Minutes of the Senior Command Team Meeting
Monday 30 November 2009

Present:

CC Meredydd Hughes (Chair)
DCC Bob Dyson
DF Nigel Hiller
ACC Andy Holt
ACC Max Sahota
ACC Mark Whyman

313. Declaration(s) of Interest

There were no declarations of interest.

Presentations

314. T/CI Tony Jepson gave a presentation on Operation Power. He outlined that the purpose of the operation was to provide police support to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on behalf of all UK forces by responding to a major incident overseas involving UK citizens. He explained that there is a national rota across all UK Police Forces, which is managed by the Police National Information Co-ordination Centre (PNICC) and No 2 Region are next "on-call" in May 2010 for one month. Recently, West Yorkshire Police Gold Commanders have taken the "lead" role in the Regional response, but have now asked that sharing the Gold Commander role across the Region is agreed by other Force Command Teams. This would mean South Yorkshire cover one week during May 2010.

SCT agreed with the proposal and that it should be subject of discussion at the next North East Region meeting to be held in March. CC Hughes asked that ACC Sahota oversee the Force's involvement.

Standing Items

315. Minutes of meeting held on 16 November 2009

The minutes were approved as a true and accurate record.

316. Action Schedule and Work Programme

There were no action updates due.

317. Portfolio Issues

CC Hughes

• Police Report Card - referred to correspondence received from HMIC on how they intend to take the development of the report card forwards in relation to Anti Social Behaviour and Scoring the ‘Protection from Serious Harm' domain. Forces will be contacted in the near future. DCC Dyson to send through to HMIC Liaison at BCD for their information.
• Corporate Strategy Working Party - referred to discussions which had taken place at the last meeting of the Working Party when members had identified possible areas to focus on in the local Efficiency/Value for Money targeting. A list of those areas had been forwarded by Mr Bill Wilkinson, Clerk and Treasurer of the Police Authority. SCT agreed that CC Hughes should reply to Mr Wilkinson indicating that they had not been party to the discussions when these areas had been identified and that they seem to duplicate work undertaken as part of Use of Resources. CC Hughes said he would indicate that the single most important issue facing the force at the moment is budgetary matters and more consideration will be given to this issue when the budget had been finalised.
• Equality Standard for the Police Service (ESPS) - At the most recent meeting of the Diversity Confidence and Equality Board the question of how the ESPS might most effectively be integrated into SYP structures was raised. CC Hughes said he wanted to share this emerging work with colleagues and have a shared understanding of what the SCT response should be. DCC Dyson said he felt that before this was taken any further a gap analysis should be carried out. He would task out the work and bring back to SCT.

DCC Dyson

• Direction and Control - Professional Standards now own both the policy and the process and will progress towards having a corporate system around the Force, rather than different databases being used

ACC Holt

• Specials Recruitment - referred to targets from NPIA re increasing the number of Specials nationwide. There is some concern around the Force about how extra Specials, if requested, would be funded. It was agreed that ACC Holt and DF Hiller would discuss funding outside the meeting.
• Mrs Beverley Jamerson has been re-elected onto the National BPA as Deputy General Secretary. Supt Webster has funding set aside to support her and ACC Holt asked if SCT were in agreement with this. SCT felt that Community Safety Department should continue to fund, but DF Hiller suggested this should trigger a review of funding provided to Unions and the Police Federation in the Force.
• LiA Discussion Forum 18 December 2009 - ACC Holt said as he understood it a senior officer from each district was required to attend this forum, but he pointed out that this date was the start of the Xmas festivities period and many senior officers would be involved with this. CC Hughes said he required representation from each district, but senior rank was not essential

ACC Whyman

Head of HR - Future Arrangements

This item was taken in closed session.

• Body Armour - current policy is that RPG and Mounted Officers and pedal cyclists only are provided with a high-vis body armour cover. SCM are having requests for this item from officers outside these groups. SCT agreed that the aforementioned groups only should receive this item.

ACC Sahota

• Implementation of PENTIP - Reminded colleagues this had been presented at the SCT meeting held on 16 November when it was agreed that the financial implications in the paper be reviewed. ACC Sahota said he had re-visited the paper and was now happy for it to be approved. Agreed.

• HMIC Report Adapting to Protest has recently been published. There are 12 recommendations which are being progressed by OSS.

DF Hiller

• SCT Papers - DF Hiller said it was adopted practice that all papers are submitted by Business Managers, therefore could colleagues please ensure that decisions are communicated back to Business Managers in order that they can keep up to date with issues affecting their district/department.

• Accommodation Issues
This item was taken in closed session

318. Force Performance

ACC Holt briefed colleagues on recent Force performance.

Decision Papers

319. Central Planning Unit

ACC Holt outlined that the purpose of this report was to request authority from the Senior Command Team to establish a central events and operational planning team (CPU).

The paper put forward the recommendation that SYP establish a centralised planning unit to manage events and operational planning across the four district BCU areas, which does not involve the use of specialist protection or firearms assets. The unit would commence operations from the 1st April 2010.

Paper approved.

Discussion Information/Items

320. Draft Budget 2010-2011

DF Hiller, together with the Management Accountant, Mrs Carrington, presented the October Budget Monitoring Report, Mid Term Financial Forecast, Savings Schedule and Budget Bids

Regarding the budget monitoring report, this continues to show significant underspends in line with the agreed strategy. In particular it shows devolved budgets have significant underspendings which could be used to fund many of the devolved budget holders priorities which had been submitted as non-recurrent bids submitted. DF Hiller talked through the key issues which were:

• Underspends due to unplanned vacancies not improving. It was noted that the police officer vacancy factor was presently c 4% rather than the budgeted level of 1%.
• Difference between police officer AFPS and strength. Trend over the past two years?
• Use of reserves to pump prime system with 48 police officers - these were to be centrally funded until posted to district. Some have been posted some have not. He noticed inconsistency of treatment between Districts. The budgets for the probationers who represented the accelerated recruitment to be transferred from HR with immediate effect.
• Danger of missing PCSO target primarily as a consequence of police officer recruitment. As a consequence of this no PCSOs could be disestablished or converted into police officers without the specific advance approval of SCT
• Corporate HR devolved budget - potential large underspend on Leaders in Action and Leadership Development Programme. It was agreed the funds allocated for these programmes would be transferred into the 2010/11 budget which would enable a non recurrent saving to be made
• Sheffield underspend noted
• Budget savings - All districts and departments with the exception of OSS and Facilities Management are meeting savings plans. Agreed that DF Hiller and ACC Sahota would agree plan with departmental heads to bring these plans back on course
• Budget Bids 2009/10 - The force had failed to deliver a significant proportion of budget bids because of HR planning issues. As a consequence many Commanders had requested to use these funds to buy additional overtime. SCT agreed this would not be allowed except in the bid from Professional Standards for the Impact Nominal Index Bureau where the overtime was specifically intended to clear the backlog caused by the recruiting delays

It was agreed that ACC Whyman would re-examine when the new officers had been posted to district and determine when the cost would be met from devolved budgets as previously agreed.

It was also agreed that ACC Whyman would update each operational SCT on the current position in relation to PCSOs.

SCT then considered the Mid Term Financial Forecast which set out the overall budget position.

Budget Savings were then discussed with DF Hiller outlining that with a few exceptions, districts/departments have a good savings plan and thanked management teams for all the hard work which had been carried out. However he re-iterated that no district/department had carte blanche to change a Chief Inspector or Band F and above post without SCT approval. It was agreed that ACC Whyman would scrutinise the plans and confirm which staffing savings needed an SCT paper prior to being implemented.

SCT then reviewed the budget growth bids submitted by District Commanders and Department Heads and in light of current underspends determined which bids should be rejected or approved and possibly financed by devolved budgets or other non recurrent funding.
Further discussion on the budget to take place at the SCT meeting on 11 January 2010.

ACTIONS: ACC Whyman, DF Hiller and ACC Sahota

321. HR Plan Monthly Update - September

ACC Whyman reminded colleagues that this report had been presented to SCT on 16 November 2009 when he was absent due to chairing a misconduct hearing.SCT had noted the report, but had asked that it be tabled again when he was present. He outlined that this was the first of the HR plan monthly updates to be presented to SCT.

ACC Whyman said he was concerned that the report contained too much detail, but that some actions should drop out of it (as below) which he would discuss with Corporate HR:-

• Controls required on police officers getting police staff roles
• Review of temporary promotions
• Time limits and review of acting up for extended periods
• Vacancy factor to be communicated to organisation and planning put in place to reduce this by the year end
• HR planning to be on a level with financial planning
• Capacity to be identified to support central HR planning

SCT noted and approved the paper

322. 3 Year HR Plan Update

ACC Whyman said the purpose of this report was to update SCT on the Force 3 year HR Plan 2009-13. DCC Dyson said he noted that the Force was to lose 117 officer posts during 2009/10 and then less and less posts year after year and expressed concerned how these figures had been arrived at. This underlined the need for enhanced capacity in HR Planning.

SCT noted the paper and remitted back to ACC Whyman to progress

123. Diamond - First 90 Days Update

DCC Dyson presented this report which was intended to update the Senior Command Team of the activity of the Programme since approval in August, and to outline the key activities in the next 90 days, including areas for consideration by the Senior Command Team.

Report noted - questions raised in the report will be addressed by DCC Dyson.

Audit Reports

124. Good Governance Survey

Noted. DF Hiller to laise with DCC Dyson to prepare a response.

125. Annual Audit Letter

Noted.

Papers to Review

126. None

Standing Items

127. Notification to Police Authority

128. Notification to Force

129. Any Other Business