Cumbria Police and Crime Panel
Friday, 19 July 2013 at 11.00 am
Town Hall, Barrow, LA14 2LD
NB – Please note:
(a) A pre-meeting for Panel members only will take place at 10.00 am
(b) A map showing the location of the venue and nearby car parks is attached.
(c) A training event on confirmatory hearings will take place n the afternoon following the meeting.
AGENDA
PART 1: ITEMS LIKELY TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2 MEMBERSHIP
3 APPOINTMENT OF CO-OPTED MEMBER
To consider a report from the Assistant Director – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council) (copy to follow).
4 ELECTION OF CHAIR
5 ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIR
6 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
7 MINUTES
To agree as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Police and Crime Panel held on 10 April 2013 (copy enclosed). (Pages 7 - 12)
8 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any item on the agenda.
9 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
To deal with any questions or petitions received in writing at least 7 working days before the date of the Panel meeting.
10 HOME AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE REPORT
To consider reports from:
(a) the Senior Scrutiny Manager (copy enclosed)
(b) the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee (copy enclosed). (Pages 13 - 62)
11 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE CHAIR AND THE COMMISSIONER
To consider a report from the Assistant Director – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council) (copy enclosed). (Pages 63 - 74)
12 POLICE AND CRIME PLAN - MONITORING OF OBJECTIVES
To consider a report by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (copy enclosed). (Pages 75 - 78)
13 POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER - ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13
To consider a report by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (copy enclosed). (Pages 79 - 86)
14 POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER - RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
To consider a report from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (copy enclosed). (Pages 87 - 106)
15 POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER - ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
To consider a report from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (copy enclosed). (Pages 107 - 122)
16 POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER - FORWARD PLAN
To consider a report from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (copy enclosed). (Pages 123 - 130)
17 COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS
To consider a report from the Monitoring Officer (copy enclosed). (Pages 131 - 136)
18 CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME
To consider a report by the Senior Scrutiny Manager (Cumbria County Council) (copy enclosed). (Pages 137 - 140)
19 CONFIRMATION OF POLICE AND CRIME PANEL GRANT FUNDING FOR 2013/14
To consider a report by the Scrutiny Manager - Cumbria County Council (copy enclosed). (Pages 141 - 142)
20 FEEDBACK FROM POLICE AND CRIME PANEL LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION EVENT - 9 JULY
To receive feedback from a PCP event on 9 July – programme
attached (Pages 143 - 144)
21 SCHEDULE OF DATES FOR FUTURE MEETINGS (Pages 145 - 146)
PART II
PART 11: ITEMS LIKELY TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE ABSENCE OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
22 SUSPENSION OF TEMPORARY CHIEF CONSTABLE
To discuss with the Police and Crime Commissioner the suspension of the Temporary Chief Constable.
INSPECTION OF PAPERS AND GENERAL QUERIES - if you wish to inspect Minutes or Reports relating to any item on this agenda or have any other general queries about the meeting, please contact:
Michael Turner, Democratic Services Manager, the Lonsdale Building, The Courts, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8NA. Telephone No: 01228 226373.
Town Hall Public Transport A595 - Whitehaven, Duke Street Dalton By Rail, Barrow - in - Buses Workington Barrow - in - Furness 200 yds Dalton Barrow Furness Station 1/1A, 2, 3/3A, 4/4A, 5, 6, 8 M6 A590 Kendal Barrow A Workington Cumbria A590 5 Approximately 5 minutes by 10, 11, X35, 618, X7 (A591 ) 9 300 yds (A595) LA14 2LD Ul verston 5 taxi. Phone National Rail all stop on Cornwallis Street & A5 90 Enquiries on 0845 484950 for Duke Street. 0 Tel: 01229 894900 all rail information. For more information phone Barrow A5 90 0, 0 k m A 5 9 0 9 0 Fax: 01229 894217 01946 63222 5 A590 - Website: www.barrowbc.gov.uk A M6 Jct 36 0 Barr ow A5 90
A596 M6 A686 Workin gto n N Whi thaven Penrith 0 (A595 ) A591 5 9 Dalton A66 A A66 40 A66 0 Workington A595 A66 A5091 N A592 D
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*SEE E Hollywood A591 SECTION Park DETAIL Park A685 A683 Leisure The Dock Centre D Windermere Museum R D U T H K S S E E T T Tesco Kendal H N G AT R E I N T O E G R E A592 D K R K T 37 N P A S A5074 O MMA J U B I L E E O L R D A591 B R I D G E A595 A684 M6 SECTION DETAIL: A595 H IB B E R T
T S E K U D H (A) CAVENDISH ST O L R D K A683 E A590 36 A65 R A590 BLAKE ST S Ulverston Disabled T Parking
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E Lake A683 Y M A R K E T S T Information R D Centre R Y A590 35 HollywHollywoodwoodw S B A687 A BARROW-IN Park A5087 A65 -FURNESS The DDockDoock D Museumeumum R M6 H Morecambe T R *SEE O D U K Tesco T N (A) N 34 CE Shopping H N E Heysham A683 I VI S T Centre D N D T R S ST P O O RL N
O T NWALLIS T L c TM A 1997 - 2000 Give Way Ltd OR E Lancaster ST K D 7, 7 k m C R Custom Designed Location Maps (UK). FREEPHONE: 0800 019 0027. D MA ST This page is intentionally left blank
Page 2 MEMBERSHIP
Name Party Photograph Representing
Geoff Labour Copeland Borough Garrity Council
Steven Labour Carlisle City Council Bowditch
Barrow in Furness Barry Labour Borough Council Doughty
Page 3
Celia Tibble Labour Allerdale Borough Council
Sid Simpson Conservative Eden District Council
l
Graham Liberal South Lakeland Vincent Democrat District Council
Page 4
Cumbria County Brenda Liberal Council Gray Democrat
Helen Conservative Cumbria County Fearon Council
Conservative Cumbria County Council John Mallinson
Page 5 David Independent Wilson Elected by Cumbrian Independent Councillors – to be nominated Allerdale Borough Council
Linda Vance Independent Co-opted Member
Vacancy Independent Co-opted Member
Page 6 Agenda Item 7
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Minutes of a Meeting of the Cumbria Police and Crime Panel held on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 at 2.00 pm at Cleator Moor Civic Hall, Market Square, Cleator Moor, Cumbria, CA25 5AR
PRESENT :
Mrs C Tibble (Allerdale Borough Council) (Chair)
Miss L Vance Mr J Cowell, Cumbria Ms E Furneaux County Council Mr B Doughty, Barrow Mr G Garrity, Copeland Borough Council (Vice- Borough Council Chair) Mr S Simpson, Eden Mr RK Bingham, Cumbria District Council County Council Mr GJ Vincent, South Mr S Bowditch, Carlisle Lakeland District Council City Council Mr D Wilson, Allerdale Borough Council
Also in Attendance:-
Mr D Harrison - Corporate Director - Safer and Stronger Communities Mr M Turner - Democratic Services Manager Ms T Ingham - Senior Scrutiny Manager Mr M Clement - Safer Communities Manager Mrs LM Graham - Scrutiny Officer
Mr R Rhodes - Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Mr S Edwards - Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Mrs N Broomfield - Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
PART 1 – ITEMS CONSIDERED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS
24 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
An apology for absence was received from Mr. Stephenson.
25 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Page 7
There were no declarations of interest.
26 MINUTES
RESOLVED , that the minutes of the meeting of the Police and Crime Panel held on 22 January 2013 be confirmed as correct record and signed by the Chair.
27 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
There were no items for which the press and public should be excluded.
28 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
There had been no requests to use the public participation scheme.
29 POLICE AND CRIME PLAN
Members considered a report which presented an update on the Police and Crime Plan for 2013-17, ‘Making Cumbria an Even Safer Place’, which had been launched on 3 April. The report explained the changes made to the Plan following the Panel’s January meeting, including those resulting from the six-week public consultation. The report also provided details of how the Commissioner was delivering on his commitments to date.
The Commissioner advised that the Plan had now been finalised but was a living document and would be reviewed on a regular basis. Following public consultation the final plan had expanded. The particular ssues which the public had raised were
• Concerns regarding motor vehicles/dangerous driving • Not enough resources for the police • Hate crime (disability and race) • The visibility of police in communities
He continued that he had now launched the Office of Public Engagement and the Office of Victim Services. Existing staff were being used for both Offices and there would be no increase in costs as a result of their establishment. Three secondees were being brought in for 6 months who would develop a strategy aimed at directing funding in the right direction.
With regard to the Commissioner’s offer to the district councils to help fund CCTV, he added that this had always been aimed at addressing anti social behaviour and was not specifically for CCTV. Following a review it was hoped that a centralised CCTV centre could be established in the
Page 8 next 12 months or so. This meant there would be little point in using the funding he had offered the district councils on CCTV if a new system might be brought in soon.
Members asked the Commissioner how he intended to monitor that the objectives in the Plan had been met, how he would ensure budgets were being spent on objectives in the Plan and was also asked for more detail about how he held the Chief Constable to account.
The Commissioner replied that there were no targets in place yet. These would be part of the strategy which was currently being developed. The Commissioner held monthly performance meetings with the Chief Constable to discuss objectives where key milestones in relation to targets in the Plan were also discussed.
With regard to engagement with parish councils the Commissioner confirmed that a directive had been issued that a police officer or police community support officer should attend all parish council meetings.
RESOLVED , that the report be noted.
30 POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER - OFFICE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
Members considered a report on the staffing structure for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner including a staffing structure chart, roles and information on staffing costs.
In response to a question about whether all posts had been advertised internally the Chief Executive replied that new posts were advertised internally where anyone was at risk. Only when that process had been exhausted were posts advertised externally.
RESOLVED , that the report be noted.
31 POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER - FORWARD PLAN OF KEY DECISIONS
Members considered a report regarding the Commissioner’s Forward Plan of key decisions.
It was agreed that the risk management strategy and engagement strategy would be considered at the next Panel meeting.
Page 9 RESOLVED , that the report be received.
32 CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL ANNUAL BUDGET REPORT 2013
Members considered a report which advised that the Cumbria Police and Crime Panel (PCP) had agreed in its Panel Arrangements to receive an annual budget report from the Host Authority. The paper outlined spend against the PCP in 2012/13 and provided a forecast for spend in 2013/14.
RESOLVED , that the report be received.
33 COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS
Members considered a report which advised that new guidance had been issued by the Local Government Association on dealing with complaints against Police and Crime Commissioners and also advised members there had been no complaints received since the last meeting.
The Chair advised that she had received a letter the previous day following press articles about travel expenses incurred by the Commissioner. The letter would be referred to the Monitoring Officer in line with the complaints procure to determine whether it should be dealt with as a complaint. The issue was not discussed further.
RESOLVED , that the report be received.
34 FEEDBACK FROM LGA NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POLICE AND CRIME PANELS - 21ST MARCH
Members considered a report from Mrs Vance following her attendance at a national conference entitled “Police and Crime Panels - Reflections and Insights from first 139 days”.
The Panel welcomed the report which contained a number of actions for the Panel to consider. It was agreed that all members should send in any views they had on the paper so that these could be considered as part of the Panel’s work programme.
RESOLVED , that the report be received.
35 CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME PROPOSAL
Page 10
Members considered a paper which proposed a method of establishing a framework work programme for the Cumbria Police and Crime Panel for Members.
The Panel was advised that there were three new objectives in the final Police and Crime Plan which needed to be incorporated into the work programme. Discussions would take place with the Commissioner’s office so that the Panel’s work programme corresponded with the Commissioner’s timescales for decisions and objectives.
RESOLVED , that the proposed method of establishing an outline work programme be agreed.
36 SCHEDULE OF DATES FOR FUTURE MEETINGS
The Panel’s schedule of meetings for 2013-2015 was considered.
RESOLVED , that the schedule be noted but all future meeting start at 11am with a pre-meeting at 10am.
The meeting ended at 3.30 pm
Page 11 This page is intentionally left blank
Page 12 Agenda Item 10
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Meeting date : 19 July 2013
From: Senior Scrutiny Manager – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council)
HOME AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE REPORT
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 This report advises the Police and Crime Panel of the May 2013 Select Committee Report reviewing the establishment of Police and Crime Commissioners and Police and Crime Panels in England.
2.0 RECOMMENDATION
2.1 The Panel are asked to note;
• The Select Committee Report and feedback contained within it,
• The Select Committee’s intention to undertake a more in-depth review of Police and Crime Commissioners and Police and Crime Panels in late 2013.
3.0 BACKGROUND
3.1 In April 2013 the Home Affairs Select Committee invited a number of Police and Crime Commissioners and Chairs of Police and Crime Panels to give evidence at their review of the new arrangements. Cumbria was initially invited to attend this session however was unable to attend due to prior commitments. 3.2 The Select Committee Report explores the introduction and first 7 months of the new system, considering the make-up, support arrangements and costs of the new Commissioners in each area of the country, including the election process. It also reviews the checks and balances to the Commissioners in the form of Police and Crime Panels. Noting on page 35 point 4 that;
Page 13
“In between elections, the Police and Crime Panel is, in all but the most extreme circumstance, the only check on a PCC’s power over local policing”
3.3 Within this report the Select Committee have reviewed some particular high profile issues faced by Commissioners and Police and Crime Panels within the Country including the suspension of the Chief Constable in Lincolnshire. The recent media attention and issues surrounding the expenses of the Cumbrian Police and Crime Commissioner were also mentioned.
3.4 The report goes on to make a number of conclusions recommendations outlined on page 35 of the report.
3.5 In conclusion the Select Committee report notes that they will be returning to review Police and Crime Commissioners a year after their introduction (autumn 2013) to assess the effectiveness of the current commissioners and how their work is contributing to crime reduction and cost efficiency. Given the consideration of the effectiveness of Police and Crime Panels in the current short review it is likely that these scrutiny bodies will also be examined in the in depth review. It is therefore possible given the recent media interest in the actions of the Cumbrian Police and Crime Commissioner and the Panel’s response to this that the Chair of the Panel may be invited to contribute to this review.
4.0 CONCLUSION
4.1 The Police and Crime Panel are asked to note the Select Committee report and the issues contained within it.
Tracey Ingham, Senior Scrutiny Manager [July 2013]
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 House of Commons Home Affairs Committee “Police and Crime Commissioners: Registers of Interest”
BACKGROUND PAPERS
No background papers
Contact: Tracey Ingham, telephone: 01228 226259 or e-mail [email protected]
Page 14
House of Commons Home Affairs Committee
Police and Crime Commissioners: Register of Interests
First Report of Session 2013–14
HC 69 Page 15 Page 16
House of Commons Home Affairs Committee
Police and Crime Commissioners
First Report of Session 2013–14
Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes
Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 16 May 2013
HC 69 Published on 23 May 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 Page 17
Home Affairs Committee
The Home Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies.
Current membership Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP ( Labour, Leicester East ) (Chair) Nicola Blackwood MP ( Conservative, Oxford West and Abingdon ) James Clappison MP ( Conservative, Hertsmere ) Michael Ellis MP ( Conservative , Northampton North ) Lorraine Fullbrook MP ( Conservative, South Ribble ) Dr Julian Huppert MP ( Liberal Democrat, Cambridge ) Steve McCabe MP ( Labour, Birmingham Selly Oak ) Bridget Phillipson MP ( Labour, Houghton and Sunderland South ) Mark Reckless MP ( Conservative, Rochester and Strood ) Chris Ruane MP ( Labour, Vale of Clwyd ) Mr David Winnick MP ( Labour, Walsall North )
The following Members were also members of the Committee during the parliament.
Rt Hon Alun Michael MP ( Labour & Co-operative, Cardiff South and Penarth ) Karl Turner MP ( Labour, Kingston upon Hull East )
Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk.
Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/homeaffairscom.
Committee staff
The current staff of the Committee are Tom Healey (Clerk), Dr Richard Benwell (Second Clerk), Eleanor Scarnell (Committee Specialist), Andy Boyd (Senior Committee Assistant), Michelle Garratty (Committee Assistant), Iwona Hankin (Committee Support Officer) and Alex Paterson (Select Committee Media Officer).
Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Home Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 3276; the Committee’s email address is [email protected].
Page 18
Page 19 Page 20 Police and Crime Commissioners 1
Contents
Report Page
Introduction 3
1 Scrutiny of PCCs 4
2 Who are the Police and Crime Commissioners? 8
3 Salaries and offices 11 The office of the Police and Crime Commissioner 20 Costs to the public 24 Areas where the OPCC budget 2013/14 is more than the Police Authority budget 2012/13 24 Areas where the OPCC budget 2013/14 is less than the Police Authority budget 2012/13 25 Incomplete information 26
4 PCCs’ Profile 28 Further scrutiny 31
Annex I: information PCCs are required to publish 32
Annex II: Chief Constables’ pay 33
Conclusions and recommendations 35
Formal Minutes 39
List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament 40
Page 21 2 Police and Crime Commissioners
Page 22 Police and Crime Commissioners 3
Introduction
1. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are a central feature in the new landscape of policing, alongside the new National Crime Agency (NCA) and the College of Policing. The first elections for Police and Crime Commissioners were held on 15 November 2012 and the Commissioners took office on 22 November 2012. Elections will take place every four years.
2. The role of the PCC is to ensure an efficient and effective police force and hold the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of the PCC’s “police and crime plan”, which sets the strategic direction for each force. The Police and Crime Commissioner is tasked with the maintenance of an effective and efficient force in their area, while the force remains under the direction and control of the Chief Constable. PCCs are responsible for the appointment, suspension and dismissal of the Chief Constable and for the police budget within their area, including setting the local council tax precept for policing.
3. There will also be four Commissioners on the Board of the College of Policing, where they will be expected to represent the interests of the public, giving them a powerful stake in police standards and training at the national level. 1
4. The Government told us that “the post of Police and Crime Commissioner is one that holds singular responsibility for the delivery of policing and crime reduction within a force area”. 2 In areas such as Greater Manchester, police and crime commissioners will represent the interests of millions of people. With so much power concentrated in the hands of a single individual, it is vital that there is clear and objective scrutiny and an effective system of checks to ensure that the role is performed to the highest standards of integrity and competence. The Government has created a system that relies on local scrutiny and the main check is at the ballot box. In this Report, we show that regular, national comparisons are important for public confidence and draw together the first register of PCCs interests.
1 Home Affairs Committee, Leadership and standards in the police service , 12 February 2013, HC 617-iii, Q 206 [Alex Marshall]
2 Home Affairs Committee, Police and Crime Commissioners: Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2010–11 , Seventh Special Report of Session 2010–12, 28 March 2011, HC 862, para 4
Page 23 4 Police and Crime Commissioners
1 Scrutiny of PCCs
5. The appointment of a single individual to pioneer policing practices over large force areas has many potential benefits, offering flexibility, a single point of contact and the potential for improved leadership. However, apportioning so much power to one individual also brings risks of maverick behaviour, which may be magnified for the first police and crime commissioners who wish to make their mark in the new role. In order to make the best of the PCCs, it is necessary to have effective checks and balances without tying the commissioners’ hands.
6. Ultimately, the PCCs are held to account by the electorate and the Home Secretary was keen to distance herself from any responsibility to assess the performance of the PCCs. For instance, on 18 December 2012 we asked the Home Secretary whether she held information about PCCs with second jobs, but she responded that “I do not have somebody who puts that sort of information in front of me because that is information that I believe is for the electorate to make a decision on”. 3. However, as the Association of Police Authorities noted, “they will be the subject of few, if any effective checks in between election”. 4
7. At the local level, Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) scrutinise the work of PCCs. In line with our recommendations, PCPs are comprised of locally elected representatives from each local authority (including district councils), plus two independent members. 5 A Panel may require the attendance of the PCC at any time and has the power to suspend a commissioner from office where he or she is charged with a serious criminal offence, or exercise a “veto” over a proposed precept or candidate for chief constable. This level of local scrutiny is likely to be very important. As the Chair of Association of Police Authorities, Rob Garnham, told us “you have to have a panel that is strong enough and has enough influence with the PCC so that they’re not the maverick; so that they do not run away with their ideas”. 6
8. There are early indications that Police and Crime Panels may need to take a quicker and more decisive approach. One of the most potent powers afforded to commissioners is suspension of a chief constable. We were concerned by the suspension of Chief Constable Neil Rhodes by Alan Hardwick, police and crime commissioner for Lincolnshire. This kind of intervention is potentially operationally disruptive and costly, and damaging to the reputation of the police force and individuals concerned; it should be undertaken only on the most rigorous grounds or where the risks of leaving the chief constable in office are high. In this case, the decision was overturned at judicial review by Mr Justice Stuart Smith who noted “serious error” by the PCC in his “failure to engage in any assessment” and disregard for the chief constable’s character and record. 7 Following the decision to suspend the chief constable, the PCP failed to meet for over two months, with the Chair citing legal advice as the reason he was unable to convene a meeting. In the end, the powers and jurisdiction of his Panel were so unclear that he resorted to writing to
3 Home Affairs Committee, The work of the Home Secretary , 18 December 2012, HC 563-ii, Q 170 4 Association of Police Authorities, Pay proposals for PCCs 5 Home Affairs Committee, Police and Crime Commissioners: Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2010–11 , Seventh Special Report of Session 2010–12, 28 March 2011, HC 862, para 11
6 Home Affairs Committee, Policing: Police and Crime Commissioners , Second Report of Session 2010–11, HC 511, Q 104
7 Policing for All
Page 24 Police and Crime Commissioners 5 the Home Secretary for clarification, at least to the East Lindsay District Council legal adviser apparently concerned.
9. Where a police and crime commissioner exercises his power to suspend a chief constable, it is the PCC’s responsibility under Schedule 8 to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to inform the Police and Crime Panel. In the Lincolnshire case, however, the public was left in the dark about the reasons for the suspension and the Police and Crime Panel took no action to avert or even review an intervention that was ultimately thrown out of court. The Police and Crime Panel seemed totally incapacitated by erroneous legal advice that it was unable to investigate the Commissioner’s course of action, so that the PCC did not even appear before the Panel for over 2 months.
10. We recommend that where a PCC proposes to exercise his power to suspend a chief constable under section 38 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, there must be immediate review of the action by the Police and Crime Panel. In addition, the Police and Crime Commissioner must give the Panel and the chief constable a written explanation of the reasons for the suspension.
11. In between elections, the Police and Crime Panel is, in all but the most extreme circumstance, the only check on a PCC’s power over local policing. All three of the PCP chairs we heard from believed that their Panels did not have strong powers to hold a PCC to account. Parliament has defined the power of PCPs and it is the responsibility of the PCPs to exercise their powers. We are concerned that incompetent legal advisers appear to have sought to prevent PCPs from even meeting to scrutinise key and highly questionable decisions by PCCs, for instance the suspension of the chief constable in Lincolnshire and the fiasco concerning the appointment of a “Youth Commissioner” in Kent. It is in such circumstances that a PCP chair needs to ensure that the PCP meets urgently. If they fail to do so, on the basis of wholly inappropriate legal advice or otherwise, the process of local scrutiny of the PCP role falls into disrepute.
12. Local scrutiny relies on the engagement of the public in the force area. With this in mind, we note the comments of Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, in its report on the PCC elections, that “the extremely low turnout – at just 15.1%– must be a concern for anyone who cares about democracy”. We have not yet taken evidence on this issue, but will return to the matter in our forthcoming inquiry later this year.
13. At the national level there is little if any provision for scrutiny of PCCs’ work. Despite our recommendations, there is no central register of information about PCCs that can inform any comparison. As the Home Secretary stated to us on 18 December 2012, information about PCCs’ interests is “not co-ordinated in one register because in each police force area individuals will want to know their PCC rather than all the national PCCs”. 8
14. Police and Crime Commissioners are required to publish the information that they consider necessary to enable the local public to assess their performance and that of the Chief Constable. As the Home Secretary noted, this ought to provide the basis upon which the public is able to judge their PCC. 9 In addition they are required to publish particular information specified by the
8 Home Affairs Committee, The work of the Home Secretary , 18 December 2012, HC 563-ii, Q 176
9 Home Affairs Committee, The work of the Home Secretary , 18 April 2013, HC 563-iii, Q 300
Page 25 6 Police and Crime Commissioners
Home Secretary in regulations issued under section 11 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. So far the relevant regulations are the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specific Information) Order 2011 SI 2011/3050. The required information is set out in Annex I. However, as we note in the conclusions below, a number of PCCs have so far failed to publish the required financial information, or disclose the details of their own interests and allowances. The Home Office must monitor compliance with legal responsibilities to publish information and publish a list of non-compliant PCCs.
15. By contrast, in response to Lord Leveson’s recommendations, the Home Secretary announced on 12 February 2013 that a national registers of chief officers’ pay and perks packages, gifts and hospitality, outside interests including second jobs, and their contact with the media would be published on-line. 10
16. It has already emerged that Richard Rhodes, police and crime commissioner for Cumbria, had claimed £700 for two chauffeur-driven trips, which had not been declared. Following this revelation, three individuals have been arrested, including two police staff, and a third member of staff has been suspended. Mr Rhodes has apologised for the episode and claims that he does not know why the arrests have been made. The Police and Crime Panel is investigating. 11
17. We wrote to the new PCCs in January and in March 2013 to call for information that will assist Parliament and the public in holding the commissioners to account. In this Report, we draw together a set of indicators to provide a much-needed national perspective.
18. We are disappointed to note that not all Police and Crime Commissioners are meeting the standards of openness that we would expect. We conducted a survey of Police and Crime Commissioners’ websites to investigate whether the necessary information was being published clearly. On 19 April 2013, we found that 10 PCCs had met their statutory obligations and published the full financial data required. Those were Avon and Somerset (Sue Mountstevens), Bedfordshire (Olly Martins), Cambridgeshire (Sir Graham Bright), Cheshire (John Dwyer), Hampshire (Simon Hayes), Merseyside (Jane Kennedy), Surrey (Kevin Hurley), Warwickshire (Ron Ball), West Mercia (Bill Longmore) and West Yorkshire (Mark Burns-Williamson).
19. Our search suggested that 12 PCCs have yet to publish their annual budget data online: Cleveland (Barry Coppinger), Cumbria (Richard Rhodes), Derbyshire (Alan Charles), Devon and Cornwall (Tony Hogg), Essex (Nick Alston), Hertfordshire (David Lloyd), Humberside (Matthew Grove), Leicestershire (Sir Clive Loader), Norfolk (Stephen Bett), South Yorkshire (Shaun Wright), Suffolk (Tim Passmore) and North Wales (Winston Roddick).
20. Following our evidence session with the Home Secretary on 18 April 2013, we understand that PCCs were contacted to encourage them to publish this data. However, on 3 May 2013, five PCCs still had not published annual budget data online—Humberside (Matthew Grove), Leicestershire (Sir Clive Loader), Norfolk (Stephen Bett), North Wales (Winston Roddick CB QC) and Suffolk (Tim Passmore).
10 HC Deb, 12 February 2013: Column 713
11 http://www.nwemail.co.uk/home/update-11-55am-cumbria-police-and-crime-chief-breaks-silence-over-whistle-blower- investigation-1.1050402?referrerPath=home
Page 26 Police and Crime Commissioners 7
21. Where Police and Crime Commissioners are considered to have exceeded their powers or otherwise behaved inappropriately, it is unacceptable that those who expose the matter should be at risk of losing their jobs, or face other reprisals.
22. We do not accept that a national register of PCCs’ interests is not necessary. There was unanimous agreement among the Police and Crime Commissioners we called for evidence that such a register would be a fair and helpful way to hold PCCs to account. If a national register is being compiled for chief constables, it makes clear sense to do the same for their elected counterparts.
23. While it should be for the local electorate to determine a PCC’s suitability for the role, an informed choice would be facilitated by a reliable central register which would provide a ready comparison and a reliable source. The lack of such information centrally will inevitably encourage rumours, media speculation and suspicion, which may well be totally unfounded. We strongly recommend that an independent national body such as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary compile and publish a central register of police and crime commissioners’ financial interests, pay and perks packages, gifts and hospitality, outside interests including second jobs on an annual basis. In the absence of such a register, we will attempt to do so, but it would be far preferably for an independent national body to undertake this essential function. Until this happens, we will undertake this task.
Page 27 8 Police and Crime Commissioners
2 Who are the Police and Crime Commissioners?
24. Police and Crime Commissioners are intended to represent the people of each force area in their leadership. In order to be eligible to stand candidates must:
i. be British, Commonwealth or EU citizen
ii. be 18 or over
iii. be resident in the Police Force area
iv. have a £5000 deposit (recoverable if they receive 5% or more of the vote)
v. have signatures of 100 people who are registered to vote in the police force area and the following were not able to stand:
i. Anyone who has been convicted of an imprisonable offence
ii. Any serving civil servant, judge, police officer, member of the regular armed forces, employee of a council within the force area, employee of a police related agency, employee of another government agency, politically restricted post-holder, member of police staff (including PCSOs) or member of a police authority
iii. MEPs, MSPs, AMs and MPs will be able to stand as PCCs, but will need to stand down from their existing post before being able to accept the post of PCC
iv. A Police Authority member would need to stand down as member before being able to stand as a PCC
v. Members of the House of Lords will not be able to sit or vote in the House whilst serving as a PCC
25. The Labour Party supported Labour candidates and funded their £5,000 deposits. The Conservative Party did not provide funding for Conservative candidates, although some were funded by local Conservative associations. Labour and Conservative candidates stood in all 41 elections. The Liberal Democrat did not provide funding for candidates and 24 candidates stood as Liberal Democrats. 54 candidates stated that they stood independently of any political party. 12 The results of the elections were as follows:
12 The Police Foundation
Page 28 Police and Crime Commissioners 9
Police force Winning Winning candidate Electorate Votes Turnout (%) party (000) cast
Avon & Somerset Ind Sue Mountstevens 1623.2 234,514 18.77
Bedfordshire Lab Olly Martins 614.8 82,129 17.75
Cambridgeshire Con Sir Graham Bright 789.7 88,603 14.77
Cheshire Con John Dwyer 1009.3 108,902 13.74
Cleveland Lab Barry Coppinger 563.5 61,783 14.73
Cumbria Con Richard Rhodes 494.4 62,249 15.63
Derbyshire Lab Alan Charles 1010.6 112,908 14.35
Devon & Cornwall Con Tony Hogg 1680.4 190,665 14.65
Dorset Ind Martyn Underhill 715.0 96,149 16.34
Durham Lab Ron Hogg 611.6 70,141 14.41
Dyfed-Powys Con Christopher Salmon 506.1 64,660 16.38
Essex Con Nick Alston 1738.0 168,234 12.81
Gloucestershire Ind Martin Surl 593.5 78,502 15.96
Greater Manchester Lab Tony Lloyd 2629.4 272,153 13.59
Gwent Ind Ian Johnston 561.4 59,366 13.97
Hampshire Ind Simon Hayes 1884.2 211,886 14.53
Hertfordshire Con David Lloyd 1107.5 119,158 14.1
Humberside Con Matthew Grove 921.2 133,762 19.15
Kent Ind Ann Barnes 1684.1 204,917 15.99
Lancashire Lab Clive Grunshaw 1449.3 168,069 15.05
Leicestershire Con Sir Clive Loader 993.9 123,710 15.92
Lincolnshire Ind Alan Hardwick 703.0 83,736 15.28
Merseyside Lab Jane Kennedy 11.7 126,171 12.41
Norfolk Ind Stephen Bett 1353.4 97,157 14.51
Page 29 10 Police and Crime Commissioners
North Wales Ind Winston Roddick 7813.5 77,753 14.83
North Yorkshire Con Julia Mulligan 862.3 82,213 13.25
Northamptonshire Con Adam Simmonds 678.5 101,167 19.5
Northumbria Lab Vera Baird 802.2 178,807 16.45
Nottinghamshire Lab Paddy Tipping 687.3 132,973 16.42
South Wales Lab Alun Michael 1431.5 142,434 14.68
South Yorkshire Lab Shaun Wright 1086.6 145294 14.53
Staffordshire Con Matthew Ellis 1260.5 98,826 11.63
Suffolk Con Tim Passmore 1328.3 85,168 15.41
Surrey Other Kevin Hurley 1071.4 131,632 15.36
Sussex Con Katy Bourne 719.5 189,236 15.33
Thames Valley Con Anthony Stansfeld 1127.3 219,071 12.88
Warwickshire Ind Ron Ball 1574.0 64,289 15.23
West Mercia Ind Bill Longmore 2253.5 134,850 14.54
West Midlands Lab Bob Jones 536.0 238,384 11.96
West Yorkshire Lab Mark Burns-Williamson 1192.7 214,728 13.34
Wiltshire Con Angus Macpherson 2655.1 78,794 15.3
Total turnout 15.1
Page 30 Police and Crime Commissioners 11
3 Salaries and offices
26. We wrote to the new PCCs in January and in March 2013 to call for information that will assist the electorate in casting their vote for police and crime commissioner and holding the incumbent PCC to account. In the table below, we present their responses.
Region Salary Weekly Other roles Staff Staff profiles Hours
Avon & No information provided Somerset Sue Mountstevens
Bedfordshire £70000 Flexible Territorial Army 10 • Tafheen Sharif, Deputy Police and Olly Martins Soldier (Territorial FTE Crime Commissioner £36,000 Army pay and • Simon Bullock, Assistant Police & allowances) Crime Commissioner £55,000 • Chief Executive £72,400 • Deputy Chief Executive £62,200
Cambridgeshire £70000 Flexible Director, Dietary 14 • Brian Ashton, Deputy PCC, 28,000 Sir Graham Foods Ltd Bright
Cheshire £75000 None John Dwyer
Cleveland Barry No information provided Coppinger
Cumbria £65000 35–40 None 11 • Mr S Edwards, CEO and Monitoring Richard Rhodes Officer, £87,000 • Mrs R Hunter, CFO/deputy CEO, £74,103 • Ms G Shearer, Communication and Engagement Executive, £50,000 • Mrs N Broomfield, Policy and Performance Manager • Commissioning and Contracts manager • Mrs J Head, Governance and Victim Services Manager • Mrs L McGinley, Executive Support Officer • Community Engagement/Press Officer • Ms F Carr, Administrative Assistant • Mr J Askew, Independent Custody Visiting Scheme Administrator • Ms D Cowperthwaite, Budget and Finance Assistance
Derbyshire £75000 60 County Councillor 10 • Commissioner £75k Alan Charles (end of term May • Deputy Commissioner £56,250
Page 31 12 Police and Crime Commissioners
2013) Parish • Chief Executive 70k Councillor School • Chief Finance Officer 0.8 FTE 64k Governor • Head of Service Compliance and Engagement 48k • Personal Assistant 25k • Administrative Assistant 20k • Meetings and Information Officer 0.6 FTE 18k • Performance Officer 0.4 FTE 16,800k • Partnership and Engagement Officer 0.8 FTE 24k
Devon & £85000 60 Director of Polaris 16.3 • Chief Executive Sue Howl, £97,686 Cornwall South West Ltd FTE • Treasurer, Duncan Walton, £82,262 Tony Hogg
Dorset £70000 37 Unpaid trustee of 8 • Martin Goscomb, CEO, £66,714– Martyn two charities 74,430 Underhill • Siobain Hann, Commissioning and Partnership Manager, £43,693– 45,506 • Fiona Napier, Media and Communications Manager, £37,908– 41,697 • Jason Mumford, Information Research Officer and Data Analyst, £33,033–36,963 • Susan Bickle, Community Engagement Officer, £28,947–32,226 • Cathy Barfoot, PA to PCC, £21,099– 24,606 • Yvonne Fenwick, Executive Support Officer, £21,099–24,606 • Administrative Support Officer, £17,188–£18,343
Durham £70000 60 Police pension 8 • Chief Executive £61,530 Ron Hogg • Treasurer £49,224 • Deputy Chief Executive £40,388 • Principal Administrator £34,549 • Partnership Officer £23,218 • Policy & Communications Officer £26,636 • Communications & Engagement Asst £21,519 • Administrative Assistant £15,595
Dyfed Powys £65000 Flexible None 8 • CEO, £90,726 Christopher • Assistant CEO, £48,573 Salmon • CFO, £10,000 • Policy officer £34,005 • Policy officer £33,033 • Policy officer £31,437 • Support officer £21,747 • Support officer £21,747
Page 32 Police and Crime Commissioners 13
Essex £85000 13 13 • Acting Chief Executive and Nick Alston CBE Monitoring Officer, Charles Garbett, salary £90,000 • Treasurer, Charles Garbett • Deputy PCC, £50-60,000 • 3 x Operating Managers • 1 x Assistant Operating Manager • 1 x Press & PR Officer • 1 x PA and diary secretary for the PCC • 1 x Office Administrator • 1 x Special Advisor (contract ends May 2013, £22,000 pa. pro rata) • 2 x temporary administrative staff • 1 x research officer
Gloucestershire £65000 60+ None 8 • No info Martin Surl
Greater £100000 40+ None 45 • Russell Bernstein, Chief Executive Manchester • Clare Regan, Policy Adviser Tony Lloyd • Alison Connelly, Head of Governance and Policy • Laura Mercer, Policy Development Manager • Melanie Moores, Strategic Support Officer • Marie Richardson, Strategic Support Officer • Rachael Storey, Strategic Support Officer • Michelle Waugh, Strategic Support Officer • Nigel Battersby, Solicitor • Linda Guy, Legal Assistant • Peter Kidd, HR and Compliance Officer • Nikki Park, Head of Executive Services • Jenna Lancaster, Senior Executive Services Officer • Amy Davies Senior, Executive Services Officer • Lis Hindle, Executive Services Office • Lucy Phelan, Executive Services Officer • Danielle Whitworth, Executive Services Assistant • Adam Morris, Executive Services Assistant • Karen Carrington, Executive PA to the PCC and Chief Executive • Sam Frenz, Head of Scrutiny and
13 Mr Alston does not currently draw his full salary
Page 33 14 Police and Crime Commissioners
Engagement • Roland Howard, Scrutiny Development Manager • Dave Byrne, Strategic Support Officer • Karen Edwards, Strategic Support Officer • Rose Grubert, Analyst • Uzma Babb, Engagement Manager • Gaynor Edwards, Engagement Officer • Lisa Korczynski, Engagement Officer • Rick Whitehead, Engagement Officer • Hannah Carrington, Engagement Support Officer • Lisa Hindle, Volunteer Schemes Development Officer • Janet Wood, Volunteer Schemes Coordinator • Nicola Scarr, Volunteer Schemes Assistant • Claire Smith, Communications Officer • Smyth Harper, Communications Support • Kate Leach, Web Content Officer • Laura Moody, Web Content Officer • Alan Westwood, Chief Finance Officer • Bob McIntyre, Assistant CFO • Frances Beswick, Principal Group Accountant • Mike White, Senior Assistant Group Accountant • Cath Folan, Principal Auditor • Julie Perry, Principal Auditor • David Smith, Principal Auditor • Karen Wilson, Principal Auditor • Bhavna Patel, Senior Auditor
Gwent £70000 50 None 9 • Shelley Bosson, Chief Executive and Ian Johnston Monitoring Officer (£90,756) • Neil Phillips, Treasurer and Deputy Chief Executive (£32,517 PT - 0.4) FTE is £81,293 • Senior Business Manager POf • Senior Policy Manager POf • Policy Officer SO2 • Information Officer SO2 • Business Support Officer Scale 5 • PA to Chief Executive (PT – 0.8) Scale 5 • All Wales Policy Officer (shared with other OPCCs in Wales) POf
Hampshire £85000 60 Chair of 7 • Chief Executive 90,000 Simon Hayes Crimestoppers • Strategy & Delivery Manager 36,921 -
Page 34 Police and Crime Commissioners 15
41,550 • Finance & Business Support Officer 23,343 - 26,277 • Scrutiny and Analysis Officer 29,895 - 33,648 • Personal Assistant 23,343 - 26,277 • Administrative Officer 18,846 - 21,213
Hertfordshire £75000 no info Hertfordshire 12 • My Deputy, Dr Rachel Frosh will be David Lloyd County Councillor paid an annual salary of £50,000, but Dacorum Borough as Rachel will be working 2 days per Councillor week her actual salary will be 2/5th's annual salary or £20,000 per annum. £9,588 p.a. as Herts • My Senior Officers are Andrew White County Councillor and James Hurley. Andrew White is £4,951 p.a. as my Chief Executive. Andrew's role is Dacorum Borough to ensure that my office runs Councillor smoothly and that I carry out my £4,951 p.a. as functions within the law and code of Chairman of the practice. Andrew's salary is £97,378 Borough Council per annum, which was set by the Development Police Authority of which he was Control Chief Executive. Committee. • James Hurley is my Chief Financial Renewal Officer. James is responsible for the commission from proper administration of my financial former role as an affairs. In Hertfordshire, the Independent Commissioner and the Chief Financial Adviser, Constable have agreed to appoint less than £1,000 the same person as their respective p.a. Chief Financial Officer. James Hurley's salary is to be advised.
Humberside £75000 60–70 Councillor on East 14 • Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Riding of Yorkshire (P/T) Paul Robinson £45,000 Grove Council until March • Chief Executive Kevin Sharp £88,000 2013 • Assurance Manager £50,000-£54,999 • Strategy/ Planning Manager £50,000- £54,999 • Public Manager £50,000-£54,999 • Deputy Chief Executive/ Chief Finance Officer John Bates £79,000 • Assurance Officer (P/T) £30,000- £34,999 • Strategy / Planning Officer £35,000- £39,999 • Communications Officer £25,000- £29,999 • Governance & Administration Manager £35,000-£39,999 • Administration Supervisor (P/T) £20,000-£24,999 • Caretaker £10,000-£14,999 • Administration Officer £15,000- £19,999
Page 35 16 Police and Crime Commissioners
• Administration Officer £15,000- £19,999
Kent £85000 None 16 • Acting Chief Executive: Sean Nolan Ann Barnes • Chief Finance Officer: vacant • PA to the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner: Natalie Lockwood • PA to Chief Finance Officer: Sophy Jennings • Communications Manager: Alison Hammond • Temporary Digital Communications Officer: Sarah Tucker • Communications Assistant: Mirella Falcone • Policy Officer: Kayleigh Nicholson • Policy Officer: Laura Steward • Correspondence and Support Officer: Daniel Millen • Governance and Policy Support Officer: Sue Willis • Temporary Caseworker: Teresa Crane • Support Clerk: Jade Stanford • Advisors: Howard Cox, Peter Carroll and Tim Thompson
Lancashire £85000 Full Elected member of 15.3 A revised staff structure is currently Clive Grunshaw time Wyre Borough FTE being produced and will be presented to Council (intends to the Home Affairs Committee when stand down) and completed and published on the Lancashire County Commissioner's website in the near Councillor (will not future. stand again).
Leicestershire £75000 Full Parish councillor 13 • Chief Executive Officer, Paul Stock, Sir Clive Loader time £90,000 • Chief Finance Officer, Peter Lewis, £80,000.
Lincolnshire £65000 60+ None 8 Alan Hardwick
Merseyside No information provided Jane Kennedy
Norfolk £70000 Full Company director 13 no info provided Stephen Bet t time Farmer Non-remunerated trustee
North Wales Winston No information provided Roddick
North £70000 65+ 6.5 • Jeremy Holderness, Chief Executive, Yorkshire FTE £80,988 Julia Mulligan • Judith Heeley, Chief Finance Officer
Page 36 Police and Crime Commissioners 17
• William Naylor, Head of Policy and Projects • Gina Allen, External Relations Manager • Sally Dyer, PA to PCC • Claire Askew, ICV Scheme Administrator • Marisa DiDomenico, Clerical Assistant
Northants £70000 Full None 13 • Iain Britton, Assistant Commissioner Adam time for Justice, £65,000 Simmonds • Kathryn Buckle, Assistant Commissioner for Governance, £65,000 • Peter Heaton, Assistant Commissioner for Public Involvement, £65,000 • John Raisin, Assistant Commission for Resources
Northumbria £85000 40 + 20 None 4 No info Vera Baird
Notts £75000 37+ Non Executive 9 • Deputy PCC Chris Cutland £36,000 Paddy Tipping Chair of Notts LIFT • Chief Executive Kevin Dennis companies £85,000-£92,500 Director or • Chief Finance Officer Charlotte REalliance Radford £80,988 (National Regional • Performance and Policing Officer P1 organisation) (£33,033-£36,030) £18,000 • Volunteer Manager P4 (£23,799- £27,267) • Community Engagement and Partnership Officer • P1 (£33,033-£36,030) • Member Services and Office Manager P4 (£23,799-£27,267) • Administrator/PA A1 (£21,099- £23,046) • Administrator/PA A1 (£21,099- £23,046)
South Wales 60+ None 15 Alun Michael
South £85000 60+ Councillor 10 • Erika Redfearn, Chief Executive, Yorkshire £85,000 Shaun Wrigh t
Staffordshire £75000 c.50 None 10 • Damon Taylor, Chief Executive - Matthew Ellis £78,000 • Paul Brindley, Chief Financial Officer - £49,500 (pro-rata to full-time salary of £82,500) • Head of Policy, Performance and Communications, up to £73,500 • and Head of Commissioning and
Page 37 18 Police and Crime Commissioners
Partnerships, up to £73,500 • Sue Arnold, Deputy PCC, £25,000 (part-time – 3 days) • Alyson Holmes, Principal Officer – Grade I (between £40,755 and £46,509) • Veronica Powell, Executive Assistant – Grade F (between £23,046 and £28,107) • Jane Milgate, Lindsey Morgan, Emily Astles – Administrative Officers – Band E – (between £19,128 and £23,046) • Julie Croft, Administration Assistant (part-time) – Grade D (between £16,167 and £18,471 pro-rata)
Suffolk £70000 Over 40 1. Self-employed 9 • Christopher Jackson, Chief Executive Tim Passmore Agri Business (and Monitoring Officer), £102,777 Consultant. • Claire Swallow, Deputy Chief 2. Member Mid Executive (and Suffolk District Deputy Monitoring Officer), Council. £77,082 3. Member of • Chris Bland, Chief Finance Officer Management (0.8 FTE), £64,375 Committee of • Barry Bailey, Head of Business Central Suffolk Management, £56,664 & North Ipswich • Ian Rands, Business Manager, Conservatives. £46,243
4. Member of • Vanessa Scott, Policy Officer, £36,232 Conservative • Sandra Graffham, Public Affairs Party. Officer (0.6 FTE), £17,388 5. Member of • Sarah Carter, Business Co-ordinator, Eastern Counties £26,954 & Norfolk Rugby • Glennis Dyes, PA to PCC and senior Union Referees officers, £24,320. Society. 6. Director of Customer Servic es Direct, a joint public/private venture compan y (Suffolk County Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, British Telecom).
As a member of Mid Suffolk District Council, allowances agreed by the Council
Surrey £70000 60 Private landlord 8 • Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner, Kevin Hurley Director of £50,000 Inspirational
Page 38 Police and Crime Commissioners 19
Security Solutions Ltd Director of JK Chinese Healthcare Ltd.
Sussex £85000 no info None 12 no info provided Katy Bourne
Thames Valley Anthony No information provided Stansfeld
Warwickshire No information provided Ron Ball
West Mercia No information provided Bill Longmore
West Midlands £100000 Full Paid office • Yvonne Mosquito, West Midlands Bob Jones time Councillor – Deputy Police and Crime Wolverhampton Commissioner, £65,000 City Council (no expenses are claimed from Wolverhampton City Council) Paid office - Non- executive Director – Black Country Cluster Primary Care Trust Property
West Yorkshire £100000 Full None 26 • Isabel Owen, Deputy PCC, £53,000 Mark Burns- time • Chief Executive and Monitoring Williamson Officer, Fraser Sampson, £117,762 • Chief Finance Officer, Judith Heeley, £84,909
Wiltshire £70000 Full Angus Macpherson 11 Angus time Ltd Macpherson Stainless Design Services Ltd (company secretary) Stainless Design Holiday Services Ltd (company secretary) Haven Heights (Canford Cliffs) Ltd (Director) San Cepriano (Developments) Ltd (company
Page 39 20 Police and Crime Commissioners
secretary) The Filling Station (Swindon) Dauntsey’s School Broadgreen Breakfast Club Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation
The office of the Police and Crime Commissioner 27. As set out by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, Police and Crime Commissioners’ salaries were determined by the Home Secretary on the advice of the Senior Salaries Review Board. The Government has allowed PCCs a considerable degree of laissez-faire in setting up their own offices, saying that “we do not intend to prescribe what support PCCs should have, other than the appointment of a head of paid staff and chief finance officer”. 14 The money for PCCs’ offices is drawn from the same funds as the overall policing budget for the area. It goes without saying that all appointments to these vital roles should be subject to rigorous background checks.
28. For comparison, we set out chief constables’ pay in Annex 2.
29. PCCs are required to appoint a Chief Executive and a Chief Finance Officer in order to assist them in the fulfilment of their responsibilities. The reported salaries of CEOs range widely from £61,530 in Durham to £117,762 in West Yorkshire. PCCs are also at liberty to appoint other staff, on merit, as appropriate. We note the Government’s stated intentions for the neutrality and objectivity of PCCs’ staff:
Whilst the PCC will be able to appoint staff to advise and assist them, all staff must be appointed on merit and will be politically restricted posts. Party political office holders and active party members will not be able to be appointed to the PCC’s staff. 15
30. However, the position of Deputy is not a politically restricted post. Some PCCs have consequently recruited political or personal contacts:
• In Greater Manchester the PCC has appointed his former constituency worker, Clare Regan, as his Policy Adviser without advertising the role.
• In Northamptonshire the PCC appointed three interim Assistant Commissioners on £65,000 each, two of whom were in his campaign team. The roles have been made permanent after an open recruitment process.
• The Labour PCC for West Midlands Police, has appointed three Assistant Commissioners on £22,500 each. All are Labour councillors. 16
14 Home Office, Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting police and the people: Summary of consultation responses and next steps , December 2010, paragraph 2.11
15 Home Office, Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting police and the people: Summary of consultation responses and next steps , December 2010, paragraph 2.12
Page 40 Police and Crime Commissioners 21
• The PCC for Kent has appointed her Liberal Democrat campaign manager with no apparent policing experience as an adviser with a salary of over £70,000.
• The PCC for Surrey has appointed a former colleague in the Metropolitan Police as his deputy, with a salary of £50,000.
• The PCC for West Yorkshire has appointed Isabel Owen as Deputy PCC with a wage of £53,000 a year. She is a former Labour parliamentary candidate with no policing experience. The role was only advertised to Labour Party colleagues.
16 Mail Online, New police chiefs (who you didn't vote for) pay cronies thousands: Crime tsars give friends and allies jobs worth up to £73,000 , 23 March 2013 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2298205/New-police-chiefs-didnt-vote-pay-cronies- thousands-Crime-tsars-friends-allies-jobs-worth-73-000.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Page 41 22 Police and Crime Commissioners
Police force Police precept Police precept % Overall police Budget for the OPCC% 2013/14 2012/13 precept budget Office of the of (£ for a Band D (£ for a Band D change 2013/14 (£m) PCC 2013/14 budget property) property) (£m) Avon & Somerset 168.03 168.03 0 277.3 1.4 0.50 Bedfordshire 153.49 150.49 2 102.877 0.885 0.86 Cambridgeshire 177.93 174.51 1.9 131. 579 0.866 0.66 Cheshire 153.21 150.22 1.99 205 0.96147 0.47 Cleveland 198.28 194.41 2 133.8 0.9 0.67 Cumbria 204.66 200.79 1.95 122.3 0.891 0.73 Derbyshire 166.95 163.74 1.96 171.442913 0.971216 0.57 Devon & Cornwall 162.92 159.73 2 288.628 1.611 0.59 Dorset 183.51 180 1.95 120.337 0.8701 0.72 Durham 156.47 153.41 2 118.696646 1.103 0.93 Dyfed-Powys 206.28 198.54 3.9 98.178 0.794310 0.81 Essex 141.48 136.71 3.49 271.677 1.15 0.42 Gloucestershire 203.68 199.69 2 103.7 0.675 0.65 Greater 149.33 144.3 3.46 571.488 2.9 0.51 Manchester Gwent 198.23 193.09 2.66 130.123 0.9877 0.76 Hampshire 146.25 151.25 3.4 310.35 1.491 17 0.48 Hertfordshire 147.82 147.82 0 181.845 1.0 0.55 Humberside 173.12 173.12 0 182.563 1.4 0.77 Kent 141.47 138.68 2 316.7 1.5 0.47 Lancashire 152.92 149.93 2 258.733 2.1 0.81 Leicestershire 173.875 173.875 0 173.446 1.077 0.62 Lincolnshire 190.08 186.39 2 Merseyside 153.63 150.62 2 332.623932 1.411521 0.42 Norfolk 200.76 196.92 1.97 149.8 1.282125 0.86 North Wales No response/information online 3.98 North Yorkshire 204.55 204.55 0 140.022 0.5355 0.38 Northants 193.2 193.2 0 122.48 1.09 0.89 Northumbria 86.91 83.68 3.5 278.107 Not decided Nottinghamshire 169.65 166.41 1.95 196.9 1.2 0.61 South Wales 181.28 169.42 7 258.6 0.845 0.33 South Yorkshire 142.55 137.55 3.5 252.728,773 3.144,717 1.24 Staffordshire 177.61 177.61 0 185.386 1.161 0.63 Suffolk 166.77 166.77 0 124 1.759175 18 0.14 Surrey 207.55 203.49 1.99 207.7 1.94035 19 0.93 Sussex 138.42 138.42 0 256.607 1.184 0.46 Thames Valley 157.38 154.3 2 393.981 1.664 0.42 Warwickshire 180.96 180.96 0 92.121 0.9067 0.98 West Mercia 178.72 178.72 0 207.3 1.2 0.58
17 Not including one-off allocation of £2,001m. See below.
18 Includes Community Safety Fund
19 Includes Community Safety Fund
Page 42 Police and Crime Commissioners 23
West Midlands 99.45 102.43 2.98 558.791 1.884 0.34 West Yorkshire 135.5 130.5 3.8 417.447 1.736 0.42 Wiltshire 157.77 157.77 0 106.693 0.964 0.90
31. We note that a number of Police and Crime Commissioners are maintaining other roles and jobs alongside their commitments as PCC. Kevin Hurley, the PCC for Surrey on a salary of £70,000, told us that alongside his role as PCC he was a private landlord, Director of Inspirational Security Solutions Ltd and Director of JK Chinese Healthcare Ltd. It will be for voters to judge how able he is to maintain two directorships alongside the role of PCC, but we are concerned about the apparent conflict of interest between the office of PCC and a directorship in a company that offers “to call upon a network of people with proven abilities in their field of expertise” in areas including “National and International Crime, including areas with l[a]w enforcement”. 20
32. Several Police and Crime Commissioners indicated to us that they would not be seeking re-election to other offices, such as local councils. The three PCCs who gave evidence to us attested to the severe demands on their time and believed that juggling the office of PCC with other jobs would be impossible. On the other hand, other Police and Crime Commissioners are retaining second jobs such as directorships of large companies, which may not easily be compatible with a full time and demanding office.
20 http://www.inspirationalsecuritysolutions.com/about-iss/
Page 43 24 Police and Crime Commissioners
Costs to the public 33. The precept is the portion of council tax contributed to funding the local police force. The level of the precept is now set by Police and Crime Commissioners. For 2013–14, the Government has offered areas that set a 0% increase in the police precept an additional one-off grant equal to a council tax rise of 1%.
Areas where the OPCC budget 2013/14 is more than the Police Authority budget 2012/13
Police force Police Authority Office of the PCC Change in budget Percentage Budget 2012/13 Budget 2013/14 (£million) change (£million) 21 (£million) 22
Hampshire 1.496 3.492 23 1.996 133.4% increase
South Yorkshire 2.307 3.144717 24 0.84 36.4% increase
Leicestershire 0.860 1.077 0.255 29.7% increase
Lancashire 1.845 2.1 0.255 13.8% increase
Staffordshire 0.911 1.161 25 0.25 27.4% increase
Gwent 0.797 0.9877 0.19 23.8% increase
Avon & Somerset 1.216 1.4 0.184 15% increase
Nottinghamshire 1.026 1.2 0.174 17% increase
Humberside 1.364 1.4 0.036 2.6% increase
Bedfordshire 0.873 0.885 0.012 1.4% increase
Sussex 1.175 1.184 0.01 0.9% increase
Wiltshire 0.958 0.964 0.01 1% increase
Kent 1.498 1.5 0.002 0.1% increase
Cumbria 0.887 26 0.891 0.004 0.45% increase
21 Taken from Police Estimates 2012/13, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, unless otherwise indicated. These figures are derived from questionnaires submitted by the police forces. Finalised data is not due to be published until late summer 22 These figures have been provided by the Office of the PCCs. Differences in definitions may make direct comparison between PCCs and previous budget figures difficult. 23 This includes a one-off budget of £2.001m for the attainment of the PCC’s priorities. Without this extra budget, the underlying change is a 0.3% decrease.
24 Including commissioning services, specific grants and capital financing.
25 This figure includes a contingency budget of £150,000.
26 Provided by OPCC
Page 44 Police and Crime Commissioners 25
Suffolk 1.187 1.187175 0.57 No change
Greater Manchester 2.938 2.9 0 No change
Hertfordshire 1.000 1.0 0 No change
Areas where the OPCC budget 2013/14 is less than the Police Authority budget 2012/13
Merseyside 2.088 1.411521 −0.68 32.6% decrease
West Mercia 1.761 1.2 −0.56 31.8% decrease
North Yorkshire 1.080 0.5355 −0.54 50% decrease
Cleveland 1.201 0.9 −0.301 25.1% decrease
West Yorkshire 1.761 1.736 −0.25 14% decrease
Cheshire 1.195 0.96147 −0.23353 19.5% decrease
Thames Valley 1.818 1.664 −0.15 8.3% decrease
West Midlands 1.991 1.884 −0.11 5.5% decrease
Dyfed-Powys 0.906 0.794310 −0.11 11.5% decrease
Essex 1.259 1.15 −0.11 8.7% decrease
Derbyshire 1.071 0.971216 −0.1 9.3% decrease
Durham 1.203 1.103 −0.1 8.3% decrease
Gloucestershire 0.765 0.675 −0.1 13.1% decrease
Warwickshire 0.958 0.9067 −0.05 5.2% decrease
Dorset 0.902 0.8701 −0.032 3.5% decrease
Surrey 1.305 1.28135 27 −0.02365 1.8% decrease
Devon & Cornwall 1.588 1.611 −0.023 1.4% decrease
Norfolk 1.289 1.282125 −0.007 0.5% decrease
South Wales 0 .849 0.845 −0.004 0.5% decrease
27 Where a PCC has indicated that he/she has returned a figure including the Community Safety Fund, this amount has been subtracted
Page 45 26 Police and Crime Commissioners
Incomplete information
Cambridgeshire 0.866
Lincolnshire 1.050
North Wales 0.749
Northamptonshire 1.09
Northumbria 2.416
34. The 2013/14 budget is the first set by police and crime commissioners themselves. This entails substantial new responsibilities. For example, nine Home Office funding streams—for drugs, crime and community safety—were replaced on 1 April 2013 by the Community Safety Fund, a budget for PCCs to commission services in these areas. In order to ensure that PCCs allocate their budgets effectively and fairly and that OPCC budgets continue to be comparable across the country, we recommend that the Government publishes a list of the costs of each OPCC compared with previous years.
Page 46 Police and Crime Commissioners 27
% change in precept: 2012/13-2013/14 28
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Kent Essex Gwent Dorset Surrey Suffolk Norfolk Sussex Durham Cumbria Wiltshire Cheshire Cleveland Derbyshire Lancashire Hampshire Merseyside Lincolnshire Northumbria North Wales Humberside West Mercia West Staffordshire Bedfordshire South Wales Hertfordshire Dyfed-Powys Warwickshire Leicestershire West Midlands West Thames Valley West Yorkshire West North Yorkshire Gloucestershire South Yorkshire Cambridgeshire Nottinghamshire Avon & Somerset Avon Devon & Cornwall Northamptonshire
Greater Manchester
OPCC budget as a percentage of overall police area budget 29
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0 Kent Essex Surrey Gwent Dorset Suffolk Norfolk Sussex Durham Cumbria Wiltshire Cheshire Cleveland Hampshire Derbyshire Lancashire Merseyside Northampts Lincolnshire Humberside North Wales Northumbria West Mercia West South Wales Bedfordshire Staffordshire Hertfordshire Warwickshire Dyfed-Powys Leicestershire Thames Valley West Midlands West West Yorkshire West North Yorkshire Gloucestershire Cambridgeshire South Yorkshire Nottinghamshire Avon & Somerset Avon Devon & Cornwall Greater Manchester
28 Where no bar is shown, there was no change in precept from year to year.
29 Where no bar is shown, not enough information was available to derive a figure.
Page 47 28 Police and Crime Commissioners
4 PCCs’ Profile
35. Analysis of the professional experience, gender and ethnicity of police and crime commissioners is relevant for assessing whether they genuinely reflect the diverse public whom they are elected to represent.
36. Thirty-five of the new police and crime commissioners are male, six are female. 15 seats were contested by an all-male line-up of candidates. We note that the small number of women elected stems from the fact that 18% (35) of candidates were women, rather than an expression of voter preference.
PCCs’ previous experience Local politician 19 Military 7 National politician 6 Police 8 Magistrate 30 5
Magistrate National politician
Police
Local politician Military
• 51.56% of candidates (99 candidates) had been elected politicians (councillors, MPs, MEPs, Assembly Members). Of those that were elected, 25 had a background in politics.
• Over 50% of candidates had experience of working in the fields of policing or criminal justice.
30 Some may fall into more than one category; for example, the office of magistrate is a part-time office often held alongside other employment.
Page 48 Police and Crime Commissioners 29
• Thirty nine (20.3%) candidates are known to have served on a police authority.
• Thirty two (16.6%) candidates are known to have been employed by or served within the police service (predominantly former officers but also some Special Constables). Eight of those elected were former officers.
• Sixteen (8.3%) candidates are known to have served in the armed forces. Seven were elected.
• Sixteen (8.3%) candidates are known to be, or to have been a Magistrate. Five of those elected were magistrates.
• Thirty five (18%) candidates are women. Six of those elected were women.
• Twenty candidates were from ethnic minorities. No elected PCCs are from an ethnic minority. 31
37. The diversity of candidates may have been affected by the election entry requirements. To stand for election as a police and crime commissioner, 100 signatures were required to support a nomination to stand, along with a £5,000 deposit. In an election for the House of Commons, candidates need ten signatures and a £500 deposit to validate their nomination. Candidates themselves believed that these barriers to entry were a problem, especially for independent candidates of whom three quarters (74%) considered that this had been a barrier. 32
38. The election was also marked by a significant number of disqualifications. No one convicted of any imprisonable offence was allowed to stand for election, even if they were not actually imprisoned or the conviction had been spent. This included offences that took place as a juvenile. 33 The Electoral Commission highlighted that the PCCs election was characterised by stricter disqualification rules for people with certain previous convictions than most elections and it suggested that the rules were not well-understood by candidates. 34 Two candidates withdrew their candidature before the deadline for withdrawal passed and one candidate later declared himself disqualified.
39. The first police and crime commissioners are a monoculture. Only 1 in 7 are women and there is a complete lack of representation of ethnic minorities amongst the commissioners. All national political parties have made a virtue of the importance of diversity, but this does not seem to have extended to the candidates for police and crime commissioners. There was clear cross-party support for the conclusions of the Speakers Conference on Parliamentary Representation, which highlighted the barrier to diversity created by costly election processes—the implications for diversity of a high-cost election should not have come as a surprise.
31 Association of Police and Crime Commissioners—data derived from election addresses
32 Electoral Commission, Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales: Report on the administration of the elections held on 15 November 2012 , March 2013
33 Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011
34 Electoral Commission, Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales: Report on the administration of the elections held on 15 November 2012 , March 2013
Page 49 30 Police and Crime Commissioners
40. In future, where local parties are involved in the selection of candidates for police and crime commissioner, they should certainly take an active role in increasing the recruitment pool at the start of the electoral process to reflect the diversity of the electorate.
41. High barriers to entry—the requirement for 100 signatures and a £5,000 deposit— are intended to uphold the integrity of the office of Police and Crime Commissioner and to discourage frivolous candidacies. Although this may well be appropriate, it might also have an effect on competition and diversity in the PCC elections. Therefore, it is our intention to return to this question later this year, in our inquiry on PCCs. While we recognise that PCCs must be of the highest integrity, we also believe that the rules barring anyone from standing who has a criminal conviction for an imprisonable offence, even as a juvenile, are excessive and should be brought into line with the rules for other public offices.
Page 50 Police and Crime Commissioners 31
Further scrutiny 42. Police and crime commissioners are a lynchpin in the new landscape of policing. The next PCC elections in three years (2016) will be an appropriate time for an overall assessment of what has actually been achieved by the Commissioners, and whether the change which has occurred could be considered a successful alternative to the previous arrangements. In the meantime, we will return to this issue in a major Report a year on from their appointment: we will be looking at the effectiveness of the current commissioners and how their work is contributing to crime reduction and cost efficiency.
43. In order to hold the Commissioners to account, this Report sets out the first register of PCCs’ interests. It is clear that this kind of national picture will be valuable to the electorate and to the commissioners themselves. In future, we expect an independent national body such as HMIC to take on the responsibility for compiling a complete register. This will complement and strengthen the system of local accountability that is already in place.
Page 51 32 Police and Crime Commissioners
Annex I: information PCCs are required to publish
Elected Local Policing What? When? Bodies (Specific Information) Order 2011 SI 2011/3050
Paragraph 3 (a)-(e) of In relation to the income and expenditure of the elected local policing In respect of each schedule 1 body— financial year, (a) the total budget of the elected local policing body; before the (b) where the elected local policing body is a police and crime beginning of the commissioner, the precept issued by the commissioner; financial year to (c) information as to each anticipated source of revenue of the elected which it relates. local policing body (other than, in the case of a police and crime commissioner, the precept); (d) information as to the proposed expenditure of the elected local policing body; (e) a copy of the annual investment strategy of the elected local policing body;
Paragraph 3 (f)-(g) of (f) information as to each crime and disorder reduction grant made by the Each month, as Schedule 1 elected local policing body, including the conditions (if any) attached to soon as the grant, the recipient of the grant, the purpose of the grant and the practicable after reasons why the body considered that the grant would secure, or the end of the contribute to securing, crime and disorder reduction in the body's area; month to which [ (g) information as to each item of expenditure of— (i) the elected local it relates. policing body, or (ii) the chief officer of the police force maintained by the body, exceeding £500 (other than a crime and disorder reduction grant made by the elected local policing body), including the recipient of the funds, the purpose of the expenditure and the reasons why the body or the chief officer (as the case may be) considered that good value for money would be obtained.
Paragraph 4 (a) of 4.In relation to the property, rights and liabilities of the elected local As soon as Schedule 1 policing body— practicable after (a) the identity of any premises or land owned by, or occupied for the an election, and purposes of, the shall be reviewed elected local policing body; each year thereafter and any variation published
Paragraph 4 (b)-(c) of [ (b) a copy of each contract with a value exceeding £10,000 to which— As soon as schedule 1 (i) the elected local policing body, or practicable after (ii) the chief officer of the police force maintained by the body, it becomes is or is to be a party; available to the (c) a copy of each invitation to tender issued by— elected local (i) the elected local policing body, or policing body— (ii) the chief officer of the police force maintained by the body, in relation to a contract which the body or chief officer (as the case may be) expects will have a value exceeding £10,000;
Paragraph 4(d) (d) a list of every contract with a value not exceeding £10,000 to which— Quarterly, as (i) the elected local policing body, or soon as
Page 52 Police and Crime Commissioners 33
(ii) the chief officer of the police force maintained by the body, practicable after is or is to be a party, including the value of the contract, the identity of the end of the every other party to the contract and the purpose of the contract. quarter to which it relates.
Annex II: Chief Constables’ pay
The salaries of senior officers vary according to the size of the force. New rules will allow PCCs to vary the existing starting salaries for Chief Constables by up to 10%. Under this arrangement the new chief constable of Essex, Stephen Kavanagh, will be paid £192,163—a basic wage of £148,000, an allowance of £22,000 and a housing subsidy of £7,000.
Pay Structure from 1st September 2010 Forces Chief Constable Salary Deputy C C Salary
Metropolitan Police £260,088 £214,722
West Midlands £181,455 £139,119 Greater Manchester
Strathclyde £178,431 £139,119
West Yorkshire £169,359 £135,489
Thames Valley £160,290 £132,237
Merseyside £157,260 £129,744 Northumbria
Hampshire £154,233 £127,248
Kent Lancashire £151,215 £124,749 Devon & Cornwall
South Yorkshire Essex Avon & Somerset £148,194 £122,256 Sussex South Wales
Nottinghamshire £142,143 £117,264 Lothian & Borders
Hertfordshire West Mercia Cheshire Humberside £139,119 £114,771 Staffordshire Leicestershire Derbyshire
Surrey £136,092 £112,278 Norfolk
Cleveland Durham Cambridgeshire £133,068 £109,782 North Wales North Yorkshire Gwent
Page 53 34 Police and Crime Commissioners
Grampian Northamptonshire Suffolk Dorset Wiltshire Bedfordshire
Gloucestershire Lincolnshire Cumbria £130,044 £108,873 Warwickshire Dyfed-Powys Tayside
Page 54 Police and Crime Commissioners 35
Conclusions and recommendations
Introduction 1. In areas such as Greater Manchester, police and crime commissioners will represent the interests of millions of people. With so much power concentrated in the hands of a single individual, it is vital that there is clear and objective scrutiny and an effective system of checks to ensure that the role is performed to the highest standards of integrity and competence. The Government has created a system that relies on local scrutiny and the main check is at the ballot box. In this Report, we show that regular, national comparisons are important for public confidence and draw together the first register of PCCs interests. (Paragraph 4)
Scrutiny of PCCs 2. Where a police and crime commissioner exercises his power to suspend a chief constable, it is the PCC’s responsibility under Schedule 8 to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to inform the Police and Crime Panel. In the Lincolnshire case, however, the public was left in the dark about the reasons for the suspension and the Police and Crime Panel took no action to avert or even review an intervention that was ultimately thrown out of court. The Police and Crime Panel seemed totally incapacitated by erroneous legal advice that it was unable to investigate the Commissioner’s course of action, so that the PCC did not even appear before the Panel for over 2 months. (Paragraph 9)
3. We recommend that where a PCC proposes to exercise his power to suspend a chief constable under section 38 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, there must be immediate review of the action by the Police and Crime Panel. In addition, the Police and Crime Commissioner must give the Panel and the chief constable a written explanation of the reasons for the suspension. (Paragraph 10)
4. In between elections, the Police and Crime Panel is, in all but the most extreme circumstance, the only check on a PCC’s power over local policing. All three of the PCP chairs we heard from believed that their Panels did not have strong powers to hold a PCC to account. Parliament has defined the power of PCPs and it is the responsibility of the PCPs to exercise their powers. We are concerned that incompetent legal advisers appear to have sought to prevent PCPs from even meeting to scrutinise key and highly questionable decisions by PCCs, for instance the suspension of the chief constable in Lincolnshire and the fiasco concerning the appointment of a “Youth Commissioner” in Kent. It is in such circumstances that a PCP chair needs to ensure that the PCP meets urgently. If they fail to do so, on the basis of wholly inappropriate legal advice or otherwise, the process of local scrutiny of the PCP role falls into disrepute. (Paragraph 11)
5. Local scrutiny relies on the engagement of the public in the force area. With this in mind, we note the comments of Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, in its report on the PCC elections, that “the extremely low turnout – at just 15.1%– must be a concern for anyone who cares about democracy”. We have not yet taken
Page 55 36 Police and Crime Commissioners
evidence on this issue, but will return to the matter in our forthcoming inquiry later this year. (Paragraph 12)
6. a number of PCCs have so far failed to publish the required financial information, or disclose the details of their own interests and allowances. The Home Office must monitor compliance with legal responsibilities to publish information and publish a list of non-compliant PCCs. (Paragraph 14)
7. We are disappointed to note that not all Police and Crime Commissioners are meeting the standards of openness that we would expect. We conducted a survey of Police and Crime Commissioners’ websites to investigate whether the necessary information was being published clearly. On 19 April 2013, we found that 10 PCCs had met their statutory obligations and published the full financial data required. Those were Avon and Somerset (Sue Mountstevens), Bedfordshire (Olly Martins), Cambridgeshire (Sir Graham Bright), Cheshire (John Dwyer), Hampshire (Simon Hayes), Merseyside (Jane Kennedy), Surrey (Kevin Hurley), Warwickshire (Ron Ball), West Mercia (Bill Longmore) and West Yorkshire (Mark Burns-Williamson). (Paragraph 18)
8. Our search suggested that 12 PCCs have yet to publish their annual budget data online: Cleveland (Barry Coppinger), Cumbria (Richard Rhodes), Derbyshire (Alan Charles), Devon and Cornwall (Tony Hogg), Essex (Nick Alston), Hertfordshire (David Lloyd), Humberside (Matthew Grove), Leicestershire (Sir Clive Loader), Norfolk (Stephen Bett), South Yorkshire (Shaun Wright), Suffolk (Tim Passmore) and North Wales (Winston Roddick). (Paragraph 19)
9. Following our evidence session with the Home Secretary on 18 April 2013, we understand that PCCs were contacted to encourage them to publish this data. However, on 3 May 2013, five PCCs still had not published annual budget data online—Humberside (Matthew Grove), Leicestershire (Sir Clive Loader), Norfolk (Stephen Bett), North Wales (Winston Roddick CB QC) and Suffolk (Tim Passmore). (Paragraph 20)
10. Where Police and Crime Commissioners are considered to have exceeded their powers or otherwise behaved inappropriately, it is unacceptable that those who expose the matter should be at risk of losing their jobs, or face other reprisals. (Paragraph 21)
11. We do not accept that a national register of PCCs’ interests is not necessary. There was unanimous agreement among the Police and Crime Commissioners we called for evidence that such a register would be a fair and helpful way to hold PCCs to account. If a national register is being compiled for chief constables, it makes clear sense to do the same for their elected counterparts. (Paragraph 22)
12. While it should be for the local electorate to determine a PCC’s suitability for the role, an informed choice would be facilitated by a reliable central register which would provide a ready comparison and a reliable source. The lack of such information centrally will inevitably encourage rumours, media speculation and suspicion, which may well be totally unfounded. We strongly recommend that an independent national body such as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
Page 56 Police and Crime Commissioners 37
compile and publish a central register of police and crime commissioners’ financial interests, pay and perks packages, gifts and hospitality, outside interests including second jobs on an annual basis. In the absence of such a register, we will attempt to do so, but it would be far preferably for an independent national body to undertake this essential function. Until this happens, we will undertake this task. (Paragraph 23)
Salaries and offices 13. Several Police and Crime Commissioners indicated to us that they would not be seeking re-election to other offices, such as local councils. The three PCCs who gave evidence to us attested to the severe demands on their time and believed that juggling the office of PCC with other jobs would be impossible. On the other hand, other Police and Crime Commissioners are retaining second jobs such as directorships of large companies, which may not easily be compatible with a full time and demanding office. (Paragraph 32)
Costs to the public 14. In order to ensure that PCCs allocate their budgets effectively and fairly and that OPCC budgets continue to be comparable across the country, we recommend that the Government publishes a list of the costs of each OPCC compared with previous years. (Paragraph 34)
PCCs’ profile 15. High barriers to entry—the requirement for 100 signatures and a £5,000 deposit— are intended to uphold the integrity of the office of Police and Crime Commissioner and to discourage frivolous candidacies. Although this may well be appropriate, it might also have an effect on competition and diversity in the PCC elections. Therefore, it is our intention to return to this question later this year, in our inquiry on PCCs. While we recognise that PCCs must be of the highest integrity, we also believe that the rules barring anyone from standing who has a criminal conviction for an imprisonable offence, even as a juvenile, are excessive and should be brought into line with the rules for other public offices. (Paragraph 41)
Further security 16. Police and crime commissioners are a lynchpin in the new landscape of policing. The next PCC elections in three years (2016) will be an appropriate time for an overall assessment of what has actually been achieved by the Commissioners, and whether the change which has occurred could be considered a successful alternative to the previous arrangements. In the meantime, we will return to this issue in a major Report a year on from their appointment: we will be looking at the effectiveness of the current commissioners and how their work is contributing to crime reduction and cost efficiency. (Paragraph 42)
17. In order to hold the Commissioners to account, this Report sets out the first register of PCCs’ interests. It is clear that this kind of national picture will be valuable to the
Page 57 38 Police and Crime Commissioners
electorate and to the commissioners themselves. In future, we expect an independent national body such as HMIC to take on the responsibility for compiling a complete register. This will complement and strengthen the system of local accountability that is already in place. (Paragraph 43)
Page 58 Police and Crime Commissioners 39
Formal Minutes
Thursday 16 May 2013
Members present:
Keith Vaz, in the Chair
James Clappison Steve McCabe Michael Ellis Mark Reckless Lorraine Fullbrook Mr David Winnick
Draft Report ( Police and Crime Commissioners: Register of Interests ), proposed by the Chair, brought up and read.
Ordered , That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 43 read and agreed to.
Annexes agreed to.
Resolved , That the Report be the First Report of the Committee to the House.
Ordered , That the Chair make the Report to the House.
Ordered , That embargoed copies of the Report be made available, in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 134.
[Adjourned till Tuesday 4 June at 2.30 p.m.
Page 59 40 Police and Crime Commissioners
List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament
Session 2012–13 First Report Effectiveness of the Committee in 2010–12 HC 144 Second Report Work of the Permanent Secretary (April–Dec 2011) HC 145 Third Report Pre-appointment Hearing for Her Majesty’s Chief HC 183 Inspector of Constabulary Fourth Report Private Investigators HC 100 Fifth Report The work of the UK Border Agency (Dec 2011–March HC 71 2012) Sixth Report The work of the Border Force HC 523 Seventh Report Olympics Security HC 531 Eighth Report The work of the UK Border Agency (April–June 2012) HC 603 Ninth Report Drugs: Breaking the Cycle HC 184 Tenth Report Powers to investigate the Hillsborough disaster: HC 793 interim Report on the Independent Police Complaints Commission Eleventh Report Independent Police Complaints Commission HC 494 Twelfth Report The draft Anti-social Behaviour Bill: pre-legislative HC 836 scrutiny Thirteenth Report Undercover Policing: Interim Report HC 837 Fourteenth Report The work of the UK Border Agency (July-September HC 792 2012)
Session 2010–12 First Report Immigration Cap HC 361 Second Report Policing: Police and Crime Commissioners HC 511 Third Report Firearms Control HC 447 Fourth Report The work of the UK Border Agency HC 587 Fifth Report Police use of Tasers HC 646 Sixth Report Police Finances HC 695 Seventh Report Student Visas HC 773 Eighth Report Forced marriage HC 880 Ninth Report The work of the UK Border Agency (November 2010- HC 929 March 2011) Tenth Report Implications for the Justice and Home Affairs area of HC 789 the accession of Turkey to the European Union Eleventh Report Student Visas – follow up HC 1445 Twelfth Report Home Office – Work of the Permanent Secretary HC 928 Thirteenth Report Unauthorised tapping into or hacking of mobile HC 907 communications
Page 60 Police and Crime Commissioners 41
Fourteenth Report New Landscape of Policing HC 939 Fifteenth Report The work of the UK Border Agency (April-July 2011) HC 1497 Sixteenth Report Policing large scale disorder HC 1456 Seventeenth Report UK Border Controls HC 1647 Eighteenth Report Rules governing enforced removals from the UK HC 563 Nineteenth Report Roots of violent radicalisation HC 1446 Twentieth Report Extradition HC 644 Twenty-first Report Work of the UK Border Agency (August-Dec 2011) HC 1722
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Page 62 Agenda Item 11
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Meeting date : 19 July 2013
From: Assistant Director – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council)
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE CHAIR OF THE PANEL AND THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 This rep ort details the correspondence between the Chair and the Commissioner regarding media reports into the Commissioner’s expenses and arrangements for travelling around the county.
2.0 RECOMMENDATION
2.1 Members are asked to endorse the actions taken by the Chair in writing to the Commissioner to seek urgent clarification on matters of significant public interest and also her letter accepting his version of events.
3.0 BACKGROUND
3.1 On 19 April 2013 the Chair of the Panel wrote to the Commissioner asking him to clarify his position on a number of points regarding his use of chauffer driven vehicles and hire cars and also regarding subsequent events which gave rise to a perception in some quarters that the Commissioner may have attempted to influence operational policing matters. This letter is attached as Appendix 1.
3.2 The Chair decided to send this letter following several days of fairly extensive media interest (both locally and nationally) after a local newspaper had received information relating to invoices for hire cars and chauffer driven vehicles for the Commissioner’s use. As the Panel’s main role is to hold the Commissioner to account the Chair concluded that she should write to the Commissioner to seek some urgent clarification on these matters. This decision was taken
Page 63
in the context of heightened media interest and events which sometimes rapidly unfolded.
3.3 The Commissioner replied on 1 May and his letter is attached as Appendix 2.
3.4 These letters were then sent to Panel members on 3 May and members were asked to indicate whether they thought, in the light of them, that a special meeting to discuss these issues with the Commissioner was needed. The conclusion was that a special meeting was not required.
3.5 The Chair then wrote again to Mr Rhodes on 14 May (Appendix 3). In relation to his use of a chauffer driven car and also whether there was an attempt to influence operational policing matters she accepted his explanation of events. The Chair welcomed the fact that he had taken steps to ensure his travel arrangements now provided better value for money for local taxpayers.
3.6 The Chair went on to say though that much of the confusion and concern around the issue of influencing operational policing matters could have been avoided if statements issued had been clearer and more specific at the time. She added it was disappointing that the detail and clarity provided in his letter was not present when events were unfolding.
3.7 Members will be aware from another agenda item that these events gave rise to a number of complaints against the Commissioner. These will be dealt with through the Panel’s complaints process and are not part of this report.
4.0 CONCLUSION
4.1 Members are asked to endorse the actions taken by the Chair in writing to the Commissioner to seek urgent clarification on matters of significant public interest and also her letter accepting his version of events.
Michael Turner, Democratic Services Manager [July 2013]
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 – Letter from PCP Chair
Page 64
Appendix 2 – Response from Commissioner Appendix 3 – Reply from PCP Chair
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Background papers – the correspondence attached as appendices to this report.
Contact: Michael Turner, 01228 226373, [email protected] address.
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Page 66
Cumbria County Council The Courts Carlisle CA3 8NA 01228 226259 [email protected]
19 April 2013
Dear Mr Rhodes,
As you aware the Police and Crime Panel received a complaint dated 8 April relating to your use of a chauffer driven car on a number of occasions. The Panel was due to consider that complaint at its meeting on 19 July.
However, in light of subsequent developments widely reported in the press, including the arrests of three individuals on serious charges and your own statements on the matter, the Panel would like to offer you an opportunity to clarify your position in writing on a number of important points so that the Panel can be fully appraised of the issues prior to its next scheduled meeting.
In particular we would like your explanation and any relevant background information, to the following questions:
1. When exactly were you made aware of the amounts being spent on chauffer driven vehicles for your use?
2. When exactly did you make the decision to stop using such vehicles?
3. Your spokesperson stated that you took the decision to re-pay the costs of these trips, but only after the issue was raised in the press. When exactly did you take that decision and why did you wait until the issue became public knowledge?
4. Your office has purchased a vehicle for your use, when was this vehicle purchased, what is its value and when was it delivered?
5. You have stated that you have no influence over operational policing; however your statement said that you raised “concerns” about this issue with constabulary.
- What was the exact nature of these concerns?
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- When were they raised and how? Can you supply us with any relevant written correspondence, including emails?
- Who in your office raised the concerns and did they do so with your authority?
6. You have also stated that you have “…asked the Chief Constable to review as a matter of urgency the scale and nature of the investigation.”. Could you clarify how this relates to the earlier part of the same statement where you said you had no powers to influence operational policing? Again please supply us with any written correspondence, including emails, relevant to this request to the Chief Constable.
7. In your view has the Police response to this matter been proportionate and appropriate?
8. If relevant, can you confirm any actions you intend to take with Cumbria Constabulary in terms of reviewing and resolving this matter?
I would appreciate if you could provide written answers to these questions at the earliest opportunity as the Panel would like to consider your responses before making any decision on whether an extraordinary meeting of the Panel is required to look into this matter further.
Yours sincerely,
Celia Tibble Chair of the Cumbria Police and Crime Panel
Page 68 Richard Rhodes Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria Carleton Hall
Penrith CA10 2AU
Mrs C Tibble, Chair, In case of enquiry please Cumbria Police and Crime Panel contact: Stuart Edwards 10 Greengate Tel. 01768 217732 Seaton e-mail: Workington stuart.edwards@cumbria- Cumbria pcc.gov.uk CA14 1PH www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk Our Ref: Your Ref: Date: 1 May 2013
Dear Ms Tibble,
Thank you for your letter dated 19 April 2013. I am grateful to you for providing me with an early opportunity to explain to the Panel the true position with regard to this matter. Some of the press reporting, doubtlessly based on little information and a lot of speculation, has, I am afraid, painted a very inaccurate picture. I appreciate that the Police and Crime Panel has a statutory role to scrutinise me and that I have a duty to provide information to the Panel, subject to certain criteria including where the disclosure would prejudice the prevention or detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders or the administration of justice. My inclination is always to be as open and transparent as possible.
Before I respond to the points that you have raised I feel obliged to say that this matter is the subject of an active criminal investigation being undertaken completely independently by Cumbria Constabulary. I know that you appreciate that the Chief Constable is responsible for all operational matters. As part of that investigation I, and staff within my office, have given witness statements to the Police. The fact that this matter is currently being investigated by the Constabulary does have an impact on what I am able to say publicly. I have to bear in mind the Contempt of Court Act 1981 which makes it clear that it is a contempt to publish material which creates a substantial risk of serious prejudice or impediment to active legal proceedings. A case becomes active when people are
Page 69 arrested. The Senior Investigating Officer has had sight of the responses and the responses don’t interfere with the investigation.
In addition I would like to bring to your attention the obligations set out in Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972 that requires that matters such as the potential “leaking” of information have to be reported. From the moment they are reported then they are solely a matter for the Chief Constable. The Police and Crime Commissioner can play no part in the process, as is made clear in the Policing Protocol.
I should also emphasise that all the actions that have been undertaken by my office have been carried out in accordance with agreed policy.
I will now address each of your questions in turn.
1. When exactly were you made aware of the amounts being spent on chauffer driven vehicles for your use? After the second use of the vehicle to attend the King’s Own Border Regiment event, after which the exact amount charged became available.
2. When exactly did you make the decision to stop using such vehicles? As soon as I had details of the actual cost, some time in the week beginning 11 February 2013.
3. Your spokesperson stated that you took the decision to re-pay the costs of these trips, but only after the issue was raised in the press. When exactly did you take that decision and why did you wait until the issue became public knowledge? As you know the cost of the use of the driven vehicle was published in the press in the week ending 5 April 2013. The information would have been published on my website in due course, but not in the timescale ultimately dictated by the media. I had been uncomfortable about the cost that had been incurred from the moment I became aware about it. I had been considering repaying the cost, but there had been no imperative to make the decision quickly. Reflecting on the matter over the weekend of 6/7 April I decided to expedite the re- payment of the cost of the journeys. On 8 April 2013 I requested, through the Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer, that it be deducted from my salary payment. This was an entirely personal decision as the arrangements had been made by my office in accordance with normal procurement procedures. I should stress that this was an expense
Page 70 that was legitimately incurred. I repaid it not because I was obliged to, but because I wanted to.
4. Your office has purchased a vehicle for your use, when was this vehicle purchased, what is its value and when was it delivered? As I have stated publicly, when I was first elected the possibility of me being allocated a driver was raised. The rationale for the suggestion was the amount of travelling I would be required to undertake to attend meetings and other engagements throughout the county in my new role. I rejected the proposal as overly expensive. However, it quickly became apparent that I was undertaking a significant amount of driving and reimbursing me for the use of my own car, even at the Inland Revenue approved rate of 45p per mile, was not the best use of public money. I inherited from the former Police Authority a provided car scheme for Chief Police Officers. It was put to me that this scheme could be used to provide me with a vehicle for use in my role as Commissioner. A vehicle was already available having been purchased for use within the scheme but not allocated. It was being stored by the provider. Once it had been decided to provide me with the vehicle it took several weeks for it to be prepared and delivered. When the vehicle was delivered it had some faults which necessitated it being returned to the dealer for attention. I record all my journeys in the vehicle and reimburse the cost of my private mileage. This is a taxable benefit. The purchase price of the vehicle is not disclosable as it was purchased through a Home Office framework agreement.
5. You have stated that you have no influence over operational policing; however your statement said that you raised “concerns” about this issue with constabulary.
- What was the exact nature of these concerns?
- When were they raised and how? Can you supply us with any relevant written correspondence, including emails?
- Who in your office raised the concerns and did they do so with your authority?
The “concerns” were raised with the Constabulary by staff within my Office. The OPCC’s Section 151 Officer had a statutory duty to raise this matter – an apparent unauthorised release of information - with the Constabulary once it had been raised. As such it was not necessary for me to authorise the
Page 71 raising of concerns, though I was aware that the matter was going to be raised. The Section 151 Officer would be anxious that the matter was investigated to ascertain whether this was an isolated incident or the result of a system failure. The matter was raised at a face to face meeting with the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable, which was also attended by the Constabulary’s Chief Finance Officer. In any event it would have become public knowledge through the newspaper coverage, at which point the matter would have to have been investigated.
There is no correspondence, in any media, on this matter.
6. You have also stated that you have “…asked the Chief Constable to review as a matter of urgency the scale and nature of the investigation.”. Could you clarify how this relates to the earlier part of the same statement where you said you had no powers to influence operational policing? Again please supply us with any written correspondence, including emails, relevant to this request to the Chief Constable. This is an operational matter and it is therefore a matter for the Chief Constable. I am sure he constantly reviews all operations. As you rightly say I have no powers to influence operational policing, though I do have overall responsibility for budgetary matters. I have not put this request to the Chief Constable. There is no correspondence in any form on this matter.
7. In your view has the Police response to this matter been proportionate and appropriate? It would be inappropriate for me to comment on this question.
8. If relevant, can you confirm any actions you intend to take with Cumbria Constabulary in terms of reviewing and resolving this matter? I do not have any authority to resolve this matter – it is subject to an active criminal investigation and, in addition, the staff involved are under the line management of the Constabulary.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Rhodes Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria
Page 72
Cumbria County Council The Courts Carlisle CA3 8NA 01228 226259 [email protected]
14 May, 2013
Dear Mr Rhodes,
Thank you for your response to our questions in your letter dated 9 May 2013. We note your comments about your involvement in the ongoing police investigation and accept the limitations this puts on your ability to answer some of our questions.
In relation to your use of a chauffer driven car we accept your explanation of events and welcome the fact that you have taken steps to ensure your travel arrangements now provide better value for money for local taxpayers.
In relation to the question of whether there was an attempt to influence operational policing matters we also accept your explanation. However, much of the confusion and concern around this issue could have been avoided if statements you issued had been clearer and more specific at the time. Indeed you state in your letter that you in fact did not do something that, in previous statements at the time, you said you did. I am sure you will appreciate the uncertainty this has caused.
In short, it is disappointing that the detail and clarity provided in your letter was not present when events were unfolding.
Should new information come to light as a result of the ongoing police investigation it would, of course, be necessary for the Panel to look at these issues again, but we accept the reponses you have provided at this time as adequately addressing our concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Celia Tibble Chair of Cumbria Police and Crime Panel
Page 73 This page is intentionally left blank
Page 74 Agenda Item 12
Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Report
Police and Crime Plan- Monitoring of Objectives
Date: 2nd July 2013 Agenda Item No: 12 (2) Originating Officer: Nicola Broomfield, Partnerships and Strategy Manager
Executive Summary: This report provides an update on the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan 2013-17, ‘Making Cumbria an Even Safer Place’. It focuses on work in two priority areas within the Plan, alcohol and drugs, which are significant contributing factors in many crimes and antisocial behaviour.
Recommendation: That the Panel notes the report.
1. Introduction & Background
1.1 The Commissioner developed the Police and Crime Plan in consultation with the Chief Constable and following engagement with the public and partner organisations around their priorities. This included an online survey and series of public events across the county. The Police and Crime Panel considered the draft plan and its comments also influenced the final objectives, particularly the prioritisation of domestic abuse. The resulting plan sets out the following key objectives: • Ensure Cumbria remains a safe place to live, work and visit by keeping crime at low levels, particularly violent crime and thefts • Reduce the impact antisocial behaviour has on our communities • Reduce the impact of alcohol misuse on our communities • Tackle the problem of drug supply in the county • Reduce the impact irresponsible driving has on our communities • Keep our rural communities safe by tackling crime and disorder in rural areas • Provide justice for the victim by detecting crime and bringing criminals to justice • Address offender behaviour to reduce adult and youth offending and reoffending • Establish a collaborative approach to providing support and assistance to vulnerable veterans to assist them to remain clear of criminal activity • Reduce harm by targeting domestic abuse and sexual violence • Reduce the harm caused by hate crime • Give due consideration to public opinion in policing matters
Page 75 • Ensure victims of crime have access to support and redress
1.2 The Panel has proposed monitoring the Plan by focussing on several objectives at each meeting. It requested that the objectives relating to alcohol and drugs should be covered at this meeting.
2. Alcohol Harm
2.1 The cost of dealing with alcohol-related crime and licensing in Cumbria is estimated at £60.4million per year. This is before we even consider the wider harm it does to families and the wider community. Based on current figures, alcohol is a factor in more than half of all violent crime in the county. Despite this, reducing alcohol harm has not had the same level of priority in the county as drugs, albeit there are some examples of good work and a partnership strategy was in place in the past. I therefore made it my ambition to raise the profile of the impact on families and the wider community of underage, problem or excessive drinking and to work with partners to address the harm it causes through preventative activities as well as enforcement.
2.2 A key initial area of work has been to develop an Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy jointly with the Constabulary to increase the prioritisation of its work in relation to alcohol and ensure a consistent approach across the county. I have been keen to ensure that targeting underage drinking and the importance of education are recognised within this.This strategy will see work focussing on 4 groups of people who can cause harm or be affected by alcohol: • Under 18s who drink alcohol • Antisocial drinkers • Hazardous and harmful drinkers • Families and partners Following a recent internal workshop to share good practice within the Constabulary and look at ways to overcome challenges, the Strategy and Action Plan is now being rolled out across the force. Public events around this work are being organised for September.
2.3 Examples of the work that the Constabulary already undertakes include the ‘It’s Your Choice’ scheme which involves parents, Alcohol Outreach Workers and a multiagency group in a series of escalating interventions aimed at young people whose behaviour is of concern. Work with licensed premises and the licensing authorities will continue to be crucial, such as the Pubwatch Scheme, where premises in an area work together on improving safety and agree to ban individuals who are violent, dealing drugs or commit antisocial behaviour. Other areas which will be further developed include education initiatives and ensuring that the link to alcohol is recorded on all incidents and crimes to ensure weahve a full picture of the impact of alcohol. As Police and Crime Commissioner, I have undertaken to review and encourage the sharing of data between agencies, as we suspect that are many more alcohol-related incidents which are not reported to the police.
2.2 As well as pushing forward with the Constabulary’s activities around alcohol harm, I am involved in developing a new Cumbria Alcohol Strategy with partner organisations such as the County and district councils. This seeks to address the broader impacts on health and
Page 76 the economy, as well as alcohol-related offending. In addition, I have provided funding to target alcohol-related harm through crime and disorder grants given to Community Safety Partnerships, all of whom intend to commission projects on violent crime, education related to alcohol for young people or awareness raising about safe drinking. The grants I have provided to councils are supporting the Friday Night Project for young people in West Cumbria and a multi-use games area and a summer sports programme in Eden, which will provide positive activities for young people to become involved in, some of whom may otherwise have become involved in underage drinking.
2.3 Since taking office, I have been involved in various campaigns around drink driving and domestic abuse, which sadly tends to increase during the Christmas festivities. I have also made a case for minimum pricing for alcohol in the off-trade, including a joint response with the Constabulary to the Government’s consultation on this area. In the future, I will continue to support and lead campaigns to raise the profile of alcohol harm publically.
3. Drugs
3.1 In developing the Police and Crime Plan, I ensured that the Constabulary had the capability to tackle organised crime groups who are responsible for bringing drugs into the county. Building up evidence on these groups’ activities can take a long time but recent high profile convictions show that this pays off. This work also includes identifying and removing cannabis farms. I have seen how the Constabulary is tackling drugs at a local level through Neighbourhood Policing Teams, who identify local problems and work to prevent dealing on the street or in pubs. Through my work with partners, I also have the opportunity to ensure that work to tackle drug-related crime and drugs rehabilitation is in place.
3.2 I scrutinise Constabulary performance in relation to tackling drug trafficking in a number of ways. This has included in-depth visits to relevant departments such as the Criminal Investigation Department and observation of ‘tasking’ processes which decide on the allocation of specialist and local resources between different threats, including organised crime groups. I also receive a regular report on the outcomes of organised crime work, including anonymised information on the level of threat of groups, the type of intervention being used and outcomes such arrests and cash or drugs seized. This has given me confidence that the threats and risks are being managed well within the resources available.
4. Other key developments
4.1 Two important projects are now underway to map existing services, look for gaps and identify areas for improvement in key areas of my Police and Crime Plan. From late 2014, I will receive the Victims’ Surcharge, a charge levied on offenders at court, and will have the ability to commission support services for victims in the county. One of my projects is therefore mapping services for victims in the county and is engaging a broad range of Third sector and public organisations to understand the current picture. This work is being led by a professional lead from Victim Support currently working within my Office. I intend to hold a conference in the autumn for partners to discuss the initial findings of this work and to develop a Victims’ Strategy which will support us to move towards joined-up services for victims in the county.
Page 77
4.2 Another area I am currently focussing on is sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking. In the past, we have not recognised the full extent of these problems in Cumbria so I am keen to understand what services are in place and how these could be built on. Alongside this, tackling domestic abuse continues to be a priority for me and I am currently reviewing not just those services available to victims but also what other projects are in place, such as the education is available to young people. A third area of my Plan which I am currently progressing is restorative justice and I am working with partner agencies to ensure that we make full use of the potential of this way of dealing with incidents. These three areas are being led by a professional expert from the Probation Trust.
4.3 I will be happy to provide an update to the Panel at a future meeting once this work is completed. The project aims to involve as many organisations in relevant fields as possible within the time available so I would welcome any suggestions from the Panel as to organisations who should be contacted.
Page 78 Agenda Item 13
Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Report
Annual Report 2012-13
Date: 19th July 2013 Agenda Item No: 13 Originating Officer: Nicola Broomfield, Partnerships and Strategy Manager
Executive Summary: This report presents the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Annual Report, covering the period 22 nd November 2012 to 31 st March 2013. It outlines the main content of the Annual Report, which covers how the Commissioner has carried out his functions and his key achievements. The Panel is invited to ask questions about the content of the Annual Report.
Recommendation: That the Panel considers the Annual Report
1. Detail
1.1. The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act requires Police and Crime Commissioners to produce an Annual Report for each financial year. The report must cover how the Commissioner has carried out his statutory functions, such as setting the budget, developing a Police and Crime Plan and holding the Chief Constable to account. The Annual Report for Cumbria’s Commissioner therefore highlights key areas of work undertaken in the time period, as well as details of priorities for the future in the Police and Crime Plan. These achievements include: • Establishing the Office of Victim Services; • Providing funding to continue the Integrated Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy and Support Service, along with the County Council; • Developing the Police and Crime Plan for 2013-17; • Setting the budget and council tax precept for policing, including securing the maintenance of police officer numbers for 2 years; • Provided funding to district councils tackle antisocial behaviour; • Making crime and disorder grants to Community Safety Partnerships to support local projects to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour; • Working with district councils and the Constabulary to look at a countywide solution for CCTV;
Page 79 • Developing an Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy with the Constabulary to give higher priority to and co-ordinate police activity to address alcohol-related harm, to support wider work by partners; • Becoming a funding partner in the Youth Offending Service; • Working on key strategic partnerships, including chairing Safer Cumbria Direction Group and participating in Cumbria Leaders’ Board, and meeting with a broad range of organisations, groups, MPs and council leaders to hear about their priorities; • Listening to local people, through a range of events, speaking at meetings and a consultation exercise on the draft Police and Crime Plan, which helped shape the final Plan; • Holding the Chief Constable to account for providing an efficient and effective police service; • Establishing the Office of Public Engagement.
The Report also provides information on the Police and Crime Panel and Joint Audit and Standards Committee’s role.
1.2. Given that the Commissioner has not yet been in post for a year, advice was sought from the Home Office as to whether the Annual Report was required and the time period it should cover. It advised that the Report should cover the period from taking office to 31 st March 2013. This Annual Report has therefore covered that time period, rather the whole of the previous financial year.
1.3. The Annual Report has been set out in a way, and to a level of detail, which is interesting and informative for the general public. It is proposed to publish the Report on the Commissioner’s website and to print a limited number of copies which would be available on request and can be distributed at surgeries, events and to partners. The Commissioner can publish the Annual Report in a format which he deems appropriate. This approach builds on the experience of what worked for the Police and Crime Plan and is felt to provide the best value for money. The option to obtain a translated version of the Annual Report will be made to enable non-English speakers to read it, and Braille and large print versions will also be offered. Printed copies will be sent on request to those not able to access it online.
2. Supplementary information
The Annual Report is appended to this covering report.
Page 80 MAKING CUMBRIA AN EVEN SAFER PLACE
ANNUAL REPORT 2012 - 2013 Page 81 A!!)EFGAHIJIGK
The Police and Crime Panel’s role is to hold the Police and Crime Commissioner to MESSAGE FROM account and see how I am carrying out my responsibilities. POLICE AND CRIME The Panel is made up of 10 County and district councillors from across Cumbria, plus 8399(77(3:;< two independent members. As well as questioning me on my progress, it agreed my RICHARD RHODES budget and proposed increase in the police council tax, as well as contributing to the development of the Police =!'8>%/,1*!'(,!#'@.015$'*A2'8,1%$'8.%%1!!1.A$,B'%"'1A1#1*0'!1C'%.A#)!'1A' and Crime Plan. .-(5$')*+$'/$$A'+$,"'/>!"&'D)1!'=AA>*0'<$E.,#'!$#!'.>#').F'(')*+$'5*,,1$2' out my role since I replaced the Police Authority on 22nd November through Further information is available #.'#)$'$A2'.-'#)$'(A*A51*0'"$*,'*#'9*,5)'GHIJ& on the Panel’s website at www.cumbriapcp.org.uk My initial priority was to understand the issues affecting Cumbria and where best to focus my efforts $.+"(&;)-(6&;"3)"/&.&($3&"*8'()%&8&.3;<"=";*/.* 6$.3"'()')(3*)."),"85"3*8&"#$;">&&.";'&.3"8&&3*./" The Joint Independent Audit Page 82 local people and community groups across the county, as well as holding discussions with organisations and Standards Committee has working with victims and offenders. I have also examined how the police are performing and whilst there been established to check that are areas I have asked the Chief Constable to focus on, I am pleased to say that Cumbria continues to be I have the right governance a safe place to live, work and visit. These are challenging economic times but even in these early days, systems and controls in place. we have taken important steps in addressing a number of issues, including antisocial behaviour, alcohol and domestic abuse. I have also contributed to national discussions on a number of issues affecting You can find more information the county, including alcohol pricing and changes to the Probation Service. As a representative on the OFFICEÊOFÊ about how I am carrying out my national Criminal Justice Board for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, I will continue role on my website to speak up for the needs of Cumbria in the future. With the plans I have put in place for the next three www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk years, I now look forward to making Cumbria an even safer place. VICTIMÊSERVICES You can also contact my office on 01768 217734 or email Richard Rhodes As Police and Crime Commissioner, I am committed to ensuring that [email protected] Police and Crime Commissioner the needs of victims of crime assume priority in the criminal justice !"!#$%&'(')*+$'#)$,$-.,$'$!#*/01!)$2'#)$'3-(5$'.-'615#1%'7$,+15$!'-,.%' within existing staff resources, to secure the provision of practical and emotional support to innocent victims of crime. It has four important roles: If you have any comments about the Police and Crime Commissioner’s work or would like to become ' Understanding victims’ experiences and what support they need; *A'(A2$E$A2$A#'8>!#.2"'61!1#.,'#)$A'E0$*!$'2.'A.#')$!1#*#$'#.'5.A#*5#'>!K ' Directing victims to appropriate support; !"#$%&'()*`,-(.*(/0-(1.2&,-('34(!%&#-(!.##&55&.3-% ' Standing up for the interests of victims, both within Cumbria Telephone:Ê 01768Ê217734 and nationally; Email: ,.##&55&.3-%6,"#$%&'78,,9:.;9"< ' Supporting me to identify what services to commission when ===9,"#$%&'78,,9:.;9"< some responsibilities for funding victim services transfer to me in autumn 2014. /=&//-%9,.#>,"#$%&'8,, *',-$..<9,.#>,"#$%&'8,, !"#$%&"'()%*+&+",-.+*./0"$1)./"2*3#"4)-.35"4)-.6*1"$.+"7)8&"9, 6&0" PostalÊaddress: !'%2-/.3(?'22@(1-3%&/0(!ABC(DAE to continue the Integrated Independent Domestic Violence Advocacy and Support Service which provides assistance to victims of domestic A2/-%3'/&;-(*.%#'/5 abuse. Victims who are at high risk are supported by this service to help D)1!',$E.,#'5*A'/$'%*2$'*+*10*/0$'1A'0*,L$'E,1A#'.,'1A'.#)$,'0*AL>*L$!&' increase their safety and well-being, with the aim of reducing or stopping If you need this report in an alternative format, please contact us via one of the methods shown above. the abuse. L)MNIFO(G)OPG?PM(Ê TOÊPREVENTÊCRIME MY PRIORITY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH LOCAL AGENCIES AND GROUPS TO SOLVE THE DEEP-ROOTED PROBLEMS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO CRIME AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR.
D)1!'1A50>2$!K
' Becoming Chair of the Safer ' Sponsoring the Cumbria AFGIQ)!IAJÊ Cumbria Partnership Direction Magistrates’ Court Mock Group, which brings together Trial Competition. public services such as councils, ' Working with the Strategic health, probation and voluntary WE ASKED... Independent Advisory Group, Ê /()-';"2)(?*./"*." &1+;";-6#" which helps the police to YOU SAID... HP?ARI)EM as domestic abuse support, to understand the implications tackle crime and disorder. of their procedures for diverse WE DID! ' Working with leaders and chairs groups such as those who are CRIME of the county’s key public and transgender, with disabilities 71A5$'#*M1AL'.-(5$B'(')*+$' AND or from black or ethnic voluntary sector agencies as a met with local groups, spoken member of the Cumbria Leaders’ minority backgrounds. to members of the public
Board. I am now also a member ' and considered their letters
Page 83 Listening to local people’s of the Health and Well-Being priorities through speaking and emails regularly. During Board, to help address alcohol, ' I have provided funding to equipment before planning becoming offenders and to stop to parish councils, Rotary January and February, I ran a district councils to sustain and commissioning of a them reoffending. Speaking drug and mental health issues and Probus Clubs and series of engagement events, existing projects and centralised system. to young offenders myself has which are often contributing Neighbourhood Forums. met with public and voluntary introduce new initiatives to reinforced the importance of factors in crime. organisations, conducted an tackle antisocial behaviour, breaking the cycle of offending. online survey and drew on a Alcohol ' Supporting local awards such a top community concern. In range of previous consultation ' The cost to deal with alcohol- as those given by Carlisle City addition, I have made crime to help develop my Police and related crime and licensing in Rural Crime Council and Love Barrow. and disorder grants to local Crime Plan and budget. Cumbria has been estimated ' Local people made it clear projects through the Community at £60.4million: that’s £122 to me that rural communities Safety Partnerships. This Your priorities were: per person. Tackling alcohol must not be forgotten. I have includes extending the Friday ' Road safety misuse is now a higher priority therefore ensured rural crime Night Project for young people for the police and a joint plan is a focus for the Constabulary, ' Antisocial behaviour in West Cumbria and improving has been developed for police including commissioning a ' Domestic abuse and lighting, signs and barriers activity to reduce harm and Rural Crime Strategy that will in parks and areas subject to sexual violence to support the wider strategy address the concerns of the persistent antisocial driving ' Tackling alcohol and drug under development by the rural communities. In addition, and vandalism in Carlisle. health service, councils and I have secured a commitment abuse which leads to crime Other initiatives supported others in the county. I helped that a police representative will ' Police visibility include a summer holiday raise awareness of important attend parish council meetings sports programme in Eden campaigns on drink driving whenever possible to ensure D)$!$'E,1.,1#1$!')*+$' and the multi-use games area and domestic abuse, which rural communities have an helped shape the Police in Brough. unfortunately often increase opportunity to feed in their and Crime Plan. during the Christmas period. concerns and priorities. ' CCTV was at risk of being switched off across the county so I have been working with Youth Justice all six district councils and the ' I have become a funding police to look at a potential partner in the Youth Offending county-wide solution. This Service, which aims to reduce includes an audit of existing the number of young people OFFICEÊ OFÊ EFFECTIVEÊÊ 1EHJI!(Ê 1)JI!IFO PFOAOPWPFG !"#$%&"&;3$>1*;#&+"85"9, 6&"),"A->1*6"B./$/&8&.3"3)"'()%*+&"$"+*(&63" route for members of the public to share their experiences and concerns. C#&"9, 6&"*;"*.+&'&.+&.3"),"3#&"')1*6&0";3$,,&+",()8"2*3#*."85"&D*;3*./" team, and handles public correspondence, as well as holding I('#(82-'5-4(/.(5'S(/0'/( ' 90% of victims surveyed Constable to focus on this was an on-going independent MP-style surgeries, engagement events and attending agricultural !"#$%&'(,.3/&3"-5(/.($-('( 2&(&";$3*; &+"2*3#"3#&"2#)1&" aspect as it is important we investigation into the conduct shows. Feedback it receives is considered on a regular basis at my 5'*-(82',-(/.(2&;-@(=.%<('34( experience of dealing with bring criminals to justice. of suspended Temporary Executive Board, to support decisions about the strategic direction of the ;&5&/('34(/0-(!.35/'$"2'%S(&5( the police. Chief Constable Hyde, which police and to help hold the Chief Constable to account for the quality of
Page 84 8-%*.%#&3:(=-229 ' =";*/.* 6$.3"*.6(&$;&"*." I reviewed early on. The the policing service delivered to the public. ' £11.5m savings have been serious violent crimes. This allegations must be addressed T"%&3:(DCBD7BUV Ê delivered in the past two years followed changes in national in an appropriate manner, in Surgeries and events are publicised via the local media and my to balance the budget. ' We had some of the lowest rules for recording violent line with the legislative scheme website www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk. levels of overall crime, crimes. I have scrutinised this and I made the decision that 71A5$'#*M1AL'.-(5$'.A'GGA2' burglary, criminal damage, area and launched a review the suspension must remain :.+$%/$,'GHIGB'(')*+$' theft, vehicle crime, sexual to ensure robust quality data. examined crime levels and public whilst the investigation is offences and violence in conducted. I have reviewed satisfaction regularly, as well as ' Seeking for a further reduction the country. this every four weeks. The monitoring police performance in *."), 6&("$.+";3$,,";*6?.&;;"$.+" investigation by South Wales ' Crime fell by 11%. a range of areas such as tackling further improvements in the time Police has been extensive and organised crime and child taken to answer non-emergency ' Antisocial behaviour time consuming. Her Majesty’s protection. Regular performance calls. 91% of 999 calls were reduced by 1%. Inspectorate of Constabulary review meetings, alongside answered within 10 seconds. audits and visits to departments, has also been involved. ' Assaults resulting in an injury reduced by 17%. have allowed me to scrutinise ' Ensuring further work is done whether the Constabulary is to increase the reporting of hate Working with other Police and ' Burglary in a dwelling .E$,*#1AL'$--$5#1+$0"B'$-(51$A#0"B' crime, which fell in 2012-13, Crime Commissioners in the reduced by 3%. with integrity and promoting equal through implementing a North West of England, I have opportunities, both in engaging multi-agency action plan. overseen the collaboration ' The number of people killed the public and as an employer. between police forces in the and seriously injured on our I have held the Chief Constable ' Prioritising improvement in the ,$L1.A&'D)1!')*!'1A50>2$2' roads fell by 20%. to account for the small level of satisfaction of victims making training to police ' 2% more domestic abuse number of areas performing of antisocial behaviour and the .-(5$,!'*A2'!#*--'%.,$'5.!#' incidents were reported to below expectation. reporting of and detection of effective by developing one
the police, which we feel is rapes. Reviews are currently shared training department G0&5(&3,2"4-5V a sign of victims having more underway and action plans will for both Cumbria and 6). +&.6&"3)"6)8&",)(2$(+<" ' A small reduction in the be put in place. Lancashire Constabularies. There were fewer victims proportion of crimes detected. suffering further abuse in This was expected, due to As Commissioner, I have high risk cases being the removal of unaffordable responsibility for the appointment dealt with through a checking processes in early of the Chief Constable. When I multi-agency approach. 2012. I have asked the Chief 3))?"), 6&"*."@)%&8>&(0"3#&(&" IFTP1PFTPFG(!EQG)TK(RIQIG)MQ AND AFIWAJ(LPJXAMP(Q!?PWP C#&"9, 6&"),"3#&"A)1*6&"$.+"4(*8&"4)88*;;*).&(")%&(;&&;"$";6#&8&" of 48 independent volunteers, who visit police cells to check on the welfare of people held in custody. During the last year, 12 new volunteers have joined the scheme. Custody Visitors made 169 visits to custody suites in 2012-13 and spoke to 192 detainees. I am pleased to say that no major *;;-&;"*."3#&"')1*6&"3(&$38&.3"),"+&3$*.&&;"2&(&"*+&.3* &+<" Animal welfare volunteers observe Cumbria’s police dogs in action and check on their welfare. To date, they have found that the dogs are treated well.
Find out more at www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk/working-for-you/custody-visiting
1MI)MIGIPQ(X)M(G?P( XEGEMP( THEÊPOLICEÊ ANDÊCRIMEÊPLAN
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Page 86 Agenda Item 14
Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Report
Title: OPCC Risk Management Strategy
Date: 19 July 2013 Agenda Item No: 14 Originating Officer: Ruth Hunter, Chief Finance Officer CC:
Executive Summary:
Risk management involves the identification, assessment and prioritisation of risks and taking action to control, minimise and monitor them. Risks are threats that have potential to impact on the organisation and the delivery of objectives and services. Risk management activity ensures we protect against negative threats whilst recognising and taking advantage of positive opportunities
Recommendation:
That the Panel notes the contents of the report and the OPCC Risk Management Strategy
1. Introduction & Background
1.1 The OPCC risk management strategy sets out the governance arrangements in respect of the management of risk including arrangements for holding to account the Chief Constable for the management of risks within the force. The strategy was approved by the Commissioner in April 2013 and will be reviewed on an annual basis.
2. Issues for Consideration
2.2 The strategy sets out the Commissioner’s objectives in respect of risk management and the arrangements in place for meeting those objectives through a risk management framework. The framework incorporates clear roles and responsibilities for risk management and a methodology for assessing risk and mitigating actions. A copy of the Commissioner’s risk strategy is attached at appendix 2).
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3. Joint Audit & Standards Committee Role
The Commissioner and the Chief Constable are legally required to have an audit committee. The purpose of the committee is to provide an independent assurance function in respect of the arrangements for governance. This includes assurance on financial and non-financial performance where there is an implication for exposure to risk or where there may be a weakening of the internal control environment. The committee is responsible for assurance on the overall adequacy of risk management arrangements and will oversee the financial reporting process.
As part of the committee’s terms of reference (copy attached at appendix 1) they have responsibility for:-
Corporate Risk Management
§ To monitor the effective development and operation of risk management within the OPCC and Constabulary. § Approving the OPCC and Constabulary corporate risk management strategy and framework; ensuring that an appropriate framework is in place for assessing and managing key risks to the OPCC and Constabulary. § To assess, monitor and manage risks as to the Committee’s effectiveness.
Both the Commissioner and the Chief Constable will be audited on their risk management policies and processes and therefore the Commissioner must demonstrate robust procedures to oversee risk management not only within the OPCC but also within the Constabulary. Many risks identified and encountered by the Constabulary will have an effect on the work carried out by, or the reputation of, the OPCC.
The Joint Audit & Standards Committee receives quarterly reports on the OPCC and the Constabulary strategic risk registers as part of their committee remit. By scrutinising and monitoring of the registers they can provide assurance that proper and adequate controls are in place.
4. Implications
4. 1 Financial Comments Effective risk management practices support the reduction of risks that may have financial implications.
4.2 Legal Comments The risk management strategy supports the overall arrangements for governance and is underpinned by strategic and operational risk registers that seek to manage the risks pertaining to legal and governance within operational practice.
4.3 Risk Implications
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The risk management strategy ensures risks are identified, assessed and managed with clear ownership of the risk and activity to mitigate its impact. The strategy seeks to encourage risk taking where this has clear positive benefits.
4.4 HR / Equality Comments Key staff roles are identified within the strategy with responsibility for areas of risk management.
Ruth Hunter Chief Finance Officer Cumbria Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner
Appendix 1
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Audit and Standards Committee Terms of Reference
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the committee is to provide an independent assurance function in respect of the arrangements for governance. This includes assurance on financial and non-financial performance where there is an implication for exposure to risk or where there may be a weakening of the internal control environment. The committee is responsible for assurance on the overall adequacy of risk management arrangements and will oversee the financial reporting process. The committee will deal with all Standards matters.
Audit Activity
§ To approve the Annual Audit Plan. § To consider the head of internal audit’s annual report and opinion, and a summary of internal audit activity and the level of assurance it can give over the PCC’s and Chief Constable’s corporate governance arrangements. § To consider internal and external audit and inspection reports and a report on the implementation of agreed audit recommendations. § To consider reports dealing with the management and performance of the providers of internal audit services. § To consider the external auditor’s annual letter, relevant reports, and the report to those charged with governance, ie the PCC and the Chief Constable, including the Annual Governance Statement and any changes to the local code of governance. § To consider specific reports as agreed with the external auditor. § To comment on the scope and depth of external audit work and to ensure it gives value for money. § To commission and monitor the effectiveness of the work of the internal and external audit services. § Advising on the appointment of external auditors
Regulatory Framework
§ To maintain an overview of the constitution in respect of contract procedures rules, financial regulations and codes of conduct and behaviour. § To review any issue referred to it by the statutory officers of the PCC and/or the Constabulary statutory officers. § To oversee the production of the PCC’s and Chief Constable’s Governance Statement and to
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recommend its adoption. § To monitor OPCC and Constabulary arrangements for anti-fraud and corruption and the OPCC and Chief Constable’s complaints processes. § To oversee the arrangements for corporate governance and agree necessary actions to ensure compliance with best practice. § To consider the PCC and Chief Constable’s compliance with its own and other published standards and controls.
Financial Reporting
§ To review the annual statement of accounts. Specifically, to consider whether appropriate accounting policies have been followed and whether there are concerns arising from the financial statements or from the audit that need to be brought to the attention of the PCC/Chief Constable. § To consider the external auditor’ report to those charged with governance on issues arising from the audit of accounts and to report these to the OPCC and Chief Constable. § To consider reports dealing with treasury management activity in compliance with the treasury management code of practice.
Corporate Risk Management
§ To monitor the effective development and operation of risk management within the OPCC and Constabulary. § Approving the OPCC and Constabulary corporate risk management strategy and framework; ensuring that an appropriate framework is in place for assessing and managing key risks to the OPCC and Constabulary.
Standards Activity
§ Monitoring the operation and effectiveness of the PCCs’ Code of Conduct § Monitoring the operation and effectiveness of the PCC’s /Officer Protocol. § Granting dispensation to the PCC from requirements relating to interest set out in the PCC’s Code of Conduct. § To hear and determine appeals in relation to the OPCC’s personnel policies and decisions of the Chief Executive where appropriate. § To hear and determine appeals by Independent Custody Visitors and Independent Members of Police Misconduct Panels from decisions of the Chief Executive.
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Miscellaneous
§ To receive any reports as necessary to the fulfilling of the statement of purpose and terms of reference § To periodically review the effectiveness of the committee in fulfilling its role.
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Cumbria Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Risk Management Strategy 2012/2013
Page 93 C o n t e n t s P a g e | 2
Contents
Page
3. Introduction
4. Our Approach to Risk Management
7. Risk Management Objectives
9. Risk Management Framework
10.Risk Management Methodology
13. Risk Management Responsibilities
15. Strategic Risk Register Template
16. Strategic Risk Register
Page 94 Introduction P a g e | 3
Introduction
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria is committed to providing the highest quality of policing services to the people of Cumbria. We do this in a constantly changing and challenging environment. This strategy is about the approach and arrangements we have in place to manage the risks we encounter in doing this.
Risk management involves the identification, assessment and prioritisation of risks and taking action to control, minimise and monitor them. Risks are threats that have potential to impact on our organisation and the delivery of our objectives and services. Sometimes they can be positive as well as negative. Risk management activity ensures we protect against negative threats whilst recognising and taking advantage of positive opportunities.
Our strategy sets out responsibilities for risk management, what we do and how we do it. It incorporates a number of key objectives and what we aim to achieve from the arrangements we have in place. In doing so our strategy provides assurance and contributes to the overall arrangements we have for governance.
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Our Approach to Risk Management
Police and Crime reduction services are delivered in a high risk environment. Like many public service organisations we are continually challenged to change the way we do things, to improve and to reduce cost. In doing this the level of risk we take as an organisation increases. Our approach to risk management recognises this by seeking to ensure we have a structured approach to manage those risks. Our approach seeks to ensure that our people and organisation are protected without stifling innovation or adversely restricting the taking of risks where we can see there are positive benefits from doing so. We describe this as being risk aware. This strategy sets out the things we have in place to embed a risk aware culture. These are:
§ Risk Management § Risk Management Objectives: Our overall aims that set Methodology: The way we review out what we want to achieve from the our risks to understand their impact and arrangements we have in place for risk decide how we will manage them
§ Risk Management § Risk Management Framework: The specific things we Responsibilities: Specific have in place that supports the delivery of responsibilities for different areas of risk our objectives for which our Commissioner, chief officers, staff, committee and auditors are accountable
The rest of this strategy sets out more information on or objectives, framework, methodology and responsibilities. It also sets out how we record our risks on our risk register and the strategic risks we currently manage.
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Risk Management Objectives
Risk management makes an important contribution in helping to achieve our aims and deliver better services. Through being aware of risk and having an understanding of its impact we can make better decisions about what and how we do things. Risk management works best when we have a culture that is risk aware. Our strategy aims to achieve this by providing a framework that helps to integrate and embed risk management into our day to day business. To do this we have identified a number of objectives that we are committed to. This section of our strategy sets out what they are and what we will do to achieve them.
Objective 1: We will ensure that Risk Objective 2: We will ensure that our management is part of the process for organisation is risk aware and that delivering policing and crime reduction in arrangements for risk management comply Cumbria through the Constabulary and our with best practice. We will do this by: wider Partners. We will do this by: § Providing communications and guidance § Maintaining an effective risk management through our website to spread good strategy, a framework through which the practice strategy is implemented and a risk § Ensuring our officers are appropriately register to manage risks trained in risk management practice § Holding the Constabulary and wider § Subjecting our risk management Partners to account in respect of their arrangements to annual review arrangements for risk management
Objective 4: We will provide a Objective 3: We will ensure that there is framework for evaluating and responding to clear ownership and accountability for risks. risks that is easy to understand and supports We will do this by: decision making. We will do this by
§ Establishing clear roles and § Setting out a framework for risk responsibilities in relation to risk management management within our strategy § Including within the framework a § Ensuring all risks on our risk register has a methodology for scoring risks and risk owner and an action owner timescale for risk review based on the risk score.
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Risk Management Framework
Our risk management framework sets out the things we have in place to manage risk and who is responsible for them. They form the substantive part of what we do to achieve our risk management objectives. The framework comprises:
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Risk Register
Our risks are recorded on a risk register. The register holds key information about each risk including a description of the risk, a score for the risk, what we are doing to manage the risk currently and any further actions we plan to take. It identifies the risk owner and the score determines how frequently that owner will review the risk to ensure we are taking appropriate action. The risk register groups risks into three risk categories; strategic risks, operational risks and project risks.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Risk Classification
Risks are grouped on our risk register into one of three classifications. The classification determines who is responsible for managing the risk and how those risks are managed. The classifications are:
§ Strategic Risks – risks that threaten the achievement of strategic objectives such as those in our policing plan and other core strategies.
§ Operational Risks – these are risks to our operating systems, service delivery and the objectives in our business plans.
§ Project Risks – risks identified as being significant to the projects being undertaken by the Commissioner.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Risk Methodology
Risk Methodology is about how we score our risks. Our strategy sets out a consistent way to do this that takes account of the impact of the risk and likelihood of it occurring. The higher the risk score the more frequently we will assess the actions that we have in place to mitigate the risk. We score both the inherent risk and the mitigated risk. The inherent risk score tells us what the impact of the risk could be if we took no action whilst the mitigated score tells us how much we have reduced the risk as a result of things we do to manage it.
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RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Strategic Planning and Business Planning
We identify most of our risks through our processes for developing strategic plans and business plans. As part of the work developing these plans consideration is given to the risks inherent in achieving our objectives. Strategic risks are incorporated within the strategic risk register which is approved by the Police and Crime Commissioner and presented to Audit Committee for scrutiny. Operational risks are included within the operational risk register and are actively managed through the Commissioner’s Office under the direction of the Chief Executive.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Project Risks
Project risks are managed very dynamically due to the more limited timescale across which projects are typically delivered. They are reviewed prior to each project board and presented to each meeting. This means that the pace of the project and the frequency of meetings is aligned to the review of risks. The terms of reference for all project boards includes responsibility for managing project risks.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Risk Review
Our overall arrangements for risk are reviewed annually by the Chief Finance Officer as part of the review of wider governance arrangements. The review is reported in the Annual Governance Statement alongside our Statement of Accounts. The Police and Crime Commissioner approves the Annual Governance Statement. The statement is subject to external audit and presented with the Accounts to our Audit Committee.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Risk Responsibility
Our strategy allocates specific roles and responsibilities to members and officers for Risk Management. This ensures there is clarity and accountability for ensuring our practices are embedded and our objectives are achieved.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Internal Audit
Our arrangements for risk management and those of the Constabulary are subject to internal audit. Our independent Audit Committee receives the findings of audit work. The Audit Committee monitors the implementation of actions following any audit recommendations.
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RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Decision Making and Risk
Our reporting formats include a section on the risk implications of any decision and course of action. This ensures that decisions are taken on an informed basis and agreement can be reached on how risks should be managed.
RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK Lead Officer for Risk
Our Governance Manager is designated as lead officer for risk. This means that one of our staff has specific responsibility for maintaining an up to date awareness of risk management practices and ensuring we embed a risk aware culture. Our lead officer attends risk management meetings with the Constabulary to assure their arrangements and that our risk registers are aligned where it is appropriate. This is one of the ways we hold the constabulary to account for their risk management arrangements.
Collectively this framework ensures that we have a systematic approach to managing our risks. It facilitates proper consideration of the implications of decisions and actions and provides a mechanism through which we can evaluate how well our approach is working in practice. Internal and external audit provide a further layer of validation and scrutiny of our arrangements.
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Risk Management Methodology
This strategy adopts a risk management methodology to assess the impact of a risk should it materialise and the likelihood of this happening. This methodology plays an important part in determining how much attention we need to give to managing specific risks through helping us to consider the implications should they arise. The methodology involves scoring risks based on the likelihood of the risk happening and the impact. It uses a 5x5 matrix that produces a risk score of between 1 and 25.
Risk Likelihood Risk Impact
Very Low: A risk has a very low score if Very Low: The impact for a very low 1the likelihood of it happening is less than 1 score has to be insignificant. This would 5% over 100 years. Basically, it could mean no service disruption or financial happen but it is most likely that this would losses, no press interest or no obvious harm never happen. or injury from the risk arising.
Low: A risk has a low score if the Low: There is some implication for 2likelihood of it happening is between 5% 2 services, financial loss or some harm but and 25% at some point in the next 25 these are only slight. There could be years. This means we don’t expect it to some reputational impact but this would be happen but it is possible. short term. The overall impact would not last beyond a 2 to 6 month period. Medium: A risk has a medium score if the 3likelihood of it happening is between 20% Medium: There is service interruption, and 65% over the next 10 years. This 3 significant financial loss, injury, and means it may happen occasionally. adverse publicity with some reputational damage and/or legal implications. The overall High: A risk has a high score is there is a impact would last between 6 months and a 465% to 90% likelihood of it happening at year. some point over the next 3 years. Basically, it probably will happen but it won’t High: The implications on service be too often. 4 provision are significant, there is major financial loss, fatality, major adverse Very High: A risk has a very high score if publicity and/or major loss of confidence in 5there is a 90% or more chance of it the organisation. The overall impact would happening every year last between one and two years.
Very High: We could not fulfil our 5 obligations, incurred severe financial loss, multiple fatalities occurred with highly damaging implications for our reputation and a severe loss of public confidence. The overall impact would be expected to last for more than two years.
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RISK MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY Using the Methodology
There are a number of steps to using our methodology to ensure that risks are effectively considered and appropriate controls are put in place to manage them.
Firstly the inherent or base risk is calculated. This is the risk score that would result if there is no action taken to manage the risk. Using the matrix above a score would be calculated by multiplying the likelihood score with the impact score. It is important to understand this base risk. It helps us to assess what might happen if the measures we put in place to manage the risk fails or if we put nothing in place. It supports decision making on the level of effort that should be directed towards reducing the risk.
Once the base risk has been scored, consideration is given to what we can do and what we are doing to reduce the risk. These are our risk control measures. The risk is then scored again, taking into account the effects of our actions. This produces a mitigated risk score against which we can then decide to do one of four things:
§ Take/Tolerate - We decide to accept the risk and take no further measures
§ Transfer - We transfer all or part of the risk, for example through insurance or to other agencies/contractors
§ Reduce - We introduce additional control measures to reduce the risk
§ Avoid– We aim to eliminate the risk, for example by ceasing to provide a service or by doing something a different way
If we choose to transfer, treat or terminate the risk we then update our mitigated risk score once these actions have been taken. The overall inherent and mitigated risks scores are reviewed cyclically with the score determining how often we do the review. Risks with scores of 12 and over are reviewed every 6 months. All other risks are reviewed annually. The exception is project risks that are reviewed at each project board meeting due to the limited life of project activity and the impact of risk on project delivery.
The inherent and mitigated risk score, control measures and any additional planned control measures are documented within our risk register. The register identifies the review frequency and the officer responsible for managing the risk. Strategic risks under the direction of Police and Crime commissioner are presented annually to Audit Committee with this risk strategy.
Page 102 Risk Management Responsibilities P a g e | 11
Risk Management Responsibilities
Our strategy allocates specific responsibilities to key individuals, committees and boards to ensure clear lines of accountability for managing risk. This section of our strategy sets out those responsibilities.
RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES The Police and Crime Commissioner
The Police and Crime Commissioner has strategic responsibility for the overall arrangements for risk management. An annual governance statement is approved annually by the PCC which includes a commentary on the effectiveness of risk management arrangements by the Commissioner’s Chief Finance Officer.
The Commissioner is responsible for strategic risks as identified within the strategic risk register and for understanding and challenging risks as part of their processes for developing policy and decision making.
The Commissioner has responsibility for holding the Constabulary and wider partners to account for their arrangements in respect of risk management and providing public assurance of such. The PCC annually approves the risk management strategy and takes overall responsibility for the strategic risk register.
RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Chief Officers
The OPCC Chief Executive has responsibility for maintaining sound systems of internal control including risk management processes. The Chief Executive also has responsibility for ensuring an operational risk register is maintained to support the management of those risks that may impact on the delivery of the OPCC business plan.
The OPCC Chief Finance Officer reports on the effectiveness of arrangements for risk management within the Annual Governance Statement to the PCC and to the Audit Committee. The Chief Finance Officer also has responsibility for ensuring appropriate internal audit arrangements and for insurance in respect of those risks that are transferred.
RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Managers and Staff Officers
Managers and staff officers have responsibility for the operational risks arising in their service areas. They must ensure teams carry out risk assessments to inform control measures and mitigating action. They are responsible for ensuring risks that may impact on the delivery of their business objectives are recorded on the operational risk register and actively managed.
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RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Project Managers
Project managers are responsible for ensuring any project risks are actively recorded on a project risk and issues log. All risks should be scored in line with the agreed risk methodology within this risk register and reported to the project board to ensure appropriate action is taken.
RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Independent Audit and Standards Committee
The Authority and Constabulary have in place an Audit and StandardsCommittee with independent membership.
The committee will examine evidence provided by internal and external audit and other governance areas to ensure that we demonstrate we are actively managing our risks. This provides independent assurance to the PCC, Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer.
The relevant terms of reference of the audit committee are:
§ To monitor the effective development and operation of risk management within the OPCC and Constabulary.
§ Approving the OPCC and Constabulary Corporate risk management strategy and framework; ensuring that an appropriate framework is in place for assessing and managing key risks to the OPCC and Constabulary.
§ To assess, monitor and manage risks to the Committees effectiveness.
RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Internal and External Audit
Internal audit are responsible for periodically reviewing the effectiveness of risk management processes including the verification that controls are operating as intended. This source of independent assurance is a fundamental part of the evidence used to discharge our accountability for reviewing the effectiveness of our governance arrangements. External auditors will seek to place reliance on internal audit work and the Chief Finance Officer’s governance statement forming an opinion on the overall arrangements for governance.
RISK MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Lead Officer for Risk
The OPCC Governance Manager is the lead officer for risk. This responsibility includes:
§ Pro-actively driving forward the management of risk § Liaison with the Constabulary, other partners and major contractors to monitor compliance with and the effectiveness of their risk management arrangements and reporting thereon to the Police and Crime Commissioner
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§ Monitoring the implementation of the risk management action plans of both the OPCC and Constabulary § Bring to the attention of the Police and Crime Commissioner and/or Audit Committee any concerns about the arrangement for risk management § The provision of a risk register system to aid the recording, review, analysis and reporting of strategic and operational risks § Maintaining an up to date awareness of risk management practice and leading on communications and guidance to support the embedding of a risk aware culture
Page 105 Risk Register Template Page | 14
Risk Register Template
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER RISK REGISTER VERSION CONTROL NO:
Risk Mitigation Strategies: Risk Score: Impact Likelihood Avoid : Stop the risk completely or stop it having an impact. 5 Very High Very High > 90% probability Reduce : Reduce the likelihood and/or impact of the risk 4 High High 65% > 90% probability Transfer : Outsource, use contractors or insure against things going wrong 3 Medium Medium 20% > 65% probability Accept : The risk is tolerable/accepted 2 Low Low 5% > 20% probability 1 Very Low Very Low < 5% probability
Unmitigated Mitigated Score Actions Score Risk Description Risk Owner & Actions Already Taken to Outstanding Risk Response Action or Management Action Owner(s) Review Date Mitigation Strategy Mitigate the Risk Mitigation Actions Approach to be Taken if Risk Occurs Page 106 (Avoid, reduce , Impact Impact Risk Score Risk Score Likelihood Likelihood transfer, accept)
Agenda Item 15
Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Report
Office of Public Engagement Strategy
Date: 19th July 2013 Agenda Item No: 15 Originating Officer: Gill Shearer, Communications and Engagement Executive
Executive Summary: This report presents the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office of Public Engagement Strategy from 2013 to 2016. The report provides a summary at a strategic level, the direction and strategic objectives of the Office of Public Engagement.
Recommendation: That, the Panel considers the Office of Public Engagement Strategy.
1. Detail
1.1. The Commissioner has a statutory obligation to engage with communities under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
1.2. The Office of Public Engagement was established following an election manifesto pledge made by the elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Richard Rhodes.
1.3. The Office of Public Engagement has been established to guarantee a direct dialogue between the Commissioner and the general public. It has a variety of activities proposed to allow for peoples preferences of how they would like to communicate. It is understood that often people with a busy working life like to communicate from the comfort of their own home at a night while others prefer the more traditional way of face-to-face both are equally important and are included as well as a focus on equality and diversity.
1.4. The Office of Public Engagement provides a voice for the public in policing Cumbria and to ensure that people’s views are considered in key decision making including the Executive Board.
1.5. The Office of Public Engagement covers all types of communication activities including: all engagement, complaints, social media, internet and media.
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1.6. The focus of the strategy is based upon ‘we asked, you said, we did’.
1.7. The Strategy focuses on four key strategic areas: 1.7.1. Police and Crime Priorities – linking to the Police and Crime Plan 1.7.2. Budget – value for money and future levels of council tax precept 1.7.3. Quality of Service – ensuring that the police service provided meets expectations 1.7.4. Victims – consider the welfare of victims
1.8 The Office of Public Engagement has a wide variety of activities planned throughout the year covering a range of communication techniques such as; MP style surgeries, visits to town centres, county shows, online newsletters, internet.
1.9 The Strategy has already been instrumental in the formulation of the Police and Crime Plan and is helping to build a two-way dialogue with people about their needs and concerns as well as raising understanding of the Police and Crime Commissioner role.
1.9 The Strategy is a living and working document with good progress being made in meeting its monthly objectives. A small review is planned in August with a further full review in March 2014 to ensure that the objectives remain timely and to reflect the success of engagement activities.
2. Supplementary information
The Office of Public Engagement Strategy is appended to this covering report.
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Cumbria Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Office of Public Engagement Strategy 2013 -2016
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Foreword from Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner
Welcome to the Office of Public Engagement Strategy for 2013/16 which I have commissioned. The Office of Public Engagement was a key manifesto pledge and I am now pleased my vision is a reality. The Office of Public Engagement is instrumental in giving the people of Cumbria a voice in policing matters and being the public face for the Commissioner’s office as well.
As Police and Crime Commissioner, I am elected to provide a voice for the public in policing and to ensure that local people’s views are considered in deciding on police priorities. The Office of Public Engagement has been established to provide a direct route for the people to share their experiences, needs and voice concerns.
I really welcome and value people’s opinions. I have tailored some specific activities to ensure that all residents including equality and diversity have an opportunity to have their say. I would encourage as many people and organisations public, private and voluntary (paid and unpaid) as possible to become involved in the engagement activities as this is a three year plan.
The Office of Public Engagement will have a wide and varied role including public engagement, media, PR, e-communications, complaints and statutory publications.
The Office of Public Engagement will have direct input into the highest decision making forum, the Executive Board, ensuring that public opinion informs the strategic direction of policing and community safety work in the county. Public engagement can lead to new, more creative and often more cost effective solutions to policy issues.
Already some good public engagement takes place within Cumbria especially at district and county level and it will be key to link with partners to ensure that we connect, develop and bring resources to boost activity so that people feel they are able to make a difference by their contribution.
The challenge is now to implement the strategy so that communities feel informed, involved and empowered in the future policing of Cumbria. A critical benefit of this strategymust be that by the next election that the people of Cumbria have the ability to make a contribution and a better understanding of the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Richard Rhodes Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria
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Part One: The Policy on Community Engagement and Participation
1. Introduction
The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) is being established following an election manifesto pledge made by the elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Richard Rhodes.
It will guarantee a direct dialogue between the Police and Crime Commissioner(Commissioner) and value the opinions of the people of Cumbria. Information gathered by the OPE will form an integral part of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan which sets out the future policing priorities for the next three years.
The OPE will be pro-active as well as reactive and will cover the core business areas of; community engagement, communications including media and complaints.
The Commissioner has a statutory obligation to engage with communities under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 as well as to consider the welfare of victims.
The Office of Public Engagement strategy will run alongside the Constabulary engagement as well as in conjunction with the existing partners work at district councils and the county council.
2. Our Commitment
The OPE will give due consideration and value to public opinion in policing matters.
3. Objective
To ensure communities are given the opportunity to participate to the fullest possible extent in the decisions that affect their lives and in delivering the police services that make a difference to them. To offer a wide range of engagement activities to give as many people as possible including diverse groups an opportunity to participate.
4. Aims
To ensure that through the use of a wide range of approaches theCommissioner actively listens, considers and effectively uses the views of residents as an integral part of his decision making.
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We asked You said We did
5. Principles of the Office of Public Engagement
• To ensure that engagement is undertaken to the highest standard and the findings are accurate and can be used to influence strategic decisions at Executive Board. • The OPE activities should be two-way and where possible people are informed of their influence on decisions and the results. • A clear strategy linked to keydates is defined so that the OPE is open, transparent, accountable and people’s opinions are valued. • People are confident that their views are being gathered, listened to and used to improve police services and improve knowledge and confidence in the role of the Commissioner. • To increase awareness of the role and the work of the Commissioner. • To build and develop relationships between the Commissioner, public, partners, private sector, volunteers and third sector. • Recognise and respect the various cultures (protected characteristics) and diversity of communities and other factors that influence how different members of the public will engage/ are likely to communicate and engage in all aspects of designing and implementing community engagement approaches. • Provision of a comprehensive and robust communications strategy using all forms of communication.
6. Strategy Outcomes
• Raise the profile and understanding of the Commissioner’s role. • All results are used to improve decision making at the Executive Board and that the decisions are firmly based on the evidence of local needs alongside strategic policing. • Ensure that the results of the community engagement are communicated and where required linked to improve services and quality of service. • Communities feel that they have been empowered. • All partners and the third sector feel that their voices are being included in decision making. • Actively engage groups that don’t normallyparticipate with the Police and diverse communities are afforded the opportunity toas well. Utilising the Strategic Independent Advisory members and their groups.
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• The information ascertained from complaints is used to influence decisions and future quality of service.
7. Community Engagement
There are a range of techniques for engaging different audiences. Due to the diversity of techniques and the wider ranging issues that the Commissioner may potential engage upon, it is important to have a set of guiding principles for public engagement.
Best practice suggests that the following five strategic principles are developed for undertaking engagement programmes:
• Strategy and Planning – be clear about the purpose of what the engagement activity seeks to achieve • Clarity and framing –look at the context of the engagement including wider cultural, social and media context • Transparency and Responsiveness – consider the people who should be involved, what their needs are, and what support may help them take part • Integrity of Process – design the process and choose a method that is appropriate to the purpose, context and people • Outcome – set the goals and overall objectives and engagement principles
The Commissioner will have four strategic areas that will require on-going community engagement:
• Police and Crime Priorities – linking to the Police and Crime Plan • Budget – value for money and future levels of council tax precept • Quality of Service – ensuring that the service provided meets expectations • Victims – consider the welfare of victims
Of course, there may be other community engagement that takes place throughout the year and over the next three years.
Parts 2 and 3 sets out the comprehensive range oftechniques and the use of them throughout the next three years.
Evaluation is key for community engagement. The results are will be summarised for the Executive Board on a quarterly basis and used to influence decisions. Results will
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where possible be shared openly and transparently to increase future participation in engagement opportunities.
8. Communications
Communication is paramount for the Commissioner and the OPE. As a result a separate strategy has been developed to include all types of communication from internal to external and online and offline.
9. Feedback, Compliments and Complaints
Feedback, compliments and complaints will provide the OPE with a good source of information about the quality of service that the Constabulary is providing and the issues that are arising. The Commissioner will have satellite offices in Kendal and Workington so that when required he can engage directly with people. If necessary, alternative arrangements will be made if people want to meet the Commissioner away from police premises.
The Commissioner’s Office only deals with complaints directly against the Chief Constable. All complaints below the rank of Chief Constable are dealt with by the Chief Constable or on their behalf by someone in the Constabulary. This is further supported by the Commissioner ‘dip sampling’ the Constabulary’s processes and procedures for monitoring, overall numbers handling complaints and main issueswhich takes place on a quarterly basis.
There is a policy and process in place to deal with both complaints and quality of service issues.
A full review of complaints and quality of service issues will be reported to the Executive Board on a quarterly basis as well as the statutory obligation to consider the welfare of victims.
10. Equality and Diversity
Cumbria has a diverse population that is constantly changing as well as a large rural area with a scattered population. It is often these individuals plus people that don’t engage with the police that feel isolated and are important to engage with to build a level of understanding and involvement. The OPE understands and recognises that
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there are a number of third party and voluntary groups (both paid and un-paid) that work with and represent these groups and where possible these will be used to support any engagement especially specific engagement withprotected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act refers to nine different protected characteristics – age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation. The Act also covers those that do not see themselves as protected characteristics and this will be considered. For Cumbria in addition to the protected characteristics rural isolation will also be considered.
The Commissioner has already started a dialogue with the Strategic Independent Advisory Group (SIAG) and this willbe on-going throughout the strategy term. The OPE will develop this with the Independent Advisory Groups (IAG) in each TerritorialPolicing Area as well as voluntary groups both paid and un-paid. Any engagement will be undertaken with an awareness of the Equalities Act 2010 and our statutory obligations.
The Constabulary already has well developed relationships with protected characteristics voluntary groups and the Office of Public Engagement plans to work together to build on these at a local level.
This strategy has a full Equality Analysiswhich has helped in the development of the strategy and identified the further work that needs to be undertaken.
Part Two – Options
Detailed below are a range ofoptions to be considered by the Commissioner. The tactics coverage a range of online and offline activities to ensure engagement is as inclusive as possible.
Communications /Media Please see the separate communication strategy
Surveys Online and paper surveys Summer survey in conjunction with the Constabulary and using comprehensive and representative database of contacts
Crime Survey for England and Wales (previously British Crime Survey) - quarterly
Feedback direct to OPE, quality of service Pulling all the data together to ascertain issues and complaints trends and any service issues and quarterly reports to Executive Board
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Online Commissioner Question Time Quarterly Online Question Time for the Commissioner trying to focus on a specific area: e.g. budget, plan, rural crime.
Surgeries (MP Style) Rotating around each TPAs Or Community drop-in sessions (North/South/West)
Public speaking arrangements Speaking directly to community groups - at least one in each TPA per quarter
Public meetings OPE to organise or participate in public meetings about key issues
Public Places Commissioner and OPCC staff visit supermarkets / agricultural shows / events/town centres
Virtual meetings Web discussion and questions or could consider webcams and questions
Meetings, forums, seminars, exhibitions e.g. youth or vulnerable people, re- and conferences offenders to ascertain views and perceptions
Email, letters, newsletters, leaflets Signing up to an email circulation list
Annual policing report To be produced
Partners Using partner publications and working together on joint consultatione.g. Safer Cumbria, Safer Communities Network
Community Messaging Use Community Messaging to get messages out to 5,500 neighbourhood watch and farm watch members
Social Media and internet On-going activity to promote the work and the role of the Commissioner and activities and engage with people directly
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Staff consultation/ Question time Consult with the staff within the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Community events Visiting NPT youth engagement e.g. youth café, use of property fund / grants for young people
Territorial Policing Areas/HQ Walkabout Commissioner to advertise to staff, sessions officers and PCSOs time each quarter when he will be visiting a TPA/HQ to speak to people or take telephone calls
PART THREE: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
This implementation plan has been designed to reflect the Police and Crime Plan Consultation results that asked people how they wanted to be communicated with and how they want to tell us their needs and concerns.
The list below is of bespoke external activities many of the other activities take place on a daily basis such as social media and the internet.
The list will be developed as we move through the year and all activities will be announced and marketing in advance focusing on specific themes relating to the Police and Crime Plan. The blue areas have been completed. A review will take place at the six month stage – August.
Daily Traditional media such as newspaper articles, press releases, TV and radio interviews
Social Media – twitter
Internet
Community Messaging
Date - 2013 Activity March Launch of the Office of Public Engagement and the Office of Victim Services
Speaking at the following: Lunch with Copeland Over 60’s Club Love Barrow Awards Neighbourhood Forum Meeting – Workington
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Appleby-in-Westmorland Conservative Association Cumbria’s North Branch Magistrates Association Penrith Rotary Club
Launch of Police and Crime Plan based upon the results of consultation in January/February both online and from county wide road-shows
April Quarterly report on complaints to Executive Board
Attend the Independent Custody Visitors Conference
TPA/HQ Walkabout– Workington
May Speaking engagement at the following: Lakes Parish Council AGM Kendal Probus Club
Further speaking/visits to include: Churches Together Appleby HF Youth Offending Bid meeting at Kendal
Victim Services Focus Group
June Cumberland Show (Saturday 8 June)
Launch of Commissioner newsletter (monthly) supported by email addresses to go out directly
Visit Appleby Horse Fair
Speaking engagements to be arranged to include: Brough Parish Council Veterans Project Living Well Trust Talking Travellers West Cumbria DV partnership Allerdale Parish Councils Brampton Rotary Club
Surgeries in: • Kirby Lonsdale • Ulverston
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• Kirby Stephen • Brampton • Wigton • Maryport
July Commissioner Question Time – Quarterly
Quarterly complaints report to Executive Board
Launch on the Annual Report
Monthly newsletter
Speaking arrangements to be made: Maryport Town Council Appleby H F Public Meeting – Ulverston Victim Support Group
TPA/HQ Walkabout - South
August Commissioner Question Time – Quarterly
Monthly Newsletter
Undertake the joint Summer Survey with the Constabulary
Speaking arrangements to be made:
Victim Services Focus Group
September Westmorland Show (Thursday 13 September)
Monthly Newsletter
Partner Alcohol Strategy
Speaking arrangements to be made:
Surgeries in the following town centres:
Carlisle Workington Whitehaven Penrith
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Kendal Barrow
October Quarterly complaints report to Executive Board
Monthly newsletter
Speaking arrangements to be made:
TPA/HQ Walkabout– North
Cumbria Pride – 5 October
November Consultation on rural crime to coincide with Rural **Winter Summit(depending on discussions with Constabulary on timescales for Rural Crime Strategy)
Supported by focus groups
Speaking arrangements to be made: Cumbria Association of Local Communities AGM
Victim Services Focus Group
Monthly Newsletter
December Commissioner’s Question Time – Quarterly **Winter Visits/surgeriestbc (after reviewing previous events)
Speaking arrangements to be made:
Monthly Newsletter
January 2014 Speaking arrangements to be made: **Winter
February 2014 Speaking arrangements to be made: **Winter TPA/HQ Walkabout
March 2014 Commissioner’s Question Time – Quarterly Victim Services Focus Group
Page 120 Agenda Item 16
Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Report
Title: Forward Plan
Date: 19 July 2013 Agenda Item No: 16 Originating Officer: Joanne Head
Executive Summary: Decisions taken by the Police & Crime Commissioner (Commissioner) will primarily arise from discharging their statutory functions: moreover, a statutory duty has been placed on the Police & Crime Commissioner to record and publish decisions of significant public interest arising from the exercise of those statutory functions, whether made by the Commissioner or a member of their staff under the Scheme of Delegation, as a result of a meeting or otherwise. The Police & Crime Commissioner will publish all statutory decisions together with the information relating to the decision. A Forward Plan for decisions to be taken over a three month period will be published on the Commissioners website.
Recommendation: That, the Police & Crime Panel note the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Forward Plan.
1. Introduction & Background
1.1 As part of legislation to support the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 and subsequent amendments in 2012 were passed.
1.2 Section 5(d) of the legislation requires the Police & Crime Commissioner to publish “ a record of each decision of significant public interest arising from the exercise of the elected local policing body’s functions whether made by the body at or as a result of a meeting or otherwise”.
1.3 Examples of a decision which would be of significant public interest would be the Police & Crime Commissioner’s budget and proposed council tax precept; the Police and Crime Plan
Page 121 on how the county will be policed within the forthcoming years; decisions taken regarding the estate.
1.4 The Commissioner has also undertaken to publish decisions made on their website to promote transparency in how they fulfil their statutory functions. Reports containing background information and advice on decisions will be placed on the Police & Crime Commissioner’s website for public inspection after the decision has been taken [http://www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk/working-for-you/decision-making.aspx ]. However, in a small number of cases it may not be possible to make available certain documents as they contain confidential information. Similarly, publication of decisions may be delayed until after the publication date in the Forward Plan until such information can be released, for example, to allow staff in an organisation affected by the decision to be informed.
1.5 A copy of the current forward plan is appended to this report for members’ information (Appendix 01). Following a request from the panel, also included in the appendix are all the decisions which the Commissioner has made to date.
1.6 The Commissioner’s forward plan should not be confused with forward plans which local authorities are required to have and which members of the panel may be familiar with. The Local Government Act 2000 and subsequent Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 define what a key decision is for the purposes of local authorities.
In these Regulations a “key decision” means an executive decision, which is likely— (a) to result in the relevant local authority incurring expenditure which is, or the making of savings which are, significant having regard to the relevant local authority’s budget for the service or function to which the decision relates; or (b) to be significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more wards or electoral divisions in the area of the relevant local authority. In determining the meaning of “significant” for the purposes of paragraph (1) the local authority must have regard to any guidance for the time being issued by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 9Q of the 2000 Act (guidance).
1.7 It also states what a local authority must do in relation to publishing documents such as 28 days prior to key decisions being made. This does not apply to Police and Crime Commissioners as they are not local authorities. However as stated above in the interests of being open and transparent the Commissioner would wish to keep the public of Cumbria informed of the decisions he has taken and will be taking in the future. The basic principles of what a key decision is has been utilised when formulating the Commissioner’s forward plan.
2. Transparent Working Arrangements - Decision Making in Public
2.1 At an Executive Board meeting on 19 June a decision report was considered and approved which proposed that in order for the Police & Crime Commissioner to be more transparent
Page 122 in his functions of holding the Chief Constable to account and in relation to the decision making process, decision making meetings and performance review meetings would in the future be held in public. These meetings would see reports being published on the Commissioner’s website 5 working days prior to the meeting; members of the press and public being able to attend the meeting; minutes of the meetings being taken and subsequently published. The process of publishing of decisions following the meeting would continue in line with current practices.
2.2 Once arrangements have been finalised it is anticipated that these meetings will commence from September 2013. Meeting dates will be announced in advance via the Commissioner’s website and within the local media.
Background Documents : Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) (Amendment) Order 2012 Local Government Act 2000 Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012
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Page 124
CUMBRIA POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONER
FORWARD PLAN OF DECISIONS
November 2012 – September 2013
OPCC Forward Plan
Page 125 Appendix 1
CUMBRIA POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONER
FORWARD PLAN OF DECISIONS
Explanatory Note
Contained within this forward plan are all of the strategic decisions it is expected the Police and Crime Commissioner will take in the following 3 months. This Plan begins on 01 April 2013. It will be updated monthly and will be available 5 days before the beginning of each month. The Forward Plan and previous versions of the Plan can also be found on the Police & Crime Commissioner’s website http:[ www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk]
The Forward Plan shows details of strategic decisions to be taken by the Police & Crime Commissioner and the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Chief Executive under their delegated powers. For completeness, the Plan includes important decisions which will be taken by the Police & Crime Commissioner that may be of interest to the communities of Cumbria.
The Plan shows:-
when these decisions will be made who will make the decision when documents relating to those decisions will be available
Reports containing background information and advice on decisions are placed on the Police & Crime Commissioners website for public inspection after the decision has been taken [http://www.cumbria-pcc.gov.uk/working-for-you/decision-making.aspx ]. However, in a small number of cases it may not be possible to make available certain documents as they contain confidential information.
Decisions cannot always be identified in advance; in exceptional circumstances the Police & Crime Commissioner or Chief Executive may take decisions that are not in the Forward Plan but cannot wait for the next issue of the Plan, provided appropriate procedures are followed.
The Police and Crime Panel, as part of their oversight role of the Police and Crime Commissioner will have the ability to review decisions made by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Stuart Edwards Chief Executive
OPCC Forward Plan
Page 126 Appendix 1
FORWARD PLAN - INDEX OF CONTENTS
Expected Date of Decision To Be Date of Decision Subject Area for Decision Taken By / decision being (Indicate if Consultation process is required) Date published
(PCC / C.E.) Local Code of Corporate Governance, Financial 23 November Regulations, Procurement Policy, Anti-Fraud & PCC 26 November Corruption Strategy, Risk Management Strategy, Scheme of Delegation Complaints Policy, ICV Complai nts Policy, Decision 26 November Making Policy, Publication Scheme, Retention & PCC 29 November Disposal Schedule, Code of Conduct,
Page 127 Commissioner/ Officer Protocol. 9 January Draft Police & Crime Plan 2013 – 2016 to be presented to the Police & Crime Panel PCC 14 January Firearms Business Case PCC 17 January
19 February Local Government Act 2003 Budget 2013/14 and Financial Forecasts PCC 22 February 2014/15 to 2016/17 Treasury Management Strategy & Prudential Indicators Cell Provision re Barrow Build Domestic Violence Commissioning application Nomination for PCC Bravery Award OPCC HR Policies 19 March Final Approval Police & Crime Plan 2013 – 2016 22 March Performance Framework PCC Charges for Police Services
OPCC Forward Plan
Appendix 1
OPCC HR Policies Funding bids – CSP’s Councils, YOT, hate crime and domestic violence reporting 16 April Risk Management Strategy PCC 19 April Summer Consultation Survey 21 May Capital and Revenue Outurn Reports – 24 May decisions on carry forward and appropriations. PCC Treasury Out -turn 2012 -13 19 June Year End Accounting Transactions 21 June Local Code of Corporate Governance & PCC Statement of Corporate Governance PCC oversight of Constabulary Risk Revision to Investment Strategy
Page 128 Transparent Working Arrangements 2 July Annual R eport PCC 5 July 23 July Business Plans re ICT PCC 26 July August September Statement of Accounts – final approval PCC Tbc October Draft Police & Crime Plan for consultation PCC Insurance Contracts Tbc
(As a general principle the Police & Crime Commissioner will make decisions on a monthly basis.)
OPCC Forward Plan
Agenda Item 17
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Meeting date : 19 July 2013
From: Assistant Director – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council)
COMPLAINTS
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 This report informs members of complaints received in accordance with the Panel’s complaints procedure and outlines where appropriate, what if any action has been taken in respect of the complaints.
1.2 This report also records any compliments received.
2.0 RECOMMENDATION
2.1 Members are asked to note the report.
2.2 Members are asked, if appropriate, to recommend any further course of action.
3.0 BACKGROUND
3.1 At the meeting on 17 December 2012 the Panel agreed to adopt a complaints procedure to consider non-criminal complaints in relation to the Police and Crime Commissioner or other office holders.
3.2 The Procedure
3.2.1 The procedure states the Monitoring Office of Cumbria County Council would consider all non-criminal complaints regarding both quality of service and conduct, and act to broker local resolutions to resolve the complaints and resolve relationships
3.2.2 The Panel would then receive a monitoring report regarding complaints against the Police and Crime Commissioner at each meeting. This would detail the number of quality of service and conduct complaints and state whether local resolution has been agreed. In addition this report would outline the number of compliments received.
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4.0 DETAILS OF COMPLAINTS RECEIVED
4.1 Eight complaints were received (Appendix 1).
4.1 One complaint was received in relation to the salary and staff establishment of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office and six others in relation to the use of a chauffeur driven car, the suspension and arrest of employees and general concerns. One other complaint was directed directly to the Chair of the Police and Crime Panel. In line with the Police and Crime Panel Investigation Protocol I have received responses to the complaints from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and have contacted all complainants to try to broker a local resolution to the issues.
4.2 A further up date will be given at the meeting.
5.0 DETAILS OF COMPLIMENTS RECEIVED
None.
6.0 NEXT STEPS
6.1 The procedure provides that if local resolutions could not be brokered and the complainant wished to take the matter further this could then be brought to the attention of the Panel.
6.2 Members will be informed at the meeting whether or not it has been possible to broker local solutions to the complaints and members will be advised if any further action is appropriate.
Angela Harwood Monitoring Officer, Cumbria County Council 25 June 2013
APPENDICES
Appendix – Details of Complaints Received.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
No background papers
Contact: Angela Harwood, 01228 227350; e-mail [email protected]
Page 130 Appendix 1
Date reported to Complaint Date Date Panel Nature of complaint Reference Received Acknowledged
• Commissioner behaviour and refusal to respond directly to 20/04/13 20/04/13 emails. PCP1 19/07/13 by chair by chair • The commissioner’s expenses and any subsequent involvement in the suspension of three people.
• Conflict with stated code of conduct with recent use of PCP2 20/04/2013 24/04/2013 19/07/13 transport. Page 131
• Use of public funding by spending £700 on hiring a chauffer- driven car to attend functions. PCP3 08/04/2013 17/04/2013 19/07/13 • The use of a hire car at nearly £1000 whilst at the same time implementing budget cuts on the police force
AH/PCP/Reports/Appendix 1 190713 Appendix 1
Complaint Date Date Date reported to Nature of complaint Reference Received Acknowledged Panel
• Expenses and use of chauffer driven car. • Arrest of ‘whistleblowers’ at the instigation of his office. • Commitment was to cut costs. How much money is being PCP4 23/04/2013 23/04/2013 19/07/13 saved. Page 132 • Number of staff employed. • The commissioner’s attitude to the public
• The use of chauffer driven car by the commissioner and correct procurement process. 26/04/2012 to PCP5 10/04/2013 19/07/13 • Staff have not been graded in line with others, and roles IPCC haven’t been open to others whilst at the same time officer numbers are being cut
AH/PCP/Reports/Appendix 1 190713 Appendix 1
Complaint Date Date Date reported to Nature of complaint Reference Received Acknowledged Panel
PCP6 18/04/2013 01/05/2013 19/07/13 • The sacking of 2 staff • Misuse of public funds by using a chauffer driven car at £700
PCP7 25/04/2013 26/04/2013 19/07/13 Misuse of public monies to fund chauffeur driven transport
Use of taxpayers money for chauffeur driven limousine. Page 133 PCP8 29/04/2013 01/05/2013 19/07/13 Arrest of whistleblowers Why has Mr Rhodes not be suspended
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Page 134 Agenda Item 18
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Meeting date : 19 July 2013
From: Senior Scrutiny Manager – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council)
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 This report proposes a timetable for the Panel’s review of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s objectives.
2.0 RECOMMENDATION
2.1 The Panel are asked to consider the proposed timetable for reviewing the Police and Crime Commissioner’s objectives and agree a final programme for the next twelve months.
3.0 BACKGROUND
3.1 At the April 2013 Panel meeting Members considered a report proposing a method of establishing a framework for the Panel’s work programme for the next twelve to eighteen months. 3.2 Members felt that one of the key issues that will need regular monitoring and scrutiny by the Panel is the delivery of the objectives the Police and Crime Commissioner has identified as priority issues in his Police and Crime Plan. In order to do this it was proposed that (in addition to any other work and agenda items that the Panel may wish to undertake), at each meeting, a focussed report including performance information is brought to Members on one of these objectives to enable Members to scrutinise and analyse progress in each of these key areas. 3.3 This approach was agreed, and the first two areas for consideration have been brought to this meeting as a separate agenda item. Outlined below is a proposed schedule for Members to review the other priority areas identified by the Commissioner
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Suggested Objective date for review Tackle the problem of drug supply in the county July 2013 Reduce the impact of alcohol misuse on our July 2013 communities Reduce the impact antisocial behaviour has on our October 2013 communities Reduce the impact irresponsible driving has on our October 2013 communities Give due consideration to public opinion in policing October 2013 matters Reduce harm by targeting domestic abuse and sexual October 2013 violence Provide justice for the victim by detecting crime and January 2014 bringing criminals to justice Address offender behaviour to reduce adult and youth January 2014 offending and reoffending Establish a collaborative approach to providing support and assistance to vulnerable veterans to January 2014 assist them to remain clear of criminal activity Reduce the harm caused by hate crime April 2014 Ensure Cumbria remains a safe place to live, work and visit by keeping crime at low levels, particularly April 2014 violent crime and thefts Keep our rural communities safe by tackling crime October 2014 and disorder in rural areas Ensure victims of crime have access to support and October 2014 redress
4.0 CONCLUSION
4.1 Members are asked to consider the proposed timetable and agree a final schedule for review.
Tracey Ingham, Senior Scrutiny Manager [July 2013]
Page 136
APPENDICES
None
BACKGROUND PAPERS
No background papers
Contact: Tracey Ingham, telephone: 01228 226259 or e-mail [email protected]
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Page 138 Agenda Item 19
CUMBRIA POLICE AND CRIME PANEL
Meeting date : 19 July 2013
From: Senior Scrutiny Manager – Legal and Democratic Services (Cumbria County Council)
CONFIRMATION OF POLICE AND CRIME PANEL GRANT FUNDING FOR 2013/14
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 This report details the levels of grant funding that the host authority will be able to claim up to in support of the Police and Crime Panel’s work.
2.0 RECOMMENDATION
2.1 The Panel are asked to note the levels of grant funding available to support the work of the Cumbria Police and Crime Panel.
3.0 BACKGROUND
3.1 In establishing Police and Crime Panels, the Home Office agreed that a limited grant would be provided to each Local Authority who was acting as the Host Authority (i.e. providing the administrative support and management of the Panel in their area). In Cumbria the Host Authority is Cumbria County Council.
3.2 The Grant consists of two elements:
o administration costs and;
o Member expenses
3.3 Administration Costs include officer time in supporting the Panel, costs for room hire, equipment and stationary etc. The Members’ expenses element of the budget in contrast relates to those costs incurred by members of the Panel in undertaking their role, for
Page 139
example travel costs to meetings. The PCP grant may only be spent on work in support of the Panel, and can only be claimed after expenditure has occurred.
3.4 The County Council received confirmation on 23 May 2013 as to the levels of grant funding available for the 2013/14 financial year. This is up to £64,340 (made up of up to £53,300 administration costs and up to £11,040 member expenses).
3.5 This grant will cover only expenses incurred and will need to be claimed quarterly in July, September, December and March, and will subsequently be reviewed by the County Council’s Internal Audit Function in spring 2014.
4.0 CONCLUSION
4.1 The Police and Crime Panel are asked to review budget information outlined in this report and to raise any queries or make any comments they may have in relation to this
Tracey Ingham, Senior Scrutiny Manager [July 2013]
APPENDICES
No Appendices
BACKGROUND PAPERS
No background papers
Contact: Tracey Ingham, telephone: 01228 226259 or e-mail [email protected]
Page 140 Agenda Item 20
Hosted by the The Local Programme West Yorkshire Government Police and An LGA event hosted by Crime Panel Association the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel
9 July 2013
9.45 Registration and refreshments 10.30 Welcome and introduction 10.40 Comparing notes – and sharing experience An opportunity for panels to share their thoughts on their first seven months in existence, what they have learnt, and whether they will be looking to do anything differently going forward. Opening remarks from three panel chairs about key issues for them which might include reference to: • What went well, and also what went less well; • Resources, activity and the number of meetings; • The role of the panels and their influence; • The panel / PCC relationship; • Panels operating in a political environment; and • The future development, evolution and marketing of panels. 11.00 Comments and contributions from the floor 11.30 Refreshments and networking 11.45 What would a good Police and Crime Panel look like? Presentation by the CfPS on what a good panel might look like, for example what its work programme might be, how it carries out challenging scrutiny, and what data or other information a panel might require to be effective.
This session might also draw out other themes related to building relationships with: the PCC and their officers; LA overview and scrutiny functions; community safety partnerships; and the general public.
There will then be an ‘open floor’ discussion prompted by these matters and any other issues arising during the morning. 12.30 Lunch and networking 1.20 Support provided to Police and Crime Panels Overview of support already provided and future support envisaged by the LGA and CfPS. Brief presentation by CfPS and the LGA followed by facilitated discussion aimed at gathering views on: • Whether or not the current and proposed support is useful or needed • What other support, if any, would be helpful, and if so what?
Programme for 9 th July Police and Crime Panel event in Leeds Page 141 1.40 Introduction to the afternoon workshops
1.45 Workshops – session 1 – each delegate chooses to attend one of the following:
- W1: The PCC’s annual report and associated scrutiny. An interactive session focussing on a panel’s consideration of a PCC’s annual report on the delivery of their plan. The workshop will highlight a number of pros and cons of different example Police and Crime Plans and how information in the PCC’s report about delivery of the plan might be assessed and scrutinised.
- W2: Effective scrutiny . How panels can exert maximum influence with limited resources available. Discussion to include the importance of targeting and preparation before meetings to obtain information which is useful in the scrutiny process. The workshop will then explore the effective use of scrutiny skills and questioning techniques during meetings to maintain focus on the PCC justifying why they have made key decisions.
- W 3: Informal resolution of complaints. A workshop to share experience of the panel’s complaint ‘triage’, receipt and informal resolution processes; this will include some practical interactive examples of what informal resolution involving panel members might look in practice. This session will provide opportunities for those who have had complaints to swap / share information with those that have not.
2.25 Workshops – session 2 – each delegate chooses to attend another of the workshops:
The same workshops are repeated from session 1
3.00 Refreshments 3.15 Feedback and any key issues arising from the workshops
3.35 Summing up Key points from the day taking account of: • learning points • challenges • next steps (including reference to likely future LGA / CfPS involvement) 3.40 Refreshments 4.00 Close
Programme for 9 th July Police and Crime Panel event in Leeds Page 142 Agenda Item 21
POLICE AND CRIME PANEL – CALENDAR OF MEETINGS
2013-2015
Date and time of Venue meeting 2013 Friday 19 July 2013 at Town Hall, Barrow in Furness 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
Monday 14 October 2013 Venue in Allerdale at 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
2014
Wednesday 22 January Venue in Carlisle 2014 at 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
Tuesday 8 April 2014 at Venue in Eden 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
Friday 11 July at Venue in South Lakeland 10.30am (pre meeting at 9.30am)
Tuesday 14 October at Venue in Copeland 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
2015
Monday 26 January at Venue in Carlisle 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
Tuesday 14 April at Venue in Barrow 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
Page 143 Friday 17 July at Venue in Allerdale 11.00am (pre meeting at 10.00am)
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