Agenda item

The Chair adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes to allow all the members of the Panel an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the guidance in relation to the confirmation hearing process which had previously been circulated.

The meeting reconvened at 10.30am and the Chair briefly outlined the process which would be followed in relation to the confirmation hearing.

With the agreement of the Chair, Mr Grunshaw, the Police and Crime Commissioner, addressed the meeting and reminded the Panel that during the election he had stated his intention to appoint Mr Master as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner as he felt he had the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to fulfil the role. Mr Grunshaw asked the Panel to support the appointment.

Mr Master referred the members of the Panel to the contents of his personal statement and made reference to the experience and expertise which he felt he would bring to the position of DPCC.

When considering the appointment members of the Panel discussed the following points. 

·  Mr Master's membership of the Labour Party and his previous position as an independent member of the Lancashire Police Authority (LPA).

It was noted that membership of a political party did not disqualify Mr Master from being the DPCC and that the cross party Panel which had considered his appointment to the LPA had been aware of his political affiliations. It was also noted that members of the LPA were either appointed on the basis of being elected representatives (local councillors) or independent members.

·  Whether Mr Master had sufficient experience/knowledge of the diversity of communities across Lancashire in order to ensure that he could deal with competing demands for resources in the future.

Mr Master referred to his previous work with local communities and the Voluntary Sector in addition to his experience of working as a member of the LPA which had all involved engagement with communities across Lancashire.

·  The need to ensure that operational issues were kept separate from the monitoring role of the DPCC.

In response Mr Master referred to his experience as a member of the LPA and the professional working relationships he had developed both with the Chief Constable and other senior officers without compromising the need for independence.

·  Whether given his other business/community activities Mr Master would be able to devote sufficient time to the role of DPCC.

Mr Master referred to how he felt he had been able to effectively divide his time when he was a member of the LPA and stated that being self employed he had a degree of flexibility in terms of his work. He also reported that his family were able to provide support in terms of his business interests. 

·  Whether Mr Master had the necessary experience to fulfil the role of the DPCC.

Whilst acknowledging that the crime and justice element of the work of the PCC was new and would be challenging Mr Master stated that his experience as a member of the LPA in relation to dealing with senior officers in the Police, communication, consultation, engagement and the setting/managing of budgets would enable him to support the PCC.

·  The potential impact of Mr Master's position as a Deputy Lieutenant on this work as the DPCC.

Mr Master informed the meeting that he had been appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in relation to his community work and that felt the role had enabled him to engage with a variety of communities across Lancashire. He added that if successfully appointed as the DPCC he intended to resign as Deputy Lieutenant in order to hold a single public office.

·  How Mr Master intended to take a lead on dealing with business crime.

In response Mr Master reported that from his experience of dealing with the business community he was aware of the issues regarding crime which directly affected them and had urged the PCC to take the needs of businesses into account in the future. 

·  The recent announcement of the appointment by the PCC of additional Assistant Commissioners who had been members of the LPA.

In response Mr Master reminded the Panel that the PCC had made the appointments in accordance with legislation.

·  Clarification regarding the reference in the personal statement to the need to build bridges between the Police and communities.

Mr Master recognised that in the current economic climate there would be additional demands on Police resources and felt it was important to ensure that resources were used in an efficient/effective manner. He added that building bridges between policing and local communities would enable better communication and add value to the Police service and minimise waste. 

As there were no further questions the Chair announced that the meeting would move into a closed session so that the Panel could consider the appointment. It was noted that once a decision had been made it would be relayed to the Office of the PCC and would be publicised within the next 5 days.

Resolved: That, following the holding of a confirmation hearing in accordance with the requirements of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, 2011 the appointment of Mr Ibrahim Master as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire is approved.