Minutes of Meeting of the Northern Joint Police Board held in Council Chamber, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Friday, 25 August 2006 at 10.30 a.m.
Present
Representing the Highland Council
Mr G M Smith
Mr R Saxon
Mr W J Ross
Mr D Allan
Mrs I McCallum
Mr D J Chisholm (Substitute)
Mr J Laing
Mrs J N Home
Mr P Corbett
Mr N A Donald (Substitute)
Mr L R Fraser (Substitute)
Mrs O J Macdonald
Mr B J Murphy
Representing Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Mr D MacLean
Mr R Morrison
Mr M Macleod
Mr N M Macleod
Representing Orkney Islands Council
Mr R C Sclater
Mr A A Drever
Representing Shetland Islands Council
Mr W Tait
Mr J P Nicolson
Officials in attendance:
Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
Chief Superintendent L Stewart
Chief Superintendent B Duncan
Mr P Fraser, Force Director of Finance & Asset Management
Mr A Macleod, Force Estates Manager
Ms A Sillars, Force Director of Human Resources
Mr P Lamont, Force Head of Administration
Mrs E Ward, Force Budget Accountant
Mrs M Grigor, Treasurer’s Office
Ms R Pieroni, Clerk
Mrs R Moir, Assistant Clerk
Mrs C Nicoll, Clerk’s Office
Mrs J N Home in the Chair
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mrs V MacIver, Mr E C Mackinnon, Mrs C M Cumming and Mr A S Park of The Highland Council.
2. Appointments to the Board
The Board NOTED that the Highland Council had appointed Mr John Laing, previously a Substitute Member of the Board, as a Substantive Member, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs I Campbell. That Council had also appointed Mr Iain MacDonald to fill the Substitute Member position previously held by Mr Laing.
3. Appointments to Working Groups and Sub Committees Etc.
i. Finance and Policy Working Group
The Board AGREED to appoint Mr J Laing to the Finance and Policy Working Group to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs I Campbell.
ii. Grievance Appeals Sub-Committee
The Board AGREED to appoint Mr J Laing to the Grievance Appeals Sub-Committee to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs I Campbell.
4. HM The Queen’s Birthday Honours List
The Board NOTED that Chief Constable Ian Latimer had been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in HM the Queen’s Birthday Honours List announced on 17 June 2006. The Convener, on behalf of the Board, congratulated the Chief Constable on receiving the award.
5. Presentation on the Public Performance Report 2005/06
The Chief Constable presented the Northern Constabulary Public Performance Report 2005/06.(www.northern.police.uk)
During his presentation, the Chief Constable reminded the Board that the aim of the Force continued to be ‘to make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of the Highlands and Islands through a problem solving approach to community policing’. He was pleased to advise that the HMIC Primary Inspection had noted that the Force had been successful in achieving this aim. The work of the Force in addressing the key strategic priorities, together with improvements made in the delivery of service, had made a tangible difference to the quality of life throughout the area: for example, there had been a 29% increase in the detection of crimes involving dangerous drugs; a 13.4% reduction in reckless and careless driving and a 15.7% increase in the detection of individuals carrying offensive weapons. He was pleased to announce that the detection rate had increased to 64.1%, which was the second highest rate of all Forces in the UK. There had been 670 fewer victims of crime compared with the same period in 2005 and the ability to engage effectively with communities throughout the Highlands and Islands had proved extremely helpful in establishing a number of local policing strategies, such as:-
• the introduction of ‘police surgeries’ in Badenoch, Strathspey and Nairn
• reducing the levels of assault, dishonesty and vandalism in Caithness and Sutherland
• ‘Safer Town’ status for Invergordon
• an effective operational response to a serious firearms incident in Orkney
• the seizure of £50,000 of controlled drugs at Holmsfirth Ferry Terminal.
In conclusion, the Chief Constable was pleased to have been able to present a report which had demonstrated the Force’s strong commitment to continuous improvement in the delivery of services and which had reflected the many significant achievements of the Board over the past year. He thanked the Board for their continuing support.
The Convener welcomed the Chief Constable’s positive report and, on behalf of the Board, thanked the Force for their hard work in continuing to ensure the wellbeing of the Highlands and Islands.
Thereafter, the Board NOTED the presentation.
6. Minutes – Previous Meeting
There had been circulated and APPROVED for confirmation Minutes of Board Meeting of 24 May 2006 subject to the inclusion of Mr J Laing in the sederunt.
7. Minutes of Audit Working Group
There had been circulated and APPROVED Minutes of the Audit Working Group of 11 August 2006.
8. Minutes of Complaints Study Group
There had been circulated and APPROVED Minutes of the Complaints Study Group of 18 August 2006, subject to discussion of item 8 of those Minutes at item 24 below.
9. Statement of Unaudited Accounts 2005/2006
There had been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-24-06 comprising the Statement of Unaudited Accounts for 2005/2006.
10. Revenue Budget Monitoring Statement 2005/06
There had been circulated Report No. POL-25-06 dated 10 August 2006 comprising a statement and commentary by the Chief Constable on Revenue Expenditure and Income for the period to 31 July 2006.
The gross revenue expenditure shown was £19,203,000 against an anticipated budget of £59,675,000. Total income received to 31 July 2006 was £2,376,000 against an anticipated budget of £4,877,000.
The Board NOTED the report.
11. Capital Expenditure Monitoring Statement 2005/06
There had been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-26-06 dated 11 August 2006 comprising a statement and commentary by the Chief Constable on Capital Expenditure for the period to 31 July 2006.
12. Estate Management Capital Programme
There had been circulated Report No. POL-27-06 dated 8 August 2006 by the Chief Constable on progress made on planned projects.
The Board NOTED (a) the progress of the projects in the programme and (b) the reduced and revised scale of the Dingwall Project and APPROVED:-
i. the progress of projects at Grantown-on-Spey, Lairg, Rhiconich and Stornoway from Stage One to Stage Two;
ii. the progress of the Dingwall project to Stage Three;
iii. the progress of projects at Gairloch, Tain and the final phase of the Thurso project from Stage Two to Stage Three; and
iv. the inclusion of the Firearms Range project in the capital programme for the current financial year.
13. Integrated Communications Development Programme (ICDP)
There had been circulated Report No. POL-28-06 dated 6 August 2006 by the Chief Constable on progress with the Integrated Communications Development Programme.
In speaking to the report, the Chief Constable informed the Board that the ICDP was now largely implemented across the Force. There were still a few improvements to be made to the software and these were progressing satisfactorily. Progress had also been made towards a single non-emergency number and every effort was being made to ensure that the introduction of this number did not adversely affect the ability of the public to make contact with the Force. A report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Board providing Members with details of how this single non-emergency system would operate.
The Chief Constable reported that it was not intended to present further reports on the ICDP to each meeting of the Board. Instead, he intended to include a section on communications in future annual public performance reports, which would keep Members up to date with the programme.
Referring to the visit by some Members to the Operations Centre later in the day, the Chief Constable advised that he would be happy to make alternative arrangements for any Members who would be unable to attend on this occasion.
Thereafter, the Board NOTED the position.
14. Force Review Project
There had been circulated Report No. POL-29-06 dated 9 August 2006 by the Chief Constable providing an update on progress with the Force Review Project.
The Chief Constable reported that detailed work was ongoing in identifying areas where operational and service delivery improvements were required and it was intended to bring any emerging issues to the next meeting of the Board in November.
In response to Members’ queries, the Chief Constable gave an assurance that the Review would be wide-ranging and would consider not only issues concerning the Force itself, but also significant national policing work, looking at operational capacity and capability and also issues such as counter terrorism, serious and organised crime, major crime investigation, public order and firearms, which would clearly have an impact on service delivery in the Highlands and Islands. The Chief Constable would also be involved in work to support the setting up of the Scottish Police Services Authority from April 2007 and the Force Review would consider not only the setting up of this Authority, but also areas where, in the future, the Board might consider sharing support services both at regional and national levels. The Review would also be looking at the issue of good practice in both Scotland and England.
During discussion, Members welcomed the Review. The suggestion was made that it would be useful for the Board to take a more proactive view on how policing services could be developed, with a view to supporting the work of the Chief Constable and underlining the quality of policing services in Northern in the run-up to the 2007 Scottish elections. It was suggested that a sub-group be established to look to how the Board could become more proactive in this area. The Clerk advised Members that the matter could be considered by the Board’s Finance and Policy Working Group.
Members queried whether there were any implications for the Force arising from the rationalisation of the Court Service throughout the Highlands. The Chief Constable reported that the Force continued to have a good working relationship with the Court Service and that, at present, there were no issues of concern regarding the delivery of policing services within the Courts.
Thereafter, the Board NOTED the position.
15. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC): Northern Constabulary Primary Report 2005
There had been circulated Report No. POL-30-06 dated 14 August 2006 by the Chief Constable advising Members of progress made against the recommendations/areas of concern arising from the HMIC Primary Inspection 2005.
The Chief Constable informed the Board that work was progressing to address the recommendations of the HMIC Primary Inspection. The Force was awaiting the appointment of a new Inspector within HMIC before a date for the Review Inspection could be finalised, although it was anticipated that this Inspection would take place in the second quarter of 2007.
The Board NOTED the position.
16. Freedom of Information (FOI)
At its meeting on 24 May 2006, Members had noted that a report would be submitted to this meeting of the Board providing a breakdown of the staff time involved in dealing with FOI requests, the nature of the requests received and the costs involved in providing the information.
In this connection, there had been circulated Report No. POL-31-06 dated 11 August 2006 by the Chief Constable providing Members with an outline of the process for implementing the requirements of Freedom of Information legislation within Northern Constabulary.
In speaking to the report, the Chief Constable advised that 672 FOI requests had been received by the Force for the period from 1 January to 31 July 2006, an increase of 65% over the same period in 2005. Of these 672 requests, 446 had been received from the media and Members recognised that this demonstrated the Force’s commitment to establishing a working relationship with the media. Members noted that the costs of dealing with these FOI requests had been estimated to be approximately £135,000.
Thereafter, the Board NOTED the position.
17. Independent Custody Visiting
There had been circulated copy of the Northern Joint Police Board Independent Custody Visiting Annual Report 2005/06, as submitted for inclusion in the Scottish Annual Report by the copy deadline of 31 July 2006. The Board report followed the layout style requested from all the Scottish Schemes. There had also been circulated for further information a more detailed breakdown of the 2005/06 figures.
The Board NOTED the position.
18. Chief Constable’s Periodic Report
There had been circulated Report No. POL-32-06 dated 8 August 2006 by the Chief Constable comprising his Periodic Report and covering the following issues:-
i. Crime and Road Accident Statistics;
ii. Crime Situation;
iii. Update from Operational Support Service Unit; and
iv. Mountain Rescues.
In speaking to the report, the Deputy Chief Constable was pleased to report that the detection rate currently stood at 64.1%, which had been a significant improvement over the same period in the previous year. There had also been significant progress in the detection of drugs, including the seizure of drugs with a value of £158,000 in the Inverness area over the last few weeks. The Force continued to make progress with the road safety campaign and Members noted that there had been a considerable reduction in the number of both fatal and serious road accidents in the Force area.
In conclusion, the Deputy Chief Constable reported that the number of current anti-social behaviour orders throughout the Force area was: 16 in the Highlands; 2 in the Western Isles; 1 in Shetland and 2 in Orkney.
The Board NOTED the position.
19. Letters of Appreciation
There were tabled and NOTED 44 letters of appreciation received by the Chief Constable for the period from 1 April to 30 June 2006. There had also been circulated and was NOTED Report No. POL-33-06 by the Chief Constable illustrating various letters of appreciation.
20. Complaints against the Police
There had been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-34-06 dated 30 June 2006 by the Chief Constable regarding complaints against Police Officers from 1 April to 30 June 2006.
The Board AGREED that the Complaints Books specifying complaints against Northern Constabulary, which had been available for inspection by Members prior to the meeting, be declared exempt by virtue of Paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
21. Execution of Deeds
a) Recently Executed Deeds
The Board NOTED the deed recently executed on behalf of the Board, as set out in the Agenda for the meeting.
b) Authorised Signatories
Members were reminded that, currently, the Clerk and the Head of Legal Services, the Highland Council, were authorised to sign deeds on behalf of the Board.
The Board AGREED:
i. that the Assistant Clerk and the Highland Council’s two Legal Managers (Conveyancing and Commercial) also be authorised to sign deeds in the absence of both the current authorised signatories; and
ii. to homologate the signing by the Assistant Clerk in such circumstances of a number of deeds since the last Board meeting.
22. Date of Board Meeting – January 2007
Members were reminded that the date of the first Board meeting in each calendar year was dictated by the need to set the Board’s budget and to agree a requisition to be made on the Constituent Authorities for the following financial year. The Board AGREED that, in light of the above, the first meeting of the Board in 2007 would take place on Friday, 19 January 2007.
23. Exclusion of The Public
The Board AGREED that, under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following item on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act.
24. Complaint Involving Chief Officers – Mr M MacSween
All police staff left the Chamber before discussion of this item.
There had been circulated Report No. POL-35-06 dated 9 August 2006 by the Clerk, previously considered by the Complaints Study Group at its meeting held on 18 August 2006.
Having considered the recommendations of the Complaints Study Group, the Board AGREED that no further action be taken on the ground that the complaints were unfounded.
The meeting ended at 11.30 a.m.