The Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Panel are scheduled to meet to discuss serious youth violence and knife crime, the Police and Crime Commissioner's (PCC) response to a report on public trust and confidence, and updates from the PCC. The panel will also look at performance reports, complaints, and the work programme.

Serious Youth Violence and Knife Crime

The panel is scheduled to receive a report to support its scrutiny of progress addressing serious youth violence and knife crime, which is Priority 2 in the Police and Crime Plan 2024-2029.

The report pack states that the Police and Crime Commissioner has made action to address serious youth violence a priority, focused on violence in public spaces involving those aged under 25. The aim is to reduce the volume of instances and to intervene early to prevent young people from being drawn into criminality and violence.

The report highlights that addressing this issue requires:

• co-ordinated effort to prevent further violence
• support for those affected by these crimes
• ensuring that children and young people have safe and positive pathways for their future.

The report pack includes data on levels of street based serious violence in Avon and Somerset up to 30 June 2025. In the 12 months to that date, Avon and Somerset Police recorded 3,927 offences of street based serious violence¹. This represents a 2.7% increase on the previous 12 month period. Of suspects in street based serious violence offences, the percentage identified as being aged under 25 varies between the five local authority areas, from one fifth in Bristol to nearly one third in Somerset.

Of those Street Based Serious Violence offences which involved a knife or bladed article, there were 1,243 offences recorded in the 12 months to 30th June 2025, which is a 7.8% reduction on the previous year.

The Avon and Somerset Police response to serious violence, including serious youth violence, is led by Assistant Chief Constable Cummins and Temporary Chief Superintendent Raphael, the Constabulary's Serious Violence Strategic Lead. The policing response is based upon a 4 Ps model² which seeks to disrupt and prevent violence. The report pack also highlights a number of specific operations and initiatives within Avon and Somerset Police:

• Operation Haven - The Avon and Somerset ASB and Serious Violence Hotspot Programme provides additional high-visibility patrols in identified hotspot locations across the police force area. There are 60 identified Op Haven Hotspot Areas for 2025/26. In Bath & North East Somerset innovative partnership working in this year is seeing hotspot patrols being carried out by the Business Improvement District officers as well as police officers.
• Early Intervention Team (EIT) - The Avon and Somerset Police, Early Intervention Team (EIT) adopts a trauma-informed, noncriminalising approach to tackling serious youth violence.
• Op KER - Following its election in July 2024 the government affirmed its commitment to focusing on knife crime as part of their Safer Streets Mission and their intention to halve knife crime within 10 years. As part of this Mission, in autumn 2024 the Policing and Crime Minister convened a new Knife Enabled Robbery Taskforce and invited the seven police forces with the highest rates of Knife Enabled Robbery (KER) to join, including Avon and Somerset.
• Op Sceptre - Avon and Somerset Police united with key partners from local authorities, violence reduction partnerships, healthcare and education for Knife Crime Awareness Week. The week also coincided with our bi-annual Sceptre activity – a national policing operation that prioritises a holistic approach to reducing knife crime.
• Op Hardy - was set up as a dedicated policing response to knife crime and serious youth violence in Central and East Bristol in 2024 following the tragic murders which took place in January and February of that year. Based upon the principles and approach established under Op Hardy two further dedicated local operations to address serious youth violence were set up by Avon and Somerset Police in Bridgwater (Op Asrai) and Bath (Op Restless) during the second half of 2024 which continue to operate.
• Clear Hold Build in Stapleton Road - Stapleton Road was identified through an analytical assessment commissioned to locate areas within the force most impacted by SOC³.
• Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership - The Partnership provides emergency bleed kits in public spaces across local communities, with over 660 kits in place.

The Avon and Somerset Violence Reduction Partnership (A&S VRP) is the primary vehicle through which the Police and Crime Commissioner is driving partnership work to tackle serious youth violence and knife crime. In 2025-26 the Police and Crime Commissioner has been allocated £1.6 million in funding from the Home Office to support this work.

Commissioner's Response to the Public Trust and Confidence Sub-Committee's Report

The panel is scheduled to receive the PCC's response to recommendations and key questions posed in the PCP Public Confidence Sub-Committee Report, published in June 2025.

The report pack states that the PCC's plan to increase public confidence is set out within the Police and Crime Plan 2025-29. The new 2025-29 Plan takes a different approach to the previous plan, which the PCC shares the Panel's concerns was too broad, lacking in specific and measurable actions. The new plan sets out a five-year strategy based on findings of extensive consultation with residents, local communities and partners on how to build safer communities, deliver better outcomes and increase public confidence.

The report pack also states that the ASP Director of Communications and Engagement has clarified that the ASP Engagement Strategy under development is now being shaped to fit with the roll out of the new Geographic Operating Model and therefore is not likely to be shared until the end of 2025 or early 2026, following the November launch.

The report pack states that the PCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) have sought to challenge provisions in the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on vetting, specifically in relation to Appendix N – Common Vetting Risk Categories, whereby for applicants with previous cautions or convictions, there is only a rebuttable presumption, subject to the conditions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, that vetting clearance will be declined.

Commissioner's Update

The panel is scheduled to receive an update on how the Police and Crime Commissioner and her Office have discharged their statutory duties since the last meeting.

The update report includes:

• Implementation Plan first Quarterly Report for the Police and Crime Plan 2024-29.
• Update on the Strengthening Neighbourhood Policing priority, including the Safer Streets Summer initiative and ASB/SV Hotspot.
• Update on Reducing Violent Crime, including Male Violence Against Women and Girls, the National Portfolio, the DRIVE domestic abuse perpetrator programme, and Project Bright Light.
• Update on Serious Youth Violence, including the VRP and strategic priorities for 25/26.
• Update on Preventing Crime, including the Reducing Reoffending Board and ASCJB prevention focus.
• Update on Supporting Victims of Crime, including the PCC National Portfolio and policy updates, mobilisation of new commissioned victim services, and Victims Code of Practice compliance.
• Update on Improving Standards of Policing, including PCC-led independent scrutiny panels, the Custody Visiting Scheme, the Tackling Disproportionality Programme and Independent Scrutiny Board.
• Update on Governance and Accountability, including GSB/PQT Updates, PEEL and inspections, key decisions, and the Local Criminal Justice Board.
• Standing update on police recruitment figures.
• National policing landscape updates.

The update report includes the Police and Crime Plan Implementation Progress Report 2025/26 Quarter 1 as an annex.

Performance Reports

The panel is scheduled to consider and discuss the latest performance information for 2024/5 Q4 and 2025/6 Q1.

Standing Complaints Report

The panel is scheduled to receive an overview of all complaints made against the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

Since the last Panel meeting, three new complaints have been received concerning PCC Clare Moody.

Complaint 112, was received by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) on 10 June 2025 and has been closed. The complainant expressed dissatisfaction with the PCC's written response to their email, specifically in relation to the PCC's position on the provision of OPCCcommissioned services following the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Complaint 113 was received by the OPCC on 27 July 2025 and has been closed. The complaint related to dissatisfaction with the outcome of a complaint review.

Complaint 114 was received by OPCC on 19 August 2025. The complaint contains 80 allegations concerning the PCC, the IOPC⁴, Avon and Somerset Police, and partner organisations. At the time of writing this report, the complaint remains open. The complaint review manager has handled 965 reviews up to 8th September 2025. 18% were upheld, 70% not upheld and 12% were considered to be void.

Since the last Panel meeting, no complaints have been received by the OPCC against the Chief Constable that have been recorded under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002, as amended.

Work Programme

The panel is scheduled to note the current work programme.