I have written a previous article in which I drew attention to the fact the Police Reform Act 2002, which is the legislation enabling these civilians to have police powers, requires local authorities to be consulted. I have asked Cambridge City Council if they have been consulted and at the time of asking it appeared they had not been.

My articles discussing giving police powers to security guards at Addenbrookes:

• Addenbrooke’s Staff to get Police Powers
• Policing Addenbrooke’s Hospital - April 2009
• Cambridgeshire Police Authority - December 2008

Contrary to the Chief Constable’s assurance to the Police Authority they have not “started light” but have started by giving them the power to administer summary justice in the form of £80 fixed-penalty fines for anti-social behaviour.

It is dated the 6th of January 2009.

http://www.cambs-pa.gov.uk/newsDetail.cfm?articleID=4790

If you had called me to speak I would have made a brief statement explaining that I was present specifically to observe the police authority discuss its response to the Home Secretary’s announcement on TASER deployment to all front line police.

I would have noted that my local representative on the Police Authority Mr Wilkins had assured me and other residents of North Cambridge at a public meeting that he would be trying to place this matter on the agenda. I was therefore expecting Mr Wilkins to raise this at some point, perhaps as an urgent item.

I would have made clear my own opposition to the expanded TASER deployment on the grounds that I believe they are dangerous, and that the evidence being used to claim they are safe is unreliable for reasons including the fact it is not based on real life experience from the USA. I am also concerned that their widespread use would damage the relationship between the police and public.

I would have drawn attention to the fact that within hours of the ministerial announcement the Metropolitan Police Authority decided not to extend TASER use to all front line response officers in London on the grounds that they may cause fear and damage public confidence. I would have questioned why it had taken Cambridgeshire Police Authority so much longer to react.

With hindsight I imagine such a statement might have resulted in an explanation from yourself and Mr Wilkins of why the TASER deployment was not on the agenda, and perhaps letting me know how the Police Authority is planning to respond. Mr Wilkins is ignoring my requests for an explanation.

I hope he may now explain how and when, if at all, the Police Authority intend to discuss the TASER deployment.

I was aware of the (most unusual) delay in getting the Authority papers issued in time. This resulted from a major failure of a server in the HQ which caused many of our papers to disappear until backups could be called up. Naturally, in such circumstances, operational matters get a higher priority on the remaining resources than do administrative matters of the sort mentioned. I also read what you put on your website about the subject; and I felt obliged to go and make encouraging noises to those of our staff who had bust a gut (and worked unpaid overtime) to get the papers out when they did. I felt that, if any of them had had that reported to them, it would not do their morale any good.

I have written to the chair of the Police Authority, County Councillor Walters:

Mr Walters,

During the 17th December 2008 Police Authority Meeting you interpreted the standing order relating to public speaking to mean that public questions must be submitted three working days in advance of the meeting.

I note that the standing order states:
“In order to give a meaningful response to questions and to manage the agenda the question to be asked should be submitted to the Chief Executive three working days before a meeting of the Authority or its Committees.”

I think it is not clear from this that the three working day notice period is compulsory, it appears to be to merely suggest and recommend that members of the public should submit questions in advance in order to obtain a meaningful response.

As I would hope you are aware the agenda for the December meeting was not available online to the public until about twenty four hours before the meeting, releasing the agenda after the deadline for public questions to be submitted does not encourage public participation.

I have written to the Police Authority suggesting that the requirement for questions to be submitted in advance be made clearer, perhaps by mentioning it on each agenda. How are those reading the agenda supposed to know that they have to dig through other areas of the Police Authority website in order to find the rules on public speaking?

I think the standing order could be more clearly drafted, and in the absence of such clarity I would suggest you ought to publicise how you are intending to interpret it via an announcement on the Police Authority website.

The June 2008 meeting of Cambridgeshire Police Authority resolved to change the rules for public speaking at meetings of the Authority.

It also resolved: “For the Media and Communications Officer to ensure this that this new process was effectively “advertised” to members of the public, in addition to a notice on the Authority’s web site”.

Other than the minutes and papers of the June 2008 meeting I cannot find any evidence of the new process being publicised. In particular meeting agendas have not advised members of the public to the new rules, and the Police Authority’s Standing Orders as published on the Police Authority website have not been updated in light of the changes.

I would like to suggest:
1. That the notice the officer was mandated to place on the website be put on the website. If the notice has been published I would like to suggest it is linked to more prominently, from the list of recent and upcoming public meetings, and the pages on specific meetings for example.

2. That future agendas include a statement alerting people to the fact there are rules relating to public speaking, summarises them, and states where full details can be found.

3. An updated, as amended, copy of the Police Authority’s Standing Orders be placed on the Police Authority website, replacing the old copy.

4. Agendas for meetings ought be published online to the public well in advance of the new three day notice period required for public questions.

I hope you think these are reasonable suggestions,