Agenda Item 6 Meeting Scottish Police Authority Board Meeting Date Location Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling Title of Paper SPA Chair s Introduction and Report Reference B 08.2018/53 Presented By Susan Deacon Recommendation to Members For Noting Appendix Attached: No PURPOSE To update Authority Members on activities carried out by the Chair and to offer comment on significant areas of development since the previous Board meeting on 30 August 2018. 1
SPA Strategic Development The completion of the recent round of senior leadership appointments has enabled me to refocus my efforts on the strategic development of the SPA. It is hugely important that, going forward, we have a real clarity about our vision, values and purpose and that, as a Board, we set out a clear strategic direction around which our structure, culture and practices can be built. This is an ongoing process requiring the investment of significant time and energy and it will be the focus of our next Board development day on 3 October. In the meantime, my thinking continues to be informed by wide engagement with a range of people and organisations. I have also been actively engaging in a range of discussions to explore how the wider assurance landscape might be developed to ensure more effective and efficient scrutiny of policing. It is important that the efforts of all concerned are proportionate and add value and that we work to reduce duplication while scaling up impact. I am keen also to ensure that the leadership teams of the SPA and Police Scotland work together to build and maintain a shared strategic direction. Strong and trusting relationships are important. Going forward, the SPA needs to strike the right balance between support and challenge working in partnership with Police Scotland to improve and develop policing while continuing to scrutinise and be a critical friend where required. I am pleased that a number of Board members were able to attend an informal gathering at Tulliallan earlier this month which provided an opportunity for the Board of the SPA and members of the SPA executive to meet Police Scotland s executive team to get to know each other better. People Issues In line with the discussion at our last SPA Board meeting, I have explored with the Chief Constable and with other senior Police Scotland colleagues, how we might continue to develop and improve our combined efforts to place a renewed focus on people issues, leadership and workforce engagement across the organisation and throughout our governance and decision making. I have continued to support various leadership development activities within Police Scotland wherever possible and am in the process of developing a regular staff partnership forum which will build on the previous meetings I have held with workforce representatives and will in future also involve the Chief Constable and other senior leaders of Police Scotland. 2
Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in Relation to Policing Dame Elish Angiolini has now commenced her Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in Relation to Policing, which she was commissioned to do by the former Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the Lord Advocate in June. As I have previously indicated, I believe this is an extremely important piece of work and am keen to ensure that the SPA engages fully with the Review. I have therefore been working with Matt Smith, Chair of the SPA s Complaints and Conduct Committee and with Lindsey McNeill, the SPA s Director for Regulatory Compliance, to coordinate the SPA s input to the review. This has included meetings with the secretariat and with Dame Elish. I have made clear that the SPA s overarching concern is to have a system that works effectively and which builds confidence and trust. Though we have specific responsibilities in terms of complaints about Senior Officers, our fundamental and unique statutory responsibility is to maintain and improve policing and so I am keen that we remain open minded about how the system in general is developed. Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) SIPR is a strategic collaboration between fourteen of Scotland s universities and the Scottish police service supported by investment from Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the Scottish Funding Council and the participating Universities. I am very keen to deepen the SPA s engagement with SIPR and with the wider research community as I believe that robust and independent data, evidence and benchmarking is an essential element of our work to oversee, develop and improve the police service in Scotland as well as the SPA s own role as an effective governing body. I was pleased that my first speaking engagement as SPA Chair was at the SIPR Conference last December and am looking forward to attending SIPR s Annual Board of Governance Meeting and Dinner this week. Both myself and Interim Chief Officer, Kenneth Hogg, have recently met with Dr Liz Aston who was recently appointed as the new Director of SIPR. I have also asked SPA Board member Martyn Evans, who has extensive experience in the field of research and knowledge exchange, to take a lead role within the Board on helping to develop our thinking and activity 3
in this area. I will also be attending, together with SPA Board member Michelle Miller, and with other SPA Board members and officers, the SIPR International Seminar on Police and Fire Reform to be held in Edinburgh next month. Police Scotland Memorial Service I had the honour of attending and laying a wreath at the Annual Police Memorial service at Tulliallan earlier this month. A number of SPA Board members also attended and I know that I speak for us all in saying that this was a very moving event which reminded us of the risks that those in policing take in order to keep the rest of us safe. I would like to record my sincere appreciation, on behalf of the SPA Board, to Mrs Christine Fulton and other members of the Scottish Police Memorial Trust and to the Reverend Dr Georgie Baxendale. Police Scotland Youth Volunteers PSYV is rapidly becoming one of the nation s most significant and successful youth volunteering programmes. There are more than 1000 youth members aged 14-17 assisted by more than 300 adult volunteers involved in the Programme covering all parts of Scotland. It was an enormous privilege to attend the recent PSYV Reception at the Scottish Parliament. The event was hosted by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousef MSP, and was addressed by both the First Minister and the Chief Constable. I am sure that none of the aforementioned would be offended, however, if I say that by far the most inspirational and impressive speakers that night were the volunteers themselves! Scottish Women s Development Forum Awards I was delighted to be involved in the recent Scottish Women s Development Forum Annual Awards. I was enormously impressed by the quality of the nominations and was pleased to attend the Awards ceremony which recognised a breadth of achievements across Police Scotland. I would like to thank Clare Hussain and all the members of the SWDF Committee for their work and PC Pat Wellington for delivering a truly inspirational address. 4
Other Meetings, Visits and Events Since the last Board meeting, I have also:- met with the Divisional Commander, Brian McInulty and the leadership team of G Division at the Divisional Headquarters in Glasgow met with ACC Steve Johnson and the leadership team of the Serious Crime Division at the Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh attended the Scottish Business Resilience Centre Parliamentary Reception attended Police Scotland s Foreign Law Enforcement Community Conference Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament returned from its summer recess earlier this month. Both myself and SPA officials have continued to stay in contact with MSP s and to follow Parliamentary proceedings with a particular relevance to policing. Over the coming months we anticipate that SPA representatives will engage with a number of Parliamentary Committees including the Justice Committee s post-legislative scrutiny of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. RECOMMENDATION Members are invited to note the content of this paper. 5