Actions to improve oversight of complaints against a police force at centre of outcry over a commissioner’s comments about women’s safety following the murder of York woman Sarah Everard have been welcomed.
The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel has also given its seal of approval to the appointment of an acting commissioner until a successor to controversy-hit commissioner Philip Allott is elected later this month.
The panel was told the range of experience, skills, aptitudes and professional accomplishment of the commissioner’s Head of Commissioning and Partnerships, Jennifer Newberry, was “particularly apt” for her appointment to the role of acting commissioner.
Following the death of Sarah Everard and centring on the control mechanisms over police and fire complaints, whistleblowing and tribunals, North Yorkshire and York democracy campaigner Gwen Swinburn raised concerns over “governance gaps” in the panel’s oversight of police complaints, conduct and discipline processes.
The meeting at the police force and fire service’s headquarters in Northallerton heard North Yorkshire had a unique system of dealing with police complaints and the disciplinary process, which sees the commissioner and their office having “the greatest involvement in the process possible”.
The meeting also heard reassurances that the commissioner’s office had introduced a dedicated complaints team and an independent adjudicator was in place to conduct complaint reviews.
In a further discussion following Ms Everard’s murder by acting police officer Wayne Couzens, the panel also saw Chief Constable Lisa Winward move to allay concerns that Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) did not have to declare spent convictions when joining or transferring to the force.
She said despite the law meaning PCSOs as civilians did not have to declare spent convictions, the force’s vetting systems for all recruits would highlight any concerns.
Ryedale councillor Lindsay Burr said as there was a high level of demand for improved governance of the commissioners from the public, it was “an absolutely ideal time to strengthen processes”.
She said:
“If we can demonstrate as a body that we are listening and actually acting that is something that we need to move forward with.”
After the meeting, the panel’s chairman Councillor Carl Les said there was a limited number of changes the panel could make to its own governance, but there may be some recommendations, but there may be recommendations that could be made to the Home Office.
He said:
“One thing that we can take away from today is that there should be some sort of informal linkage between the discussions we have here in holding the commissioner to account and the audit committee, which are looking at the facts and figures as regards the accounts of the commissioner’s work in holding the police to account. I think there are some opportunities there to make some immediate changes to improve understanding.”
When asked about the overwhelming number of men on the panel, Coun Les said as it was powerless to mandate the nine councils represented on the panel send representatives based on gender.
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