The Traffic, Environment & Community Safety Scrutiny Panel met to discuss the council's responsibilities under the Prevent Duty (2015), and to review police response times in Portsmouth. The panel agreed the draft scoping document for the review into police response times, and signed off the report into the council's work to address its statutory responsibilities under the Prevent Duty (2015).

Prevent Duty (2015)

The panel signed off the report on the council's work to address its statutory responsibilities under the Prevent Duty (2015). The report highlighted the council's commitment to preventing people from being drawn into terrorism, as outlined in Section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

The review aimed to understand Portsmouth City Council's responsibilities under the Prevent Duty (2015), the Home Office's annual Prevent assurance process, and work being done to address wider issues such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Key findings

• The council met all relevant benchmarks in the Annual Prevent Duty Assurance Outcome 2024/25, with a significant proportion exceeding minimum guidelines.
• Young people have an important role in changing the future of other young people who are feeling vulnerable.

Recommendations

The panel recommended that:

1. An internal organigram be developed that places Prevent at its core, clearly mapping its connections across all departments and services, to visually reinforce that Prevent is a shared responsibility.
2. The council write to the Home Office to formally express concerns regarding the reduction in resources allocated to Prevent, particularly in the context of Local Government Reorganisation, emphasising that the same level of support and funding is essential.
3. Young people be actively encouraged to raise awareness of how schools can contribute to local safeguarding efforts through platforms such as School Councils, peer mentoring initiatives, and the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet.
4. The council consider holding a Strong Cities Network event in Portsmouth to showcase local Prevent Work, foster community resilience and strengthen partnerships with other cities, provided any associated costs are covered by the Strong Cities Network.

Background

The review was requested by the Chief Executive and completed at a meeting on 17 July 2025. Evidence was heard from Andy Biddle, Director of Adult Services, Charlie Pericleous, Prevent Officer, and Caroline Hopper, Corporate Projects Manager.

Prevent Duty Benchmarks

The Home Office uses benchmarks to enable local authorities and their partners to assess Prevent delivery. There are eight benchmarks that Prevent delivery is monitored against:

1. Effective multi-agency partnership group.
2. Local authority risk assessment reviewed against the counter terrorism local profile (CTLP).
3. Agreed Prevent Partnership Plan.
4. Agreed process for referral of those at risk of radicalisation.
5. Channel Panel in place, meeting monthly.
6. Training programme for relevant personnel.
7. Reducing permissive environments used by those who radicalise people.
8. Communications and engagement plan.

Prevent Referral Statistics

The UK threat level is currently substantial, meaning an attack is likely. The most recent data available for Prevent referrals is for 2023/24, where 6,922 referrals were made nationally. The education sector accounted for the highest number of referrals (2,788; 40%). The South-East region registered the highest number of referrals (1,200) in 2023/24.

The Prevent team in Portsmouth provides regular training opportunities and disseminates resources to schools, partner agencies, and community organisations. Portsmouth City Council is also a member of the Strong Cities Network and The Special Interest Group on Countering Extremism (SIGCE).

Violence Against Women and Girls

The report also included information on work that is taking place in relation to addressing wider issues such as Violence Against Women and Girls.

Caroline Hopper, Corporate Projects Manager, Strategic Lead for VAWG and Community Safety, Executive, Portsmouth City Council, provided a report outlining Portsmouth's strategic response to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), highlighting both national developments and local initiatives.

The report recognised that while women and girls are disproportionately affected, the strategy also recognises that men and boys can be victims of violence, and that those who cause harm, have often also experienced adversity, trauma, or unmet needs themselves.

The report noted that in 2021, the UK Government released its national VAWG strategy, describing abuse as an epidemic. By 2023, police chiefs issued the first-ever national threat assessment identifying crimes that pose the greatest danger to women and girls. As a result, tackling VAWG is now recognised as a national Policing priority.

The report also noted the rise of the internet and social media has further complicated this landscape, and that online spaces have become enablers for harmful ideologies about gender and relationships.

The report stated that Portsmouth considers VAWG offences as part of its Strategic assessment of Community Safety, and that in 2024, Portsmouth launched the city's first VAWG Strategy, grounded in principles that prioritise prevention, a whole-system approach, and victim-centred responses.

The strategy's aims are based around 4 key workstreams:

• Addressing Domestic Abuse
• Early Intervention and Messaging
• Creating a City Where Everyone Feels Safe
• Driving Organisational Change

Review into police response

The panel agreed the draft scoping document for the review into police response times.

Residents and business owners have raised concerns with councillors across the city about the time taken for the police to respond to their calls.

The review aims to understand:

• The Safer Portsmouth Partnership
• How the police triage calls, categorise response times
• How the police are performing in respect of their KPIs¹

The review will involve one meeting to provide an overview of partnership structures and discuss concerns, and one questions and answer session with a representative from the police.

The review is linked to the corporate priority to keep the city clean, tidy and safe.

The relevant officers are Colette Hill, Assistant Director (Neighbourhoods), Caroline Hopper, Corporate Projects Manager, and Rob Firman, Head of Community Safety.

The consultees and stakeholders are Hampshire Constabulary and the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner.

A briefing report was provided, summarising His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service (HMICFRS) Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) 2023-25 report for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

The report assessed how well Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary performed across key areas of policing.

The force was rated 'Adequate' in the area of 'Responding to the public'.

HMICFRS observations included:

• Emergency call handling improved significantly: 86.3% of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds in 2024, rising to 95.5% in January 2025 after opening a second contact centre.
• Non-emergency (101) call abandonment rate was 10.7%, exceeding the 5% target.
• The force did not consistently meet its own attendance targets and often failed to update callers about delays.
• The THRIVE model² is used to assess risk, but repeat victims are not always identified.
• An online victims' portal has been introduced, allowing victims to access case updates and request officer contact.

Donna Jones, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police Crime Commissioner, welcomed the report's recognition of improvements in call handling and response times, and acknowledged the force's efforts to enhance victim support, including the launch of an online victims' portal.