S22A Agreement under the Police Act 1996 (as amended) for the collaboration of the Public Contact function between Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire Constabulary
December 9th, 2015
Decision
To sign the Section 22A Agreement under the Police Act 1996 (as amended) for Cambridgeshire Constabulary to share the Public Contact function with Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary.
Decision Summary
The Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Business Coordination Board (“the Board”) meeting on the 26th November 2015 discussed and agreed the proposal for Cambridgeshire Constabulary (“the Constabulary”) to share the Public Contact function with Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary based on the information set out in the Board paper by entering into a Section 22A Agreement (“the Agreement”) under the Police Act (as amended) to effect the collaborative arrangements for the purpose of providing efficient and effective policing.
- The proposal and the Agreement was also subject to the consideration and agreement of the respective Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, at their Strategic Alliance meeting on the 27th November 2015. Legal advice had been obtained in respect of the Agreement and as such the Strategic Alliance members were assured that the Agreement is legally sound and in line with Home Office Statutory Guidance on Police Collaboration (October 2012).
- The rationale for entering into the Agreement to collaborate the function was based on:
- the full business case proposing an integrated tri-force public contact service incorporating digitally enabled public services, with increased online access and self-service to provide an improved citizen experience, whilst reducing demand on police resources and increasing resilience.
- the proposal is for the service to be run from two sites; currently four sites are used to deliver this service. The two selected sites are at Constabulary HQ at Hinchingbrooke and Hertfordshire Constabulary HQ at Welwyn Garden City. Where members of the public choose to telephone using the 101 and 999 services, they will not experience a different kind of service as the calls will broadly be handled in the same way.
