He makes some excellent points about the need for PCCs to move beyond merely having a series of public meetings into diverse engagement with diverse communities. He is absolutely correct. I added this comment:
Well said Robin. We are beginning to see some emergent good practice in the shape of the PCC for West Midlands who has been running a series of Summits in order to have conversations with a wide diversity of different stakeholder groups. Contrast this with my own PCC in Thames Valley - who is at last promising to get out more... We have a long way to go.
We need PCCs to be practising community engagement that:
- doesn't just seek opinions but also seeks the informed judgement of people
- does not happen too late but instead happens early on the formation of policies and plans
- ask for views about desired outputs (eg number of police on the beat) and critically outcomes too (how and what crime to focus on - and reduce)
- does not just use a single method but, as you say, multiple methods
- moves from merely consulting communities but engaging them in decision making and taking action themselves
- is not only about past experiences but also people's ambitions and hopes for the future
- is not fragmented (between different public agencies) but joined - up with other organisations such as local authorities or the Courts Service
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