Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has welcomed independent feedback that police officers across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are using their powers fairly and ethically.
Members of the PCC's Ethics and Transparency Panel have written to the Commissioner to highlight evidence of good practice they have witnessed across many operational departments during their visits in 2023.
The Ethics and Transparency Panel was launched by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC in September 2022 to provide independent evaluation and scrutiny of Leicestershire Police and his own office.
The panel is made up of six independent members who represent a range of diverse experiences and expertise. They are are responsible for enhancing public trust and confidence in Leicestershire Police by scrutinising the force's actions and decision-making, as well as the execution of policing powers.
The panel said it had been granted ‘unprecedented access' of Body Worn Video (BWV) footage undertaken by police as part of its ongoing Stop and Search scrutiny work in 2023. Members reviewed six samples of BWV footage over the 12 months and were satisfied the force is using best practice in deploying the powers and recording arrests.
Members also undertook familiarisation and insight visits at nine key departments last year including contact management, custody, Safeguarding Hub, Tactical Support and others and was given the opportunity to dip-sample closed complaint files as part of its scrutiny work.
Vipal Karavadra, chair of the Ethics and Transparency Panel, said in the letter: "We found the visits invaluable in undressing how the force operates and utilises its time and resources.
"We can confirm that any information required, or questions asked, have been forthcoming and any follow up always completed. Thus far we have found that all visits have demonstrated best practices being adhered to and in many departments, we have found the force to be utilising modern ways of operation and collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders. We look forward to continuing our visits in 2024.
"As a panel with access and information provided thus far, we are assured that the force operating well as an organisation, employing best practice in many areas and continues to improve in others. Over the next year we will continually push the boundaries of our scrutiny work and report back accordingly."
In response, Mr Matthews said: "I am pleased with the panel's observations over the past 12 months. Their insights paint a positive picture of the professionalism and integrity of officers and staff and provide reassurance to the public that policing processes stand up to the highest level of scrutiny.
"As Commissioner, I am duty bound to hold the force to account for the delivery of effective and efficient policing services. I launched the Ethics and Transparency Panel to provide a platform to robustly examine and challenge decision-making and processes to reassure myself and the wider public that Leicestershire Police is doing everything possible to maintain the high standards local people deserve.
"The execution of policing powers such as Stop and Search are a sensitive subject, and it is vital they are exposed to a high level of scrutiny and analysis. I am pleased with the panel's findings that they are being used ethically and proportionately and that panel members have received ‘unprecedented' access of BWV to support their work.
"It is vital that the public have faith and trust in the police as Sir Robert Peel pointed out nearly two centuries ago when he coined the term ‘policing by consent'. I would like to thank all members of this panel for their ongoing support."
Panel members have made several recommendations to improve the delivery of their own functions and responsibilities. These include the creation of an ‘action tracker' tool to track and follow up on discussion points and actions from previous meetings, a second tranche of familiarisation visits including other operational areas and more detailed reports and documentation prior to meetings.
