Cath Hannon's Weekly Blog

HUSTINGS LIST

26/9/2012

The list will change as events are finalised and new hustings are agreed so watch this space.

Come along and check out all the candidates see who will do a good job for you.

8.10.12 6.30pm Community Question Time. Almiraj Conference, 11-29 Wordsworth Road, Small Health, Birmingham
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11.10.12 LGBT in Birmingham. Details to follow (DTF)
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12.10.12 Victim Support (DTF)
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15.10.12 7pm The Birmingham City Centre, Neighbourhood Forum, Museum and Art Gallery Learning Zone.
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17.10.12 7.30pm Moseley Forum, St Columba's Church Hall, Moseley, junction of Moseley Road and Chantry Road, Birmingham.
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18.10.12 6.30pm BRAP organised hustings Handsworth Community Fire Safety Centre, 41 Rookery Road Handsworth, Birmingham B21 9QU
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- BBC WM (DTF)
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31.10.12 7PM Coventry Women’s Voices, Women’s Question Time, Diamond Room 1, Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR.

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Tolkien at Edgwood Court, Ladywood

26/9/2012

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Visited local residents in Edgwood Court in Ladywood which is a retirement property for older people. They hosted a meeting so I could talk to the residents and members of the local community of Waterworks Estate. We covered lots of issues from the lack of information about the PCC election to confirming their support and thanks for the local police officers to issues about noise and inconsiderate parking by the local taxi drivers. Quite a range of subjects and as I did most of the talking the cups of teas were essential to continue the conversations. The residents knew their police officers by name and spoke very warmly about their work with and for the surrounding community. I asked them what they wanted from the police and it was common themes of officers being visible, talking to a person on the phone and not a machine, timely response to their problems and feedback on the incident that the police were dealing with on their behalf. Pretty common issues.
Many thanks to the staff and residents for taking the time to see me.
There is some pretty fascinating history in the local area with the Perrotts Folly and Waterworks Tower which were the inspiration for Tolkien’s twin towers in Lord of the Rings. Outside Edgwood Court is a mosaic which represents the local area and each mosaic piece was added by the residents on the estate so it is truly a communal project.
I learnt that West Midlands Police Sergeant Neil Anderton (now retired) was so respected by the community that they named their garden after him and Anderton Gardens is a very well tended and popular spot with the residents. A lovely accolade from a very appreciative community to lovely man.

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HUSTINGS TONIGHT 25/9/12

25/9/2012

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See you all at the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
75 Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3DH
Tel : 0121 454 6171
Fax : 0121 455 8670
[email protected]

5.45pm to see all the candidates in action including me.
As warm up read the on line article from the interview with Editor of Professional Security Magazine, Mark Rowe.

http://www.professionalsecurity.co.uk/news/interviews/commissioner-candidate/
by Mark Rowe, Editor
In November, elections are running for police and crime commissioners (PCCs). A former senior police officer is among those running, as an independent. Mark Rowe went for coffee with her and put some private security-related points to her.
What has the private security industry been doing ahead of the elections for police and crime commissioners? Cath Hannon asked me. I floundered for an answer until it dawned on me; that was an answer, of sorts. The private security sector has done zero about PCCs. Though that lack of action may only mirror a national lack of interest in the elections – which are not until November 15 – as a conversation with Cath Hannon showed, there’s much at stake, both for whoever gets elected in your police force area, and for the private security sector. Take the privatisation of the police, or outsourcing, or business partnering, ‘and all of them mean different things’, as she pointed out. She was in West Midlands Police for 30 years, reaching the rank of detective superintendent.

As featured in the April 2012 print issue of Professional Security magazine, West Midlands was one of the police forces, with Surrey, that was preparing a ‘framework’ as a template for forces to contract for work to the private sector. “But that seems to have stalled,” Cath said. On the other hand, she adds, Lincolnshire Police have entered into a long-term contract with G4S to deliver services. “So nationally we have an imbalance now, on what policing means; not just to the public, but to police officers, and to the Government as well. And there needs to be some clarity there.” Cath draws the line at what has been and is the core activity of the police: they can take away somebody’s freedom; they can detain people, whether to make them subject to an investigation or a criminal justice process. “And the only people who can do that have got to be individuals who are trained to a very high standard, who understand what it means to take somebody’s liberty, and understand that they are interfering with a key human right.” And there’s all sorts of legalities? I interjected. Cath went on: “And that’s non-negotiable, it’s a core responsibility for the police.”

That said, Cath had begun our conversation by complimenting Professional Security, as she had gone through it online between arranging to meet and the meeting. She also made a point about how private security moved on, using surveillance and other technology; something that police were maybe not as good at. She said: “I can see benefits in learning from and working with industry, private companies, and individuals who have already learned and experienced and developed, from facing some of the issues that the police services are facing.” But those benefits must be for reasons other than saving money, she added.

I brought up another topic where private security overlaps with policing; business crime, and retail theft. As I said, retailers and businesses generally will grumble about police response or lack of it to crimes. What’s to be done?! She said: “You can take this back to when police officers were dedicated to shoplifting and worked hand in hand with retail businesses; everybody knew exactly what they could expect, they knew who the regulars were.” Those anti-shoplifting teams knew the people who stole food; who through personal circumstances had got themselves into difficulty, compared with the organised criminals working the country. Retailers and police and indeed the criminals, she suggested, knew where the boundaries were. “As time has gone on, a gap has grown between what industry wants and what the police can deliver; and the criminals have made use of that.” The role of the police commissioner, she added, is to fill the gap, understanding and translating what the public wants, into what the police do; so that the police, likewise, understand what is required of them. “At the moment, I feel people aren’t quite sure what it is they want; and the police aren’t quite sure what they are trying to cover. And the austerity cuts have definitely had an impact.” While the Government has presented the cuts in terms of reducing police bureaucracy, she queried whether police can deliver what they used to – and by that she means ‘last week’ rather than in a more distant past. Part of the commissioner’s role, she suggested, ‘is to be very clear on what the police are going to deliver on behalf of the public, not what the police thank they should deliver’.

Continuing on crime against retail, she raised what she felt would become a more and more contentious issue; use of ‘out of court resolutions’. In other words, police might deal with a retail thief with a fixed penalty notice rather than through the criminal courts. She pointed outside; we were inside a well-known chain of coffee shops in a small mall of shops in suburban Birmingham, which was as she said a microcosm of what’s in a city. “I would expect a PCSO for this area to know all the staff within these retail stores, to know what their issues are, and to be able to articulate to the policing hierarchy what needs to be done to keep these areas safe and secure. But I would also expect that to be the local police officers as well.” And, as she went on, whether it’s littering or anti-social behaviour, if there is a problem in the area, businesses and everyone have to recognise that the problem is for the wider community too. As she said, the police are seen as the problem-solvers: “The police are part of the solution, but they aren’t the solution.” Police, to sum up, cannot deliver by themselves.
On a more personal note, I asked her why she was putting herself through this? The catalyst, she recalled, was a retired lady from Walsall, a member of neighbourhood watch: “In January I went to a conference, essentially about how funding streams will change. I was listening to what they said about the role [of PCC] and my honest reaction was, ‘good luck’. Whoever gets that role is going to have a really significant challenge.” During a workshop at the conference, the neighbourhood watch woman said that if she were 20 years younger, she would give ‘them’ a run for their money. That planted a seed in Cath: “I thought, I am 20 years younger, I do have knowledge and experience that is relevant to the role, and then I did some research and looked at the other candidates and I followed it for a couple of months and the seed blossomed into the recognition that I have already invested more than 30 years of my career policing the West Midlands , right from being a bobby on the beat through to strategy. So the bottom line for me is, I still live here, my family and friends still live here and if anybody can broker that new relationship between the public and the police, it’s me.”
She brought up the limited information about the elections. Rather than calling the electorate apathetic, she said: “You can’t be apathetic about something you don’t know about, and the vast majority don’t know about the election, or the importance it’s going to have for their safety and security. So I want the West Midlands to wake up and recognize that they cannot be apathetic about their safety and security; they must engage; they must decide on a candidate; and I would encourage them to treat November 15 as ‘independence day’.”

About the elections
Nominations will open on October 8 and close October 19. The first PCC elections will take place on November 15; PCCs will take office November 22. Visit the Home Office website for more – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/police-crime-commissioners/
About West Midlands
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce is holding a hustings on September 25, from 5.30pm, at Chamber House in Harborne Road, postcode B15 3DH. Visit http://www.birmingham-chamber.com/BCCG/Events/EventDetails.aspx?event=3422

About Cath Hannon: visit www.cathhannon4pcc.com. As she says somewhat ruefully, standing for PCC has put back her doctorate in police, security and community safety, that she is doing though the John Grieve Centre at London Metropolitan University, having gained a masters degree in clinical criminology. Her doctorate is to do with the monitoring and management of high-risk offenders. She’s been interviewing senior police and probation officers. At the end of her career in the police, she was concentrating on child protection. ‘Some people might say that was the fluffy end of policing,’ she says, ‘but I met some of the most committed, dedicated and professional people you could ever wish to meet, who were working to tackle some of the worst activities that humans engage in.’ Child exploitation and domestic violence, for example.

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VOTE 4 CATH - WHAT I'M UP TO!

17/9/2012

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Invited to meetings in Sutton Coldfield with Probus and Towns Women Guild. Both very accommodating and asked some searching questions about me and the PCC role. Unsurprisingly, because of the lack of information only a few had heard of the role and election process. If you are a member of a group any where in the West Midlands and you would like to hear me talk for 5 minutes and the rest of the time ask me questions then INVITE ME TO YOU!

LGBT CHAT - Began the week in the company of Andy Morland and Dave Samra (Secretary) members of Pink Shield, a voluntary forum which exists to promote a better understanding between the lesbian, gay. bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) and West Midlands Police.

The primary issues we discussed included;
• Concerns about the reducing levels of trust in the police which is limiting the contact between the LGBT community and police.
• Police staff at all levels but primarily those who provide the initial response to members of the LGBT community lack sensitivity and knowledge about the community.
This lack of sensitivity and knowledge reduces the confidence of LGBT in their contact with the police.
• Reduced reporting of crimes or incidents produces an inaccurate representation of activity within the LGBT community so police and associated resources cannot be deployed appropriately.
• Unreported incidents of hostility and prejudice focused at elderly gay people and transgender individuals.
• Increased levels of unreported same sex domestic violence and lack of police understanding and response to reported incidents

Some of these issues translate across all communities and the described reduction in trust and confidence in the police means that work needs to be done to improve knowledge and awareness.

BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Had a meeting with 2 inspiring ladies Katie Teasdale and Henrietta Brealey who were very knowledgeable about the business community and shared details of a recent members’ survey. It was a really informative and productive meeting.

On Tues 25 September 2012 all the candidates are attending a PCC Hustings: The Big Business Debate where we will be quizzed about our pledges and plans for the business community.
@brumchamber. Come along and test us out, the process will help you decide who you want as your first PCC.

RECRUITING AMBASSADORS - Waiting to see if two potential Ambassadors have decided to join the Campaign Team. I have written to the local education establishments offering volunteer placements with a reference at the end of the process. Are you interested?

Let me know, looking for general support in sharing information about the campaign, IT skills, media knowledge, election experience, innovation and creativity. DON'T BE SHY GET IN TOUCH, via website.

Interviewed by Mark Rowe Editor of Professional Security Magazine regarding policing and business security. Discussed all sorts of issues but it is key that effective law and order is maintained so businesses/industries and other employment opportunities will be available to assist communities and people to flourish. How do you want the police to help support businesses in your area? Let me know #V4C

Met members of Victim Support in Birmingham and talked about how the police deal with victims and areas for improvement and innovation. Victim Support is seeking pledges from PCC candidates to:
• Be open and accountable to victims and witnesses, seeking out and acting on their views.
• Ensure that victims and witnesses get the high quality help and support they need, when they need it.
• Make the police more victim-focused and more effective at meeting their needs.
• Help victims and witnesses to have a louder voice in the wider criminal justice system, and the community.
• Constantly improve the experience of victims.

I agree with these pledges and I see them as an expanded version of the commitment I have already made to improve the management and support for victims and witnesses. #V4C

Visited the offices of BRAP - described as a think fair tank, inspiring and leading change to make public, private and voluntary sector organisations fit for the needs of a more diverse society.

I had a great discussion with three individuals who tested me on my views of stop and search, stop and account and Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, associated to powers to stop, search, detain at ports and airports. The decision to use these powers can be at the discretion of police officers and is subject to arbitrary use.

I am very confident that direct and honest debates with the communities that feel most aggrieved by these processes will resolve these issues. In my experience the issue regarding stop and search of ethnic minority groups has existed since the 1980's and before. These concerns roll on year after year without any resolution, well now is the time to change that and address these issues in a manner that provides a safe, secure and fair outcome for all.

DEVOLVED PUBLIC SERVICE - Joined 'cafe conversation' organised by Common Purpose at the Ramada Hotel in Sutton Coldfield, Very welcoming and hard working staff made sure the guests were
looked after very well. Thank you all.

Invited guests from business, 3rd sector, public services gathered together to network and discuss topics for the evening. I facilitated a discussion on 'Can the public sector ever be held accountable?'

I provided the police as an example (and why wouldn't I). The public sector MUST be held accountable was the answer however the way to make that happen was more complicated. Guests provided examples of privatisation / devolvement scenarios where the accountability was unclear and then no one was accountable for anything. This must not happen with any devolved policing activity.

Many thanks to Fiona Lockyer, Manager at the Ramada for her staff and Tina McIntyre, Common Purpose for hosting the evening.

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HUSTINGS LIST

Tolkien at Edgwood Court, Ladywood

HUSTINGS TONIGHT 25/9/12

VOTE 4 CATH - WHAT I'M UP TO!

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