Staffordshire Police Authority

Periodic Report on Authority Matters

Appointment of Assistant Chief Constable

1. Report – In May 2011 the then Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Marcus Beale was appointed ACC (Security, Learning & Development) at West Midlands Police, a post he took up in June 2011. 

The Authority, at a Selection Panel on 13/14 September 2011, appointed Julian Blazeby as the new ACC responsible for local policing and operational services, following a rigorous selection process with a field of strong candidates. Mr. Blazeby was previously Head of Protective Services at Norfolk Constabulary, being its Acting Assistant Chief Constable with from June 2010 to January 2011. Prior to October 2005 Mr. Blazeby was an officer in Suffolk Constabulary.  

The Authority has welcomed ACC Blazeby to Staffordshire and he is now playing an important part in the Force’s Executive Team. Of significance, ACC Blazeby led Operation Impact during 31 October and 5 November 2011 to crack down further on serious acquisitive crime Force-wide that led to 155 arrests and some excellent crime prevention activity.  

Revenue Budget Monitoring 2011/12

2. Report – The revenue monitoring financial statement for the period 1 April to 30 September 2011 showed the forecast outturn for the year to be £3.822m (2%) less than the approved budget and it was likely that further savings would accrue during the second half of the year. This outturn position included £700,000 of expenditure for Operation Define (relating to overtime paid during the period of national unrest in August 2011) and potential redundancy costs. No external borrowing had occurred during the first half of 2011/12 as a result of the utilisation of internal balances to fund the capital programme.

The Authority continue to face a very challenging period and savings of around £11m will be required to balance the budget in 2012/13.   

Capital Programme 2010/11  

3. Report – The Authority’s projected total capital spend of £13.452m for all projects approved in 2011/12, requires a total of £9.374m to be funded from internal borrowing. New requests for additional approval and slippage on existing projects were agreed on 17 October 2011 , including additional monies to complete the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub project (£0.075m) and the purchase of crime cars (£0.011m)/ rat trap vehicles (£0.002m).  

Based on the revised outturn for 2011/12 the charge to the revenue account in 2012/13 for the minimum revenue provision (MRP) contribution was £2.317m.  

Communities First Programme – Business Process Review Update   

4. Report – The Authority has received an update from the Chief Constable on the business process review programme carried out under Phase 2 of Communities First in conjunction with external consultants KPMG.  

The second phase of the business review programme concentrated on the processes involved in Incident Management; Crime Recording and Crime Management; Alternatives to Arrest; and Custody Investigation Teams;  making up a significant element of day-to-day policing activity. Staff consultation exercises and the development of new processes had been progressed during the period, together with associated changes to IT systems and facilities, Force policies and role profiles, all with the agreement of the overseeing Board that involved Authority representation.  

Several changes to Force processes came into effect in late September 2011, mainly in the north of the Force-area, including the changing of deployment policies, with staff in the Operational Communications Department realising customer service benefits. The Authority has noted the positive early indications from these changes, including police officers attending more immediate and priority incidents within the target time - the crime recording process now takes 11 minutes less to complete per officer per crime; and the use of alternatives to arrest has increased from 9% of disposals to 16%, resulting in reduced officer time in custody and more time on visible patrol. Improvements to service delivery were realising significant operational benefits, against the backdrop of reducing resources and financial pressures. Preparations for rolling-out the new approach in the south of the Force-area began in November 2011, with an initial review and analysis of relevant data. Much of this work is being undertaken by the Force’s own in-house team of specialists. It is expected that a go-live date of January 2012 would be met.  

The Authority has received reassurances that the excellent levels of performance achieved by the Force, as referred to below, and the levels of front-line policing will be maintained and improved on as new ways of delivering services were mainstreamed. Satisfaction levels of callers to the Force, plus those who have contact with the police, have remained high as regards the policing service they received during this period of change. The work undertaken through Communities First Phase 2 places the Force in a stronger position to face the financial challenges that lie ahead.    

Force Performance Review 2011/12  

5. Report – Staffordshire Police has a clear focus on performance targets that matter to our communities, with targets being meaningful and based upon stated public priorities. For the first half of 2011/12 (to 30 September 2011) crime in Staffordshire has seen a 10% reduction compared to the same period last year, whilst satisfaction rates with the service received continue to increase. 

The number of violence with injury crimes had reduced during the first six months of the year by 25% on last years figures, equating to 1,150 fewer offences. The Force was continuing to reduce these offences at a faster rate than those other forces in its most similar group (MSG). This was attributable, in part, to the introduction of the Violent Crime Strategy whose successes included a reduction in public space alcohol related violence and a focus on domestic abuse allowing consistent practice Force-wide.  

The number of serious acquisitive crimes (including burglary, robbery and vehicle crime) had also reduced during April – September 2011, seeing a fall of 8% on the same period last year and equating to 367 fewer offences. However, domestic burglary had seen an increase during the first six months to the end of September. It was hoped that this crime type would reduce over the next quarter given the greater agility of local policing teams, as they no longer had responsibility for buildings/HR/administrative tasks etc, to address performance challenges under the Force structure.  

The sanction detection rate for most serious violent crime was 67% for the period to 30 September 2011, exceeding the target set and placing the Force in first position amongst its most similar force group. The rate for serious acquisitive crime for the same period was 22%, exceeding the target of 21%, and being 4.5% higher than April to September 2010.    

Work with partners to improve safety on the county’s roads has seen the number of people seriously injured or killed during the first half of 2011/12 to 138, from 153 in the same period in 2010/11.  

The Authority congratulated the Chief Constable on the drop in crime during the first-half of this year, the continuing increase in public satisfaction and the pleasing overall satisfaction rate for the service received. These performance figures demonstrate that Staffordshire Police is continuing to make good progress in its mission to keep communities safe and reassured at a time when many challenges exist.  

Consultation and Engagement on the

Communities First Programme and Force Performance, the Budget 2012/13 and

Partnership Working   

Local Authorities and Communities  

6. Report - The Authority has concluded that holding briefing and consultation sessions with local councils during January, as part of its overall consultation strategy, works well and has previously invited all county, unitary and district local authorities in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to consider if they wish to receive a briefing on the above issues.  

A programme of briefings has been agreed, as detailed below:

Council	Date & Time	Venue
County Council	Thursday 5 January 2012	CountyBuildings, Stafford
Lichfield	Tuesday 10 January 2012 6.00pm	Council House, Frog Lane, Lichfield
Stoke-on-Trent	Monday 16 January 2012 2.00pm	Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent
South Staffordshire	Tuesday 17 January 2012 6.30pm	Council Offices, Histons Hill, Codsall
Newcastle-under-Lyme	Tuesday 24 January 2012 6.00pm	Civic Offices, Merrial Street
Staffordshire Moorlands	Wednesday 25 January 2012, 2.00pm	Moorlands House, Stockwell Street , Leek
Tamworth Borough	Wednesday 25 January 2012, 6.00pm	Marmion House, Lichfield Street, Tamworth
Stafford Borough	Thursday 26 January 2012 4.30pm	Civic Offices, Riverside, Stafford

A Response from Cannock Chase District Council has not yet been received. The Authority and Force were unable to accommodate the one date and time offered by East Staffordshire Borough Council. However, its members have been invited to attend either the Lichfield or Tamworth events.

Members of the Authority are invited to attend the appropriate Briefing in their community. The sessions will look at Force’s performance, service delivery, other local policing issues and budget and precept issues, and seek views on next year’s priorities and budget prior to the Authority’s meeting on 8 February 2012 when the precept will be set.

Chambers of Commerce   

7. Report - In accordance with the duties placed on the Authority under Section 65 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Authority is to meet representatives of the North and South Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses on Tuesday 17 January 2012 at 11.30am.  

The consultation meeting will, as in previous years, provide an opportunity for the Chambers’ representatives to raise questions and advise the Authority on their views for priorities for 2012/13 and future developments in partnership with the business community, as well as fulfilling the Authority’s requirement to consult representatives of non-domestic ratepayers.  

Collaboration   

8. Report – Staffordshire Police Authority and Force have been working closely with West Midlands Police to develop collaborative working and was inspected by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in June 2011 to assess proposed joint ventures. The key issues from the inspection feedback included an acknowledgement that there was a strong history of collaboration across all forces and authorities in the Region; that both authorities and forces had a clear vision and direction to bi-lateral working; that the scoping of collaborative opportunities and work had commenced and progressed in significant areas; and that the Joint Committee established in June 2011 was giving proper oversight and scrutiny to the work. In September 2011 an update on collaboration plans was submitted to HMIC.

The Joint Committee, having member representation from both authorities, has agreed the implementation of the merging of the two forces’ Legal Services Units and other work streams (including Uniformed Operations, ICT, Justice Services and Custody) are being progressed.  

Business Partnering for Police Programme  

9. Report –The Authority is being kept informed of progress on the West Midlands Police Authority (WMPA) and Force’s Business Partnering Programmewith Surrey Police to realise added service improvements and cost reductions by enhanced partnership working. As the Authority is committed to collaboration it is continuing its dialogue with WMPA to increase its understanding of the business partnering programme and its implications for Staffordshire. The Vice-Chair of the Authority has been appointed to liaise with WMPA on the Programme and will provide regular reports back to the Authority on its development.   

Police Reform and Transition   

Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act   

10. Report – The Act received Royal Assent on 15 September 2011. The Authority is committed to ensuring a seamless transition to a directly elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Staffordshire in November 2012. A Police Governance Transition Board has been established to oversee the arrangements, its membership including the County Council’s Director of Law and Governance as the link with local authorities in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent . A Work Plan was being developed and progressed, being accompanied by a Risk Register underpinning the arrangements.  

The Authority welcomed the delay in the introduction of the PCC from May to November 2012, thus allowing more time to properly plan and introduce the transition arrangements. This amendment to the original Bill did, however, bring with it additional costs, not least the stand-alone elections to be arranged by the Police Area Returning Officers throughout the country estimated at £100m. It was understood that these costs would not come from already pressurised police budgets.  

Parallel to the transition work, the Authority is committed to fulfilling its statutory duties to provide an efficient and effective police force for Staffordshire up to the day of transition.  To this end it has agreed an extension to its current Calendar of Meetings up to November 2012.    

Senior Salary Review on Police and Crime Commissioner Pay  

11. Report - The Senior Salaries Review Board published its report on the proposed pay of PCC’s on 31 October 2011, with salary levels being aligned to the police force weighting that governs chief constables’ pay. 5 levels of pay for PCC ’s was proposed.

The Board’s report made 6 recommendations to the Government, including PCC’s should not receive performance related pay; remuneration should be reduced pro-rata for any part-time PCC ’s; and that pay recommendations for the second round of elections in 2016 should be made separately.  

In Staffordshire's case, the Board recommends an annual salary for PCC ’s of £75,000.   

Home Office Consultation on proposed Complaints

against the Police and Crime Commissioner   

12. Report – The Authority has responded to consultation questions posed by the Home Office in response to its consultation on Draft Elected Local Policing Body (Complaints & Misconduct) Regulations including the role of the Independent Police Complaints Commission as regards allegations of criminal activity against the PCC .  

Sale of Former Headquarters Site, Cannock Road, Stafford   

13. Report – The Authority is currently considering bids for its former headquarters site following a marketing exercise undertaken by Colliers, its agents. A decision on which bid to accept will be made by the Authority on 7 December 2011.        

MRS . C.G. HEATH, Nominated Police Authority Member, Staffordshire County Council  

MRS. J. GARNER and MR. P. HAYWARD, Nominated Police Authority Members, Stoke-on-Trent City Council