National Consultations
The PCC has an opportunity to respond to national consultations regarding policing and crime matters. Details of these consultations and the Commissioner’s responses can be found below.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) consulted on revisions to their Expectations for Police Custody document.
Last updated in 2018, the revised version of the Expectations addresses changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984 Codes of Guidance and any changes made by College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice on Detention and Custody.
The proposed changes within the document reflect:
- Dame Angiolini’s independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody – in particular, recommendations about the care of detainees under the influence of alcohol, drugs and/or substances;
- Concerns raised by the Independent Custody Visitors Association about the needs of menstruating women and girls in police custody (which led to changes to the PACE code C); and
- Revisions to reflect changes in professional health care requirements and practices.
The PCC's response to the consultation can be viewed here.
The Home Office consulted on proposals regarding the Relevant Appeal Body (RAB) test for police complaints.
The APCC commissioned a consultation in respect of the use of spit hoods.
It is understood that 22 police force areas in England and Wales currently use spit hoods. Since 2011 it is understood that they have been deployed 2,486 times, including 513 occasions in 2015.
The APCC commissioned a consultation in respect of the pay award for senior police officers in 2017/18. Evidence was also requested in relation to short-term measures to address recruitment and retention pressures on chief officer ranks.
Chief officer ranks include: Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable.
The Ministry of Justice launched a consultation to transform the justice system.
The consultation sought views on certain specific measures including: assisted digital, online conviction and statutory fixed fines, offences in scope, panel composition in tribunals, and impact and equalities assessments.
The Surrey and Sussex Judicial Business Group commissioned a consultation in response to the decline in workload for the youth courts throughout Sussex in recent years. The same reductions are also apparent nationally.
The consultation set out the proposed changes to youth court listing arrangements in Sussex and provided options for listing models for this workload in future.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) sought views on the potential for further devolution of support services for victims and witnesses.
The College of Policing (CoP) led on a consultation regarding Chief Officer Appointments.
This work is being done in conjunction with the Chief Police Officers Staff Association (CPOSA), the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), the Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales (PSAEW), the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and the Home Office.
The findings will be used to inform recommendations on how to widen the pool of candidates going for chief officer positions and improve current selection and assessment processes. The work will also inform the ongoing redevelopment of the CoP’s guidance and toolkit for Chief Officer selection.