Police Investigations and Review Commissioner

Transcription

1 Police Investigations and Review Commissioner Information Pack for Applicants Please read these notes carefully before you fill in your application form. Contents of Information Pack This pack contains the following: Advertisement Role Description Person Specification Information Note Background Note Contents of Application Pack Application Form Monitoring Form Appointment Timetable The table below sets out the key dates during the appointments process for the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner: Stage of Progress Timescale Post Publicised 21 February 2014 Closing date for applications 14 March 2014 Date of shortlist meeting to select applicants for Assessment Centre 26 March 2014 Shortlisted applicants invited to Assessment Centre w/c 31 March 2014 Date of Assessment Centre w/c 7 April 2014 Date of Interviews 29 April 2014 Inform Successful Candidate Mid - May 2014 Date of appointment By 12 August 2014

2 Police Investigations and Review Commissioner Advertisement The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) undertake independent investigations into the most serious incidents involving the police and provide independent scrutiny of the way police bodies operating in Scotland respond to complaints from the public. The Commissioner is completely independent of the police and supports public confidence in a fair and transparent system. This is an exciting time for Scottish policing and the PIRC is a key part of the policing landscape in Scotland. The post offers a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to driving up standards within the Police Service. You will provide strong, active and effective leadership, direction, support and strategic oversight of the office of the Commissioner to ensure that it demonstrates and delivers its functions effectively and efficiently and, in accordance with the aims, policies and priorities of the Scottish Ministers, driving forward the continuous improvement in all areas of the PIRC s work with transparent reporting of information. With sound judgement, integrity and tact you will identify the most important aspects of a situation and resolve conflict with confidence. You will set strategic aims and develop policy to drive successful outcomes and improvements in standards of service. You will have responsibility for undertaking independent and effective investigations into serious incidents involving the police or allegations of serious criminality made against the police and relevant matters which you may consider would be in the public interest to do so and making recommendations where required in order to drive up standards and consistency. You should have a balanced and impartial approach and be comfortable operating in a media environment. Through independent scrutiny, you will examine the way in which police bodies in Scotland handle complaints; and ensure that policing bodies have in place efficient and effective procedures for handling relevant complaints and that these procedures are followed effectively. It is essential that you are able to engage and develop strong relationships with key partners including, Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government, Police Scotland, Scottish Police Authority, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Her Majesty s Inspector of Constabulary and other relevant UK bodies.

3 The appointment is on a full time basis, although an alternative working pattern may be possible. Salary is based on a full-time equivalent of 80,000. The appointment will be for an initial period of five years, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further three years, subject to satisfactory performance. This post is pensionable. It is expected that the successful applicant will take up post in August It is a requirement that the post-holder is independent from the police service and anyone who has worked within police organisations in the UK is disqualified from this appointment. The disqualification criteria is set out in the background note. The closing date for applications is 14 March Interviews will be held on 29 April in Edinburgh and an Assessment Centre will take place during week commencing 7 April. The successful candidate will be subject to Developed Vetting security clearance as a condition of appointment, which will be organised by Scottish Government. For further information, an application pack can be obtained by: Contacting Blair Cameron@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or by writing to, Blair Cameron, 1WR St Andrews House, 2 Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG, or by ing: PIRCAppointment@scotland.gsi.gov.uk Please ensure in all correspondence that you provide your name, address and contact details. The Scottish Government is committed to equality of opportunity and to encourage a diverse range of public appointees, reflecting the best of contemporary Scotland. For more information about public appointments and other vacancies, visit the Scottish Government s website at

4 Police Investigations and Review Commissioner Role Description 1. A flexible approach, providing active and effective leadership, direction, support and strategic oversight of the office of the Commissioner that demonstrates and delivers its functions effectively and efficiently and in accordance with the aims, policies and priorities of Scottish Ministers, ensuring continuous improvement in all areas of the PIRC s work with transparent recording of information. 2. Responsibility for undertaking independent and effective investigations into serious incidents involving the police at the request of the Chief Constable or Scottish Police Authority, or when directed to do so by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The Commissioner also has it within their power to conduct an investigation they consider it to be in the public interest; making recommendations where required to drive up standards and consistency. 3. To examine, through independent scrutiny, the way in which police bodies in Scotland handle complaints; and to ensure that policing bodies have efficient and effective procedures for handling relevant complaints, making recommendations about those arrangements when necessary. 4. To develop strong relationships with key partners including, Police Scotland, Scottish Government, the Scottish Police Authority, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Her Majesty s Inspector of Constabulary and other relevant UK bodies. To work collaboratively with these partners to maximise opportunities sharing advice and expertise to support and promote continuous improvement of policing in Scotland. 5. Provide strong leadership and a challenge function to the senior management team, carefully scrutinising planned and underlying assumptions before decisions are taken. Oversee the requirements of good corporate governance, including financial and performance management.

5 Police Investigations and Review Commissioner Person Specification Criteria Skills and abilities Essential Desirable Strong leadership skills, including decision making, governance and management skills, motivating others in order to improve standards. Excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people at a senior level, along with the ability to operate effectively and independently as the public face of the organisation. Ability to interact effectively and appropriately with the media, including on controversial issues. Ability to drive the development of organisational policy and strategy and cultivate strong relationships with key stakeholders, with experience of highly developed influencing, negotiating and diplomacy skills. Ability to assist with the development of national policy and strategy and provide innovative and clear strategic vision, translating that vision into successful outcomes. Sharp analytical skills and ability to exercise sound judgement and demonstrate expert and tactful handling of complex and sensitive issues. Ability to retain focus and maintain perspective, balancing life and work by drawing on personal strengths and resilience. An understanding of, and firm commitment to, the promotion of diversity and equality of opportunity. Knowledge An awareness of the police role in the Scottish criminal justice system and an insight into the challenges and opportunities affecting policing in Scotland. An awareness of the role of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and its function to provide independent and effective investigations and complaint handling to increase public confidence in the police in Scotland. An awareness of complaints handling issues and the oversight/scrutiny role within the private or public sectors. Personal Qualities Approachable, with personal integrity and the ability to engender confidence and respect, particularly on controversial issues.

6 Information Note 1. Before completing the application form Before you complete and submit your application form, you should give due consideration to the following: Disqualification Criteria please give consideration to the disqualification criteria, within the background note, when considering whether you should proceed with applying for the post. It is a requirement that the post-holder is independent from the police service and anyone who has worked within police organisations in the UK is disqualified from this appointment. The full disqualification criteria is set out in the background note. Skills, Knowledge and Experience Required do you meet the skills, knowledge and experience required? If not, please give consideration to whether you should proceed with applying for the post. Competency Based Evidence are you familiar with what is being sought at application stage and what will be sought at the Assessment Centre through the use of competency based evidence and how you should evidence this? Location This post is based in Hamilton. The Commissioner is required to be on-call during out of office hours, as well as travelling around Scotland, and meeting stakeholders; therefore, it is essential that you have a flexible approach. If you have any specific enquires about the post, please contact Gillian Russell, Head of Police Division, on or Professor John McNeill, the current Commissioner, PIRC, on If you have any general enquiries about this information pack, please do not hesitate to contact Blair Cameron, Police Division on , or by to blair.cameron@scotland.gsi.gov.uk. 1.1 Security Clearance We will proceed with the security clearance process, which will involve Developed Vetting (DV) status and confirmation of appointment will be subject to the outcome of this. To gain (DV) clearance you will normally have had to have been a resident in the UK for a minimum of 10 years Nationality There is no bar on a non-british national applying for and being appointed. However, you must be legally entitled to work in the UK. 1.3 Equality and Diversity

7 A fundamental requirement is accessibility to public appointments and the public appointments process promotes, demonstrates and upholds equality of opportunity and treatment to all applicants. The Scottish Government will always give consideration to disability-related reasonable adjustments that an applicant might request to enable them to meet the person specification and participate fully in the selection process. The Scottish Government is committed to appointment on merit, diversity and equality for public appointments. 2. Completing your application form Your application is very important as it is the key document which will determine whether or not you will proceed through the first stage of the interview process and ultimately to appointment. You must therefore demonstrate clearly the evidence required in your application form, how you meet the relevant essential and desirable criteria, knowledge and experience shown in the person and role specifications. Please read the person specification in conjunction with the role description and background note. Please take the time to read the instructions on what the Selection Panel is asking by way of evidence. The Selection Panel is asking you to evidence all of the essential and desirable criteria in a supporting statement of which there is a 1200 word limit. As part of the evaluation of your application, the selection panel will take into account whether you have provided clear and succinct examples within this word limit. You can draw on examples of evidence from your working life, through your participation with a private, public, voluntary or community organisation, and/or other areas of your personal life. Application forms must be completed in full. Please do not substitute your Curriculum Vitae for a completed form since this will not be considered. To present the Selection Panel with the most relevant information for this evidencebased selection process, it is recommended that you use what is commonly known as the STAR approach: Which is; (S) Situation Outline the situation that relates to skills/knowledge or experience being sought. (T) Task (A) Action (R) Review Outline the specific task that you were faced with. Outline the action that you took to complete the task and your specific role. Outline the result of your actions. Emphasise what you achieved, what conclusions did you reached and what you learnt? If your application is handwritten, please use black ink and ensure it is legible as your form will be photocopied/scanned and then read by the Selection Panel.

8 We advise you to keep a copy of your initial application for reference.

9 3.1 Membership of the Selection Panel for appointment of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner. The selection panel for this appointment comprises of: Panel Chair Paul Johnston, Director of Safer Communities, Scottish Government Panel Member David Harvie, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Panel Member Elizabeth Sadler, Deputy Head of Police Division, Scottish Government On page three of your application form, you are asked to declare if you are acquainted with any of the selection panel. 3.2 Postage When returning you application by post, please ensure it bears the correct value of postage as failure to do so may cause Royal Mail to delay your application and cause you to miss the closing date. Late applications will not be considered. 3. How your application will be handled following receipt On receipt of your completed application, you will be assessed by the Selection Panel on the evidence provided within your application form to see whether you have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience required for the position. The Selection Panel will use this evaluation to determine whether you progress to the next stage. All applicants who are not selected for the next stage of assessment will be advised of the outcome of their applications in writing. We use a competency-based approach to recruitment. This means that at all stages of the recruitment process you will be assessed against the competencies we consider necessary to do the job. This approach starts from the application stage so it is important that you complete your application as fully, but concisely, as possible to demonstrate how you meet the criteria carefully before you complete the application. Assessment Centre We will invite, for further assessment, those candidates who from their application are suited to the appointment. An assessment centre is expected to be held in the week of 7 April. Please note that participation in the assessment process is likely to be at short notice and dates will not be optional. Please indicate dates when you are not available, although we cannot promise to avoid these.

10 Interview Date Interviews will be held in Edinburgh on 29 April If invited to the interview process and you have a disability, you should let us know if you would like particular arrangements made for you. Contact details will be provided in your invitation letter to interview. Feedback can be requested by any of the applicants. Feedback will be based on the assessment of your merit in relation to the skills, knowledge and experience required. 4. Reimbursement of expenses You can claim for reasonable expenses incurred in attending the interview process, including dependent carer expenses. It is expected that the most efficient and economic means of travel will be used and reimbursement will normally be restricted to that amount. When an overnight stay is necessary, you must contact Blair Cameron by to Blair.Cameron@scotland.gsi.gov.uk in advance, for confirmation of current subsistence rates. A copy of the Scottish Government s Travel and Subsistence rates and claim form can be obtained directly from Blair, although, if invited to interview, a claim form and rates will be included in the letter of invitation. Receipts must be provided in support of all claims. 5.1 What will happen during the interview? During the interview process you will be expected to demonstrate to the Selection Panel how you meet all of the skills, knowledge and experience requirements for the role, as set out in the person specification. To this end, the Panel will ask you a series of questions which will seek examples of how you have used your skills, knowledge and experience to meet the person specification for this role. The interview will consist of a five-minute presentation on a subject matter outlined to you in your invitation to interview. You are not permitted to use any visual aids, but may use personal notes. Following the presentation, you will be asked a series of competency-based questions which will test all of the criteria. During and after the interview process, the selection panel will record your evidence in relation to all of the published skills, knowledge and experience required for this role and will compile an overall summary of all the evidence gathered. This will include the evidence you provided within your application form. 5. What will happen following the interview? The Cabinet Secretary for Justice will be presented with the Selection Panel s recommendations regarding who it considers the most able to be effective in the role. The Cabinet Secretary may choose to meet those recommended before making his decision. All applicants will be advised of the outcome of the appointments process in writing.

11 If you are successful you will be invited in writing to accept the appointment by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice. Feedback will be offered to all applicants invited to interview. This offer will be contained in the letter you receive after the interview. Feedback will be based on the assessment of your merit in relation to the skills, knowledge and experience required. 6. What happens if you are successful and are appointed as the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner? Should you be appointed, some of the information that you have provided will be made public in the press announcement of your appointment. The press release will include: Your name A short description of the body to which you have been appointed A brief summary of the skills and knowledge you bring to the role The period of appointment Details of all other public appointments held and any related remuneration received Details of any political activity declared. 7. Referees When completing your application, you will be asked to include details of referees to cover a three year period. If you have been employed please include details of all employers over this three year period and your reason for leaving. If you have not been in employment for all or part of the three year period and have been in education, you can give the name(s) of the academic staff best acquainted with your work and conduct over the three year period. If you have not been in employment or education over the past three year period and are unable to provide references, we will contact you about carrying out other checks to verify your history over the three year period. Please note that we will request factual information from your referees such as dates employed, last position held, reason for leaving and details of work performance ratings, sick absence records and extant disciplinary records (if any). By submitting your application you are giving consent for us to obtain the information as outlined above. 8. Complaints If you wish to make a personal complaint about any aspect of this appointment process, you should contact, in the first instance, Gillian Russell on within the Scottish Government who will investigate your complaint on your behalf. If you remain dissatisfied with the response to your complaint you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to consider your complaint. The Ombudsman

12 is independent of the Scottish Government. To find out more about the Ombudsman s work please visit You can contact the SPSO at 4 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7NS; telephone or ask@spso.org.uk

13 9. Additional Information Please indicate if you have ever been convicted of any offence (other than minor motoring offences) which are not spent in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 or if any charges are outstanding; been adjudged bankrupt or made a composition or arrangement with your creditors over the past 10 years; been dismissed from any office or employment over the past 10 years; ever been disqualified from acting as a company director or in the conduct of a Company; ever been a director, partner or manager of a company which has gone into liquidation, receivership or administration; and any other matter which you consider might be relevant as regards your suitability to hold the appointment.

14 Police Investigations and Review Commissioner Background Note Background The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 changed the policing landscape in Scotland, merging the legacy eight forces and the SPSA and SCDEA into a single Police Service of Scotland on 1 April The Act replaced the Police Complaints Commissioner for Scotland (PCCS) with the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) on 1 April From 1 April 2013, the PCCS had its function extended to include investigations into serious incidents involving the police, and became the PIRC. The PIRC is a high profile public body due to significant media coverage and public interest. The PIRC has a staffing level of around 46 Full time equivalents and an annual level of million. About the PIRC The PIRC undertakes independent investigations into the most serious incidents involving the police as defined in the act, providing recommendations to the police, as well as providing independent scrutiny of the way police bodies operating in Scotland respond to complaints from the public. The PIRC may undertake investigations into the following circumstances: criminal allegations, under the direction of COPFS; deaths in police custody, under the direction of COPFS; death and serious injury following contact with the police; discharges of firearms and police use of firearms; complaints and allegations of misconduct made against police and senior officers; and to investigate other relevant police matters where in the public interest to do so. Stakeholders & Relationships The PIRC works closely with the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Police Authority, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Chief Constable and senior officers of the Police Service of Scotland; senior officials in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal office, Scottish Ministers and senior officials within Scottish Government. Disqualification Criteria A person is disqualified for appointment to the office of Commissioner if the person is or has been a member of:

15 i. the House of Lords; ii. the House of Commons; iii. the Scottish Parliament; iv. the European Parliament; or v. a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act The disqualification under the section above does not extend to any membership ending more than three years before the person is appointed to the office of Commissioner. Is or has been: i. a constable of the Police Service of Scotland (or of a police force previously maintained under the 1967 Act). Is or has been a member of: i. a police force maintained under section 2 of the Police Act 1996; ii. the metropolitan police force or of the City of London police force; iii. the Police Service of Northern Ireland; iv. the Ministry of Defence Police appointed on the nomination of the Secretary of State under section 1 of the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987; v. the British Transport Police Force; vi. the Civil Nuclear Constabulary; vii. the States of Jersey Police Force; viii. the salaried police force of the Island of Guernsey; or ix. the Isle of Man Constabulary. Is or has been: i. a special constable appointed under section 27 of the Police Act 1996; ii. a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve; iii. the Ministry of Defence Police appointed on the nomination of the Secretary of State under section 1 of the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987; iv. a special constable of the British Transport Police Force; or v. a member of any force of special constables established for the States of Jersey, the Island of Guernsey or the Isle of Man. Is or has been i. a member of the Scottish Police Authority; ii. employed as a member of police staff in the Police Service of Scotland or as a member of the Authority s staff or has been employed, by virtue of section 9 of the 1967 Act (employees other than constables) by a police authority or a joint police board

16 Has been a member of i. the National Criminal Intelligence Service; ii. the National Crime Squad; iii. has been a member of the Serious Organised Crime Agency; or iv. is or has been a National Crime Agency officer. A person who has previously been appointed to the office of Commissioner is not eligible to be appointed again, except in accordance with Section 2 (4) of the Police and Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 A person holding office as Commissioner may be reappointed on the expiry of the person s period of appointment, but only if i. the person has not previously been reappointed to the office; and ii. the Scottish Ministers consider that, by reason of special circumstances, it is desirable in the public interest. Location The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is based in Hamilton. The post may require occasional work outside normal office hours; in evenings and weekends, and may also entail travel within Scotland and occasionally within the UK.