Minutes of the Senior Command Team Meeting
Monday 15 June 2009

 

Present:

CC Meredydd Hughes (Chair)
DCC Robert Dyson
DF Nigel Hiller
ACC Max Sahota (for items 163,165 and 171)

SCT offered their congratulations to Mr Bill Wilkinson, Chief Executive and Treasurer of the South Yorkshire Police Authority, who had been awarded an OBE in the Queens Birthday honours.

159. Declaration(s) of Interest

There were no declarations of interest.

Presentations

160. None

Standing Items

161. Minutes from SCT Meeting 1 June 2009

The minutes were approved as a true and accurate record.

162. Action Schedule and Work Programme

The action schedule and work programme was discussed and will be updated by the SCT Corporate Support Assistant.

163. Portfolio Issues

• CC Hughes briefed colleagues on issues discussed at the ACPO Cabinet meeting held on 10 June 2009, with specific reference to the ACPO Bureaucracy Lead; Development of a Unified Assessment, Accreditation Framework for the Police Service, Striking a Balance between Operational and Health and Safety Duties and the Air Operations National Strategy.

 

DCC Dyson

• Gave details of a recent employment tribunal where SYP had achieved a successful outcome

DF Hiller

• Presented a paper on Delays on the Covert Building and explained that repeated changes in requirements had been causing delays. These had now been resolved. DCC Dyson proposed that for all such future projects an SCT member should be given responsibility and chair regular meetings to ensure satisfactory progress is being made.

• Gave an update on the sale of Heeley and other accommodation issues

ACC Sahota

• Gave details of a cross border operation running on 16 and 17 June, this was to be followed by a further operation on 29 and 30 June 2009.

• HMIC Protect Inspection to take place on 2 and 3 July

• ACPO Rape Inspection Team in Force 15 and 16 June .

• SYP has signed up to the ACPO National Charging Policy, but the Heads of Crime Group (Chaired by ACC Sahota) feel that in order to build and encourage a more cohesive approach to regional working that there should be a local agreement which sits alongside the National one. Finance Directors across the region are not in favour of this proposal. A paper putting forward this proposal is to be taken to the Regional Chief Constables Group for consideration.

164. Force Performance

SCT will more fully consider Force performance when all ACCs are present

Decision Papers

165. Collaborative Aircraft Procurement

ACC Sahota presented this report, the purpose of which was to provide SCT with the necessary information on future aircraft upgrade expenditure and the alternative of the purchase of a replacement aircraft, to ensure continued provision of Air Support within South Yorkshire Police and to our wider partners in the Yorkshire and Humber consortium. This is prompted following the establishment of a Collaborative Aircraft Procurement Group led by West Yorkshire Police to work with the Home Office to ensure guaranteed funding for the phased replacement of five aircraft over the next three to five years.

The paper put forward the recommendation that SCT approve involvement with the Collaborative Aircraft Procurement Group with the intention of replacing the current aircraft in 2013 to ensure South Yorkshire Police benefit from the maximum 40% Home Office funding and eliminating the necessity of a mid-life upgrade of £500,000.

SCT thought this was worthy of further exploration and it was agreed that ACC Sahota should bring back a more detailed paper to a future meeting.. CC Hughes said as far as he was aware there was no guaranteed funding from the Home Office at the present time.

Discussion / Information Items

166. Carry Forward Utilisation Plan

DF Hiller outlined that this report was to inform SCT of district and department plans to spend carry forward balances. DF Hiller expressed concerns that the plans did not match Force priorities and District/Department Business Plans. He reminded SCT that carry forwards cannot now be accessed without consultation with the Force Management Accountant.

SCT went through the report by district and department in detail. Several amendments were agreed. DF Hiller will discuss these with the Force Management Account who will update the report accordingly and present it to SCT members prior to it being forwarded to the Police Authority for inclusion in the final accounts.

[Secretary's note: DF Hiller met with the Deputy Management Accountant immediately following SCT and arranged for the report to be amended]

167 BCU Fund

DF Hiller said that on 4 June details of Home Office BCU Funding for the current year had been received. He outlined that unlike previous years these funds are to be paid direct to Police Authorities and it is their discretion as to how the funds may be used.

He had therefore asked Districts to show how they will use the amount of BCU fund allocated to them and how it meets the criteria set. He then gave details of figures prepared by the four districts as to how they proposed to utilise this funding.

DCC Dyson to discuss with ACC Holt and the Police Authority.

ACTION: DCC Dyson

168. Force Gifts, Gratuities and Hospitality Register

DF Hiller said he had asked for this to be placed on the agenda to give SCT an oversight of the register for the whole of the Force.

SCT reviewed the register and whilst they were satisfied with the data submitted, it was not as comprehensive as anticipated. Staff need to be reminded that they need to record all hospitality received and declined and suitable guidance should be re-issued by Professional Standards. DCC Dyson said he would bring this to the attention of Ch Supt Varey who he was meeting later in the day and would raise it at Corporate Health Checks.

169. HMIC Rounded Assessment Consultation

DCC Dyson outlined that the purpose of this report was to provide an overview of the proposed new HMIC ‘Rounded Assessment' process; to generate the views of SCT in respect of the proposed Rounded Assessment process; to provide the SCT with the views received from staff within SYP and to inform SCT of the process for Police Forces responses to the consultation exercise.

The paper put forward the recommendations that SCT consider the views of staff and provide their own views on the process, to be incorporate into the Force response document.

SCT were satisfied with the response presented and did not wish to add anything further and DCC Dyson said he would send the response back to CC Finnegan, Lancashire Constabulary, who is arranging for a consolidated response to HMIC on behalf of the Police Service.

Audit Reports

170. None

Papers to Review

171. Audit Committee - 26 June 2009

171.1 Training School *Restricted*

Approved.

Protective Services Committee - 10 July 2009

171.2 Performance Framework for Protective Services

Approved

171.3 Update on Regional Working

Approved

171.4 Protective Services Visits to SYP Premises

Approved

171.5 Protective Services Improvement Plan *Restricted*

Approved

171.6 SYP Planning for the Olympics *Restricted*

Approved

Standing Items

172. Notification to Police Authority

Training School

173. Notification to Force

No issues

174. Any Other Business.

No items