From: Councillor Gareth Kitchen

To: Rosie Kenyon, Steve Robinson

CC: Councillor Rebecca Aldam , Councillor Martin Pearcy, Councillor Catherine Braun

Subject: Minutes Police & Crime Panel - published 9th August.

Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:02:32 +0000

Hi,

I have to raise an issue with the Police & Crime Panel minutes published 9th August, which I think, needs to be addressed before the next meeting.

Item 9.1 The Chief Executive's report was taken as read. The Chair asked that due to time constraints, the Independent Custody Visitors Annual Report be postponed until September's meeting.

Whilst the above discussion was taking place, I was distracted, collating my questions. When I asked my first question about the Internal Audit Annex in the Chief Exec's report, I was cut off by the Chair. I asked if I was out of order and the Chair said we would address that next time. Confused, I assumed that it had been decided that agenda item #8 had been deferred due to the meeting overrun.

According to the minutes it seems that only the Independent Custody Visitors Annual Report was to be deferred until September's meeting. Therefore, opportunity to ask questions on the 180+ linked pages of the Chief Exec's report (pretty much half of the agenda pack, which I and others had prepared for) has been lost.

If this is the case, it is completely unacceptable and, in my view, fundamentally undermines the function of this public Panel.

There were a number of items in the Chief Execs report that needed questioning. Not least, the reasons for cancelling the Constabulary Open Day. This is a major event that is meant to build trust and confidence within the community; a theme in the Police & Crime Prevention Plan that the PCC was platforming earlier in the meeting.

Also, the Annual Internal Audit Plan and associated performance monitoring seems to offer a much more effective way of reporting the delivery of the Police & Crime Prevention Plan back to the Panel. I wanted to better understand linkage to 'The Process' on page 66, for example, and future plans.

Questions like these must not be moved to 'off-panel' to visits to Police HQ or in-person meetings (#9.2), thus avoiding public scrutiny.

Please can we ensure that the Chief Exec's report is brought back to the September meeting, which I thought the Chair had suggested, so these and other items can be discussed properly and openly?

Thanks

Gareth Kitchen

[cid:d0ba4189-f23b-485d-884f-1af68f83e7ad]

Cllr Gareth Kitchen (he/him)

Green Councillor for Wotton-under-Edge, North Nibley & Stinchcombe

Stroud District Council

Ebley Mill, Ebley Wharf

Stroud, Gloucestershire. GL5 4UB

T +44 7396 840710

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