housing - everything."

The approach is working. Crime levels for Gloucestershire have not risen as fast as in other similar areas. In Stroud, where the fund was supporting two youth organisations, it asked the local force whether it would prefer to keep funding the youth clubs or to have the budget for another half a staff member - their answer was to keep funding the clubs.

Despite facing constant cuts, Surl is still determined to strive for excellence. One focus has been improving its Force Control Room response times. This has resulted in more than 90 per cent of 999 calls being answered within ten seconds, with most answered in just two or three. Since September 2015, Gloucestershire’s Control Room has moved from 20th to 4th position in the category of ‘User Satisfaction for Ease of Contact’, with an increase in customer satisfaction of three per cent from 94.8 per cent to 97.8 per cent.

Focusing on customer service is important for two reasons, Surl notes. Firstly, public confidence in policing is essential and under threat. "Some people only make contact with the police two or three times in their entire lives. It is important that they are given accurate information and are dealt with courteously and professionally. Secondly, if you don't get the initial contact right you are into service recovery, which is hard work and not particularly cost-effective."

Surl says knowledge-sharing among PCCs and other organisations is beneficial and believes councils could benefit from working more widely with the voluntary and community sector, rather than seeing it as the first place to make cuts.

"I have had to convince the police that the voluntary and community sector is an important part of keeping the county safe. Now they don't resent me taking one per cent of the overall policing budget because they see the value. Ideally you want to develop a long-term relationship with the voluntary and community sector which really respects their expertise, their enthusiasm and skill, while providing a realistic level of funding. It is such good value and does deliver, so I would suggest looking again at these partnerships," he stresses.

ABOUT MARTIN SURL

Martin Surl is the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gloucestershire. First elected in November 2012 for an initial four-year term, Surl is the first person to hold the post following the nationwide introduction of the role. Now in his second term, he will hold the post until 2020 when the next PCC elections take place.

He is one of 40 PCCs across England and Wales and, as an independent, is not affiliated to any political party. The role of the PCC is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They control the police budget and set the police and crime objectives for their area through a police and crime plan.

Born and brought up in Gloucestershire, Surl joined Gloucestershire Constabulary in May 1980. By 2000 he had risen to the rank of Superintendent. In 2001 he was seconded to the Ministry of Justice in Estonia to help modernise its police service and develop crime reduction partnerships. In 2005, he was awarded the honour of the Order of Merit in recognition of his work to introduce child protection measures into the country. In 2007, he was seconded to the Association of Chief Police Officers, Terrorism and Allied Matters branch as the Chief of Staff to help set up the UK’s policing anti-terrorism network.

His aim as PCC for Gloucestershire is to cut crime and make it a safer and even more pleasant place to live, work and enjoy.