Following notification from the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner of her intention to appoint to the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, for the Hampshire Police and Crime Panel to hold a closed session to agree its recommendations.
Minutes:
The Panel held exempt discussions which examined the evidence provided in the Confirmation Hearing session. The final reports of the Panel are appended to these minutes.
The Panel observed:
· Given the level of demand on the Commissioner’s time and the noted improvement in the visibility of the Commissioner following the previous appointment of Mr Norton to the role of DPCC in April 2022, Members agreed unanimously that there was clearly an identified need for a DPCC to support the Commissioner in the effective delivery of her role.
· The DPCC’s salary was set by the Commissioner, consistent with adopted practise across the Country, at 75% of the PCC’s salary.
· The Commissioner felt the candidate had performed well in the position during the previous term, finding that Mr Norton’s skillset had complimented hers well, enabling them to be an effective team. Further, the Commissioner explained that she had selected the candidate on the basis of trust and confidence in his ability to perform well in the role and support her in the effective delivery of her responsibilities.
· Mr Norton had made a considerable impact on the delivery of services to young people and the engagement with young people across the two Counties during the previous term. His work in seeking the views of young people on policing had been recognised nationally, with other Commissioners and their offices seeking support from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to learn from the best practice shown in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
· The candidate expressed a clear vision for every young person to have a positive engagement with the Police during their childhood and an intention to reach out and engage with schools to support this vision if appointed.
· The Commissioner expected the DPCC role to be performed with an a-political approach, but on occasions where the DPCC would be required to talk on behalf of the PCC, was assured that the candidate would be able to confidently express her views, which was of particular importance in managing case work and attending community meetings.
· The candidate was clear that his role, if successful, would be to represent the Commissioner and that any views expressed, or approaches taken would be in accordance with those of the Commissioner and the aspirations of the Police and Crime Plan, although felt comfortable to challenge and express his views with the PCC when appropriate.
· The candidate was keen to enhance the visibility of the Commissioner and her work, as well as promoting the role of Hampshire Constabulary, and was confident in engaging with residents and partner organisations.
· The Commissioner was clear that she could not effectively deliver her role and attend all the meetings she was invited to. but needed a presence and a voice within partnership meetings, which demonstrated the DPCC’s availability to attend these meetings was key, allowing the PCC to act as a conduit for sharing best practice in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at a national level.
· During the previous 12 months the candidate had taken a lead on engagement with Health partners and engaging them in trauma informed practices. It was also heard that he had worked with Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) to ensure they were correctly structured and meeting regularly and had engaged with portfolio leads within authorities. As a result the candidate felt that the quality of the CSP and engagement with elected members around the role of CSPs had improved significantly.
· In meeting with residents, Mr Norton had gained a significant understanding of the disparity between the perception of safety and actual levels of crime within local communities. The DPCC had applied a focus, during the last term, on enhancing resident perception of the role of policing and the levels and breadth of criminal activity addressed by the force.
· The candidate was keen to engage with the Panel and the Panel would welcome his engagement around areas of interest to the Panel, as suggested by the candidate, if appointed.
· Members felt that the candidate had the capability to undertake the role and met the minimum standards of professional competence and personal independence required of an appointed deputy to the Police and Crime Commissioner.
It was noted that the answers given by the candidate were not always well structured and did not fully respond to the question posed in a number of incidences. As a result, the Panel expressed some reservations about the candidate proposed, for which Members agreed to seek reassurance through the following recommendations to the Commissioner relating to the proposed appointment:
a) That the candidate, if appointed, agrees with the Commissioner an approved training plan which will enable the candidate to improve his understanding of the Public Sector Equality Duty and Public Sector Finance Requirements, to enable greater continuity and resilience, during any absence of the PCC.
b) In this regard, the Panel would encourage the Commissioner to continue her approach to act as a mentor to the candidate in developing his understanding of the financial arrangements of the OPCC.
c) That the Commissioner, under her announcements, reports back to the Panel at its next meeting on the agreed training plan for the DPCC role.
d) That the Commissioner notes the Panel’s wish to engage with the DPCC, and would encourage the Commissioner to allow the DPCC to represent her at an appropriate meeting of the Panel in the future, to allow the Panel to observe the DPCC’s ability to represent the PCC at formal meetings.
On the basis of the information provided by the Commissioner, and the discussions held during the Confirmation Hearing, a vote was held on the recommendation, as proposed within report of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Panel voted unanimously in favour of the proposed recommendation.
RESOLVED:
That the proposed candidate, Mr Terry Norton, is recommended to be appointed to the position of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.