Tag: Lord Wasserman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which police forces in England and Wales have employed officers through the Direct Entry (Superintendent) Programme since its inception; how many officers each of those forces has employed; and how many of those individuals were still employed as police officers in each of those forces on 1 February 2016.

Lord Bates

The following forces have appointed direct entry superintendents since the programme’s inception.

Avon and Somerset Police 2

City of London Police 1

Leicestershire 1

Metropolitan 10

North Yorkshire 1

Of the 15 superintendents who started their training, 14 are still employed, 13 of these remaining police officers with the forces they were initially recruited to. In Avon and Somerset, one superintendent transferred to Sussex Police and one left.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 February (HL6083), how many of the 14 direct entry superintendents still employed in police forces in England and Wales are (1) female, and (2) members of black and minority ethnic communities.

Lord Bates

Of the 14 direct entry superintendents employed in police forces in England and Wales, six (43%) are female and three (21%) are from an ethnic minority background. This is significantly more representative than the current make up of the superintendent rank of which 19% are women and 4% are from an ethnic minority background.

Direct entrants take part in an 18 month training programme. During the course of this training they undertake a variety of roles, including frontline roles, at Constable, Sergeant, Inspector and Superintendent levels aimed at providing a policing context for their leader-ship skills

The eight direct entrants who began their training in 2014 will complete the programme in May 2016. Should they be successful, the force will decide the roles that they will undertake. The six direct entrants who started in 2015 will not complete the programme until April 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 February (HL6083), how many of the 14 direct entry superintendents still employed in police forces in England and Wales are (1) in command of front-line operational units, and (2) in administrative or back-office management jobs.

Lord Bates

Of the 14 direct entry superintendents employed in police forces in England and Wales, six (43%) are female and three (21%) are from an ethnic minority background. This is significantly more representative than the current make up of the superintendent rank of which 19% are women and 4% are from an ethnic minority background.

Direct entrants take part in an 18 month training programme. During the course of this training they undertake a variety of roles, including frontline roles, at Constable, Sergeant, Inspector and Superintendent levels aimed at providing a policing context for their leader-ship skills

The eight direct entrants who began their training in 2014 will complete the programme in May 2016. Should they be successful, the force will decide the roles that they will undertake. The six direct entrants who started in 2015 will not complete the programme until April 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 23 February (HL5871), whether the activities of Police and Crime Commissioners themselves are subject to a purdah period, and if so, when that period begins in relation to the elections in May.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The pre-election restrictions for Police and Crime Commissioners are governed by Section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986, as amended in 1988. It is permissible for a Police and Crime Commissioner to campaign individually on a political basis, but without recourse to the resources of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC). The Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity would also apply in these circumstances and covers the full range of Local Authorities (including Police and Crime Commissioners and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime). The purdah period for Police and Crime Commissioners and their offices, like other Local Authorities, begins with the publication of the notice of election by the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO), which must happen no later than the 25th day before the day of the election, but can be issued at any point before then. PAROs are responsible for deciding on the date on which they will issue the notice of election – they may issue individually, or simultaneously.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce a scheme for the registration, regulation, accreditation and vetting by the Disclosure and Barring Service of self-employed personal trainers, especially those who offer personal training services in the area of fitness coaching to children and other vulnerable persons.

Lord Bates

There are no plans to introduce a scheme of this nature.

Those wishing to engage a coach to work with children or vulnerable groups may request the coach provide a criminal record check. A self-employed coach can apply for an enhanced DBS check through an agency, who will process the application and confirm that the activity is eligible to request the check. Alternatively, any individual can apply directly for a criminal conviction certificate which is available from Disclosure Scotland which contains details of unspent convictions and cautions.

Where parents do not want to engage a coach without the reassurance of a DBS check, they are free to limit their selection process to people who can show them a DBS certificate. Ultimately, it is for parents to decide who is a suitable person to coach their child and to take account of the information which is available to them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to regulate the activities of individuals who offer support services to victims of crime.

Lord Faulks

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) currently funds a range of support services for victims of crime.

Where appropriate, grant agreements require organisations to adhere to the Victims’ Code and the EU Victims’ Directive when providing services for victims and MoJ has the right to terminate grant funding to those who do not comply with these, or other relevant requirements of the grant agreement .

Where organisations funded either by MoJ or PCCs are registered charities, they will also be subject to regulation by the Charity Commission.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 41 persons presently employed to discharge the function of Chief Executive of the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner in police forces in England and Wales are (1) women, (2) members of the BME communities, (3) legally qualified, and (4) former police officers.

Lord Bates

The Home Office does not hold this information.

The Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are statutorily required to recruit a Chief of Staff (Chief Executive) and a Chief Financial Officer. However, it is then for the PCC to determine what further staff they require to support them in their duties.

Under paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 of the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011, PCCs are obliged to publish certain staffing information, including an organisational chart showing the structure of their office.

This level of transparency enables the public to effectively hold them to account in a way that was not possible under the police authority governance model.

The Home Office does not hold further information centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff, including part-time workers and workers under a contract for services, are presently employed in each of the 41 offices of the Police and Crime Commissioner in England and Wales, and how many full-time equivalent posts each office has.

Lord Bates

The Home Office does not hold this information.

The Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are statutorily required to recruit a Chief of Staff (Chief Executive) and a Chief Financial Officer. However, it is then for the PCC to determine what further staff they require to support them in their duties.

Under paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 of the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011, PCCs are obliged to publish certain staffing information, including an organisational chart showing the structure of their office.

This level of transparency enables the public to effectively hold them to account in a way that was not possible under the police authority governance model.

The Home Office does not hold further information centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Chief Constables, or equivalent, in England and Wales are (1) female, and (2) members of the BME communities, and how those figures compare to those on 1 March 2011.

Lord Bates

The Government is clear that increasing diversity in our police forces is not an optional extra. It goes right to the heart of this country’s historic principle of policing by consent. We must ensure that the public have trust and confidence in the police, and that the police reflect the communities they serve.

The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of chief officers by gender and ethnicity on the Gov.uk website, using self declared diversity data. As well as chief constables, the chief officer group also includes assistant chief constables and deputy chief constables, and their equivalents in the Metropolitan police and City of London police. The data is provided in the attached tables (The Association of Chief Police Officers referred to in the data has been replaced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council).

The statistics do not separate chief constables from the chief officer cohort, therefore we are unable to provide a breakdown relating to chief constables specifically.

The Home Office does not collect information about how many chief constables, or equivalent, in England and Wales have a university degree.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Chief Constables, or equivalent, in England and Wales have a university degree, and how that figure compares to those on 1 March 2011.

Lord Bates

The Government is clear that increasing diversity in our police forces is not an optional extra. It goes right to the heart of this country’s historic principle of policing by consent. We must ensure that the public have trust and confidence in the police, and that the police reflect the communities they serve.

The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of chief officers by gender and ethnicity on the Gov.uk website, using self declared diversity data. As well as chief constables, the chief officer group also includes assistant chief constables and deputy chief constables, and their equivalents in the Metropolitan police and City of London police. The data is provided in the attached tables (The Association of Chief Police Officers referred to in the data has been replaced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council).

The statistics do not separate chief constables from the chief officer cohort, therefore we are unable to provide a breakdown relating to chief constables specifically.

The Home Office does not collect information about how many chief constables, or equivalent, in England and Wales have a university degree.