Agenda item

A paper regarding the Commissioner’s decision-making process for recruiting a Chief Constable was submitted to the Chair of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel on 10^th October 2023 by the Commissioner and the request made that it be considered at the meeting of the Panel on 12^th October 2023.  The Chair of the Panel has accepted by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified in the minutes, that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

A paper regarding the Commissioner’s decision-making process for recruiting a Chief Constable was submitted to the Chair on 10^th October 2023 by the Commissioner and the request made that it be considered at the meeting on 12^th October 2023.  By virtue of the significance of the issue and the level of public interest in this matter, the Chair accepted by reason of special circumstances that the item should be considered at the Panel meeting.

In outlining her rationale for the decision made to recruit a Chief Constable, the Commissioner highlighted that she had taken professional advice from her senior team and also consulted with a range of national stakeholders.  She was not satisfied that deferring the decision to the incoming Mayor would be the right decision for the force as it would result in a delay in getting stable leadership to continue the progress against improvements already made. The Commissioner highlighted that the recruitment process will be rigorous to ensure the strongest possible field of applicants.

Panel members conveyed a range of different views on the decision, including:

·       It may be a disadvantage for a new Chief Constable to be appointed now if they do not know who will be Mayor or what the incoming Mayoral priorities will be;

·       A Chief Constable has to be independent and strong so if they struggle to get on with an elected official then they may not be a good fit for the job anyway. 

·       Having a Deputy Chief Constable ‘act up’ for a lengthy period is not the best solution for the area and this is what would result from awaiting the Mayor’s appointment to the role.

·       Are there risks inherent to the strength of the field of candidates coming forward if recruiting during a period of change?

In response, the Commissioner emphasised that if the decision awaits the election of Mayor then the Deputy Chief Constable is compelled to step up for a prolonged period, which has knock-on effects on the senior team beneath and leaves gaps.  The Commissioner felt this presented risks in view of the level of change and improvement underway and underlined that stakeholders such as the College of Policing and HMICFRS did not see a problem with recruiting at a time of change.

A recommendation was proposed – and seconded - that the Commissioner considers pausing the recruitment process until after the Mayoral election and that under Section 29 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the PRSRA), the Commissioner is asked to respond formally to this recommendation in writing. 

A named vote was requested by a Panel member on this recommendation.  A unanimous show of hands confirmed support for a named vote.  The results of the vote were as follows:

There were no abstentions.

As such the recommendation was carried with nine votes in favour and four against.

Resolved –

That the Panel:

(a)   Recommends that the Commissioner pauses the recruitment process for appointment of a Chief Constable, until after the Mayoral election has taken place;

(b)   Requests a written response to their recommendation to the Commissioner, under s29 of the PRSRA.