Minutes of Meeting of the Northern Joint Police Board held in the Council Chamber, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, on Friday, 19 January 2007, at 10.30 a.m.
Present
Representing the Highland Council
Mr W J Ross, Mr D Allan, Mrs I MacCallum, Mr J Laing, Mrs J N Home, Mrs E MacRae (Substitute), Mrs C M Cumming, Mr A S Park, Mr B M S Dunlop, Mrs O J Macdonald, Mr T J MacLennan (Substitute)
Representing Western Isles Council
Mr D MacLean, Mr R Morrison, Mr N M Macleod, Mr M Macleod
Representing Orkney Islands Council
Mr R C Sclater, Mr A A Drever
Representing Shetland Islands Council
Mr W Tait, Mr J Nicolson
Officials in attendance:
Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable, Chief Superintendent L Stewart, Chief Superintendent B Duncan, Mr P Fraser, Force Head of Finance and Asset Management, Mr A Macleod, Force Estates Manager, Mr A Graham, Acting Force Head of Human Resources, Mr P Lamont, Force Head of Administration, Mr D Robertson, 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 Mr P Corbett and Mr B J Murphy of The Highland Council.
2. New Year Honours List
The Board NOTED that Mr W J Ross, a Member of the Board representing the Highland Council, had been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List 2007 for services to Forestry in the Highlands. Members expressed their congratulations to Mr Ross.
3. Minutes – Previous Meeting
There had been circulated and APPROVED Minutes of Board Meeting of 22 November 2006, subject to the addition of Mr R Saxon to the sederunt.
4. Revenue Budget Monitoring Statement 2006/07
There had been circulated Report No. POL-1-07 dated 9 January 2007 comprising a statement and commentary by the Chief Constable on Revenue Expenditure and Income for the period to 31 December 2006.
The gross revenue expenditure shown was £44,411,000 against an anticipated budget of £44,818,000. Total income received to 31 December 2006 was £4,422,000 against an anticipated budget of £4,094,000.
The previously reported anticipated overspend on the pension budget had been reduced through virement from other underspent areas of the budget. As previously reported, an overspend on utilities was also anticipated, due to the recent increases in utilities costs. Members were again reassured that the balance of these overspends would be funded from reserves and that the Force would not be seeking additional funding from the Constituent Authorities.
The Board NOTED the position.
5. Revenue Budget 2007/2008
There had been circulated Report No. POL-2-07 dated 9 January 2007 by the Chief Constable on the proposed revenue budget for the Board for 2007/08, the draft budget having previously been considered by the Finance and Policy Working Group at its meeting held on 9 January 2007. There had also been circulated Minutes of Meeting of the Finance and Policy Working Group held on 9 January 2007.
In speaking to the report, the Chief Constable pointed out that the budget had been set at a level equal to the Board’s GAE and would be adjusted once the details of the proposed transfer of Forensic Science Services to the new Scottish Police Services Authority were known. He highlighted some other headline issues impacting on the budget figures, including staff costs, Police Surgeon fees and utility charges.
In response to questions, the Chief Constable, acknowledging a typographical error in the budget papers, confirmed that the total figure for the proposed requisitions to be levied on the Constituent Authorities in 2007/08 would rise by 6.96% when compared to 2006/07, as reported in the requisition statement. He also confirmed that work on preparing a Force Energy Management Strategy was ongoing and that a report would be brought to a future meeting of the Board.
After discussion, the Board APPROVED:
i. the revenue budget for 2007/08, as detailed in the report;
ii. the Minutes of Meeting of the Finance and Policy Working Group held on 9
January 2007, subject to:
- amendment of the sederunt to clarify that Mr N M MacLeod had been in attendance and not Mr M MacLeod
- consideration of item 4 of the Minutes at item 9 below.
6. Capital Expenditure Monitoring Statement 2006/07
There had been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-3-07 dated 11 January 2007 comprising a statement and commentary by the Chief Constable on Capital Expenditure for the period to 31 December 2006.
7. Estate Management Programme
There had been circulated Report No. POL-4-07 dated 8 January 2007 by the Chief Constable providing Members with an update on the Force Housing Management Review which had been ongoing since 2005 and presenting a progress report on capital projects. The report summarised a number of legal issues on which the Review had sought clarification, including issues of vires, valuation and requirement for ministerial consent.
In response to a question, the Force Estate Manager confirmed that Orkney Housing Association had lodged an informal note of interest in negotiating with the Board on housing stock transfer issues and that discussions would be held.
The Board NOTED the progress made on the Housing and Capital Programme and AGREED:
i. the co-opting of Orkney and Shetland Members to the Management Review
Team for the specific purpose of selection of housing providers in their
respective areas; and
ii. the opening of negotiations with individual Registered Social Landlords in
each of the Island Authorities.
8. Non-Works Procurement Activity
There had been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-5-07 dated January 2007 by the Chief Constable providing Members with an update on recent significant non-works procurement activity.
9. Future Developments in the Delivery of Policing Services in Scotland
i. Scottish Police Services Authority
There had been circulated for information and discussion Report No. POL-6-07 by the Chief Constable on issues which would impact on Northern Constabulary as a consequence of the establishment of the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA).
In speaking to the report, the Chief Constable highlighted his concerns about the lack of consultation with Chief Constables and Police Authorities on some aspects of the establishment of the SPSA. He drew particular attention to the proposed transfer to the SPSA of a number of police support staff personnel involved in carrying out Scenes of Crime duties. In Northern Constabulary, the latter proposals would affect staff in the Scientific Support Unit at Police HQ in Inverness. Northern Constabulary, along with Tayside Police and Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, had indicated that they did not agree with these proposals and that they would not wish to consider them until April 2008. However, the Scottish Executive had announced that the transfers would take effect as from 1 April 2007. It was now incumbent on the Force to consult with the SPSA and with local trade union representatives, to keep employees informed and to draw up a transfer scheme. The transferred staff would remain in the same physical location but would have a different employer and would operate within a Service Level Agreement, of which details would be brought to the Board. The Chief Constable would be concerned to ensure no reduction in the quality of that service.
In response to questions as to the rationale for these developments, the Chief Constable advised that the Scottish Executive appeared to believe that efficiencies could be achieved by drawing together police support services. He suspected that further staff transfers were likely in future years, in areas such as estates, information technology, payroll and human resources. Such further developments would require either the goodwill of the individual Forces/Authorities or further legislation. He did not believe that these moves were the precursor to plans to establish a single police force for Scotland. Indeed, centralisation of support services might allow a local focus on the delivery of operational policing. However, at the same time, these developments could provide a stronger foundation for future structural change and lead to challenges for the Board.
In response to a question as to Force preparedness for major incidents, the Chief Constable emphasised that he was satisfied that the Force had the capacity and capability to deal with what it could be expected to face; there were also arrangements in place, if required, for mutual assistance in the event of an exceptional major incident.
Some Members expressed concern that these developments were a step towards the erosion of local democracy and accountability and contended that there was no public demand for these changes. The Board was reminded that the SPSA board would comprise an independent convener, two representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), two representatives of police authorities and two independent members, the independent convener and members being appointed by the Scottish Ministers. The Convener drew attention to the difficulty in ensuring that the police authority interest was effectively maintained over the period leading up to and following the local government elections in May 2007, a time when the SPSA, having just come into being, was liable to be taking fundamentally important decisions. In any event, it would be important that Chief Constables and police authorities worked closely together to ensure the proper representation of the interests of local communities.
The Board NOTED the position.
ii. Pre-Election Board Position Paper
At its meeting held on 25 August 2006, the Board had agreed to take a more proactive role in raising awareness of the quality of police services provided by Northern Constabulary. At its meeting held on 22 November 2006, the Board had agreed that a briefing paper be developed underlining the quality of policing services in the Highlands and Islands, for circulation in the run-up to the Scottish Parliament elections in 2007, and that this matter be considered at this meeting.
At its meeting held on 9 January 2007, the Policy and Finance Working Group had considered a confidential briefing letter from the Chief Constable providing background information on a range of relevant issues (item 5 above refers); much of this material had been reflected in the report on the Scottish Police Services Authority under reference at item 9(i) above.
During discussion, Members made a number of comments in relation to the style and content of the proposed paper. It should be a concise and robust document and should highlight a number of issues, including:
- the high quality of policing achieved by Northern Constabulary and the efficiency of its performance
- the value of the Constabulary’s focus on community policing
- the exceptionally high level of community support and approval, evidenced by survey results
- the current challenges facing the Force
- the potential implications of proposed national changes for the capacity and capability of the Force and for its governance and accountability
- the absence of clear evidence demonstrating that centralisation either improves efficiency and effectiveness or realises financial savings
- the potential for costs to rise and for Constabulary resources to fall.
The Board AGREED that the Clerk co-ordinate preparation of a briefing paper reflecting the views of the Board, the draft to be submitted to the Policy and Finance Working Group and then circulated to all Members for comment, prior to publication to candidate MSPs and such other parties as the Board might agree.
10. Disability Equality Scheme
At its meeting held on 22 November 2006, Members had noted that (i) the Board had an obligation to publish a Disability Equality Scheme; and (ii) the Clerk had been liaising with the Force and with other police authorities to ensure consistency in approach and standards. Members had agreed that the Clerk, in consultation with the Convener, prepare an initial scheme document by the due date of 4 December 2006, to be submitted to the Board at this meeting for its information and formal adoption.
In this connection, there had been circulated Report No. POL-7-07 by the Clerk, comprising the Disability Equality Scheme as published on 4 December 2006. The Assistant Clerk advised Members that the Disability Rights Commission had recently requested a copy of the Board’s Scheme for their scrutiny. In response to a question relating to the Action Plan, she confirmed that volunteers recruited to become Independent Custody Visitors received training prior to commencing visits.
The Board HOMOLOGATED the publication of the draft Disability Equality Scheme and AGREED that the Clerk make any appropriate amendments in light of any comments by the Disability Rights Commission.
11. Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002: Implementation
At its meeting held on 25 August 2006, the Board had noted the breakdown of staff time involved in dealing with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, details of the nature of the requests received, the costs involved in providing the information and the source of requests for the period 1 January to 31 July 2006.
In this connection, there had been circulated Report No. POL-8-07 by the Chief Constable providing Members with an update on the final position for the period 1 January to 31 December 2006 relating to requests received under FOI legislation.
Having heard the Chief Constable undertake to provide some additional details in future as to the nature of the information being requested, the Board NOTED the position.
12. Chief Constable’s Periodic Report
There had been circulated Report No. POL-9-07 by the Chief Constable comprising his Periodic Report and covering the following issues:-
i. Crime and Road Accident Statistics;
ii. Crime Situation; and
iii. Update from Operational Support Service Unit
In speaking to the report, the Deputy Chief Constable highlighted with satisfaction the increase in the detection rate, all Area Commands having achieved a rate of over 62%, and the three Islands Commands having achieved rates over 70%. While regretting the small increase in roads fatalities, the Chief Constable drew attention to the overall decrease in serious road accidents.
In response to questions asked, the Deputy Chief Constable undertook to provide more detailed information as to where reported incidents had occurred. He confirmed that the new Area Commander for Sutherland had been fully briefed on issues within the Caithness and Sutherland area report; that there was good ongoing liaison with Newcraigs Hospital, in particular on the issue of missing persons; and that the Force argued for confiscation of assets in all drugs seizures cases covered by the relevant legislation.
After discussion, the Board NOTED the position.
13. Letters of Appreciation
There had been tabled and NOTED 53 letters of appreciation received by the Chief Constable for the period 1 October to 31 December 2006. There had also been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-10-07 dated 31 December 2006 by the Chief Constable illustrating letters of appreciation.
14. Complaints against the Police
There had been circulated and NOTED Report No. POL-11-07 dated 31 December 2006 by the Chief Constable regarding complaints against Police Officers from 1 October to 31 December 2006.
The Board AGREED that the Complaints Books specifying complaints against the Northern Constabulary, which would be available for inspection by members prior to the meeting, be declared exempt information by virtue of Paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
The meeting closed at 11.55 a.m.