David Keane, police and crime commissioner for Cheshire, has set out his vision for his third year in office.
His plans include a focus on neighbourhood policing and a realignment of his support team – this includes the recruitment of a new chief finance officer following retirement, and the end of the 12 month tenure for the deputy police and crime commissioner.
Deputy PCC tenure comes to an end
David said: “Sareda is an experienced and dedicated public servant and she has been an asset to the team over the last year, helping to support our shared goals.
“She has assisted real and positive changes for this office, including helping secure ‘white ribbon’ and ‘living wage’ employer status.”
He added: “Critically, she has also helped drive forward the equality and diversity agenda, and has worked to put Cheshire at the centre of British policing through hosting the 2017 National Black Police Association Conference.
“I would like to thank Sareda for her dedication in serving the people of Cheshire over the last year, and wish her every success for the future.”
Her initial appointment attracted criticism from political opponents, with the county’s police and crime panel unimpressed by her performance in a confirmation hearing.
They said she met the “minimum standard” required, according to a report by BBC Cheshire reporter Phil McCann in March 2017, in which her salary was revealed to be more than double that of the previous role holder.
Ms Dirir worked a five-day week for a £50,000 salary, compared to the previous deputy police and crime commissioner Margaret Ollerenshaw who was paid £22,500 for a three-day week.
Her appointment also attracted humiliation courtesy of magazine Private Eye, which in January awarded Mr Keane a ‘Jobs for the Gals Award’ in its ‘Rotten Boroughs’ feature.
DPCC Sareda Dirir will leave the office later this month following the completion of her 12-month contract.
Redeploying PCSOs
Mr Keane will put neighbourhood policing at the forefront of his priorities for his third year in office, and will ask the public how PCSOs should spend their working week to ensure they are providing the correct support to protect local communities.
This is also part of the commissioner’s budget setting for 2018/19, where he committed to redeploying PCSOs so that there is one placed in every community across Cheshire.
David said: “PCSOs are an important part of local policing teams across Cheshire and should have more visibility in our communities.
“They should be the ‘eyes and ears’ of local communities, gathering intelligence to deal with complex police issues, whilst providing support to vulnerable residents, and focusing on making our roads safer.”
Cost savings
The restructure of Mr Keane’s team will reduce the overall cost of the office of police and crime commissioner, bringing it to its lowest ever level, and Mr Keane says the savings will be invested directly into frontline policing.
“Reducing the cost of my office to just 0.4% of the whole Cheshire policing budget will allow me re-invest savings into neighbourhood policing and ensure the right resources are in place to protect the people of Cheshire.”
David said: “We are a small and efficient team, and we’ve set out to achieve some incredibly bold ambitions for my third year in office.
“Together, we will drive forward the main priorities of my police and crime plan and that means continuing to build closer relationships with our partners and the wider communities of Cheshire, and ensuring we’re holding the constabulary to account on the key issues that matter.”
The overall 2018/2019 budget for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is £787,000. It’s estimated that for every £1 spent on the OPCC, £250 is spent on policing in Cheshire.
