Humberside PCC has no concerns over force leadership
Humberside’s police and crime commissioner says he has “absolute faith and confidence in the current leadership team at Humberside Police” after concerns were raised by HM Chief Inspector Andy Cooke QPM.
Jonathan Evison was responding to a letter from Mr Cooke in which he said instability in the senior leadership of the force was a “serious concern”.
Humberside Police received three ‘outstanding’ gradings across eight areas of core policing, the highest out of any other force in the UK, in the latest His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection report (see https://policeprofessional.com/news/humberside-police-praised-for-good-performance-but-must-improve-the-way-it-investigates-crime/).
However, Mr Cooke noted that since it conducted the inspection, “the leadership of the force has undergone significant change”.
In his letter to Mr Evison he wrote: “The previous chief constable retired at short notice and there has been an unsuccessful recruitment campaign for a replacement.
“I am aware of the imminent departure of another member of the chief officer group and other absences within senior roles. And the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is assessing allegations of misconduct within the force. I believe the cumulative impact of these issues means there is instability in the senior leadership of the force, something which causes me serious concern.
“I carefully considered delaying the publication of our PEEL report so that we could reassess the impact of the current situation on the force’s performance. But ultimately, I have decided the report will be published as planned. It is important that our reports are published in a timely manner to keep the public up to date, give credit to the work of officers, staff and volunteers, and allow the force to make improvements.
“Over the next few months, HM Inspector Michelle Skeer intends to keep the performance of the force, and particularly its leadership and culture, under close scrutiny.
“This is likely to involve revisit activity and will necessitate working with yourself, the chief officers and others. I will also regularly review whether the performance of the force is affected to such an extent that more formal enhanced monitoring is required.”
In response to Mr Cooke’s letter, Mr Evison said: “Since the short notice retirement of the former chief constable and the launch of the IOPC investigation into alleged misconduct, which continues, we successfully secured the services of Judi Heaton who joined us on the day of Paul Anderson’s retirement, meaning the force did not have to endure any headcount loss in leadership at the highest level.
“I accept that we have further changes to come in the chief officer team, however, these do not give me cause for concern. The force is currently recruiting to the post of assistant chief constable following early notice of an intention to retire which will not be material until next year.
“The absences in other senior roles to which you refer have been appropriately backfilled with no material impact on service due to the excellent pipeline of talent available in this force. Importantly there have been no concerns raised locally with me or with the force from our partners over any impact of these changes on the service offered to the public.
“I have, however, reflected on your feedback regarding stability and as such I have requested that Chief Constable Judi Heaton remains in post beyond her original six-month contract to provide continued leadership. I will postpone my recruitment for the future chief constable of Humberside Police providing sufficient time for me to complete the work on my Police and Crime Plan, which will provide clarity of my vision for any future candidates. When the time is right to begin the recruitment, I will of course inform you.
Mr Evison added: Delivery to the public remains my and the force’s priority. I am pleased to report that since the beginning of July (after the conclusion of your inspection, and the arrival of our new chief constable) the performance of the force has improved on a wide range of measures demonstrating the resilience of what is an outstanding force with effective processes embedded.
“I can assure you that the policing system has been of upmost support to our office throughout this time. We have utilised the excellent services of the College of Policing in our recruitment for the next chief constable and have liaised with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and yourselves in the inspectorate.
“I have absolute faith and confidence in the current leadership team for Humberside Police and I am assured that their efforts are reflected in the performance of the force.”