Warwickshire’s Chief Constable Debbie Tedds with Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe.
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (PRSRA) places a statutory duty and electoral mandate on the PCC to hold the CC to account for policing services on behalf of the public. The Policing Protocol 2011 details the PCC’s legal responsibilities to:
- Scrutinise, support and challenge the overall performance of the Force including against the priorities agreed within the Police and Crime Plan
- Hold the CC to account for the performance of the force’s officers and staff
- Maintain an efficient and effective police force for the area.
- Hold the CC to account for the exercise of the functions of the office of CC and the functions of the persons under the direction and control of the CC.
In Warwickshire the Commissioner holds the Chief Constable to account in the following ways:
- Monthly scheduled meetings focused on performance and governance
- Weekly meetings with the PCC and Chief Constable,
- OPCC attendance at identified force meetings
- OPCC requests for information, reports and briefings on topics, brokered through the CC’s office.
Weekly Meetings
Regular meetings are held between the Commissioner and the Chief Constable, to ensure there is an open exchange of information and help them to maintain an effective working relationship. These meetings are normally held at the Police Headquarters at Leek Wootton, though other venues are used on occasion. The meetings allow the Commissioner and Chief Constable Debbie Tedds to discuss a wide variety of subjects relating to routine business.
Topics discussed can include:
- matters of immediate concern;
- trends in performance and incidence of crime that may impact on priorities included in the Police and Crime Plan;
- strategic proposals of the Commissioner/Chief Constable not considered in other forums;
- matters raised by the Police and Crime Panel;
- strategic finance;
- personnel matters;
- strategic policing initiatives;
- complaints and misconduct issues.
Meetings are normally held on a weekly basis and a summary of the discussions held in open session and their relevant actions are published here:
Records of the weekly meetings
Monthly Meetings
The Commissioner also runs monthly meetings with the force, to focus on matters of Governance and Performance. This approach has been reviewed following the publication of the Police and Crime Plan 2021-2025, and a new Governance and Performance Board has been established, with the first meeting taking place in April 2022. The terms of reference for the Governance and Performance Board can be found here.
The previous arrangements consisted of two separate meetings, the Force Governance Board, and the Performance and Accountability Meeting. Minutes from the Force Governance Board can be found below, and those of the Performance Meeting can be found on the holding to account page here.
Force Governance Board Papers
