Partnership Working | Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire

Partnership working is at the heart of everything the Police and Crime Commissioner does. No single organisation can tackle the all too often complex problems in our society or meet the significant community safety challenges we all face. It is only by working together with others that we will be able to achieve the shared vision, deliver on the outcomes and tackle the priorities in the Police and Crime Plan.

There are many local organisations, groups and individuals working across the county with the PCC, West Yorkshire Police and other partner agencies. More information on some of the groups can be found below:

Community Safety Partnership Forum

Community safety partnerships (CSPs) are made up of representatives from the ‘responsible authorities’. The responsible authorities work together to protect their local communities from crime and to help people feel safer. They work out how to deal with local issues like antisocial behaviour, drug or alcohol misuse and reoffending. They annually assess local crime priorities and consult partners and the local community about how to deal with them.

WHO SITS ON IT?

Police
Local Authority
Fire and Rescue Authorities
Health
Probation Service

AIMS AND REMIT:

1.Through collaboration, identify/strengthen shared priorities and opportunities that work in West Yorkshire to reduce crime and disorder, and improve community safety by sharing ideas, good practice, resources, partnership plans and bids for monies in order to effect joint solutions.

2. Communicate collaborative working messages via individual Community Safety Partnerships, and go beyond reciprocal duties defined by current legislation to share the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan during times of reduced resources to ensure West Yorkshire Communities are safe and feel safe.

3. Report progress into the Partnership Executive Group on a quarterly basis.

Criminal Justice and Mental Health Forum

The Criminal Justice and Mental Health Forum has come together to better meet the health and criminal justice needs of people with mental health issues within West Yorkshire communities. Mental health issues can have a massive impact on everyone concerned, for the person experiencing a mental health crisis, organisations dealing with that person or the wider community. It is vital therefore that the different organisations involved in dealing with mental health issues are working together in a much more integrated way to ensure the best service possible.

WHO SITS ON IT?

West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner
West Yorkshire Police
NHS
Public Health England
The Ambulance and Fire Services
Mental Health Trusts.

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. Improve the understanding of issues around mental health, community safety and the criminal justice system, and put in place better systems to deal with those issues.

2. Deliver a whole systems approach to ensure individuals who experience a mental health crisis receive a high quality, effective and seamless service.

3. Ensure best service user experience and outcomes for those experiencing mental health crisis; and

4. Ensure public health principles underpin local strategy to prevent future crisis.

Domestic and Sexual Abuse Board

The West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner is committed to tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence. The ambition of the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Board is to support victims and survivors of, and to reduce, domestic abuse and sexual violence across West Yorkshire. To support this, the objectives and principles of the strategy focus on five key priority areas – partnership working; preventing violence and abuse; provision of services; support for victims/survivors; and pursuing perpetrators.

WHO SITS ON IT?

5 Community Safety Partnerships * (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield)
West Yorkshire Police *
West Yorkshire Fire Service
Local Criminal Justice Board
Crown Prosecution Service
NHS England *
Public Health England
2 Third sector advocates – one for domestic abuse, the other for sexual abuse
West Yorkshire Sexual Violence Action Partnership
Victim Support
West Yorks Association of Acute Trusts
1 place for a CCG representative * (appointed by the WY Health and Care Partnership)

Those invited to commissioner only meeting are marked *

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. To provide overall better support for victims / survivors and others affected by domestic and sexual abuse.

2. To reduce the impact of domestic and sexual abuse through early identification and intervention, identifying wherever possible those in need before a crisis occurs, and intervening to make sure they get the help they need.

3. To ensure the provision of services and partnerships which work cross boundaries to meet local need and ensure consistency across West Yorkshire.

4. To increase victim confidence in and experience of disclosing and reporting their experience of violence and abuse, and where appropriate pursuing conviction through the criminal justice process.

5. To reduce offending and change the behaviour of perpetrators through an improved criminal justice response, disruption and support.

West Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board, Victim and Witness Group (LCJB)

The West Yorkshire Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) Victims and Witness Group reports to the LCJB Executive Board chaired by the Police and Crime Commissioner. The reporting is a standing agenda item.

The group look at issues affecting the victims and witnesses of West Yorkshire at all points along the criminal justice journey. They also champion victims’ rights allowing each agency to challenge each other in their delivery of victims’ services.

WHO SITS ON IT?

West Yorkshire Police
Witness Care Unit
Crown Prosecution Service
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service
Youth Justice Service
Prison and Probation Service
Citizens Advice Witness Service
Victim Support
Office of Police and Crime Commissioner
Third sector suppliers

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. The Victim and Witness Group will strive to continually improve the experience of victims and witnesses in the criminal justice service and thereby improve confidence in the service in the wider public.

2. The Group are working to provide opportunities for victims to provide their evidence to court trials without the need to attend court through live link.

3. The group are the single point of contact for the delivery and compliance of national protocols, The Victim’s Code and Witness Charter.

West Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board, Executive Board (LCJB)

The West Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board was established in 2003 to provide a structure for strategic leaders to meet, discuss and agree measures to improve the Criminal Justice System for the public.

Originally created following a Government directive as a result of the recommendations of the Auld Report, the West Yorkshire LCJB is a non-statutory, voluntary coalition of the criminal justice agencies Chief Officers and partners. The key purpose of the West Yorkshire LCJB is to deliver a joined up criminal justice service that puts victims at its heart, reduces crime, delivers justice effectively and efficiently and rehabilitates offenders.

WHO SITS ON IT?

West Yorkshire Police
Crown Prosecution Service
Her Majesty’ Court and Tribunal Service
Youth Justice Service
Community Rehabilitation Company
Prison and Probation Service
Legal Aid Agency
Victim Support
Office of Police and Crime Commissioner

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. The West Yorkshire LCJB is committed to improving collaboration between agencies in order to deliver the best possible criminal justice service to the communities of West Yorkshire.

2. The strategic priorities are to:

3. The West Yorkshire LCJB will identify its key priorities on a regular basis. The priorities will take into account the current Police and Crime Plan, National Criminal Justice Board’s action plan and other key organisational plans at the time and will be owned and reviewed by the West Yorkshire LCJB.

Out of Court Disposals Scrutiny Panel

An out of court disposal (OOCD) is a method of resolving an investigation when the offender is known and when that offender admits the offence. An OOCD can only be used in limited circumstances and it should reduce re-offending by enabling restorative and reparative justice. Nationally, there are a number of methods for dealing with suspects in this way. These are universal and include community resolutions, conditional cautioning, simple cautions, cannabis warnings and Penalty Notices for Disorder.

The scrutiny panel is a group of representatives from across the criminal justice sector who come together quarterly to look at a sample of cases where an out of court disposal has been issued.

WHO SITS ON IT?

Independent Chair from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
West Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector with responsibility for criminal justice
Police representative with expertise in out of court disposals
Police representative(s) with expertise in the themed case(s) as required for sexual, domestic or hate crimes at the request of the Chair
Two adult and two youth Magistrates
HM Courts & Tribunal Services (HMCTS), Legal Advisor
Crown Prosecution Service
Youth Offending Team
National Probation Service
West Yorkshire Probation Community Rehabilitation Company
Victim Support

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. The intention of the panel is to provide transparency and accountability and increase public understanding, confidence and trust in how West Yorkshire Police use out of court disposals. There is a particular focus on the delivery of appropriate and proportionate justice, ensuring redress for victims of crime as well as addressing the root causes of offending behaviour.

2. It provides constructive scrutiny at an organisational and individual level to promote best practices, identify potential policy or staff development needs and more effective working practices between agencies.

3. It also works to ensure the voice of victims is heard through the out of court disposal process and provide challenge where it appears not to have been considered.

4. The scrutiny panel has no referral or appeals capability and is not intended to re-judge cases. It will assess the relevant processes, interactions and decisions to identify any continuous organisational learning.

Partnership Executive Group (PEG)

The PEG is an executive group which brings together the key strategic players from across West Yorkshire who work to deliver the outcomes of the Police and Crime Plan. The remit of the PEG is to establish how, by working together, we can identify solutions that work in West Yorkshire to reduce crime and disorder, improve community safety and ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice services. By combining our expertise and knowledge from evidence based practice we can develop a robust needs analysis to inform strategic planning.

WHO SITS ON IT?

West Yorkshire Police
Crown Prosecution Service
Local Authorities
Public Health
NHS
Prison and Probation Service
Fire Service
Third Sector

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. Through a shared ambition establish how through working together we can identify solutions that work in West Yorkshire to reducing crime and disorder, improving community safety and criminal service effectiveness and efficiency.

2. With a focus on what matters to our communities identify where the impact of the change through opportunities to problem solve, influence, innovate and galvanise partnership responses to crime, disorder, community safety and criminal justice are realised.

3. To go beyond partnership reciprocal duties as defined by current legislation to share the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan during times of reduced resources to ensure West Yorkshire communities are safe and feel safe.

Police and Crime Panel

The West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel (PCP) works in support of the residents of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield to ensure that the Police and Crime Commissioner meets the needs of all the communities that he has been elected to serve.

The Panel exists to provide support, review and scrutiny of decisions and activity undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner in order to discharge his functions.
The Panel, is made up of 12 elected members from the five councils in West Yorkshire, representing the political makeup of the West Yorkshire and two independent members.

Panel members work in close partnership, with each other and with other key agencies, to guarantee the best possible policing and crime outcomes for the whole of West Yorkshire.

WHO SITS ON IT?

Local Authorities
Independent Members

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. Reviewing and making recommendations on the amount of Council Tax the Commissioner intends to collect from each household to support policing. The Panel can demand that the proposed amount is made higher or lower (i.e. exercise a veto) but the Commissioner only needs to meet this demand once.

2. Reviewing the Commissioner’s proposal about who should be Chief Constable and therefore in charge of the operational running of the police force. The panel has the power to turn down the preferred candidate but again they can exercise this veto only once.

3. Reviewing and making recommendations on the Commissioner’s five year Police and Crime Plan.

4. Reviewing the Commissioner’s Annual Report which will outline his/ her performance against the Police and Crime Plan.

5. Confirming the appointment of senior staff who will be working for the Commissioner, including the proposed Deputy if he/ she chooses to have one.

6. Dealing with non-criminal complaints made against the Commissioner

Reducing Reoffending Strategy Group

The West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner's (PCC) Reducing Reoffending Strategy Board is a partnership forum bringing together those who are involved with the criminal justice system to further develop an integrated reducing reoffending strategy. It is exploring how we can continue to develop services across agencies including, how we can actively involve offenders and ex-offenders to inform these services.

WHO SITS ON IT?

Prison and Probation Service
Local Criminal Justice Board
West Yorkshire Police
Third Sector
5 Community Safety Partnerships
NHS England
Youth Offending Teams
Community Rehabilitation Company

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. People in West Yorkshire are safe and feeling safe.

2. More offenders desist from crime as they are rehabilitated and resettled in the community.

3. The well-being of offenders is improved.

4. Victims and vulnerable people are protected, listened to and supported.

5. Increase the confidence in the criminal justice service.

Third Sector Advisory Group

Third sector is a generic term covering voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises, charities, faith based groups, housing associations, co-operatives and mutuals large and small. It is non-governmental and not-for-profit, which distinguishes it from both the public and private sector. The group meets every 2 months to advise the Police and Crime Commissioner on issues of policing and crime from a third sector perspective. The Third Sector Advisory Group membership is reviewed annually.

WHO SITS ON IT?

Various members of Third Sector organisations based in West Yorkshire

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. Advise the PCC and his office on issues of policing and crime from a third sector perspective.

2. Advise on the sector's existing and potential role in delivery including collaboration, commissioning and grants.

3. Promote a thriving third sector in West Yorkshire maximising its contribution to the outcomes of the Police and Crime Plan.

4. Advise on a programme of work to inform the sector in West Yorkshire about the work of the PCC and his office and provide opportunities to influence it.

5. Support the sector's advocate on the PCC's Partnership Executive Group.

6. Support and assist the PCC's Third Sector Adviser and Partnership Co-ordinator.

7. Advise and assist in raising the profile of current third sector contribution to safer community outcomes and stimulating further contributions.

You can find out more about the Police and Crime Commissioner's work with the Third Sector at https://www.westyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/partnership/partnership-working/third-sector

West Yorkshire Risk and Vulnerability Strategy Group

The West Yorkshire Risk and Vulnerability Strategy Group was formerly known as the West Yorkshire Child Sexual Exploitation Strategy Group. The Group’s aims were to bring key partners together to ensure that across West Yorkshire an effective and consistent response is provided to all children and young persons who are at risk of child sexual abuse or those that are being or have been sexually abused. This group has recently evolved with the current and emerging demands of West Yorkshire into the West Yorkshire Risk and Vulnerability Strategy Group. As well as continuing this work, the newly formed group has a widened remit to encompass children who go missing across geographical boundaries and its interconnectivity with other safeguarding concerns such as child sexual exploitation, peer on peer abuse, harmful sexual behaviour, child trafficking and modern day slavery, and going missing.

WHO SITS ON IT?

West Yorkshire Police
Local Safeguarding Boards
Other key statutory partners

AIMS AND REMIT:

The objectives of the West Yorkshire Risk & Vulnerability Strategy Group will focus on four main areas; Prepare, Prevent, Protect and Pursue.

1. To establish comprehensive and accurate ‘profiles’ to ensure the identification of individuals or groups, locations and patterns and trends across borders, to enable these to inform local partnership understanding, and enable swift coordinated multi-agency responses to effectively safeguard children and prevent, divert or prosecute those who facilitate and /or seek exploit and abuse.

2. To inform local service provision and share good practice enabling appropriate support, intervention, and protection to children, young people, parents, carers, friends and communities via a multi-agency child friendly, child centered, whole family approach, empowering children and communities to better protect themselves.

3. To prevent children being vulnerable to harm and abuse from going missing and to prevent children experiencing or continuing to experience exploitation, peer on peer abuse and modern day slavery by reducing vulnerability and proactively responding to information and intelligence shared about individuals.

4. Use information intelligently to inform successful prevention, diversion and prosecution of those who seek to facilitate and /or perpetrate the exploitation, abuse and harm of children and young people and where any offences relate to young people, ensuring that children are responded to, supported and if necessary prosecuted, with a child centered approach.

*The aims and remit outlined here are draft and subject to change

Youth Advisory Group

One of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s promises is to treat all young people as citizens, valuing their interests and opinions as much as any other group in the community.

The Police and Crime Commissioner therefore asked young people to volunteer to work with him on a young persons' advisory group. The group gives the Police and Crime Commissioner direct contact with young people who are able to express their views and comments which will steer all future decisions, policy and engagement.

WHO SITS ON IT?

Young people from West Yorkshire

AIMS AND REMIT:

1. Have their voice heard and express views.

2. Speak directly with the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Police and Partners.

3. Engage with other members of the local community and hear their views.

4. Question and challenge the views of other people in a constructive way.

5. Build relationships between police, young people and the community.

6. Raise the profile of young people within the community.

7. Volunteer at Police and Crime Commissioner events where appropriate.

8. Provide advice to us to help the Police and Crime Commissioner improve policing and make sure people are safer and feel safer.

You can find out more about the Youth Advisory Group at https://www.westyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/youth-advisory-group