West Midlands Office for Policing and Crime

Information for applicantsfor the post of

Policy Officer (Victim Services)

12 month fixed term contract

Contents

  1. Welcome
  2. The role of West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
  1. Strategic priorities
  1. About the West Midlands and West Midlands Police
  1. Background information to the role
  1. Job Description (Victims Services)

7.Appointment and selection process

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

Policy Officer (Victim Services) 12 month fixed term contract

Closing date for applications: noon on 25 June 2014

Dear Applicant

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the role of Policy Officer (Victims Services) for West Midlands Office for Policing and Crime..

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has the challenging role of ensuring that the 2.74 million people of the West Midlands is served by an efficient and effective police force. The force is the largest provincial force in the country with a budget in excess of £600m and around7,700 police officers and 3,800 police staff headed by the Chief Constable, Chris Sims.

The West Midlands is a large, diverse and complex area, and the Commissioner hasresponsibility for ensuring that local, practical and emotional support services for victims of crime are in place locally from October 2014. From April 2015, the Commissioner also takes responsibility for those services provided by Victim Support that are currently being commissioned nationally by the Ministry of Justice. We are looking for someone with experience of working within or with the voluntary and community sector and an excellent knowledge of victim’s issues..

To assist you in completing your application I have provided background information about West Midlands Office for Policing and Crime and the legislative changes that will take effect from October 2014. Please do contact Alethea Fuller0121 626 6060or by email on ould you wish to discuss the role further. I hope you find this information pack, which includes the job description, helpful in understanding the nature of the role we are looking to fill.

I look forward to receiving your application.

Kind regards

Jacky Courtney

Chief Executive

2. Role of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

There are 41 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales covering each of the 41 forces outside of London. The governance of the Metropolitan Police Service is a duty of the Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation governs the City of London Police. Together with the Home Secretary and chief police officers, police and crime commissioners are responsible for policing in England and Wales.

Bob Jones was elected as the first West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner in November 2012. He is supported in this role by his Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Cllr Yvonne Mosquito. The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is the local governing body for policing in the West Midlands. The Commissioner has an over-arching duty to secure an effective and efficient police force.

The Commissioner has a number of statutory roles, which include:

•representing all those who live and work in the communities in their force area and identifying their policing needs

•setting priorities that meet those needs by agreeing a police and crime plan

•holding the Chief Constable to account for achieving the Commissioner’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible

•setting the force budget and setting the precept

•hiring and, if necessary, dismissing the Chief Constable

To fulfill these roles, the Commissioner has a range of powers and responsibilities. The Commissioner:

•must produce a police and crime plan

•must set the policing ‘precept’, which is the part of local council tax that goes to policing

•appoints and, if necessary, dismisses the Chief Constable

•makes Crime and Disorder Reduction Grants

•has oversight of how complaints against the police are managed

•must keep under review opportunities for collaboration

•has duties relating to national criminal threats, safeguarding of children, and consulting the public

•has a role in ensuring the effectiveness of the wider criminal justice system

To assist him meet his statutory responsibilities the Commissioner has established a Strategic Policing and Crime Board. As well as assisting in holding the Chief Constable to account the Board provides strong links with the diverse communities across the West Midlands. The Board meets monthly in public and its agendas, minutes and reports can be found on the Commissioner’s website with its terms of reference. In addition the Commissioner and Chief Constable are supported through a Joint Audit Committee. This Committee comprises the four non-executive members from the Strategic Board together with an independent Chair, Susan Davis.

The membership of the Strategic Policing and Crime Board is:

•Bob Jones, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

•Cllr Yvonne Mosquito, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner

•Cllr Faye Abbott, Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner

•Cllr Judy Foster, Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner

•Cllr Mohammed Nazir, Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner

•Brendan Conner, Non-Executive Board Member

•Cath Hannon, Non-Executive Board Member

•Ernie Hendricks, Non-Executive Board Member

•Cllr Tim Sawdon, Non-Executive Board Member

The Commissioner has also worked with partners in the seven local authority areas to take forward his manifesto commitment to develop local policing and crime boards. These boards comprise partners from the bodies that make up the statutory community safety partnerships/crime and disorder reduction partnerships together with lay members, one of whom chairs the local board. The Commissioner has asked these boards to develop local policing and crime plans which are used to underpin the Commissioner’s West Midlands’ wide police and crime plan. Information about these local boards can be found on the seven constituent local authority websites.

The Commissioner has a duty to consult with all those that live and work in the West Midlands and undertakes an extensive range of consultation activities. To assist him in this aspect of his work the Commissioner has developed a Youth Commission comprising two youth commissioners from each of the seven local authority areas. The Commissioner is also working to establish a Victims Commission to help him meet his statutory responsibilities in respect of victims of crime. These structures are supplemented by a Women’s Forum supported by the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Commissioner is supported in his work by an executive team headed by the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer, Jacky Courtney. The team also has the Commissioner’s Chief Finance Officer, Mike Williams together with a policy and administrative team.

The Commissioner is supported and scrutinised by a separate Police and Crime Panel. The Panel is made up of twelve councillors from across the West Midlands and two independent members. Information on the work of the Panel can be found at The Panel is set up under the provisions of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.

Further information on the work of the Commissioner and the statutory framework in which the Commissioner works can be found on the Commissioner’s website.

3. Strategic priorities

Under section 5 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 the Commissioner is required to issue a police and crime plan (the Plan). Which covers the:

  • Commissioner’s police and crime objectives
  • policing which the Chief Constable is to provide
  • financial and other resources which the Commissioner will provide to the Chief Constable
  • means by which the Chief Constable will report to the Commissioner on the provision of policing
  • means by which the Chief Constable’s performance will be measured
  • crime and disorder reduction grants which the Commissioner is to make and the conditions to which such grants are to be made

The Plan is required to cover the Commissioner’s term of office, although it can be varied during this period. Bob Jones will revisit the Plan annually to take account of financial settlements and ensure that the Plan continues to reflect the needs of local people. The Police and Crime Panel are required to review the draft Plan and to make a report or recommendations having conducted its review. The Commissioner must have regard to any report or recommendations and provide and publish his response to the Panel’s report.

The Commissioner wants to ensure that his Plan captures the voice of the public in how it is set and develops. It is vital that the Plan enables effective local working and builds upon the strong sense of civic identity in each of the seven local authority areas and their neighbourhoods. For this reason the Plan will have West Midlands wide outcomes and measures but will be built upon local policing and crime plans for each of the areas. The establishment of local police and crime boards, a manifesto commitment by the Commissioner, will enable the public to shape police and crime priorities.

While the police and crime objectives set by the Commissioner in the West Midlands wide plan are intended to be relevant for the Plan’s duration the development of the plan will be reviewed each year with annual priorities reflecting the public voice and the professional assessment of the police and partners. A diagrammatic representation of how the Commissioner intends the planning process to operate, reflecting his commitment to the public driving the work of the Force, is shown in this pack. This is to deliver the Commissioner’s ambition and vision that the public of the West Midlands have pride in their police service believing it to be ‘their’ service.

As the largest force outside of London, West Midlands Police contributes heavily to the safety of the whole country, not just the West Midlands. The Force provides national counter-terrorism capability and a large proportion of operational assets that support UK policing at times of need. The Commissioner is required to have regard to the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) which is issued by the Home Secretary and sets out her view of the national threats that the police must address. In addition to counter-terrorism the SPR deals with civil contingencies, organised crime, public order and cyber-attacks. The Strategic Policing Requirement aspect of the Plan will detail how the Commissioner will ensure that the Chief Constable can meet this national requirement.

The Plan will also reflect the ongoing development of the Force as reflected in a number of change programmes managed by the Chief Constable. The Plan will also include the key work conducted by the Force and the Commissioner with partners across the West Midlands.

The Plan must be reviewed by the Police and Crime Panel. Bob Jones hopes that the Panel will support his intended West Midlands wide outcomes which are as follows:

  • Crime and offending are reduced.
  • People are protected from harm.
  • Communities are strong and successful.
  • People receive a good and caring service.
  • Policing becomes more productive and effective.
  • Strong partnerships are built to increase safety.
  • Confidence in policing is high.

The current Police and Crime Plan is here:

4. About the West Midlands and West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police is the second largest police force in the country after London’s Metropolitan Police Service. It covers an area of 384 square miles and serves a population of 2.74 million (over 1 million households). The region sits at the very heart of the country and covers the three major cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. It also includes the busy and thriving districts of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Dudley. The majority of the area is densely populated but there are some rural areas.

The region’s economy has diversified from its historic heavy industry roots of the Industrial Revolution. With the decline in traditional manufacturing, both the public and private sectors have rejuvenated the area. Birmingham now has a commercial and shopping area that is among the largest in Europe. This is complemented by a wide range of social amenities such as the National Exhibition Centre, National Indoor Arena, the International Convention Centre, theatres, galleries and many large conference facilities. The area boasts a thriving nightlife, centred around Birmingham City Centre. West Midlands hosts a number of Premiership and Championship football clubs together with many others in the other leagues.

The region is well served by rail and road links. Road and rail travel is supplemented by significant air traffic through Birmingham International and Coventry airports. The area is proud of its academic institutions, being home to a number of universities located in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

The population of the West Midlands is diverse. At approximately 18%, the percentage of the population that are black and minority ethnic is significantly above the national average. Approximately 10% of the population were born outside of the UK. The average earnings and house prices for the region are lower than the national average.

There are seven local authorities within the area; Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Since taking up his office in November 2012, the Commissioner has worked with each of the statutory crime and disorder reduction partnership/community safety partnership to establish community lead local policing and crime boards to ensure that policing priorities are determined more effectively at a local level. The area is also served by three Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust and a number of NHS structures, adding complexity to the partnership landscape.

West Midlands Police is one of the best performing metropolitan police forces in the country. Significant and sustained reductions across volume crime have been achieved. At the same time, through headquarter departments and formal collaborative arrangements with other forces and law enforcement agencies, resources and expertise have been focused on a range of inter and cross-force activities.

Local policing is delivered through ten local policing units (LPUs). Other than Birmingham, which because of its size has four LPUs, the other six LPUs are coterminous with local authority boundaries. Each LPU is headed by a Chief Superintendent. The work of the local LPUs is supported by a number of specialist central and support departments.

West Midlands Police has a reputation for continuous improvement, innovation and empowering leadership with a talent to continuously evolve and meet changing needs. The Force aims to deliver policing that is accessible and responds to the needs of local people. Neighbourhood policing provides a named team of local officers who can influence the policing priorities within their neighbourhood. They work with colleagues and partner agencies to address the concerns of their communities.

In the summer of 2013 the Commissioner commenced an EU procurement process to enter into a ground breaking innovation and integration partnership. This process is nearing completion. The commercial partner will hopefully be appointed this summer and will work with WMOPC and West Midlands Police to develop a target operating model to enhance the delivery of services for those that live and work in the West Midlands underpinned by technological improvements. This will provide unique experience for the successful candidate.

Further information about West Midlands Police can be found on the Force website at

5. Background to the role

From October 2014, the Police and Crime Commissioner will be responsible for commissioning local practical and emotional support services for victims of crime.

National and Local Context

Following a Government consultation in 2012, Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses, the Ministry of Justice confirmed the introduction of a mixed model of national and local commissioning of support services for victims.

Ministry of Justice Commissioning Framework

The Ministry of Justice Commissioning Framework was published in May 2013 and can be found here:

The Commissioning Framework is based on the outcomes of supporting victims to (a) cope with the immediate impacts of crime and (b) recover from the harm experienced. The framework covers eight categories of need: mental and physical health, shelter and accommodation; family friends and children; education skills and employment; drugs and alcohol; finance and benefits; outlook and attitudes; and social interaction.