PCC Transition Programme review – January 2012

The review team met with all overall project leads and representatives from the Sponsorship Board to discuss progress of the programme to date, to consider the strategic links and interdependencies, to understand outstanding risks and to seek views on the proposed re-structure of the of the projects. The team also consulted the Office of the Chief Information Officer’s programme management experts within the Home Office.

Summary of Programme

  • Under the current project structure, four projects are currently rated Green, two are Amber/Green and the majority rated as Amber. No projects are rated Amber/Red or Red.
  • There has generally been good progress to date with successful establishment of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime which required a significant amount of work to be completed.
  • The Home Secretary published the Protocol and the non statutory 'Shadow Strategic Policing Requirement’ in November. The Financial Management Code of Practice was also published in January.
  • Secondary legislation on elections will be completed in early to mid 2012 and the majority of the rest of the secondary legislation will be on Police and Crime Panels.
  • Special attention is being focussed on engagement and communication with partners. 17 regional partner events, beginning in January and running till March, a bulletin with updates is sent out monthly, and an engagement strategy has been drafted.

Overall findings

  • It was felt that the programme was now entering a new phase of implementation and that the review was timely.
  • Partners thought it was critical to ensure a good fit between what the programme was doing and the other significant reforms, namely:
  • National Crime Agency
  • Police Professional Body
  • IT NewCo
  • Windsor Review
  • Reducing Bureaucracy
  • Local government and health reforms
  • Criminal Justice System reforms
  • Efficiency savings and value for money
  • Concern was raised throughout the review at the capability of the support office to the PCC (OPCC). Chief Executives would need to adapt to a new way working for one elected individual rather than committee in an environment that would be more media focussed.
  • Many projects and partners are planning induction material for candidates and PCCs and coordination, fact-checking, and consistency of this material would be beneficial. There was a general tone that the induction material should not be bureaucratic or attempt to tie the hands of the PCC.
  • Information sharing between projects was key to the success and co-ordination of the overall programme in order to avoid duplication and to ensure consistency.
  • Communications was raised from all those interviewed a key challenge for the programme. More work was required to ensure that communications to the public, partners and police was consistent and accurate, and generally to raise awareness of the policy, elections, and impact of the changes.
  • There was general agreement that the structure that the scheduling of project meetings needed to be planned for the rest of 2012 and co-ordinated to ensure the best possible use of attendees time, to allow for co-ordination of interdependencies and for items to be escalated to the relevant governance boards.

CURRENT PCC PROGRAMME PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. / Elections / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
2. / Police Authority Support and Challenge / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
3. / Protocol / CLOSE
4. / Strategic Policing Requirement / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
5. / Collaboration / ALREADY SUBSUMED INTO PROJ. 6
6. / Transfer Schemes / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
7. / PCCCapabilityBuilding and Induction / SEPARATE INTO 2SUB – PROJECTS
8. / Checks and Balances / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
9. / Handling of Complaints / CLOSE – Under review by HO as well as overseeing the production of guidance. Meetings of group will take place as and when required. Update on learning and guidance to Programme by May 2012.
10. / London / CLOSE – Learning to be extrapolated and presented to Programme in April 2012.
11. / Wales / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
12. / Relationships with the CJS and other partners / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW
13. / Finance, Contract and Appointments / CONTINUE UNTIL ELECTION & THEN SUBJECT TO REVIEW

NEWPCC TRANSITION PROGRAMME PROJECT LIST:

Project / Project Lead / Proposed RAG rating
1 / Elections / Home Office / Amber
2 / Police Authority Support and Challenge / Association of Police Authorities / Amber
3 / Transfer Schemes / Home Office / Amber
4 / Strategic Policing Requirement / Home Office / Amber
5 / PCCCapabilityBuilding and Induction / Home Office
  1. Communications and Awareness Raising
/ Home Office / Amber
  1. Induction of PCC and Capability of OPCC
/ Home Office / APACE / Amber
6 / Checks and Balances / Home Office / Amber
7 / Wales / Home Office / Amber
8 / Partner Engagement and Commissioning / Home Office / Amber
9 / Finance, Contract and Appointments / Home Office / Amber / Green

Annex A sets out the new governance structure arrangements for the PCC Transition Programme.

Next Steps to be agreed by the Implementation Board:
  1. Agree findings and recommendations.
  1. Agree new programme structure.
  1. Proposed new structure recommended to Policing and Criminal Justice Minister and Sponsorship Board.
  1. In lieu of agreement, each project lead to provide the following to support Ministerial considerations and sponsorship board discussions on 28th February:
  • Revised objectives
  • New timeline with specific milestones
  • Revised products list with release dates
  • Assessment of interdependencies (external and internal)
  1. Programme team to use this information, working with project leads, to produce the following for the Sponsorship Board:
  • New critical path
  • Detailed Gantt with interdependencies
  • Revised risk register

Elections (Project 1)

Overall Lead: Home Office (Stephen Kershaw)

Working Lead: Home Office (Neil King) with engagement from Cabinet Office (Paul Docker)

Original objectives:

In order to hold elections for PCCs, we will need to:

I.have in place a framework of secondary legislation, supported by guidance.

II.identify returning officers in each force area,

III.decide how PCC elections will be combined with other elections and

IV.put in place mechanisms for funding the elections.

Review Findings:

  • The project will be required to continue to introduce the necessary secondary legislation and support the running of the election.
  • Returning officers have beenappointed and will need briefing from the Home Office in the run-up to the election.
  • The project will need to consider the inter-play with the running the election potentially alongside Mayoral elections.
  • Following the election, work will be required on fees and charges review that will last until November 2013.
  • Consideration will also need to be given to planning for what happens if a by-election is called.
  • Planning needs to be done to ensure the capturing of the learning from the first election.
  • Planning for subsequent elections being part of business as usual and mainstream election will be required for the 2016 election and beyond.
  • There was an urgent need for Guidance to public officials on interaction with candidates.
  • More generally on candidates, this project should be expanded to cover informing candidates and the interaction with them.
  • The project should also continue its work, which will become more prominent in the run up to November, with Electoral Commission on their election communications.

Recommendation:

Continue until election, expanding to cover informing and interacting with candidates, and subsume planning to ensure the post election work is made business as usual.

New recommended RAG rating:

Amber – Within the context of the new objectives on guidance for dealing with candidates that is currently slightly delayed and the ongoing work in order to lay the secondary legislation.

Police Authority Support (Project 2)

Overall Lead: Association of Police Authorities (Mark Burns Williamson)

Working Lead: Cat McIntyre

Home Office link: Neil King

Original objectives:

  • HMIC and other partners to ensure key risks to police governance nationally are identified through performance, inspection, financial and other stakeholder information;
  • Identify themed support for police authorities based on the above, and once inspection results are known, to ensure police authorities are supported through NPIA or other partners in delivering current challenges
  • Practitioner group to inform and scope the development of products to support transition, including:
  • Deliver a further Transition Seminar in March to update onpolice authority transition progress and ‘launch’ transition support products.

Review Findings:

  • The key was for police authorities to continue to make key decisions and hold the force to account until 22nd November 2012.
  • APA transition conference in December was useful for police authorities to focus on transition work, in identifying support needed by police authorities, and identifying other barriers to implementation. The Home Office and other partners should support the nextconference in March.
  • The impact on police authorities, and subsequently PCCs, from other programmes, such as the National Crime Agency programme, Police IT company, and NPIA transition, would require planning as part of the project.
  • A key improvement required was with the interplay between project 2 and the other projects, especially the work on induction, communications, PCPs and staff transfers.
  • Continuity of leadership within police authorities could also be affected by the retirement of chief executives before November and arrangements would need to be made before the creation of the OPCC for those who acted in both the role of Chief Executive and Treasurer.
  • There was a key role for HMIC in ensuring police authorities are making the necessary plans for transition and for NPIA to provide support where necessary.
  • There an outstanding issue of finalising what criteria HMIC and APA use to validate whether police authorities are delivering transition.
  • It would essential for police authorities to share best practice – this was a key objective for Project 2 and the APA.
  • The risk of disengagement by police authority members and the potential for chairs to resign to stand as a candidate for PCC would need to be mitigated.
  • Possible risk that Police Authorities and Forces are making decisions before PCCs enter office which could potentially tie the PCCs hands.

Recommendation:

Continue until election and then subject to review.

New recommended RAG rating:

Amber – Continuing work is required to ensure a smooth transition and there are identifiedrisks that must be mitigated.

Protocol (Project 3)

Overall lead: Home Office (Ann-Marie Field)

Working lead: Home Office (Adam Slonecki)

Original objectives:

  • Protocol to be issued in time for the first transition –London.
  • Set the parameters within which the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable of each force, including the Mayor of London and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, will deliver and govern an effective and efficient police service fit for the current and future policing and security challenges of the 21st Century.
  • Final Protocol is to be considered an enabling tool to foster an effective and constructive working relationship within the governance of the policing service.

Review Findings:

  • As the Protocol has statutory affect it is proposed that the project be closed.
  • Work will continue within the Police Reform Unit, as business as usual, to assess the impact of the Protocol andtake forward any subsequent work necessary.

Recommendation:

Close.

The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) (Project 4)

Overall lead: Home Office (Sarah Severn)

Working lead: Home Office (Adele Hopkins)

Original Objectives:

  • Prototype Strategic Policing Requirement (May 2011)
  • Draft Strategic Policing Requirement for consultation (by PRSRB Royal Assent)
  • “Shadow” Strategic Policing Requirement issued (November 2011)
  • Statutory Strategic Policing Requirement issued (Summer 2012)

Review findings:

  • The ‘shadow’ SPR was published in November and the aim is to give a final version statutory affect in June / July 2012.
  • The proposal is for the substantive work on the SPR project to be continued by the National Police Protective Services Board (alongside the Police CT Board for the counter-terrorism element) which already oversees the development of the SPR.
  • Revised objectives will need to cover how the shadow SPR will be assessed.
  • The SPR project will continue to report to the Sponsorship Board until the election.

Recommendation:

Continue until election and then subject to review.

New recommended RAG rating:

Amber – Work is required to ensure the shadow SPR is sufficiently tested before having statutory affect.

Collaboration (Project 5) - Closed

The Sponsorship Board agreed on 7 September 2011 to close Project 5 and most of the work on collaboration related to the PCC Transition was subsumed into Project 6.

Transfer Scheme - Staffing, Rights and Liabilities (Project 6)

Overall Lead: Home Office (Oscar Ramudo)

Working Lead: Home Office (Adam Slonecki) with APAand APACE

OriginalObjectives:

  • This project is largely concerned with preparing for implementing transfer schemes to ensure that the PCC has a team when he/she starts.
  • This will also include the Salaries Review Body recommending in good time what the initial salary should be for PCCs and the SOS setting PCC allowances.
  • This project will ensure there is a clear and consistent process for the transfer of staff from police authorities to PCCs, in line with Cabinet Office guidance and union consultation.
  • Key outputs from this project include providing guidance and clarification to support PAs in producing transfer schemes and securing Secretary of State sign-off.

Review Findings:

  • Working towards the first stage of transfers being implemented and planning for the second stage of transfers will likely require the project to continue past the elections, but this will offer an opportunity for it to be reviewed again.
  • The continued engagement of partners including the APA, APACE, PATS, and Unions would be essential.
  • Recent communication on the first stage transfer and timing on the second stage transferfrom the Minister was considered to be useful.
  • Project now needed to focus on what will now be needed for stage 2.

Recommendation:

Continue until election and then subject to review.

New recommended RAG rating:

Amber – Continued monitoring is required to ensure a successful implementation of the first stage and planning for second stage.

PCCCapabilityBuilding and Induction (Project 7)

Overall Lead: Home Office (Ann-Marie Field)

Original objectives:

  • Identification of the core skills for potential candidates.
  • Identification of information and training (knowledge and skills) for PCCs which Government or a national representative body should provide/make available and what briefing might be provided at local level (Chief Executives/Chief Officers/Local Government etc).
  • Design of a training programme or events covering essential elements (induction training and ongoing training).

Review Findings:

It was agreed at the project 7 board that the following should be proposed to the implementation and sponsorship boards:

  • The project should be split into 2 workstreams, one to cover communications and the other to cover induction of PCC and capability of the OPCC.
  • That the overall project board should have an overarching responsibility for:
  • overseeing the quality and accuracy of information to be accessed by potential candidates through official sites and in due course for the public ensuring that material produced by other projects is coordinated;
  • and in overseeing the workstreams as below, including oversight for overall programme communications.
  • There were clear links to all other projects, especially project 2 and in relation to induction material that would be produced by the majority of projects including finance, complaints, commissioning and PCPs. Induction would also involve a key role for independent bodies to explain their role, including the IPCC and HMIC.

Recommendation:

Separate into 2workstreamsas below:

  1. Communications and Awareness Raising (Working lead – Sharon Sawers)
  • Overall responsibility for communications of the PCC transition programme, including cross unit and programme co-ordination, including detailed forward look for communications on PCCs
  • Sequencing plan and project management
  • Public awareness raising campaign about PCC elections in November 2012
  • Partnership, policeforce and stakeholder communications
  • Media and press coordination – both pro-active and reactive
  • Co-ordinating update of central bank of FAQs, flagging up new additions as they arise
  1. Induction of PCC and Capability of Office of PCC (Working lead – Adam Slonecki)
  • Induction for PCCs - What / How / When / Who
  • Preparing the Office of PCC
  • National Briefing / possible welcome event
  • PCC Sponsorship Role for PRU

New recommended RAG rating:

Amber – New workstreams at early stages and are now required to step up progress.

Check and Balances (Project 8)

Overall Lead: Home Office (Amobi Modu)

Working Lead: Home Office (Tracy Beswick)

Original objectives:

  • Guidelines to local authorities for establishing Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) in England.
  • Guidance on the Panels’ relationship with other structural arrangements for checks and balances e.g. local government Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
  • Secondary legislation on Secretary of State powers re. Police and Crime Panels
  • Secondary legislation on panels’ powers of veto, and for the establishment of panels.
  • Guidance/communication for practitioners on the framework for external scrutiny and assessment of policing by HMIC, force performance arrangements and use of backstop powers by Ministers.
  • Secondary legislation on what information should be made public by PCC
  • Working with HMIC to ensure data integrity inspection plans are robust and tie into National Statistician recommendations.

Review Findings: