Agenda item

Joint Report of the Town Clerk and the Commissioner of Police (copy attached).

The Committee received a joint report of the Town Clerk and the Commissioner of Police providing a comprehensive overview of activities relating to Police Professional Standards over the year 2012/13.

In introducing the report, the Commissioner alluded to Dame Anne’s presentation, under Item 5. He shared Dame Anne’s assessment of the importance of public confidence in the police complaints system and agreed that, to ensure this, keeping the IPCC fully independent was paramount. 

The Commissioner also made reference to the ‘City Futures’ programme which he had instigated in the City Police and the emphasis which the programme would place on working practices by better defining the values, ethics and behaviour expected from officers. 

Turning to the report, the Assistant Commissioner pointed out an issue of accuracy concerning Employment Tribunals, clarifying that in the last year one employment tribunal had been dismissed, one had been settled with no admission of liability and three had been withdrawn.  

The Assistant Commissioner also drew Members’ attention to the expanding work of Action Fraud, which was now receiving in the region of 20,000 fraud reports on behalf of 43 Forces across England and Wales. He anticipated that the increased public interaction arising from this activity would translate into a higher number of complaints in the future. The Assistant Commissioner added that he had already held discussions with the IPCC to flag this situation.

The Committee proceeded to discuss the contents of the report, with questions being raised about the target for recording complaints and the limitations of using comparators in a small force like the City Police. 

In concluding the debate, a Member who was also the Chairman of Professional Standards and Integrity Sub-Committee, highlighted the considerable time and effort dedicated to this important area of work and the vital role that the Committee played in ensuring that the Force learned lessons from emerging issues.

RECEIVED.