At the meeting of the Panel held on 15 March 2019 the Chairman indicated that he would wish to discuss the Constabulary recruitment processes with the Commissioner.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed the Commissioner to the meeting. The Commissioner congratulated the Chairman and Deputy Chairman on their appointments.
The Commissioner congratulated Mr Tony Spruce, a PCSO on his award of a BEM is the Queen’s Birthday Honours. He also congratulated Mr Mark Watson, a retired Police Officer, who currently worked as a volunteer supporting Crime Beat who had been awarded an MBE. The Panel added their congratulations to those of the Commissioner.
The Commissioner updated the Panel on a number of recent achievements by Cheshire Constabulary, including a major drugs related prosecution and an arrest in Malta of a suspect who had been wanted by the Constabulary for over 16 years in relation to murder. He also updated the Panel on the ongoing collaborative work with the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The Commissioner informed the Panel that the issue of the Constabulary’s recruitment policies, especially as they relate to fairness, transparency and inclusivity had been discussed at the last Scrutiny Meeting, at which two members of the Panel has been attendance He informed the Panel that he intended to hold a special Scrutiny meeting on this issue. This was likely to be held during the first two weeks of July and would be open to the public.
The Chairman sought the views of the Commissioner on senior Police Officers wearing distinctive rainbow lanyards supporting LGBT awareness. He asked whether this was consistent with the need for Police Officers to be seen to be independent. His question had in part been prompted by seeing the newly appointed Deputy Chief Constable wearing such a lanyard, which he saw as a political act and therefore in breach of Police Regulations. He also referred to a recent article in Police Insight magazine which had discussed this issue and the perceived erosion of Police independence.
The Commissioner responded by saying that the Deputy Chief Constable was the national lead on LGBT+ issues. He said that the wearing of rainbow lanyards was common practice, demonstrating support for the LGBT+ community and equality in general. Staff wearing such lanyards had his full support and he expressed concern at the question that the Chairman had asked. A number of Panel members expressed support for Police Officers who wore rainbow lanyards and other actions taken by the Constabulary to promote LGTB+ rights. They did not see such actions as being political.
Mr Morris noted that equalities had many strands to it. Whilst he saw it as important to support the LGTB+ community (and referred to work he had undertaken in this area when he was employed by the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service), he saw it as important that all minorities were heard and received equal treatment.
The Commissioner indicated that he supported both Chester Pride and Cheshire East’s Pride in the Park, which would be held in Crewe in July. He would be attending both events and invited Panel members to accompany him.
Councillor Paul Findlow asked the Commissioner for his observations on the Panel’s report in relation to the suspension of the former Chief Constable. The Commissioner responded by saying that he had received a copy of the report on 28th May and would reply when he had reflected fully on the Panel’s findings and not later than a month after receipt.
Councillor Lynn Riley sought clarification from the Commissioner over how much of his time he had spent canvassing for his political party in the period running up to the local elections in early May, and whether he would publish his diary for the six-week period running up to those elections.
The Commissioner indicated that he would not answer questions as to what he did in his own private time, noting that whilst campaigning he had experienced serious invasions of his privacy, which he found totally unacceptable. He told the Panel that he took his elected role very seriously, devoting a considerable amount of time to it, week in and week out.
Councillor Riley asked how resources would be allocated to those areas of Cheshire that were experiencing rising crime rates. The Commissioner outlined his approach to resource allocation, encouraging communities to make bids to his Safer Communities Fund. He also highlighted the contribution that Proceeds of Crime funding could make across Cheshire.
Mr Bob Fousert raised the issue of the lack of information available on the Commissioner’s website about how he spent his time; an issue that he had raised at previous meetings. The Commissioner responded by saying that his office would shortly be getting a new website (as part of a national initiative “Single Online Home”) which would enable more information to be shared with the public in an easy to access form.
The Commissioner noted that he had served as a Warrington Councillor since 1999 and that he would be standing down from that role at the next election in 2020.
Councillor Mick Warren asked the Commissioner for clarification over his policy of one PCSO per community, especially in relation to cover arrangements for sickness and annual leave. He understood that in some areas there were no pool staff available to provide cover.
The Commissioner indicated that he had raised this issue with the Chief Constable and that he was satisfied that the necessary HR policies were in place to ensure that vacancies were filled. However, he did recognise that it was an area not without its challenges and that he would continue to monitor the situation. He did indicate that Cheshire was seen as a leader nationally in relation to community policing.
Mrs Sally Hardwick congratulated the former Chief Constable, Simon Byrne on his appointment as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Mrs Hardwick indicated that she was still unhappy with the Commissioner’s complaints procedure, an issue over which she had taken an interest over a considerable period of time. She recognised that it would be some time before this could be resolved.
The Commissioner noted that this was a national issue, progress had been slower than he would have hoped, with Parliamentary time being spent on other issues. He noted that definitions of complaints were changing, which could create resource pressures. He offered to hold a workshop with the Panel before he decided on which model of complaints handling he would adopt. The changes were likely to have workload implications for the Police and Crime Panel. There was agreement that Mrs Hardwick would lead on this issue for the Panel.
Mrs Hardwick asked the Commissioner what was being done to follow up on the recommendations made by the Youth Commission, and also what steps were being made to involve harder to reach young people in the process.
The Commissioner outlined the way in which he engaged with young people, including the Youth Commission, which he had established. Whilst recognising that there was progress to make, he felt that the Commission was more representative than it had been. Stop and search and mental health had been amongst the issues raised by the Youth Commission. The Commissioner offered to provide further information on the work of the Commission and their recommendations.
Councillor David Thompson sought clarification on Community Safety funding across Cheshire. The Commissioner indicated that he would continue to fund Community Safety Partnerships, but that there would be greater coordination and a need to link outcomes to sub regional priorities. He noted that he was providing additional resources to fund a problem-solving team to work with local authorities to focus on the greatest priorities.