Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2016 Candidate Briefing Pack @NorthantsOPCC 1
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Contents Introduction 4 Key facts 6 OPCC staff structure 7 Senior appointments 8 OPCC budgets 10 Holding the Chief Constable to account 15 Monitoring the work of the Force 18 Complaints 19 Holding the PCC to account 20 Major work streams of the OPCC 23 OPCC reports 31 Questions 32 For further information on anything contained in this briefing pack, please visit or click here @NorthantsOPCC 3
Introduction The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the Act - for more information click here) represented the biggest overhaul of policing in England and Wales for over a generation. At the heart of the Act was the establishment of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to replace the former Police Authorities. It is difficult to make a direct comparison between the old Police Authority and the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commission as the Commission simply has a different and much bigger role to undertake compared to the former Police Authority. The legislative changes that created PCCs placed a sizeable number of new and different statutory duties on the new Commission, making its legal and statutory role very different. The Act also set out a range of statutory responsibilities, whilst ensuring there was also flexibility to ensure each Commissioner could develop the necessary infrastructure, governance arrangements and partnership structures in a way which best meet local needs. In addition to this, the Policing Protocol Order 2011 (for more information, click here) sets out to all Police and Crime Commissioners, Chief Constables and Police and Crime Panels how their functions will be exercised in relation to each other. Police and Crime Commissioners are directly responsible for the maintenance of an efficient and effective Police force and must hold the Chief Constable to account for the exercise of their functions and those under their direction and control. Police and Crime Commissioners also have statutory powers in relation to bringing together community safety and criminal justice partners, to co-operate with the Commission and formulate and implement strategies across the Police area. In addition to these statutory duties, Police and Crime Commissioners must hold the Police fund and other grants from central and local government and set the policing precept for their area. PCCs must issue a Police and Crime Plan and ensure that the views of local people and victims of crime are sought before the precept is set and the Police and Crime Plan is issued. PCCs are also responsible for appointing the Chief Constable and removing them from office when necessary (as long as the relevant legal requirements are met). 4
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 recognises that in order to be effective, PCCs must appoint a team of staff and as such the Act expressly requires the PCC to have a Chief Executive and a Section 151 officer who is responsible for the budget, and the proper financial administration of the Police Fund. This briefing gives PCC candidates an oversight of both the structure and work of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commission and highlights a number of key publications and consultation documents that have been published since 2012. @NorthantsOPCC 5
Key facts Population: 714,392 Land area: 2,363.97 km² Population increase since 2011: 3.2% Average age: 39.5 Domestic properties: 308,560 Ethnicity (non-white British 2011): 14.3% Job Seekers Allowance claimant rate (Nov 15): 1.3% Employment rate 16-64 (Jun 15): 79.4% 6
OPCC staff structure Police and Crime Commissioner Acting Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service & Monitoring Officer Assistant Chief Executive Visibility Acting Director for Governance, Operations &Delivery Acting Director for Resources Director for the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice Specials Head of Office (Deputy Monitoring Officer) Policy Finance and HR Governance, Casework and Diary Office for Faith Based &Community Intiatives Public Involvement Prevention and Community Impact Voice Bluelight Integration @NorthantsOPCC 7
Senior appointments The Chief Executive The Chief Executive is the most senior officer of the OPCC and is the head of paid service. This statutory appointment is made under Schedule 1 (or Schedule 3) to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. For the purposes of section 5(1) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended by the Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011), the Chief Executive is designated as the body s monitoring officer with responsibility for ensuring the legality of the actions of the policing body and its officers. The role of OPCC Chief Executive in Northamptonshire is to: Lead across the strategic coordination of the Commissioner s priorities and responsibilities, ensuring vision, engagement, delivery and communication Exercise the statutorily defined duties of the Chief Executive of the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner, as set out by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011: including being the head of paid service; exercising the role of monitoring officer for the OPCC; and ensuring an efficient and effective Office of the PCC Represent the PCC across executive, senior stakeholder and governmental relationships Secure effective and highly productive relationships with key partner agencies, including local government and wider public services Cultivate with the senior staff of the Commission a highly innovative and effective organisation, providing dynamic leadership. Chief Finance Officer Under paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, every PCC outside London is required to appoint a person to be responsible for the proper administration of the commissioner s financial affairs, referred to as the Chief Finance Officer. The role of the OPCC Chief Finance Officer in Northamptonshire is to: Act as the statutory Chief Finance Officer for the Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in accordance with Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Local Government Finance Act 1988, the Local Government Act 2003 and other relevant legislation, exercising responsibility to 8
ensure that arrangements are in place for proper financial administration and good governance Lead the OPCC governance and resource management functions (finance, HR, procurement, legal, ICT, asset management and risk management), ensuring appropriate governance and resource management arrangements are in place, understood and complied with across the OPCC @NorthantsOPCC 9
OPCC budgets The PCC is the recipient of all funding, including the Police grant from the government and funding raised by the Council Tax precept, related to policing and crime reduction. How this money is allocated is a matter for the PCC, except in relation to a small number of specific grants such as those for counter-terrorism, in consultation with the Chief Constable, who may provide professional advice and recommendations. The Force budget 2016/17 In 2016/17, the budget delegated to the Chief Constable was as follows: Funding 2016-17 ( 000 s) Central Government Grant 73,994 Council Tax Precept (including collection fund 48,001 Total 121,995 Allocation 2016-17 ( 000 s) Force 112,315 OPCC 3,909 Reserves 5,771 Total 121,995 10
OPCC budget The revenue budgets directly managed by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner in 2016-17 are: The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner The Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives The Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice Commissioning A summary of the spending proposals for 2016-17 is set out below. 2016-17 ( 000 s) OPCC 1,437 OFBCI 283 IPSCJ 520 Commissioning 1,669 Total 3,909 An analysis of these sums analysed over staff and other expenditure, and income, is shown below, together with staffing numbers: FTE Staff (000 s) Other (000 s) Gross (000 s) Income (000 s) Net (000 s) OPCC 22.3 1,281 338 1,662 (225) 1,437 OFBCI 1.0 64 219 283 283 IPSCJ 520 520 520 Commissioning 2,421 2,421 (752) 1,669 Total 23.3 1,345 3,541 4,886 (977) 3,909 @NorthantsOPCC 11
Medium term financial plan The Home Office provides a series of specific and special grants in addition to the Police Main Grant. In order to create budgets for national initiatives the Home Office top slices the Police Main Grant. In essence this reduces the amount which is allocated to Police and Crime Commissioners to support local policing. Within the provisional settlement for 2016-17 the Home Office top sliced 294m (7%) from the Police Main Grant. In 2015-16 the figure was 174m, when compared to the 2015-16 top slice represents a 69% increase. Top Slice 2015-16 ( m) 2016-17 ( m) Innovation Fund 70 55 IPCC 30 32 College of Policing 5 5 HMIC* 9 0 Police Special Grant 15 25 Major Programmes 40 21 Transformation Fund (new) n/a 37 Firearms (new) n/a 34 Digital Justice/investigations (new) n/a 5 Emergency Services Network (new) n/a 80 Police Knowledge Fund 5 0 Total 174 294 12
No definitive announcements or commitments have been made by the Government specifically in relation to police funding for 2017-18 and onwards, except that top slicing is likely to increase. Given the uncertainty regarding Government funding of the Police and Crime Commission from 2017-18 onwards, the projections in the medium term financial plan have been based on government announcements made so far. At this stage the medium term financial plan makes prudent assumptions regarding future levels of Police Grant and tax base increases and assumes no surplus on the Council Tax Collection Fund after 2016-17. It is assumed however that the government will continue to offer some ongoing grant within the overall Police Grant total reflecting the 2011-12 and 2013-14 Council Tax freeze grants. For planning purposes only an increase in Council Tax of 1.99% has been assumed 2017-18 to 2020-21. Taken together these assumptions result in slight increases in funding over the period to 2020-21. Please continue to the next page to view the medium term financial plan 2016-21. @NorthantsOPCC 13
Medium term financial plan 2016-21 2016-17 proposed ( 000 s) 2017-18 ( 000 s) 2018-19 ( 000 s) 2019-20 ( 000 s) 2020-21 ( 000 s) NNDR (DCLG) Home Office Police Grant 67,350 66,680 66,010 65,350 64,700 CT Support Grant 5,053 5,053 5,053 5,053 5,053 CSF sub-total 72,403 71,733 71,063 70,403 69,753 CTFG 2011-12 1,131 1,131 1,131 1,131 1,131 CTFG 2013-14 460 460 460 460 460 CTFG 2014-15 CTFG 1,591 1,591 1,591 1,591 1,591 Collection Fund 904 0 0 0 0 Precept 46,930 48,340 49,790 51,290 52,840 TOTAL 121,828 121,664 122,444 123,284 124,184 Tax Base 228,952 231,240 233,550 235,890 238,250 Precept ( ) 204.96 209.04 213.20 217.44 221.77 14
Holding the Chief Constable to account The basis for the relationship between PCCs and Chief Constables is set out in the Policing Protocol Order 2011. This states that the Commissioner has a statutory duty and electoral mandate to hold the police to account on behalf of the public. The Order also empowers PCCs to scrutinise, support and challenge the overall performance of the force including against the priorities agreed within the Police and Crime Plan, and to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the force s officers and staff. However, it also states that Commissioners must not fetter the operational independence of the police force and the Chief Constable who leads it. The Chief Constable Each police force is led by a Chief Constable. They are supported by a Deputy Chief Constable and one or more Assistant Chief Constable(s) and staff. The Chief Constable must regularly explain to the public the actions of officers and staff they command within their force area. They are responsible for keeping our communities safe and secure, and the force s officers and staff are under their control. Chief Constables must answer to the PCC in terms of delivering efficient and effective policing, and the way resources and spending are managed. Chief Constables will deliver the strategy and aims set out in the PCC s Police and Crime plan, and they will help the PCC plan the force s budget and give them access to information, officers and staff whenever this is needed. Chief Constables must lead their force in a way that is consistent with the oath made by all officers. They must make sure their force acts independently and fairly. @NorthantsOPCC 15
The PCC and Chief Constable must work together to protect the principle of operational independence, while making sure that the PCC is not restricted from carrying out their role. The Chief Constable must let the PCC know about any matter or investigation where the PCC may need to provide public assurance either alone or with the Chief Constable. The Police and Crime Commissioner Whilst PCCs are responsible to the public for the overall policing within their force area, they cannot tell a constable - even the Chief Constable - how to use their police powers. The police will still be independent at all times and will answer to the law and courts when carrying out their police powers. A PCC holds the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the force and set the strategic direction for the force in their area. Chief Constables will also answer to their PCC for the day-to-day financial management of the force and for arranging the force s responsibilities in terms of national operations and emergencies. The Chief Constable will manage all complaints against the force, its officers and staff (except those related to the Chief Constable) and make sure that the PCC is kept informed so that they can carry out their legal obligations in relation to complaints. Serious complaints and matters to do with conduct must be passed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in line with the law. The policing protocol allows for flexibility and judgement within force areas. PCCs and Chief Constables must take account of the protocol when carrying out their functions. This means that a PCC or Chief Constable does not have an absolute duty to keep to the protocol, but must take it into account and should only stray from it if there is good reason to do so. The accountability arrangements between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Northamptonshire Police have been conducted following the four key principles: 1. Reflecting victim and community priorities and concerns 2. Adopting a long-term strategic perspective 3. Being intrusive when it needs to be, and light touch when it doesn t 4. Based upon trust Regular and accurate performance data is also key to this fundamental aspect to the PCC s role. In Northamptonshire, the force employs a team of analysts who report to the Chief Officers on performance on a regular basis. Performance information produced by Northamptonshire Police is shared with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, as a matter of course. 16
An informal performance briefing is provided to the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and/ or the Acting Director for Governance, Operations and Delivery, on a monthly basis by the force s Performance Analysis Manager. The process of more formal performance accountability is undertaken through the Accountability Board. The Accountability Board meets monthly and its purpose is threefold: To support the PCC in exercising the statutory duties in holding the Chief Constable to account To support the PCC in developing strategic financial plans To act as the strategic authority for transformational programmes @NorthantsOPCC 17
Monitoring the work of the force Independent Custody Visiting Independent Custody Visitors check on the welfare of detainees held in police custody. They ensure they are receiving their rights and entitlements and that the conditions they are being held in are satisfactory. Volunteers in this role are impartial, objective and non-judgemental, as well as able to communicate effectively with people from a variety of different backgrounds. For more information on Independent Custody Visiting, click here. Independent Advisory Group Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Northamptonshire Police are committed to engaging with diverse communities across the county. Our Independent Advisory Groups are one of the many ways in which we speak with residents of Northamptonshire of all ages and backgrounds, in order to help us provide the best service possible for our communities. Community representatives are able to offer a valuable insight to the police about diversity and equality issues affecting the area where they live, socialise or work. Currently we have members of local communities from across our county who attend bi-monthly meetings to consider how police policies, practices and procedures might impact on them and their friends, colleagues and families. Independent Advisory Groups play an important role in improving the work of the police and currently meet in the following areas: Kettering and Corby Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire Daventry and South Northamptonshire Northampton For more information on the Independent Advisory Group, click here. 18
Complaints Currently PCCs have no role in the investigation of complaints against any police officer other than any misconduct issues made against the Chief Constable. All complaints against police officers are administered by the Chief Constable through the Force s Professional Standards Department. Should a member of the public be unhappy with the conclusion of an investigation into a complaint made against a police officer, they have the right to appeal to the IPCC. Only if the allegation was that the complaint had not been handled in line with police regulations could a member of the public seek the involvement of the PCC. The PCC also has the responsibility for ensuring that the Chief Constable is applying police regulations in the handling of complaints. This is undertaken through regularly dip-sample meetings in which the OPCC randomly review complaints files to ensure the complaints procedure is robustly adhered to and maintained. Any concerns that arise from these meetings are then raised directly with the Chief Constable. Complaints about the conduct of the Chief Constable are administered by the PCC, and only if the PCC is sure that something does not involve an allegation of a criminal nature would a PCC be empowered to investigate. Otherwise, complaints would automatically be passed to the remit of Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). In the Queen s Speech in May 2015, the government set out that a Policing and Criminal Justice Bill would be tabled during the current Parliamentary session. The Policing and Criminal Justice Bill is currently progressing through Parliament and would reform the system of police complaints in the following ways: A major role for PCCs in the handling of police complaints Changes to the handling of complaints aimed at making the system easier to follow and more transparent Changes to the role and powers of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to reinforce its independence from police forces The introduction of super-complaints to allow certain advocacy groups and charities to raise concerns over troubling systemic issues in policing Further details can be found by clicking here. @NorthantsOPCC 19
Holding the PCC to account The Police and Crime Panel (PCP) holds the Police and Crime Commissioner to account. The Police and Crime Panel is a body made up of local elected councillors and independent members with the responsibility to scrutinise and support the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The PCP is not a local government committee however it is obliged to meet in public, to publish agendas and minutes and to fulfil the following responsibilities: To consider the Police and Crime Commissioner s Police and Crime Plan a document setting out the PCC s priorities for a five year period, and how those priorities will be delivered To consider the draft policing budget and draft policing precept. The precept is the amount of money that the PCC proposes to levy on council taxpayers for the local force. The budget will set out how both the money raised from the precept will be spent, and also how other funds will be spent for which the PCC has overall responsibility To consider the PCC s annual report, setting out their activities in the previous year To carry out hearings when the PCC proposes to appoint a new Chief Constable, a deputy PCC, a Chief of Staff, Chief Executive or a Chief Finance Officer To work to resolve (but not investigate) non-criminal complaints made about the PCC 20
The panel is made up of councillors drawn from each of the local authorities in Northamptonshire according to a set allocation of places, and two independent co-opted members drawn from the local community. The current membership is as follows: Corby Borough Council Daventry District Council East Northamptonshire Council Kettering Borough Council Northampton Borough Council Northamptonshire County Council South Northamptonshire Council Borough Council of Wellingborough Independent Co-opted Members Councillor Mary Butcher Councillor Richard Auger Councillor Gill Mercer Councillor Jan Smith Councillor Anna King Councillor Danielle Stone Councillor Derek Lawson Councillor Winston Strachan Councillor Lizzy Bowen Councillor Paul Bell Mrs Eric Montgomery Mr Cargin Moss The agenda papers for meetings are published five working days in advance and are available to download from the Northamptonshire County Council website. The panel meetings are normally held in public and members of the public can attend, address the Police and Crime Panel or ask a question on any item on the agenda for a particular meeting. If you would like to speak at a Police and Crime Panel meeting, or have any questions about the PCP, please contact James Edmunds at Northamptonshire County Council two working days before the date of the meeting. Further details can be found by clicking here. @NorthantsOPCC 21
The Independent Joint Audit Committee The Independent Joint Audit Committee supports the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable to discharge their responsibilities by providing independent assurance on the adequacy of their corporate governance, risk management arrangements and the associated control environments and the integrity of financial statements and reporting. The main duties of the Independent Joint Audit Committee are: Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Internal Control and the Regulatory Framework External Financial Reporting Internal Audit External Audit Other Assurance Functions Counter Fraud The Committee is authorised by the Commissioner and the Chief Constable to: Investigate any activity within its terms of reference Seek any information it requires from any employee Obtain outside legal or other independent professional advice Secure the attendance of outsiders with relevant experience and expertise if it considers this necessary Undertake training of its new members as required Full details can found by clicking here 22
Major work streams of the OPCC Victims Voice The Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commission established Voice as a new service for victims and witnesses of crime in October 2014. Voice s professional and tailored service is available to all victims and witnesses in Northamptonshire, regardless of crime type or whether your crime has been reported to the police. As well as providing emotional and practical support to victims of crime, Voice supports witnesses who have given a statement to the police and may need to give evidence in court through the criminal justice system. Voice also offers specialist support to: Victims of antisocial behaviour who are persistently targeted or recognised as vulnerable Victims and their families affected by serious and fatal road traffic collisions Victims of interpersonal violence (this includes crimes of a sexual nature, domestic abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, stalking, harassment, slavery, trafficking and sex-working) Children and young people who are victims and witnesses of crime or antisocial behaviour as part of a special service For further information on Voice, visit www.voicenorthants.org or click here. @NorthantsOPCC 23
Safeguarding and protecting children Safeguarding children and tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation remain key priorities of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The OPCC works closely alongside partners through the Northamptonshire Children Safeguarding Board to support and contribute to this important agenda. The Multi- Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and specialist Reducing Incidence of Sexual Exploitation (RISE) teams provide an effective multi-agency response following a referral, either from a professional or a member of the public, who has concerns about a child s welfare. In 2015 the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner published a Ten Point Pledge which outlined a commitment to tackle the abuse and exploitation of children. The aim was to not only recognise and understand the symptoms of abuse and exploitation, but to seek with the upmost urgency to prevent, disrupt, and prosecute the criminal concerned, and protect the lives and futures of our children and young people. The pledge encompasses the existing good work taking place in the county across all agencies, and also sets out new and challenging ambitions to ensure that as a county, everything possible is being done to tackle child sexual exploitation. The full document is available by clicking here. 24
Police visibility and the Special Constabulary On entering Office the Police and Crime Commissioner set the target of recruiting and training over 600 new Special Constables by May 2016 to bring the total number of serving Specials in Northamptonshire to 900. As of March 2016, there are 718 serving Special Constables, with that number rising by approximately 50 per month. Special Constables are part-time, voluntary police officers with all the same powers as full-time, regular police officers. Northamptonshire s Special Constabulary contributed 138,528 hours of duty in 2015 equivalent to 75 full-time officers. Northamptonshire Police has the largest ratio of Special Constables to regular officers anywhere in England and Wales, and the fifth highest total number of Special Constables of any police force. Northamptonshire Special Constabulary factfile: Longest serving officer: 28 years, 10 months Oldest serving officer: 68 years-old Youngest serving officer: 18 years-old Special Constables currently serve in the following departments: Local Response Team, Safer Community Team, Criminal Investigations Department, Safer Roads Team and the Prisoner Investigation Unit Outside of duty, jobs held by Special Constables include: Accountants, Builders, Architects, Joiners, Marketers, Nurses, Scout/Guide leaders and many, many more Languages spoken by Special Constables include: German, Polish, Spanish, Urdu, Swahili, Tagalog and British sign language For more information, visit www.northantspolicespecials.co.uk or click here. @NorthantsOPCC 25
Safest Generation Criminal justice services are currently configured around a welfare and criminal justice system born of 19th century values, being administered in the 21st century. Safest Generation challenges all aspects of this system to enable the redesign of future journeys for children and young people within Northamptonshire. The Safest Generations strategic aims are to prevent and reduce victimisation and offending by children and young people in the county. The Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner is working to change this journey around the core themes of: Placing children and young people as the central component to help shape and create solutions. They know better than anyone else what is required to help them have active, happy lives free from the risks of criminality Gaining a better understanding of children and young people s current needs and the gaps that exist in meeting those needs, ensuring we understand what works and what does not to maximise the opportunities to intervene Enabling social action capacity building within communities and sectors that are better placed to support children and young people within their own environments Building a new model for youth justice fit for the 21st century where the criminal justice system values better reflect the journey children and young people take through life without penalising or inhibiting their progress to adulthood This ambition is shared by partners including Northamptonshire County Council and Northamptonshire Police through the Youth Offending Service Board. Further details of this work can be found by clicking here. 26
Integration of Bluelight Services In September 2015, the Government announced a consultation into the future integration of the emergency services. Prior to this announcement, Northamptonshire has been leading the way in integrating the police force and the fire and rescue service and has made significant progress in its journey to bring the two organisations into a single governance structure, thanks in part to an investment of 8.5 million worth of transformation funding from the Home Office and Department for Communities and Local Government. Steps taken by Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service in order to increase efficiency and collaboration include: Northants Fire and Rescue Service s senior management now work out of Northamptonshire Police Headquarters at Wootton Hall Park, to promote closer working arrangements between the two organisations The county s first co-located police and fire station has been established in Thrapston A Joint Operations Team and Prevention and Community Protection department both of which are headed by senior fire and rescue service managers are now operational Collaborative pilot schemes have also been introduced, which have seen the two organisations co-responding to incidents together through two new Rural Intervention Vehicles (RIVs) and the Multi-Agency Incident Assessment Team (MIAT), which also includes the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) These arrangements have helped to make both Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service more efficient and effective in their work, enabling them to deliver a greater service to the public. For more information, click here. @NorthantsOPCC 27
Safer Roads An extensive Roads Policing Strategy 2013-16 has been drafted by the Force which presents two strategic aims: To reduce people killed and seriously injured on the roads and to disrupt criminality. Work with Northamptonshire s Safer Roads Alliance, which is made up of key partners from Police, Fire, Highways and the county council is under-way to strengthen the long term, strategic vision which addresses road safety issues holistically and efficiently within the county. As part of this work, the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commission has identified a number of actions around education, innovation and technology which include: Special Constables running operations and mobile speed cameras Special Constables working alongside their full-time colleagues to manage road operations largely targeted at speed and driving without insurance or tax. The future vision is for the Parish Special Constable and General Duty Specials to run operations entirely on their own, across all road safety operation types. Community owned road safety initiatives Work is currently underway to build and strengthen the community road safety initiatives in the county such as Community Speedwatch into a single scheme tackling bad parking, weight limits and speeding which would be run by local volunteers and supported by the new Parish Special Constables and Safer Roads Teams. The Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice The Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice (IPSCJ) is a joint venture between the Office of Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the University of Northampton to deliver evidence-based policy and practice across public safety services. The IPSCJ brings expertise across research methods, analytical tools and experience in working with policing, justice and victim services in particular. It provides the following services to improve the delivery of policing and justice in Northamptonshire and to reduce the impact of victimisation on communities: Applied research, evaluation and strategic analysis Insight into victims, witnesses and communities Translation of evidence into practice For more information, visit www.ipscj.org or click here. 28
Rural Action Northamptonshire is a predominantly rural county with large areas of countryside and hundreds of picturesque villages that many people live and work within. The impact of public sector cuts in recent years has meant that the Police Force may not have always been as visible in our rural communities as residents would like. This has left some people feeling vulnerable to crime. Therefore the Office of Police and Crime Commission has ensured that rural communities are given the attention that they deserve. In conjunction with Northamptonshire Police, the OPCC aims to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour that doesn t necessarily always make headlines but does make residents lives in rural areas miserable. Together, Northamptonshire Police and the OPCC have developed a new sustainable approach - Rural Action - which empowers countryside communities to take ownership of resolutions to almost all issues which threaten the safety of residents. Alongside Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue, Northamptonshire Highways and wider partners, Rural Action is a joint commitment to work together to make our rural communities safer, while also promoting safety and well-being in rural areas. The aim of Rural Action is to: Tackle the issues that matter most to those who live and work in rural areas Take real and visible action Coordinate action that has a much broader remit than just the Police force Rural action is made up of three strands: Safer streets - A Parish Special Constable for every village Safer countryside - Giving rural communities the attention they deserve Safer roads - Getting tough on weight limits, speeding and bad parking For further information, visit www.northamptonshireruralaction.co.uk or click here. @NorthantsOPCC 29
Estates strategy An Estates Strategy Document that governs decisions around all land owned and leased by the Police and Crime Commissioner, which sets-out plans to save 40million over the next 25 years through more cost-effective buildings and facilities, has been published by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner. The proposal to leave Wootton Hall has been put forward following an extensive appraisal of the advantages and disadvantages of Northamptonshire Police remaining at the current headquarters. Further details can be found by clicking here. Strategic Alliance The Police and Crime Commissioners and three Chief Constables of, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire have been developing a new Strategic Alliance which would involve the three forces working much more closely together; achieving a greater degree of convergence, with the scaling and sharing of activities, and significant transformation of services. It is anticipated that this model would help drive significant efficiencies and effectiveness, reduce duplications realise benefits of scale and help support radical improvement in outcomes for local people and transformation in service delivery. The primary purpose is to safeguard front-line services within our local communities and to serve and protect them to maximum effect. The agreement to work towards a Strategic Alliance would not see the creation of a single regional force. The agreement in principle would see Northamptonshire Police remain as a distinct organisational entity as would the other two forces, each under the command of a Chief Constable. However, the Alliance would see considerable further convergence, and likely integration of management and activities between the three organisations. Joint design work is underway which will seek to develop the strategic vision for the Alliance, work on a business case and ultimately look towards the formal agreement to initiate and resource a programme to develop the Strategic Alliance. 30
OPCC reports The following reports have been produced by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner throughout the last term of office. Click on each report to view online. Stop and Search A report by Northamptonshire Police & Crime Commission One year on August 2015 Victims Voice Report of the Northamptonshire Victims Commissioner STRATEGY 2015-2018 Protecting Rural Communities from Harm Supt. Andy COX Chief Inspector Tom Thompson September 2013 Published by the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner Bluelights SAFETY Police Fire Integration in Northamptonshire A report by Northamptonshire Police & Crime Commission March 2015 To view all the reports published by the Office of the Police and Crime Commisioner over the past three and a half years, please visit, or click here. @NorthantsOPCC 31
Questions Any contact from people who identify themselves as prospective candidates will be dealt with by the OPCC as they would be if they were a member of the public. The OPCC will direct them to publicly available information on the website and to the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) for other matters. The Kettering Borough Chief Executive David Cook is the Police Area Returning Officer for Northamptonshire. He is responsible for the conduct of the election. It is through the PARO that candidates will register and be confirmed on the ballot paper. The OPCC will seek advice from the PARO on matters in relation to conduct during the election. Where prospective candidates release information to the media, the OPCC will not comment unless there is a matter of factual inaccuracy. In those circumstances a response from the OPCC Chief Executive may be appropriate. Any requests will be directed to the OPCC Single Point of Contact. The OPCC Single Point of Contact will keep an electronic record of any contact from those who declare themselves as candidates. Any information provided to one candidate will be de-personalised and placed on to the OPCC website for any other prospective candidate to see. All declared PCC candidates will be invited to a briefing day in April 2016 in the OPCC offices. The briefing will provide a factual input on the role, budgets, responsibilities, structure and current policy direction of the OPCC. For more information on the conduct of the OPCC relating to the election, please click here. 32
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Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commission Correspondence address: The West Wing, Force Headquarters, Wootton Hall, Northampton, NN4 0JQ Telephone: 01604 888113 Email: Commissioner@northantspcc.pnn.police.uk 34