Agenda and minutes

(1) The Head of Democratic Services reported apologies from the following Members:

Councillor Alex Perkins (Canterbury City Council)

Councillor Peter Fleming (Sevenoaks District Council)

Councillor Mark Rhodes (Tunbridge and Malling Borough Council)

(1)   The Head of Democratic Services (KCC) asked for nominations for Chairman of the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel.

(2)   Councillor M O’Brien proposed and Councillor G Clarkson seconded that Mr M Hill be elected Chairman.  No other nominations were received.

RESOLVED that Mr M Hill be elected Chairman of the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel.   

(1)   The Chairman asked for nominations for Vice-Chairman of the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel.

(2)   Mr M Hill proposed and Councillor R Turpin seconded that Councillor M O’Brien be elected Vice-Chairman.  No other nominations were received.

RESOLVED that Councillor M O’Brien be elected Vice-Chairman of the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel.

(1)    The Chairman referred to paragraph 13(3) – funding for the Panel and stated that he was pleased to confirm receipt of pro-rata funding for the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel for the remainder of the financial year.  The host authority had been tasked with providing administration and support to the Panel and further investigation would be undertaken to determine the best way of providing such support.  There was a possibility of providing a part-time officer through the Community Safety Unit which should be covered by the Home Office funding.  Further discussions would be had with the Kent and Medway Councils if it was found that the funding would not be sufficient to cover such a resource. 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2012 were correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman as a correct record. 

(1)   The Head of Democratic Services introduced the report and explained that advertisements for the positions of the Independent Co-opted Members had been published in all the KM Group newspapers and Kent on Sunday.  20 applications had been received which had been shortlisted to 8 by the sub-group.  Interviews had taken place at the end of October and the sub-group unanimously agreed to recommend Mr Dan McDonald and Mr Gurvinder Sandher as the Panel’s two independent members. 

(2)   Following an invitation from the Chairman both Mr D McDonald and Mr G Sandher gave Members a brief introduction to their background and their aspirations to make a valuable contribution to Panel. 

RESOLVED that the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel formally appoint Mr M McDonald and Mr G Sandher to the Panel for a term of four years. 

(1)    The Chairman confirmed that the Panel was in place to be a check and balance on the work of the Commissioner but also to support the Commissioner for the good of policing in Kent.

(2)    The Chairman welcomed the newly elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Mrs Ann Barnes and offered his, and the Panel’s, congratulations to her. 

(3)    Following an invitation from the Chairman the Commissioner introduced herself to the Panel and briefly set out some of her aspirations for policing in Kent. 

(4)    The Commissioner explained that a new era of police governance was evolving.  She had a vision that would reach every family and every community and would promote visible community policing with a boost to rural policing.  Politics would be kept out of police governance and there would be a relentless focus on cutting crime with further cuts to the police force being resisted. 

(5)    The Commissioner explained to Members her promise of a Youth Commissioner which she hoped to have appointed by Easter 2013.  She was also in the early stage of developing plans for local policing boards and was investigating methods of tracking crime to enable victims to be kept up to date.  There was to be increased use of the internet and social networking and the Commissioner assured the Panel that she, and her staff, would co-operate fully with the Panel to work towards the best possible policing service for Kent and Medway.

(6)    Members of the Committee echoed their congratulations to the Commissioner and supported her plans, in particular the idea of a Youth Commissioner and a tracking tool for victims of crime.  Members raised queries about the role of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships with the new Panels, but the Commissioner confirmed that a mapping exercise of the groups already in existence in Kent and Medway would be carried out before any proposals were put forward. 

(7)    The Commissioner explained that she aimed to be the most accessible commissioner in the Country and invited Members to discuss their issues with her outside of the meeting.  The Chairman wished her luck in her new role. 

(1)     The Chairman explained to the Panel that these documents had been discussed and proposed by the Shadow Panel and they had also now been approved by each local authority in Kent and Medway. 

(2)     One typographical error was reported which would be amended.

RESOLVED that the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel ratify the Terms of Reference, Panel Arrangements and Procedure Rules of the Panel.

RESOLVED that the Councillor Members of the Panel be bound by the Code of Conduct adopted by their own authority and that the Independent Members sign up to the ‘Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies’, as appended to the report.

(1)    The Chairman explained to Members that this was an urgent item which had been placed on the agenda after publication of the papers as a result of the timing of the election and the need to consult the Commissioner on the joint document. 

(2)    The Chairman offered his thanks to the former Kent Police Authority staff for their work on the document and explained that the Shadow Panel had had an exhaustive debate on the Information Sharing Protocol and that all comments made by the Shadow Panel had been incorporated into the document in front of the Panel. 

RESOLVED that the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel agree the Information Sharing Agreement and authorise the Chairman to sign the document on behalf of the Panel as agreed on 29 November 2012.

(1)    The Chairman explained to Members that this was an urgent item which had been placed on the agenda after publication of the papers as a result of the timing of the election and the need to consult the Commissioner on the joint document. 

(2)    The Chairman offered his thanks to the former Kent Police Authority staff for their work on the document and explained that the Shadow Panel had had an exhaustive debate on the Complaints Protocol and that all comments made by the Shadow Panel had been incorporated into the document in front of the Panel. 

RESOLVED that the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel

(3)    Agree to delegate responsibility for initial registration, assessment, recording and disapplication (where applicable) of complaints to the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner’s Chief Executive/Monitoring Officer

(4)    Establish a sub-panel with the following remit:

a.      To deal with complaints where local resolution by the Police and Crime Panel is appropriate

b.      To consider the arrangements to revise the interim complaints system after a suitable period of time

c.      To determine the oversight and recording procedures for the Panel is establish

d.      To ensure that the outcomes of the complaints process were used to inform organisational and individual learning and behaviour. 

(5)    Agree the policy as laid out for the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner

(6)    Agree the policy as laid out for the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel.