Senior leadership
Simon Dennis
Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer
(Also Interim Chief Executive & Monitoring Officer for the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire)
Every Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) must have a Chief Executive, who supports and advises the PCC. He also assists in the delivery of all statutory duties. The Chief Executive works with the PCC, the Chief Constable, Chief Finance Officers and other senior managers to ensure delivery of the Commissioner’s vision, strategy and priorities. He ensures rigorous scrutiny of operational activities. The Chief Executive provides effective leadership to the Commissioner’s Office (the OPCC). The Chief Executive holds the role of Monitoring Officer, with a duty to identify any contravention of law, maladministration or injustice and to promote high ethical standards.
Michael Porter
Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive
(Also Chief Finance Officer for the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire)
The Chief Finance Officer (CFO) is the PCC’s adviser on financial matters. The CFO works closely with the Chief Executive, helping the OPCC to resource and deliver the PCC’s strategic objectives. It is the CFO’s responsibility to ensure financial implications, opportunities and risks are fully considered, and aligned with the PCC’s financial strategy. The CFO is a champion of good financial management, so public money is safeguarded at all times and used appropriately, economically and effectively.
Collaboration agreement for support provided to the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire.
Rachelle Kipling
Temporary Assistant Chief Executive
The Assistant Chief Executive (ACE) leads across the OPCC and works closely with Cleveland Police, providing direction on the development, delivery, engagement and communication of strategic programmes. The ACE is responsible for two key programmes – the delivery of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan and the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda via the Everyone Matters programme. The ACE liaises with the Police and Crime Panel to ensure support and oversight of the PCC’s work. She advises on continuous improvements of standards and ethics at a senior level. Rachelle Kipling is the Commissioner’s Officer for Victims in Cleveland. She has taken up the post of temporary Assistant Chief Executive to cover for Lisa Oldroyd. Lisa is currently Acting PCC. Rachelle will serve in the role until an agreed date following the planned 2021 election.
Criminal justice and/or victims commissioning and partnerships
Supporting victims and reducing re-offending are key PCC commitments. The staff team commissions and works with a range of local organisations in this respect. Victim services commissioned by the OPCC include Victim Care and Advice Service who provide emotional and practical support to vulnerable victims of crime. A range of specialist services provide support for victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and illegal cultural harms. The OPCC team organises and supports multi-agency groups, chaired by the PCC. They work in partnership to make sure they are offering an end-to-end service to support victims and witnesses, to rehabilitate offenders and reduce re-offending.
Commissioner’s Officer for Victims – Vacant
Commissioner’s Officer for Crime, Offending and Justice – Chris Guttridge
Communications and community engagement
As part of his statutory responsibilities, the PCC carries out an extensive programme of community and partner consultation and engagement. OPCC staff organise and support this activity. They help ensure matters raised and discussed with the public are fed back to the force, into service planning and into the future development of services. The PCC communicates widely with the public, media, partners, national bodies and organisations, via the website, social media, a monthly newsletter and other media.
Commissioner’s Officer for Consultation and Engagement – Sarah Wilson (part time)
Commissioner’s Officer for Communications and Information – Hannah Smith
Support Officer for Communications and PCC Services – Judith Dunn
Strategic Media Advisor (call-off contract) – Ian Cross
Office management, support and casework
The team deal with all telephone enquiries and correspondence. An important part of the work is handling public casework. This includes problem-solving for the public, responding to statutory requests, researching and providing information to a range of organisations.
Community Hub Advisor – Jayne Harpe
Community Hub Advisor – Hayley Relph (part-time)
Community Hub Advisor – Charlotte Rumins
Acting Community Hub Advisor – Amy Forsyth
Business Administration Apprentice – Annaleis Banks
Office organisational chart
OPCC Organisational Chart – November 2020 (application, 107kB)
Office demographic information
The information has been calculated by Cleveland Police’s HR department. It has been gathered through Equal Opportunities Monitoring data volunteered by candidates when applying for roles in the OPCC.
Total number of staff in OPCC
30 (excluding volunteers and committee members entitled to expenses)
Percentage of staff who identify as female
80%
Percentage of staff who have disclosed a disability
0%
Percentage of staff who identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME)
6.67% (please note 23% of OPCC staff did not disclose their ethnicity)