Contents
Message from The PCCs of Humberside and South Yorkshire Police Statement from our Chief Constables Background and Introduction
Sustainability Strategy Commitments Our Sustainability Commitments
Sustainability Strategy Delivery
Context and key drivers for change
Legislation
Underpinning themes
Structure and Resources
Terms of Reference
The Strategy in Operation
Corporate Governance
Contact the Sustainability Team
Message from the PCCs of Humberside and South Yorkshire Police
Keith Hunter, PCC Humberside Police
“The world is an ever smaller community with communications and travel becoming quicker and more accessible. Developed, developing and emerging nations all have a requirement for finite resources. Each of us has a responsibility and role to ensuring that we minimise our foot print wherever possible and use resources effectively and efficiently. We can all play our small part within the wider collective and for our mutual benefit. I fully support this strategy and urge you all to think about when and how you use resources of all kinds to engender a more sustainable future”
Dr Alan Billings, PCC South Yorkshire Police
In the context of global climate change and the need to move to a low carbon economy, we have to take action to reduce carbon emissions and increase environmental sustainability by constantly reviewing our operations and the use of buildings and materials. In addition, as leading public organisations with our duty to take action; we are ideally placed to make a significant difference by helping police officers and staff understand and engage with sustainability. We have established our objectives and targets in nine key areas of activity aimed at improving our performance, whilst continuing to engage and support our local communities and our people. Success will depend on everyone playing their part. Our “Sustainability Commitments” are endorsed and signed by our Chief Constables (as detailed on page 6) and we believe that the necessary organisational qualities and cultures exist to ensure targets will be reached and make a real difference. Background and Introduction
Humberside and South Yorkshire Police have a longstanding commitment to the sustainability agenda and both Forces have demonstrated considerable performance improvements over the last five years.
Humberside and South Yorkshire Police are significant local and regional employers whose actions have a large impact on the regional environment, the communities we support, and the people who work for us and with us. Both Forces acknowledge the need to improve our carbon footprint and care more for the environment, invest in and support our people, and promote a positive relationship between ourselves and our communities.
We work locally, regionally and nationally with other Forces and partners to achieve best practice and drive progress and we are dedicated to embedding Sustainability throughout our operations to achieve further improvements.
Working together, both Forces have developed a number of Strategic commitments: our joint Sustainability Statement, which is set out on the following page. Both Forces, therefore, share common aims and common approaches, allowing us to share ideas, knowledge and resources.
Humberside and South Yorkshire Police recognise that we Sustainability have a corporate responsibility to act as a fair and Commitments supportive employer; to value our people and treat them with respect and promote equality; to enhance the lives of the communities we serve; and to protect the natural environment. We strive to embed sustainability within all levels of the organisation and we embrace the principles of sustainability by: Minimising our impact on the environment and continually improving; Educating, training and motivating Meeting environmental legal employees to work in a sustainable and requirements as a minimum; responsible manner; Maximising our positive impact on Taking part in the Business in the society; Community Yorkshire and the Humber Setting relevant, measurable Environmental Index and striving to sustainability objectives and targets, improve our performance year on year; reporting progress regularly; Seeking out good practice in other Encouraging our employees to integrate organisations and sharing our sustainability considerations into all we successes. do Our Sustainability Commitments We are committed to: Taking action to prevent pollution of air, water and land by understanding Pollution legislation and by acting responsibly. Prevention Saving energy and improving the efficiency of our buildings to reduce our carbon footprint. Energy Monitoring and conserving our water use and promote tap water not bottled water. Reducing the number of unnecessary Water car journeys, encouraging greener travel and maximising the efficiency Using our IT equipment in an of our fleet to reduce our carbon energy and resource efficient Transport footprint. manner. Maximising the efficiency of our IT equipment and investing IT in new technologies. Reducing, reusing and recycling as Investing in and enhancing the much waste as possible and dispose health and wellbeing of our people, of all waste in an environmentally Waste & through creating a supportive and responsible manner. Recycling People positive working environment.
Monitoring the materials and products Engaging in positive ways with the used during daily business to communities we serve to enhance Materials & maximise resource efficiency. the relationship between the public Products Communities and the Force.
Chief Constable Lee Freeman Chief Constable Stephen Watson Humberside Police South Yorkshire Police
Sustainability Strategy Delivery
Context and key drivers for change
Over recent years both Forces have significantly improved their environmental performance, gradually reducing carbon emissions. These successes have been achieved through improvements across the estate and the use of vehicles with lower emissions. We are now at a stage where a more holistic approach to sustainability is necessary to achieve further benefits.
In its most holistic definition, sustainability is the ability or capacity of something to be maintained or to sustain itself. Both Forces recognise the benefit of incorporating the support and enhancement of our people and communities into our sustainability activities, alongside the environment, in order to further promote and embed sustainable practises and work towards creating truly sustainable organisations for the future.
This strategy aims to focus efforts in areas that offer the greatest potential return in environmental, people and community considerations. These areas have to be scrutinised in the context of also bringing about cultural and behavioural change.
Legislation
Amongst a range of global commitments and initiatives, The United Kingdom’s Climate Change Act, 2008, reinforced the need to improve carbon management and move towards a low-carbon economy. It set the first legally binding reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions of at least 34% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050, against a 1990 baseline.
There is also a wide range of environment related legislation which needs consideration for specific areas, from waste management to gas testing of appliances. Both Forces are committed to meeting environmental legal requirements as a minimum.
Underpinning themes included within this Strategy include:
Embedding our nine sustainability commitments within our workforce and working practices, to encourage and facilitate sustainable working practises. Creating a resource efficient culture to save time and resources, and help the policing sector play its part in reducing carbon emissions and costs. Delivering carbon and waste reductions through developing approved policies; and through integration with the capital investment framework. Setting milestones to measure progress against the police and public sector targets. Recognising and celebrating the ways our people go above and beyond to support our local communities, and supporting further engagement. Investing in and enhancing the health and wellbeing of our people, through creating a supportive and positive working environment. Sustainability Strategy Delivery
Structure and Resources
The intention of this Strategy is for all officers and staff of both Humberside and South Yorkshire Police to take personal responsibility for the impact of their actions. However, formal responsibilities are set out below:
The Director of Finance, South Yorkshire Police is responsible for leading the Force on sustainability and is Chair of the Sustainability Forum.
The Assistant Chief Officer (Support), Humberside Police is the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) lead nationally for Sustainability and is responsible for driving forward the environmental agenda through the National Police Estates Group and wider agenda with NPCC.
The Head of Joint Estates and FM Services Humberside and South Yorkshire Police is responsible for ensuring the estate across both Forces embraces environmental and sustainability improvement principles through all aspects of Estates and Facilities Management.
The Sustainability Manager, South Yorkshire Police and Environmental and Energy Officer, Humberside Police are responsible for leading the sustainability agenda throughout both Forces, implementing the strategy and bringing about practicable improvements in sustainability and environmental awareness and performance. Sustainability Strategy Delivery
Structure and Resources (cont…)
The Joint Sustainability Forum has been recently established to oversee, champion and ensure the implementation of this Strategy. Membership consists of police staff and officers covering a wide range of ranks from across the Force; representation from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s for each Force;
Director of Finance, South Yorkshire Police (Chair) Head of Joint Estates and FM Services, Humberside and South Yorkshire Police (Vice Chair) Environmental and Energy Officer, Humberside Police Head of Joint Fleet, Humberside Police (TBC) Head of Learning and Development, South Yorkshire and Humberside Police Head of Vehicle Fleet Management, South Yorkshire Police Information Services Programme and Business Support Manager Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, South Yorkshire and Humberside Police representatives (TBC) Staff Officer to the Deputy Chief Constable, South Yorkshire Police Staff Officers to the Chief Constable, Humberside Police Strategic Category Manager Yorkshire and the Humber Police Procurement Sustainability Manager, South Yorkshire Police Sustainability Strategy Delivery
Humberside and South Yorkshire Sustainability Forum
Terms of Reference
The Sustainability Forum has been established to oversee, champion and ensure the implementation of the Joint Sustainability Strategy.
Membership consists of police staff and officers covering a wide range of ranks, from across the Force.
The Committee is chaired by the South Yorkshire Police Director of Finance or, in the event of his absence, by the Director of Estates.
The Committee will meet four times per year at alternate venues (HP, SYP and using MS Lync) to:
Monitor performance of joint Sustainability Strategy, Implementation Plan and associated work streams Identify opportunities for improvement and efficiency savings Develop, and monitor sustainability action plans to be managed and implemented throughout all areas of the Force Monitor and increase positive social impact through proactive community engagement around sustainability issues Discuss and share examples of best practice Respond to requests and implement initiatives arising from the two Estates Boards Monitor, review and make recommendations to minimise or reduce the environmental impact of the Force’s operations, policies and procedures. Advise the SLT and SMT’s including the Police and Crime Commissioners on sustainability issues affecting the Force.
The Committee will also review the performance of the nine key Commitments as set out in the joint Sustainability Statement and included within the Joint Sustainability Strategy.
The Strategy in Operation
The implementation, operation and delivery of this strategy requires a number of objectives and targets to be achieved under each of the nine commitment areas. The separate Joint Sustainability Implementation Plan document outlines how the strategic aims and specific targets will be met, detailing timescales, responsibilities and performance measures.
Corporate Governance
Both Forces will ensure that sustainability, in its wider sense, is embedded within our work, projects, policies and strategies. In Humberside sustainability is included as a key these within the 2020 Vision and in South Yorkshire, Sustainability falls within various strands of the Plan on a Page, in particular in efficiency and productivity.
It is our joint ambition that we provide a governance framework which can be consistently applied to the work of the Sustainability Forum. This should ensure that our operations and activities are assessed, targets are set, progress is monitored and continual improvements are achieved.
In order to have external scrutiny of our environmental performance both Forces joined ‘Business in the Community’s’ (BITC) Environmental Index in 2010. This is an assessment process of an organisations ‘Green’ credentials. It includes aspects of corporate strategy, integration, management, performance, assurance and disclosure of results. Each element is scored and results are tabulated and published. Critically, to score highly as the best performing companies and public sector bodies, we must show that we are truly committed to improving our environmental performance, and that this is firmly embedded within our culture, management and decision making processes.
This strategy, coupled with the statement of commitments and implementation plan, provide a clear structure to ensure the continuous improvement of our sustainability performance. This structure, together with the engagement and involvement of all police staff along with appropriate governance arrangements, will enable both Forces to meet our ambitions and targets.
Contact the Sustainability Team
The Sustainability Team is resourced from Estates & FM who are listed below:
Martin Knapp Tina Brookfield Director of Estates Sustainability Officer [email protected] [email protected]
Peter Robinson Danielle Taylor Environmental & Sustainability Officer Sustainability Manager [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]