National Officers
FOREWORD
National Secretary Report
National Conference
Communication Manager
Business Areas Report
Citizen Focus Business Area
Command Resilience Business Area
Crime and Criminal Justice Business Area
Futures and BCU Liaison Business Area
Human Resources Business Area
Uniform Operational Policing Business Area
Professional Standards Coordinator
Treasurer’s Report
National Executive Committee
March 2008
PRESIDENT Ch. Supt. Ian Johnston
VICE-PRESIDENT Ch. Supt. Derek Barnett
NATIONAL SECRETARY Ch. Supt. Patrick Stayt
NATIONAL DEPUTY SECRETARY Ch. Supt. Graham Cassidy
‘A’ DISTRICT Ch. Supt. Bruce Cameron
Ch. Supt. Sarah Brown
‘B’ DISTRICT Ch. Supt. Alec Wood
Ch. Supt. Steve Burrows
‘C’ DISTRICT Supt. Robin Jarman
Ch. Supt. Robert Evans
‘D’ DISTRICT Ch. Supt. Joanne Byrne
Ch. Supt. Alan Horton
‘E’ DISTRICT Ch. Supt. Archie Torrance
Ch. Supt. Chris McDonald
WOMEN’S REP Ch. Supt. Irene Curtis
BME REP Ch. Supt. Dilip Amin
LGBT REP Ch. Supt. Tim Jackson
It is with great pleasure that I present the Annual Report of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales for the Financial Year 2008-2009.
The four National Officers, myself, Derek Barnett, Pat Stayt and Graham Cassidy continued in our respective roles for what was an extremely demanding and eventful year.
In October 2008 we agreed a three-year pay deal for all officers after a considerable period of negotiation. The agreement means that in the short to medium term the future of PNB is guaranteed and that a Pay Review Body will not be implemented/imposed.
The Government, following the publication of the Green Paper, proposed a single measurement of performance i.e. the level of public confidence which was accompanied by the introduction of the Policing Pledge. We undertook a major consultation exercise to ensure all our members’ voices were heard in our contribution to the document and overall, we were satisfied with the proposals.
However, we took issue with plans to directly elect police authority members and were delighted that the pressure we brought to bear, along with many others, was instrumental in a Government u-turn on the proposals. A definite success story for the Association’s campaign strategy.
Other issues on which we proudly campaigned included our opposition to direct entry and retaining the role of Sergeant in custody units, along with restoring public confidence in the Police, the major theme for Conference 2008.
During the year Boris Johnson was elected as the new Mayor of London. He immediately appointed himself Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority and declared a vote of no confidence in the Commissioner Sir Ian Blair. Many saw the actions of Boris Johnson as the single most overt political action ever taken involving Senior Police Officers.
The appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson as the new Commissioner of the MPS after Sir Ian’s retirement was not the only change at the top which led to a year of instability among Service leaders. The Police Minister, Tony McNulty, moved on to a new job and was replaced by Vernon Coaker, Sir Ronnie Flanagan stood down as HMCIC and was succeeded by Denis O’Connor, Jan Berry retired as Chair of the Police Federation and was replaced by Paul McKeever, the General Secretary of the Police Federation, John Francis, retired and Ian Rennie took over. Policing is a complex task which can only benefit from stability and experience. We should not underestimate the impact that so many high profile changes at such senior levels had on the Service, especially in such uncertain economic times
Our own Association National Executive remained unchanged and a full list of those representatives, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for their dedicated service, appears later in this report.
It is my very great pleasure to report that Vice President, Derek Barnett, was elected unanimously to serve as the President Elect. I also wish to personally thank all members of staff at the National Office, Pangbourne who continue to make a significant contribution to the smooth running of the Association.
Ian Johnston QPM
Chief Superintendent
President
NATIONAL OFFICE
During the reporting year 2008/09 there were no changes to the Association’s Presidential or Secretariat national post holders, nor to the staff who work at, or work remotely from, National Office in Pangbourne. This stability does not happen most years and when it does it is welcomed.
The office premises, in addition to usual maintenance activities, were altered to accommodate the appointment of a new post to the National Office team, that of a full time Research and Policy Officer. This appointment will be made and the new employee commence during 2009/10. The conversion of the former Conference Room represents a loss of a facility and creates a new office and a smaller Conference room; the new configuration will better overall meet the Association’s current and future needs.
The recommendations resulting from the 2007/08 Review of the Association conducted by the Vice President continue to provide a template for changes in the working practices for some areas of activity at National Office.
The Treasurer’s 2008/09 report on the accounts will appear elsewhere in this Annual Report but it is appropriate to comment in this section on the significant decisions made and action taken during the year in respect of the Association’s Healthcare Scheme – a trust fund scheme set up for the benefit of members and ex members in 2000 and managed on behalf of the Scheme trustees by Revelation Healthcare. The Scheme trustees, having taken independent advice from auditors concluded that the Scheme was no longer solvent and that the actions that had been taken in recent years to keep the Scheme going had been insufficient to preserve its future; Scheme membership numbers were dropping dramatically; the Scheme was not as competitively priced as in the early days; the claims and age profile of Scheme members was deteriorating. Thus the decision was made, in consultation with the Association’s trustees (a different group of trustees) and the Association’s National Executive Committee that the Scheme would be closed. This took place towards the end of the financial year with all Scheme members being offered alternative healthcare cover. The outstanding financial liabilities of the Scheme then fell on the Association and this liability is recorded in the Treasurer’s report.
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The National Executive Committee (NEC) met, as prescribed in the Rules, six times during the year as a full Committee. The format of these meetings has now become well established whereby the ‘business’ of running and leading the Association is accompanied by the opportunity to meet with and listen to guest speakers who engage in active debate with NEC members on a wide range of topical policing issues; such guests have included Government Ministers, senior Civil Servants and ACPO lead officers.
SUPPORTING MEMBERS ‘AT RISK’
This core area of Association work led by the National Deputy Secretary, which often takes place without a high profile and unseen to many, has continued to develop and will always be a priority area of activity. The work of the Association’s Panel of Friends is reported on by the Professional Standards Co-ordinator separately in this Annual Report. The work and commitment of individual Panel members, who are prepared to support colleagues when they become ‘at risk’ is the key to the Panel’s success, and a debt of gratitude is owed to them. The work of the Panel continues to be underpinned by the services of our legal protection insurers, Abbey Legal, our solicitors, Lewis Hymanson and Small, and our Equalities Advisor, Jayne Monkhouse.
During 2008/09 new Performance and Conduct Regulations came into force (see below under PABEW). All Panel members have been trained in readiness for working with the new Regulations and the associated Statutory Guidance. We wait to see whether the hoped for impact on the timeliness and proportionality improvements that should result from the new arrangements become reality. Having been heavily involved in the development of and the implementation of the new arrangements we hope, as an Association, that this will be the case.
PRO-ACTIVE CASES
The Association has well established policies and procedures to respond to requests from members and ex-members who wish to receive support in work related pro-active action against their employer or a third party, such action not being covered by the Association’s insurance cover or by member’s Chief Constable. A Sub-Committee of the National Executive Committee has delegated powers to mange this process and during 2008/09 6 new cases were registered with the Committee and some £20,000 was spent mainly on legal advice and representation. Applications to the Committee are confidential.
One particular case over the last two years has involved not only significant financial expenditure but also a commitment by National Officers to support a (now) ex-member in an appeal against the decision of a force Selected Medical Practitioner who had concluded that the medical condition from which the officer was suffering, and had been the reason for the officer retiring from the force on the grounds of ill health, was not received in the execution of the officer’s duty. The Association considered this to be a perverse and wrong conclusion which failed to recognise the appalling treatment that the officer had received at the hands of senior force managers whilst working as a Superintendent. It was most pleasing to note that the Medical Appeal Board concluded that the permanently disabling condition suffered by the officer was caused solely by events that happened within the force and thus the officer qualified for an Injury Award. This was a landmark case for the Association.
POLICE NEGOTIATING BOARD
The Police Negotiating Board (PNB) provides the statutory national machinery for determining the pay and conditions of police officers. The Board is independently chaired and a full account of the work of the Board during 2008/09 can be found in the report of the independent Chair. This document is available at www.ome.co.uk.
During 2008/09 the work of PNB was heavily focused on negotiations on the pay of officers. The resulting three year deal for officers (2.65% from 1 st Sept 08; 2.6% from 1 st Sept 2009; 2.55% from 1 st Sept 2010) was the first such multi-year deal for officers and the negotiations that preceded the agreement were not easy. The agreement set out ‘trigger’ mechanisms to facilitate the re-opening of the deal during the three years.
Talks on pay started early in the year and were held in the shadow of the decision of the Home Secretary not to honour in full the decision of the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT) in the autumn of 2007. Members of Staff Side still felt, with justification, that the Home Secretary had acted dishonourably and had let officers down; such an atmosphere is not conducive to creating an environment of trust and mutual respect when pay was back on the table. The formal challenge to the Home Secretary’s 2007 decision by way of Judicial Review was running in parallel to the 2008 pay talks as was an outstanding Staff Side claim (the Level Playing Field claim). Neither the Judicial Review challenge (result announced June 08) nor the Level Playing Field claim (result announced July 08) were successful. The Staff Side campaign for the result of a PAT award to be binding on Government continues.
At the Working Group that it was agreed should be set up, the PNB Official Side stated their desire for a multi year deal based on an index produced by the PAT in their 2007 award – a first year figure of 2.325%. This was considered and rejected by the Staff Side who in turn proposed an uplift of 3.5% based on an IDS median figure for the whole economy with effect from 1 st April 2008. At subsequent meetings the Sides failed to reach agreement and a formal ‘failure to agree’ was recorded. This was the third such outcome of pay negotiations in as many years and it would again be for the PAT to resolve the issue of officer pay. This Association regretted that a ‘failure to agree’ had had to be declared as it felt that a deal had appeared to be close to agreement in July.
Once the referral to the PAT had been made the Home Office announced a formal period of consultation on proposals to disband the PNB and replace it with a Pay Review Body. Such action was no surprise as it had been strongly signalled by the Government following the recommendations contained in Part 2 of Sir Clive Booth’s Report the previous year. When the three year deal was subsequently agreed this proposal was withdrawn by the Home Office.
In the weeks immediately before the PAT hearing, scheduled for October, discussions between the Staff Side and the Official Side resulted in the three year deal outlined above being agreed. A changing economic climate and recognition of the benefits of the three year deal in terms of stability and the opportunities it presented were critical to securing agreement. This Association along with superintending rank colleagues from Scotland and Northern Ireland were content to accept the terms of the deal and welcomed it as representing the best deal that could be achieved by negotiations in the prevailing financial and political climate.
The 2003 pay agreement for Superintendents remains in force and during 2008/09 the deal was not revisited or revised. Questions about implementation by forces of the arrangements permitted under the terms of the agreement have been included in a PNB Pay Survey the results of which should be available during 2009. These results alongside outstanding matters from other PNB rank committees may make it appropriate to enter negotiations during 2009/10 with the Official Side about Superintendents’ pay.
It is appropriate for me, as PSAEW National Secretary and the Negotiating Secretary of the PNB Superintendents’ Staff Side Committee, to formally record my thanks to members of the Association’s National Executive Committee and members of the Executive Committees of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents and the Superintendents Association of Northern Ireland for the clear, robust and realistic mandate that I was given during the 2008 pay negotiations.
Three other PNB matter should be mentioned in this report. In May 2008, the Home Secretary announced new backdated Police Pension Scheme (1987) commutation lump sum factors following a review by the Government Actuaries Dept (GAD). This backdating date was subsequently challenged by way of Judicial Review and was changed from 1 st October 2007 to 1 st December 2006. In the same announcement the Home Secretary launched a review of the injury benefits available to officers and the survivors of officers who die in service. The latter review is on going but Staff Side seeks to ensure that that there is no diminution in the benefits available.
In June 2008 PNB published a new agreement in respect of officers who undertake duty in a higher rank, whether ‘acting’ in that higher rank or temporarily promoted to it. The agreement sets out how officers should be compensated and how time in the higher rank should be managed. This agreement followed negotiations held over a number of years but the outcome gives clarity and consistency to what had been a problematic area affecting many Association members. It is not acceptable, however, that at the time of preparing this annual report the necessary changes to Police Regulations and Determinations have still not been made to fully bring these new arrangements into effect.
The 30+ Retention Scheme has been in existence for some nine years and during 2008/09 it was subject of review by the NPIA. It is regretted that there was no consultation with this Association or other Staff Associations prior to the publication of their report. Their recommendation to the PNB is that the Scheme should close to new members after 31 st March 2010. The Association has sought to have this recommendation subject to further examination and review and a PNB Working Group has now been formed to progress this discussion. We believe that the Scheme provides a mechanism which enables and encourages some officers to remain after 30 years ensuring that the Service overall and individual forces have the appropriate skills and experience mix to meet future policing demands, one of which will be the Olympic Games in 2012.
POLICE ADVISORY BOARD OF ENGLAND AND WALES
The Police Advisory Board for England and Wales (PABEW) is able to consider matters which fall outside the prescribed remit of the Police Negotiating Board and on which advice and recommendations are made to Ministers. Much of the work undertaken by the Board concerns conditions of service and HR matters and much of the work is detailed and is thus remitted to Sub-Committees or Working Groups. The Board is independently chaired and a full account of the work of the Board during 2008/09 can be found in the report of the independent Chair. This document is available at www.ome.co.uk.
Discussions during 2008/09 were held within PABEW on the membership of the Board itself. It was argued by some, including the Association, that the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) should become full members of the Board. The NPIA’s role and lead responsibility in many of the areas dealt with at PABEW meant that their ‘observer’ or ‘advisor’ status was not appropriate. Unfortunately this matter remains unresolved which is not a satisfactory position. The decision to open PABEW membership to the Trade Union Side of the Police Staff Council was supported and welcomed by the Association.
It is appropriate in this report to highlight the work undertaken within the PABEW since 2005 leading to the introduction on 1 st December 2008 of the Police (Conduct) Regulations, the Police (Performance) Regulations and the Police Appeals Tribunal Rules. On the same date new Home Office Guidance on Police Officer Misconduct, Unsatisfactory Performance and Attendance Management Procedures came into effect. The sustained, committed and co-operative work undertaken by many individuals and a wide range of stakeholders and interested parties to reach this position should not be taken for granted or underestimated. If an example is needed of how the Service can, when working together, improve and develop then this is one to quote. The opportunity that these new procedures offer the Service, following the recommendations of the Taylor Report some years ago, must not be missed. The Association was fully involved in and supported the introduction of the new procedures.
Patrick Stayt
Chief Superintendent
National Secretary
The National Conference 2008 took place at Carden Park in Cheshire from 15 th – 18 th September.
Once again the PSAEW annual conference was considered to be one of the highlights of the policing calendar attracting more than 150 delegates from all of the 46 Branches of the Association, guests from a wide range of stakeholders, and fraternal Superintendent delegates from Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. The conference attracted a wide range of exhibitors and sponsors, all of whom acknowledged the key role that Superintendents play in the policing of England & Wales. The national media and specialist police press provided exhaustive and prominent coverage of the conference recognising the strategic level of issues under discussion during the week.
Planning for the conference is the responsibility of the Conference Arrangements Committee, chaired by the Vice President. This brings together members of the national office, NEC and Business Area leads. The work of the Committee starts immediately after the preceding conference and carries on with regular planning meetings throughout the year. The conference is an important opportunity for the PSAEW to highlight the work of our members and the vital contribution they make to policing across England and Wales. In addition, the conference seeks to influence the national policing agenda, deliver key messages and to inform, engage and challenge delegates. The networking opportunities continue to prove popular and a great deal of work is conducted outside of the main conference hall.
The Committee always have in mind the values and vision of the Association and look to bring in speakers who are influential, interesting and challenging who will bring a fresh and topical approach and informed opinion. This year we were fortunate to attract a particularly high quality range of presenters at both the main hall and the elective sessions. These included an address from both the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and the Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve.
Main Hall Presentations
Protective Services
Sir Norman Bettison Chief Constable West Yorkshire
Steve Burrows NEC & Crime Business Area lead
Anti Social Behaviour
Tim Jackson NEC
Helen Newlove
Louise Casey Home Office Cross-Governmental Task Force
Irene Curtis NEC
John Burgess Inspector Essex Police
Be a Better Superintendent
Robin Jarman NEC and Command Resilience Business Area lead
Emma Donaldson-Fielder Affinity Health at Work
Andrew Reynolds Revitalised
The Future of Policing
Tony McNulty Police Minister
Matt Baggot Chief Constable Leicestershire Constabulary
Ian Johnston President PSAEW
Safety & Risk in the Police Service
Archie Torrance NEC and HR Business Area lead
Alec Wood NEC
Joe Stewart Director of HR PSNI
Nick Kettle Met Police
We were pleased this year to welcome Ben Ando, the Home Affairs correspondent from the BBC who facilitated proceedings during conference, and to welcome back Alastair Stewart from ITN News who chaired the ever popular Question Time session.
One feature that continues to attract support is the session for first time attendees at conference. Our research indicates that approximately 25% of delegates are attending conference for the first time and it is important to make them feel welcome and comfortable with all the opportunities that conference presents. The session held on the opening evening provides a welcome from the President and an overview of the conference and how it operates. Feedback from delegates has been particularly warm.
Each year we seek the feedback from guests, delegates, sponsors and exhibitors to ensure that our conference continues to be of a high standard and importantly value for money.
My thanks in closing go to all the members of the Conference Arrangements Committee without whose commitment and energy conference could not take place. In addition special thanks to Janet Johnston, Pat Cassidy, and Brian and Paula Allinson who kindly gave of their time to provide logistical support at conference this year. A final thank you to the exhibitors and sponsors whose attendance and contribution is vital to ensuring the long term future of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England & Wales National Conference.
I look forward to meeting all delegates, guests, exhibitors and sponsors at the 2009 conference which will be held at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Warwickshire between 14 th - 17 th September.
Conference Arrangements Committee.
Derek Barnett Vice President (Chair)
Ian Johnston President
Pat Stayt National Secretary
Graham Cassidy National Deputy Secretary
Sarah Gibbons Communication Manager
Wendy Conway National Office
Sue Payne National Office
Tom Moran National Office
Peter Williams PSAEW Marketing Manager
Buz Ross Whitwam Ltd
Archie Torrance NEC
Tim Jackson NEC
Derek Barnett
Vice President
Chair Conference Arrangements Committee
With external communication strategies now well-established and proven to be effective, 2008-9 was a year focused more on enhancing internal communications.
We had greater interaction with the membership than in previous years on a wide range of issues important to them as individuals, managers and members of the Association.
The report from the Command Resilience Business Area later in this document details how the production of the ‘Be a Better Superintendent’ toolkit involved an enormous amount of work but was worthwhile with the final product proving so popular across the Police Service. This was an excellent example of communicating with the members via a personal health survey, analysing the results, listening to their concerns and providing something meaningful to help them overcome obstacles to a healthy work-life balance.
Another information mechanism was introduced with the first annual Branch Survey where Branch Secretaries were asked to provide data on a number of key issues around membership numbers, secondments, allowances, on-call arrangements and provision of benefits. An executive summary of the initial findings was circulated to Branch officials and National Office has received a number of requests from Branches asking for comparative data with other forces to help them with local negotiations with their Chief Officers.
When the President, Ian Johnston, first took office, he vowed to consult widely at every opportunity. When we were given the opportunity as an organisation to comment on the Government’s Green Paper, ‘From Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communities Together’, every member received a personal invitation from the President, Ian Johnston asking for their views. These were then incorporated into the official response submitted by the Association to ensure it reflected the experiences of members in a variety of roles across England and Wales, not just the National Officers.
National Conference was a successful event with high profile speakers and guests, challenging debates and extensive media coverage, particularly on the theme of public confidence.
The four Briefing Days were well attended and enabled in excess of 100 new members - and prospective new members - to discover a little more about the Association and how it can benefit them throughout their time in our ranks.
I attended a variety of meetings with peers from ACPO, the Police Federation, NPIA and APA as we try to foster increased joint working opportunities, acknowledging that the Service is more powerful when it speaks with one voice.
One such arena where we meet is at the Workforce Modernisation Communication Group. Each organisation contributes its views on the roll-out of this programme and has helped shape the communication strategy for this sensitive issue to keep the public and staff alike informed about progress.
The NEC Digest launched last year has gone from strength to strength. It is a monthly publication featuring notes on developments and actions from meetings attended by NEC members and National officers to keep them abreast of issues between NEC meetings. It ensures that NEC members, who all have operational jobs within forces, have an update on all Association issues. The extensive and varied content I receive for editing and producing the final document shows the vast array of arenas in which the Association is involved.
Sarah Gibbons
Communication Manager
This is the first full year that the new structure of business areas has been in place since the completion of the Review of the Association completed in April 2008. A member of the NEC manages each of the Business Areas. Much of the work of the Association transcends the business area boundaries, and therefore the Vice President co-ordinates the work of the Business Areas. In addition, each Business Area has an identified national officer who acts as the strategic adviser to the NEC lead and often as a point of contact to stakeholders.
Business Area |
NEC Lead |
National Officer Co-ordinator |
Crime and Criminal Justice |
Steve Burrows |
Derek Barnett |
Uniform & Operational Policing |
Alan Horton |
Derek Barnett |
Human Resources |
Archie Torrance |
Pat Stayt |
Command Resilience |
Robin Jarman |
Graham Cassidy |
Citizen Focus & Information management |
Joanne Byrne |
Derek Barnett |
Panel of Friends |
Tom Moran |
Graham Cassidy |
Futures & BCU Liaison |
Derek Barnett |
Pat Stayt |
The work of the Business Areas allows the Association to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, contribute to the development of policing policy, and engage in wider development of the Police Service, particularly by working with academia and the public policy think tanks. In particular there is ongoing represenataion and consultation with Government Departments, ACPO, APA , HMIC and the NPIA. Servicing the increasing demands of the media continues to be a key element of the work of the Business Areas.
This year has seen the continued development of the Business Areas. The established Business Areas have continued to function and evolve, in particular the Panel of Friends that has maintained its excellent service to members and the Command Resilience Business Area that continues to look after the well-being of our members. The new Business Areas have quickly established themselves as are operating effectively, enhancing the work and reputation of the Association.
To achieve the aims and objectives of the Association requires an effective and flourishing Business Area structure. This can only be achieved with the commitment and efforts of the NEC lead members and the contribution of numerous members of the Association from all Branches who engage as members of the Business Areas. I would conclude by thanking all of them for the extra time and energy that they commit to the work of the Association in addition to their full time roles within forces. It would also be remiss not to acknowledge the support given to our members by Chief Officers who have the vision to recognise the contribution at the national level which our members offer and the benefits this imports to the force.
Derek Barnett
Chief Superintendent
Vice President
Citizen Focus is a new PSAEW Business area and incorporates BCU Command. The areas it encompasses are:
The first meeting was held in Birmingham on Friday 27th February, chaired by NEC Member Jo Byrne and attended by 10 colleagues from around the country, all keen to be involved. Derek Barnett, President Elect gave an overview of the Business Area structure and its reporting lines to the fledgling group, who worked through an agenda that established skills and knowledge base and began formulating a business plan for the next three years.
The group has created a virtual network that now has 42 members with a range of experience and current responsibility for the areas identified.
A two day conference has been arranged for members at the Barceló Lygon Arms, Broadway, in the Cotswolds on the 5th and 6th November 09. The focus of this will be ‘Trust and Confidence’ and a number of guests will be joining us.
Many members are fully occupied with work in their own forces in this area and the Conference will serve to bring together the learning and experiences to date.
The Business Area would also hope to secure a main stage presentation opportunity at next year’s annual conference.
Jo Byrne
Chief Superintendent
2008/09 was a memorable year for the Command Resilience Group. The earlier part of the year was taken up with proof reading and refining the 'Be a better Superintendent' Toolkit. An award winning occupational psychologist, Emma Donaldson-Feilder, was selected to assist the production and the toolkit was formally launched at Conference in the Summer. Every member has since been issued with their personal copy and as new members join they are issued a copy.
The toolkit has since attracted considerable interest across the United Kingdom and internationally. The PSNI have adopted the product for their members and we are currently in discussion with the Inspectors Central Committee of the Police Federation. The toolkit offers practical tips and advice on four key areas; Living Better, Performing Better, Feeling Better and Leading Better. As a follow up, a series of articles have also featured in the Superintendent magazine and a series of presentations have been delivered to other key policing organisations to market the resource.
All Inspectors within HMIC have been issued with their own copy and have promised to use it as a reference tool in forthcoming inspections and members of the APA have also been given copies. It is pleasing to note the interest shown across the Service and the Group is proud of its efforts.
In addition, the Revitalise wellbeing website was also launched at Conference and offered to members and their families as an additional free support service. This has also attracted considerable interest across the Police Service and it is pleasing to note that Revitalise are now working with several Police Forces across the UK.
This year, instead of a Christmas card, members who attended Conference received a postal reminder of the promises they had made to themselves (at Conference) to improve their lifestyle. The idea was well received at Conference but feedback suggests a few promises have been broken! Indeed, the Chair of our group promised to lose at least a stone in weight by next Conference. At the time of writing he still has some work to do…
Following the launch of the toolkit, efforts moved onto the Personal Resilience questionnaire. Again, with the help of Emma, a newly constructed questionnaire was produced and circulated across the membership. The results from the survey will feature as part of a presentation at this year’s Conference.
Questions around long hours, anxiety and depression, and other health issues which have featured in previous questionnaires, remain in the current survey, but new additional areas are also covered on wider personal resilience issues, such as caring responsibilities.
Our efforts in the forthcoming year will be focused on the health survey findings and how we can best continue to influence improvements. We will also be monitoring the impact of the broader economic recession particularly in relation to Command Resilience.
Robin Jarman
Superintendent
The Crime and Criminal Justice Business Area met three times in the year 2008/9:
16th & 17 th April 2008, Billesley Manor, Warwickshire
28 th and 29 th October 2008, Naval Club, London
13 th & 14 th January 2009, Lygon Arms Broadway, Worcestershire.
The Committee has undergone a considerable re-build following the loss of several key members and the April and October meetings were dominated by planning the future.
A new Chair, NEC member Steve Burrows, (Warwickshire), was elected, together with a Secretary, Kathy Morris, (Metropolitan Police), following the retirement of Paul Stickler, longstanding and much appreciated Secretary to the Business Area. Another notable retirement was George Frame (Nottinghamshire) who was for many years a stalwart of the Business Area and will be sorely missed.
Kathy also retired during the year and Andy Rowsell ( West Mercia) is the current Secretary. We have been indebted to Viv Howells , Head of Crime in West Mercia for allowing his PA, Sue Wilcox, to be administrator and minute taker for the Business Area, a task she fulfils with efficiency and professionalism.
We embarked upon a recruitment drive which has resulted in a strength of 20 committed Superintendents with a vast range of expertise now sitting as Committee Members. It is particularly pleasing to see a number of Criminal Justice Members, an area of particular shortage in the past.
We are always looking for new members, the proviso being attendance at meetings (subject to operational considerations), and a willingness to engage in representing the Association at ACPO Crime Business Area meetings, relevant conferences and responding to consultation papers or working parties in a member’s subject area.
We have decided to base our meetings permanently at the Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway. This is a central location, convenient for the Secretariat, providing excellent facilities at very good rates. This decision also reduces the burden upon Committee members having to host and help organise a moving meeting.
We have written a comprehensive Business Plan, setting out the constitution and arrangements for meetings (now three a year), and we have restructured around ACPO Crime Business Areas with our other regular agenda items reflecting live topics either outside the ACPO areas or requiring special focus.
The following are our priority areas of engagement for the year (reviewed at the final meeting of each Calendar year):
The ACPO Portfolio Areas covered are:
We also have regular presentations on topics of interest to the meetings, for instance developments in the arena of tackling Serious and Organised Crime at the January meeting.
We are routinely engaged in consultation (much ongoing), including in the past year:
In summary, 2008/9 has been one of successful rebuilding and the Business Area goes from strength to strength.
Steve Burrows
Chief Superintendent
The Futures Business Area was established in April 2008 following the Review of the Association completed at that time. The Review recognised that the Association would benefit from having a Business Area that was able to provide a cross cutting function that contributed to the overall development of the service with particular emphasis on the longer-term future. In addition, the Futures Business Area would be able to consider the longer-term administrative, financial and constitutional issues facing the Association.
The BCU Liaison Business Area was established in 2005 in recognition of the increasingly important command role undertaken by our members in delivering locally focussed policing and the need to ensure proper and constructive liaison at the policy making level with the Home Office, ACPO, HMIC, NPIA and other key stakeholders. At this time, the post of Vice President of the PSAEW became full time with a key responsibility being that of BCU liaison.
The trend identified in previous years of the reduction in the number of BCUs continues, showing a fall from the peak of 350 to 250 (2007) and a further reduction to 214 (2008). The Association will continue to maintain an accurate understanding of the national picture in relation to BCUs across all 43 Home Office forces in England & Wales.
The former BCU Business Area was incorporated into the new Citizen Focus Business Area and the Vice President continues to have national oversight of this area of business. The main areas of activity undertaken throughout the year are as follows:
Derek Barnett
Chief Superintendent
Vice President
This was yet another very busy year for the HR Business Area. Following the Vice-President’s Review of Business Areas being accepted by NEC, we set about establishing a new HR Business Area. Four NEC members were added, namely, Derek Barnett, Irene Curtis, Dilip Amin and Tim Jackson. With Archie Torrance and Jayne Monkhouse (Equality Advisor to PSAEW) this brought the core membership of the HR Business Area up to six and is believed to be a suitable structure for delivering against our wide remit.
One of our first tasks was to agree Aims for the HR Business Area and to identify a range of Working Principles that would underpin our work, in support of the overall aims and objectives of our Association. This has now been done and is guiding the work that we do.
The Leading Policing Strategy, developed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), was launched last year. We were grateful to NPIA for allowing our Association an opportunity to participate and to influence the work. NPIA are now leading further work to populate (and give more meaning to) the three leadership domains – executive skills, business skills, policing skills. We have emphasised that these ought to be kept in proper balance and that assumptions must not be made that no further work needs to be done around the policing skills domain. We do not agree that is the case. We all know that there are still some officers passing Senior PNAC who do not have operational credibility and, often by their own admission, some are not ‘ready now’ for ACPO rank. We shall continue to press for urgent improvements in this situation.
Towards the end of the year under review we became aware of an intention to bring together Leadership Strategy Board and Workforce Modernisation. This appears to us to make perfect sense given that both are led by Chief Constable Peter Fahy and many of the participants are the same in each body. The new body will be known as Workforce Strategy Board. We have sought to persuade Mr. Fahy that the Police Federation for England & Wales (PFEW) and our Association have a significant role to play and we ought to have a seat at the main Workforce Strategy Board. This has not been accepted, however, we have been invited to participate as members on the new Workforce Council, the consultative arm of the new framework. We shall, of course, continue to represent your views as professionally as we can through those arrangements. Indeed, plans are in place for a presentation to be made by NPIA to NEC during the summer on ‘talent management’ and the new ‘graduate entry scheme’.
Our Association has been invited to sit on the National College of Police Leadership Board of Governors. The Association will be represented by the President and the first meeting of the Board of Governors has already taken place. The National College of Police Leadership will be officially launched on Monday 16 November 2009 and we look forward to playing a leading role on the Board. We wish the College every success in the future.
The ACPO Race & Diversity Business Area, under the leadership of Chief Constable Steve Otter, conducted a review of the business area itself and restructured the way it does business. We are delighted that, following representations being made to Mr. Otter, PFEW and our Association have both been given seats at the main business area level. The business area also began development work on a 3 year Equality, Diversity & Human Rights Strategy for the Police Service, supported by an action plan, which is designed to make real and sustainable progress in this area of work. We are planning a joint session later in 2009 to work through the draft Strategy to ensure that it is balanced and is the right vehicle for taking many important issues forward. Tim Jackson and Archie Torrance continue to represent our interests.
A great deal of work has been undertaken this year by the two Ministerial Steering Groups chaired by the Police Minister, Vernon Coaker. The Ministerial Steering Group on Women in Policing has been attended variously by Archie Torrance, Irene Curtis and Jayne Monkhouse. Now that this Group has been reformed, following our lobbying at Annual Conference 2008, it is hoped that real progress can be made. Scoping of the Group’s area of interest has been completed; priorities for action agreed; and an outline produced of the essential data that is required. We are optimistic that the Group will now proceed to delivering against its priorities so as to meet the expectations of the various stakeholders.
The Minority Ethnic Ministerial Steering Group was established in November 2008 to assist the Police Minister to undertake an assessment of Minority Ethnic Recruitment, Retention and Progression in the Police Service. Our Association is represented by the President, Ian Johnston. The Steering Group has agreed 19 recommendations and continues to meet regularly under the chairmanship of the Police Minister to monitor progress.
The review of the ACPO Joint Advisory Group on Police Health & Safety was concluded during the year. A new structure has been created under the leadership of Joe Stewart (Director HR, PSNI), which include an Annual Planning Forum and a quarterly ACPO Strategic Group on Police Health, Safety & Welfare. The new arrangements will be evaluated later in 2009 and Archie Torrance will represent us at the next Annual Planning Forum in September. Feedback from delegates attending the PSAEW Annual Conference 2008 has been positive regarding the main hall presentation on safety and risk. Our thanks have been extended to Joe Stewart and Nick Kettle (MPS).
The Review of SLDP by DCC Adrian Lee has continued throughout the year. We are pleased that progress has been made and a clear route towards the new programme and modules has been set. We have consistently supported the notion that continuous professional development should mean what it says. We have also argued that not all modules of the SLDP 1 & 2 programmes need to be mandatory. We accept that the foundation module (and some other fundamentally important modules) ought to be mandatory. However, additional modules ought to be attended by our members on the basis of personal development need, perhaps following assessment of their particular development needs. This appears to us to be a more mature way to approach our development needs and takes account of the limited resources available in the Service. We have also argued that development opportunities need to be provided for all our members not just those aspiring to higher rank. Irene Curtis has now adopted the lead for us on the SLDP Professional Reference Group.
Our business area is a major contributor to a variety of Police Advisory Board sub-groups. For example: National Recruitment Standards’ Sub-Committee, Seconded Officers’ Working Group, Fitness Testing Working Group. Jayne Monkhouse has played a major role in these groups and has presented arguments on behalf of the Association in a consistent and persuasive way.
The PNB Working Party on Work-Life Balance and Gender Equality was established during the year and has now met several times. Archie Torrance represents our Association and Jayne Monkhouse attends as an independent advisor to PNB Staff Side. Presentations have been given by Jayne on issues associated with managing maternity/paternity in the Police Service and on flexible/part-time working. Several outstanding claims remain on the table and expectations by members of PNB are high. We shall continue to play a part during the coming year in the hope that several agreements can be reached.
Progress around Work-Based Assessment (WBA) for promotion to sergeant and inspector has been an interesting journey over the last few years. It is widely known that, following additional licensing conditions being set in September 2008 by the then Police Minister, WBA was due to roll-out across the Service from April 2009. Our Association and the Police Federation of England & Wales were not satisfied that our concerns had been adequately addressed and were left with no option but to withdraw our support for the roll-out. Our main challenge was around the absence of any satisfactory equality impact assessment but there are also serious concerns about the costs of WBA. As a result of the challenges, the Police Promotion Examination Board decided in March 2009 that the roll-out should be suspended and a new National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF) trial be arranged over the next two years. We shall continue to work with NPIA as additional Forces are added and the trial proceeds.
The Special Constabulary National Consultation Group is now well established under the chairmanship of Mick Pepper (NPIA). The Group has regular meetings in place and has a full agenda of work. The relatively new Association of Special Constabulary Chief Officers (ASCCO) has reported on its work and ACPO has presented on an action plan around all aspects of the Special Constabulary, including the major push to recruit large numbers of special constables by 2012. Archie Torrance continues to lead for PSAEW at present.
The 2008 Review of the Association recommended that to support and complement the work of the HR Business Area, the Vice President would act as the Associations Diversity Champion. In that role Derek Barnett has sought to establish close working relationships across the police family. During the year the work undertaken has included:
PSAEW corporate membership of BAWP.
Engagement with NAMP re mentoring of Muslim officers.
Membership of the ACPO Tripartite Oversight Group looking at BME progression.
PSAEW BME Members briefing event January 2008.
Attendance at the Holocaust Memorial Day in London organised jointly by the NPIA and Jewish Police Association.
Stephen Lawrence Ten Years on Conference London.
Judging of the Annual PSAEW Bursary award in conjunction with the Police review.
This Annual Review would not be complete without expressing thanks to those who have assisted the work of the HR Business Area during the year. These include: the members of the business area – Derek Barnett, Irene Curtis, Tim Jackson and Dilip Amin who have all assisted by representing our Association at various meetings and by providing their views on various consultation papers. To the National Secretary, Pat Stayt, who is also the Responsible National Officer for this Business Area, sincere thanks for his wise counsel and support throughout the year. Also, our thanks to Val Parsons, PA to Chair of the HR Business Area, for arranging our meetings for the year; we all wish Val a very speedy recovery following several illnesses. Finally, my own personal thanks, and those of the HR Business Area, to Jayne Monkhouse, Equality Advisor, who has been a stalwart for many years. She has provided professional equality advice, continuity in many areas of work and quite outstanding support to the Chair of the Business Area. Without Jayne’s contribution the Business Area would not have been able to develop and mature quite so quickly.
Archie Torrance
Chief Superintendent
Uniform Operational Policing is a broad term which includes many facets of policing, for example: Response Policing, Neighbourhood Policing, Critical Incident Management, Civil Contingency & Emergency Planning, Roads Policing, Public Order Policing, Armed Policing and CBRN, as well as the ‘specialists’ like, Dogs, Horses, Marine, Diving, Air Support and all those search disciplines.
Throughout the year the Uniformed Operations Business Area has engaged across a number of ACPO Business Areas and has (through its extended network) sat on a number of ACPO Committees and working parties.
The Business Area has responded, both formally and informally, to a number of consultations, including Guidance on Command and Control, the ‘Article 2’ note making and interoperability debate, CBRN, Road Safety Compliance, Motorway Service Areas, Emergency Procedure Guidance Document and Development of the Civil Contingencies Act - to name a few.
On Road Safety Compliance as an example, we emphasised that enforcement and compliance with road traffic law is a crucial part of raising driving standards and improving safety. The document rightly focuses on the behaviours that we know to cause death and injury: speeding, drink and drug driving, failing to wear a seatbelt and careless driving - and we said so. We welcomed the decision not to lower the minimum penalty for breaking the posted speed limit and the move to encourage more breath testing by the police. However, we expressed our concern that the opportunity has not been taken to lower the current blood alcohol level.
The Business Area has maintained close links with the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transport Safety, with attendance at a number of their events including the AGM throughout the year.
We met with lobbyists on topics that may be of interest to members, for example the Gun Control Network, to discuss their concerns regarding the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. Those discussions included; the definition of an imitation, air pistol ‘look-alikes’ and the growth in ‘air-soft’ weapons.
The Business Area was represented at the National Roads Policing Conference by the Vice Chairman, Derek Barnett.
The highlight of the year for the Uniformed Operational Policing Business Area took place in Nottingham on February 26 th and 27 th when more than 40 forces from England and Wales were represented at our conference by the Heads of their respective Operations Departments in what is believed to be the first conference of its kind.
Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes highlighted the challenge with the sobering reality that in addition to the Games, 2012 is the year of HRH Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. The Games will take place against the background of all the usual events we would expect in the capital such as; Wimbledon, the start of the Premier League, the Rugby League Challenge Cup and the Notting Hill Carnival… and also coincide with the Feast of Ramadan!
Chief Constable Hughes outlined the national strategy for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and described in detail the structures required to deliver it. Chief Constable Martin Baker from Dorset gave an equally fascinating presentation on the impact of the games on a smaller force, with a particular emphasis on the yachting and water-borne events.
To complete that first look at the Olympics and finalise the year, the Business Area Executive made a presentation to the Joint Annual Joint Meeting of the Executives of PSAEW, SANI and ASPS on the Olympics and the potential implications of and impact upon our members.
Alan Horton
Chief Superintendent
Last year’s report heralded impending new legislation consequent upon the Taylor review of conduct, unsatisfactory performance and attendance procedures. Since December 2008 we now have with us the Police Conduct and Performance/Attendance Regulations 2008 and are watching ‘progress’ with interest.
It is too early to be conclusive about the level of improvement in the system which it is hoped and anticipated will yield increased proportionality, timeliness and transparency to that which pertained earlier within the ‘discipline’ process. However, we always suspected that the requirement for culture change to ensure that the ethos of the legislation is successful would and will take time to embed.
The early signs are that although the systems are ticking along quite well, there has been no particular call for euphoria. There have been problems, of course, and naturally those negative aspects come to the fore for discussion rather than any positive ones. If I was to identify a major ‘moan’ then it would be around bureaucracy surrounding the holding of ‘Meetings’. There exists reluctance by many conformist PSDs to take the short cuts sometimes on offer and the consequence can be an elongated rather than an abridged process to bring any matter in hand to conclusion.
To identify a very positive aspect within the new procedures , already in evidence is the better information flow which legislation has dictated and which results in officers being kept better informed rather than kept in the dark as previously was the case.
The review of the Panel of Friends, as recommended last year by the Vice President in his overall review of the PSAEW, has been undertaken by the Deputy National Secretary, Graham Cassidy. Due to unforeseen circumstances the time scales for completion and publication of that Review have slipped slightly. However, the recommendations are imminent at this time of writing.
During the lifetime of that Review taking place, and as a result of emerging findings, some healthy changes have been made to the functioning of the Panel. The overall membership has reduced in number by one fifth in the last year to complement the decline in total of those being recorded ‘at risk’; enhanced and professional training has been introduced for Panel members and is funded by Abbey Legal, our Insurers; a professional and comprehensive Panel Guidance binder containing salient and pertinent documentation has been produced and distributed to all Panel members and plans are afoot to ‘cluster’ members of the Panel into specialised groupings with respective accreditation for undertaking ’Friending’ in specific and specialised subjects.
The Proactive sub committee of the NEC is not my direct responsibility (albeit that I sit as an adviser to its members) but frequently matters start off in my court before being passed uphill to the National Deputy Secretary.
It remains true that often there is a link between the issue for which pro-active support is sought and the ‘at risk’ arena. The purpose of raising this entity is simply to flag up that although the number of members ‘art risk’ under my bailiwick has declined, those seeking pro-active support continues to increase.
The relationship between the PSAEW, our lawyers and insurers remains solid and healthy. Whilst our dealings are always professional and business like, interchange between parties benefits from being open, forthright and sometimes challenging whilst at the same time being friendly and sociable.
Within our LPI premium, we now have a funded, emergency 24 hour availability (call out) by our solicitors should the need arise and meet the relevant criteria. This results in benefit for all parties—the insurers by having solicitors on hand to assist and mitigate potential harm thus looking after their interests, the lawyers as the provision gives enhancement to their contract and coffers and benefits our members—for very obvious reasons.
My world continues to be imbued with business and meetings around relevant ACPO committees, with the IPCC and is interspersed with visits to Branch and District gatherings.
Perhaps the above narrative is indicative of change and change of course is always in our midst. What does not alter though is the psychological effect and upset endured by the membership subjected to complaints and investigations.
I am sufficiently comfortable and confident to say that the available counselling and help service on offer from the Professional Standards Co-ordinator is very frequently accessed and generally well received.
Tom Moran
Professional Standards Co-ordinator
ACCOUNTS – FINANCIAL YEAR 2008/09
The Association’s 2008/09 audited accounts are published at Appendix ‘A’ in accordance with Rule 16 of the Association’s Fund Rules.
The accounts have been audited by the Association’s Accountants, David Jones and Co.
The Association oversees and manages its finances through a sub-Committee of the National Executive Committee. The Finance Sub-Committee, which is chaired by the Vice President and on which the NEC are represented, and the full NEC receive written and verbal updates from the Treasurer on the progress of the budget at every meeting and attention is drawn to specific income and expenditure areas which move away from their anticipated profile during the year. The budget also has to be sufficiently resilient to accommodate short term and unplanned for expenditure.
The 2008/09 accounts show that at the end of the financial year there was a deficit of £98,157 between income and expenditure. This deficit is in contrast to the surplus of £235,916 in 2007/08 and to the surplus of £213,424 in 2006/07.
The 2008/09 budget had been built to achieve an end of year surplus of £104,789.
The main reason that this year’s accounts have a deficit is the costs which the Association incurred in winding up the Revelation Healthcare Scheme. This has been referred to in the National Secretary’s Report. Essentially the Healthcare Scheme which was established in September 2000 had become insolvent. It was clear to me as the Treasurer during the last financial year (2007/08) that the Scheme would most likely have to be wound up. With that in mind I worked hard to maximise a surplus last year of £235,916 which went in to our reserves knowing that this year would be significantly more difficult. I was given the action by the Trustees of the PSAEW and by the NEC to wind up the Healthcare Scheme in January 2009. At that time the total liabilities to the PSAEW for the Healthcare Scheme were over £200,000. In the process of winding up the Scheme I was able, by negotiation, to reduce our liabilities to £179,710.
The ‘net effect’ of this on this year’s accounts is that the costs of winding up the Scheme reduced a planned surplus of £104,789 to a deficit of £98,157.
This ‘exceptional item’ which appears in our accounts this year will not recur in future years.
It is appropriate to comment on some other individual matters contained in this year’s accounts:-
1. Bank interest decreased by £21,759 (29%) because of the fall in interest rates towards the end of the financial year.
2. Sponsorship income has decreased by £15,751 (10%)
3. The additional office costs were largely due to the printing costs of the Command Resilience Toolkits.
4. Additional accommodation costs were due to minor building works and to an upgrade of the security system at Pangbourne.
5. Meeting costs increased by £88,418 (16%) this year. This was largely due to increased costs of Conference along with increased business area and other meeting costs and so reflects more vigorous activity within the Association’s Business Areas.
6. Consultancy fees increased by £20,738 (33%) largely due to the cost of preparing our response to the Green Paper on Policing.
7. Increased website costs of £16,467 were due to the design of a new web site.
8. The costs of LPI insurance have been pegged for a further year and the cover provided for members has been improved.
THE STRATEGIC RESERVE
The Strategic Reserve is a fund set aside for the sole purpose of meeting the costs of members involved in legal action. The target figure of this Reserve had been set at £500,000 (and remained at that level throughout 2008/09) and it has not been necessary to utilise this reserve during this year.
GRANT IN AID FUNDING
The Association’s income is comprised primarily of membership subscriptions and Home Office monies, the latter being called Grant in Aid Funding which is made available to the Association and a number of other Staff and Support Associations. The Association’s access to and use of this funding is the subject of quarterly reports to the Home Office; this is one of the conditions of the funding and all our reports were returned at the end of each quarter.
The 2008/09 Grant in Aid Funding allocated to the Association was £694,721. This figure includes the reimbursement of pension costs of the four National Officers seconded from forces. This figure for Grant in Aid Funding in our accounts has been static for the last three financial years. We need to assume that this situation will continue. If it does then obviously the finances of the PSAEW will increasingly depend upon members’ subscriptions in future years.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions for 2008/09 were set at £339 per annum, an increase of 1.8% on 2007/08.
TREASURER’S COMMENTS
This is my second Annual Treasurer’s Report as the National Deputy Secretary and Treasurer. I would like to thank the members of the Finance Sub Committee and members of the NEC who have been supportive of me in this role. In particular I would like to thank and pay tribute to Janet Turner, the Association’s Finance Officer, to whom once again this year the Association owes a great deal in ensuring that our accounts and finances are as well managed as they are.
Graham Cassidy
Chief Superintendent
National Deputy Secretary/Treasurer