OFFICIAL. Date 27 February 2018 Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling

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1 Meeting Date 27 February 2018 Location Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling Title of Paper Chair s Report Item Number 6 Presented By Susan Deacon Recommendation to Members For noting Appendix Attached No PURPOSE To provide Members with a summary of key developments and issues since the last Board Meeting on 19 th December. 27 February

2 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 This paper provides a summary to SPA members and the public on some of the key developments and issues I have identified, and have taken action upon, in relation to leadership, governance and accountability since the last public meeting of the Authority. 2. SENIOR POLICE LEADERSHIP ISSUES 2.1 On 7 February Phil Gormley QPM tendered his resignation and left his post with immediate effect, having decided to step down and to end his contract some 10 months early in the interests of the office of the Chief Constable and to allow Police Scotland to move forward. On behalf of the SPA, I would like to formally record the significant contribution that Mr Gormley made to policing in Scotland during his tenure as Chief Constable, not least through the development of the Policing 2026 Strategy, which has provided a strong basis for Police Scotland to move forward in the future. As the body with the statutory responsibility for appointing senior officers and for maintaining policing, the SPA will now put in place arrangements for a new Chief Constable to be appointed and to lead a strong and resilient senior leadership team. This is one of the most challenging and rewarding policing roles in the UK and so it will be important to have an open, competitive and transparent process, and a rigorous and challenging assessment and interview process to find the best candidate to recommend for the position. I have asked the Interim Chief Officer to develop proposals for consideration by the Board, including how to involve appropriate external input to that SPA-led process, and ensure future resilience and development for the senior leadership of Police Scotland as a team. Given the understandable level of public and Parliamentary interest in the leadership of policing in Scotland, I believe it is important that there is increased transparency around the planned appointment approach and so detailed proposals will be brought to the March SPA board in public for approval. That will see the appointment process launched before the summer, with the aim of making a recommendation to Scottish Ministers in the Autumn, and having a new Chief Constable in place by the year end. During this interim period the Deputy Chief Constable Designate, Iain Livingstone, will continue to be in overall command of Police Scotland with the full range of powers and authority he requires to carry out this leadership role. 27 February

3 3. GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY IMPROVEMENTS 3.1 At my first meeting of the Authority as Chair in December, and subsequently in a written submission to the Scottish Parliament, I have set out a number of guiding principles for the development and improvement of the SPA. Activity and progress so far against those principles includes: Simplification, transparency, and clarity around the SPA s governance processes There is much which can and should be done to make the SPA s work more clear and transparent. Some changes can be done quickly, others will take longer and will require Board approval, so this is work in progress. For example, the previous model of holding separate public and closed SPA Board meetings has been replaced, with this Board meeting organised as a single meeting with due consideration set out within the public agenda of how items of private business are addressed. A range of other work is now underway including examination of the type and volume of Board business, committee structures, the nature and quality of information provided to the Board and its members from Police Scotland and others and the SPA s governance framework and other guidance. My intention would be that we will continue to make incremental improvements as well as bring forward proposals for change to the Board over the next two moths and as part of the development of a Corporate Plan for the SPA. A more collaborative approach to external engagement During my early weeks in post, I have engaged in a wide range of discussions with Police Scotland, policy makers, staff representatives and other key partners and stakeholders to hear their views, and to build stronger trust and relationships. Working with the Interim Chief Officer, my aim has been to identify opportunities for the SPA to work more collaboratively with others in the future development of the SPA and, most importantly, in the development of policing in Scotland in the future. I am heartened by the appetite that exists to work with us in this way which I believe reflects a widespread shared commitment to policing in Scotland. For example, we are now in discussion with COSLA on how we can best work together to develop local policing and local accountability, together with Police Scotland and others, and the 27 February

4 Interim Chief Officer and I are participating in the next COSLA Police Scrutiny Conveners Forum. Enshrining a strong public service ethos throughout the SPA and its decision-making The SPA sits at the heart of a wider public policy and public sector landscape and I believe it is critical that we engage effectively with this range of stakeholders and interests and in wider debates regarding the future of policing in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament continues to demonstrate a significant level of interest and scrutiny on policing and the governance of policing in Scotland including focus around leadership, relationships, governance, finance and best value, transformation and operational policing issues. Strengthening engagement with the Parliament has been an early priority for me as Chair, and I have met with the Conveners of three Parliamentary Committees and a number of party Leaders and other MSPs with an interest in policing; submitted written evidence on SPA responsibilities and improvement to both the Justice and the Public Audit and Post Legislative Scrutiny (PAPLS) Committees; and appeared along with the DCC Designate before the Justice Committee in January. I hope that by developing this dialogue the SPA can work together with policy makers to promote open and informed debate around some of the key opportunities and challenges facing policing in Scotland both now and in the future and so raise awareness, and build public confidence and trust in policing going forward. Robust decision making underpinned by effective process and enhanced professional advice In my view, it is vital that the SPA s decision making processes are robust and operate to the very highest standards that ought to be expected of a major public body. There is much to be learned from the various examinations and inquiries which the Parliament, HMICS, Audit Scotland and others have conducted on the operation of the SPA and I have been keen to take early steps to improve our practices. For example, the new Complaints and Conduct Committee has been established, with delegated decision making powers. 27 February

5 Matt Smith has been appointed as Chair, and is supported by staffing, processes and advice in line with best practice. The Committee has now conducted business on four occasions during January and February and has also had a workshop to explore how systems and processes for complaints handling can be improved in the future. This approach is one which I am keen to develop further in other aspects of the SPA s governance and decision making going forward. Building trust and relationships within policing and beyond Over the last two months, I have met with all of the Police Scotland leadership team, HMICS, the Auditor General for Scotland, the PIRC, various representatives of the police staff associations and Trade Unions, Scotland s Lord Advocate, the Cabinet Secretary and Scottish Government officials and various other individuals and organisations with an interest in the future of policing in Scotland. I have also had the very great pleasure to celebrate the achievements of police officers and staff through various bravery, excellence and long service awards events organised by Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Federation; and have met with staff and officers in call handling centres in Dundee and Bilston Glen, at the command centre for Edinburgh s Hogmanay, and the forensic services facilities at the Scottish Crime Campus. I have been both informed and inspired by these various meetings and events and believe there is enormous potential for the SPA to further strengthen external relationships and engagement going forward. I am very keen to explore how the SPA as an organisation can build capacity in this area and can further embed this approach throughout our systems and culture, building also on some of the good practices which Board colleagues have developed in their Committee work and other activities. Ensuring the SPA Board s structure, practices and behaviours are more strategic and that Board members are more nonexecutive in their work and contributions I share the concerns which many others have raised regarding aspects of the operation of the SPA and am strongly of the view that we must take this on board and address these concerns. That said, I believe it is important to acknowledge the range of work and contribution that SPA Board members have undertaken over the early years of the Authority s life. The level of commitment and input has been significant. 27 February

6 Going forward, the key is to ensure that the Board and its members refocus our efforts on a more strategic approach and our non executive role. In other words, the SPA Board and its members must be increasingly focussed on developing a direction of travel and strategic oversight and performance monitoring rather than involvement in operational developments which are more rightly Executive functions either within the SPA or Police Scotland. This is a significant transition which will be challenging for all concerned and is also inextricably linked with the need to continue to build (executive) capacity and capability both within the SPA and Police Scotland. The report of the SPA s Interim Chief Officer sets out some of the steps he is taking in this regard. In terms of Board development, one to one performance review and objective setting meetings between myself and all Board members will take place over the coming weeks and strategic Board workshops have been held on oversight of Policing 2026 implementation plans and on strengthening SPA governance and accountability, with external inputs from HMICS, Audit Scotland and others. Working with the Scottish Government public appointments process, a recruitment process for five new SPA Board members is underway and a significant number of high-quality applications have been received and shortlisted. Interviews will take place in early March, and new Board members will take up post on a phased basis from April. Continuous and accelerated improvement to reflect the scope of the challenges the SPA faces The SPA has been the subject of significant scrutiny and critical comment and, as I have said repeatedly, I think it is vital that we take this on Board. But our work for the future must not just be based on a deficit approach, there are many positives to build upon and a great deal of potential to be realised. We are now approaching the 5 th anniversary of the creation of Police Scotland which, while a challenging transition, has led to significant positive developments in both specialist and local policing across Scotland. The time is right to take stock and to ensure that the Scottish Police Authority, which is a vital component of the arrangements we now have, is operating effectively and in a way which commands high degrees of confidence, trust and respect. 27 February

7 The Authority needs now to be afforded the time and space to actively progress improvement and to strengthen our operations so that we can play our full part in supporting the oversight, development and improvement of policing in Scotland in the future. 27 February