FOI Request:
- What percentage of employees within the OPCC office are disabled?
- What percentage of employees within the OPCC office are female?
- How much of our budget since the PCC has been in office has the OPCC office spent on vulnerable adults? What improvements has he initiated regarding vulnerable adults mentioned within the Peel report? Please provide documentary evidence of such improvements if they exist.
- How many individuals / groups have complained about the PCC Mr Steven Turner since his successful but over shadowed bid to become the new PCC.
- If any complaints, what are they in relation to & to & where they investigated and by whom.
OPCC Response:
Question 1 & 2: OPCC Staffing
I am refusing this element of your request under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act.
The information, which you seek, is already readily accessible and in the public domain. The OPCC is required by law to publish this information.
This information can be found at the following page of the OPCC’s website: https://www.cleveland.pcc.police.uk/commissioner/office/the-pcc-team/
Question 3: Spending on Services for Vulnerable Adults
On 5 August 2022, I provided a response to a previous FOI request (FOI 8008) in which you asked a similar question about investments in services for vulnerable people.
To recap, the OPCC has an annual budget for funding and commissioning victim and witness support services. This includes specialist provision for children and adults affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The annual breakdown for 21/22 and 22/23 is as follows:
- 2021/22 Victim and Witnesses Services budget: £1,725,000
- 2022/23 Victim and Witnesses Services budget: £1,485,000
To assist further with your request, I have identified specific contracts from the above budgets which have been awarded since Mr Turner was elected. They include the following:
- Appropriate Adult Service – provided by ‘Middlesbrough & Stockton Mind’ £18,000.00
- Teesside Safeguarding Adult Board – ‘Stockton Borough Council’ £24,000.00
- A Fresh Start – provided by Charity ‘The Moses Project’ £5,000.00
- Safe Housing, Safe Community – provided by Charity ‘The Moses Project’ £10,000.00
- A Clean Slate – provided by Clean Slate Solutions’ £19,250.00
I believe the second element of this question refers to the PEEL inspection completed by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in 2019.
I would like to provide clarity that the remit of HMICFRS is to inspect police forces, not Police and Crime Commissioner’s offices.
Therefore, any concerns identified by the inspectors in 2019 relate to how Cleveland Police respond to vulnerable people and if improvements are required. They will be for the Chief Constable to implement. Any information about how this has been done is held by Cleveland Police.
HMICFRS did conduct a post-inspection review into vulnerability at Cleveland Police – the results of which were published in February 2021. I have provided the link to this report below if you would be interested in reading: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/cleveland-integrated-vulnerability-inspection-post-inspection-review.pdf
Question 4 & 5: Complaints
From the information we hold as an organisation, we are aware of 14 complaints brought to the attention of the Police and Crime Panel.
However, as the Appropriate Authority for the handling of complaints against the Commissioner, the Cleveland Police and Crime Panel keep details of all complaints made against the PCC, therefore this figure may be higher.