Avon and Somerset Police - What Does Current Commissioner Sue Mountstevens Think?

The Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner
Website and PCC Sue Mountstevens

Late last year, Somerset Independents Leader Andrew Pope sent a set of questions to the current Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens. 

The questions were devised in co-ordination with Somerset residents from listening to the views expressed by them.

Below are some of Ms Mountstevens' responses. We provide them for public information and in the public interest, because Ms Mountstevens is not seeking re-election at May's PCC elections for Avon and Somerset. She was elected as an Independent candidate.

Andrew Pope responds with his views, which have been formed by: 

Andrew Pope

 

• two decades as a campaigner and eight years as an elected local councillor, listening to and acting for residents on policing and crime issues and working with police officers and helping residents with Neighbourhood Watch and feeding back their views on police priorities
  
• speaking at the Police and Crime Panel, against Ms Mountstevens' budget increases and mismanagement of the Police's money,
  
• listening to Somerset residents including those who are supporters of Somerset Independents, concerned about the Police and Crime Commissioner and how she has "gone native" in not representing residents
  
• speaking with former and current police officers and 
• speaking with former Independent members of the Police and Crime Panel.
  

 

We would like to hear from all PCC candidates as to their views on how they view the role of PCC and to hear their responses to the same questions.

 

In her response, Sue Mountstevens made a general comment:

"The role of the PCC is to be the voice of local people in policing and to hold the Chief Constable to account. The aim of all PCC’s is to ensure the delivery of an effective and efficient police service within their force area. 

PCC’s are responsible for the ‘totality of policing’ (all of policing, not just some parts of it) but it is important that they enable the police service and Chief Constable to operate independently. The role does not include operational policing matters, such as Police Officer deployment, the investigation of criminal activity and other law enforcement functions, which are under the independent direction and control of the Chief Constable. The PCC provides the Chief Constable with the annual budget and it is for the Chief Constable to allocate it effectively to support the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan which can be viewed here.

PCC’s will ensure that community needs are met by the police effectively. They work in partnership with a range of agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime."

So to the PCC's responses to our questions. 

1. We asked Sue Mountstevens about her being an "Independent" PCC:

"As advocates of independent elected representatives, we believe that the reputation of all independent elected representatives needs to be upheld, according to the Nolan Principles. This is one of the tenets that we believe distinguishes independents from the Westminster parties who regularly tarnish public office, elected representatives and the Principles.

You were elected as an Independent PCC. Hence why we are contacting you."

Sue Mountstevens replied:

"I am one of only four Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) across the country that are not aligned to a Westminster political party and therefore considered independent of party politics. I am not a politician and during my terms as PCC I have strived to keep politics out of policing."

Andrew Pope comments:

"If Sue Mountstevens claims to keep politics out of policing, then why did she ask the Chief Constable Andy Marsh to present HER budget at the Police and Crime Panel?

According to Panel members, this is normal. But it is wrong. It is HER budget, as she has admitted in her response. She said "The PCC provides the Chief Constable with the annual budget".

So why didn't she present the Budget? In any council budget setting meeting, it is the elected representatives that present the Budget for the Council. So instead of keeping politics out of policing, Sue Mountstevens has politicised the Chief Constable. This is wrong and doing the exact opposite of what she claims.

As for being an "Independent" PCC, I do not agree. Somerset Independents has a set of criteria of what makes a truly independent elected representative. The criteria are lengthy but we have tested them with our colleagues in other parts of the England and Wales and applied them to Somerset's independent councillors. Many of those so-called "Independent" Somerset district and county councillors fall very short of those criteria.

Sue Mountstevens also falls short of those criteria for an Independent, especially in the light of the findings of the investigation into how she appointed John Smith, her Deputy PCC."

 

2. We asked Sue Mountstevens about her appointment of John Smith as her Deputy PCC. We also asked her about the Nolan Principles, which all public servants are bound by. We said:

"Residents and members of the Police and Crime Panel have expressed concern regarding the appointment of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner as reported by the BBC. We share the concerns expressed about the Chief Constable appearing to endorse the Deputy, especially as you also endorsed Mr Smith as a candidate for the postponed 2020 PCC elections.

Please could you explain how and why you allowed this chain of events to occur, and whether and why you think that you have upheld the Nolan Principles in doing so?"

Ms Mountstevens replied:

"Mr Smith was appointed as Deputy PCC after the global pandemic caused significant increase in the role of the PCC. There is no specific guidance on appointing a deputy and this resulted in appointment through a transparent process that was approved by a majority vote by the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Panel. I believe that staying on for another year despite my intention to stand down and seeking support to enable me to deliver on the needs of the community is a clear demonstration of the Nolan Principles and I continue to do all I can to ensure that my team and I can rise to the very real challenge posed by the current climate."

Andrew Pope comments:

"As with the Budget, Ms Mountstevens has politicised the Chief Constable by him appearing to endorse Mr Smith.

PCC's are political roles and the Chief should not be commenting on any such appointment. Indeed, the PCC is there to hold the PCC to account, so any comments would be entirely inappropriate.

Yet that is precisely what happened! The BBC report clearly states that, and I quote:

"Chief Constable Andy Marsh wrote a letter backing Mr Smith as the deputy, which has been criticised as the PCC should hold the force to account."

I have asked her to justify it in the letter that we sent her, but Sue Mountstevens has not given a convincing answer.

And she did not mention the Nolan Principles in reference to her questionable appointment of Mr Smith."

3.  We asked about the boundaries of Avon and Somerset for policing:

"Do you think it is appropriate that “Avon” is connected to Somerset for the Police, but not for any other public service, boundary or role, except perhaps for aspects of the NHS? Would you agree that the priorities for “Avon” are very different to the priorities for Somerset? And thereby resources that should be available for Somerset are taken away for Avon’s use instead? Therefore shouldn’t Avon be detached from Somerset for Policing?"

 Ms Mountstevens said:

"Avon and Somerset Police operate a borderless policing approach that ensures an
appropriate level of resources across the force area but the ability to move and flex across the force area dependent on demand. For example, if an incident in Somerset required additional and specialist resources then resources from across the force area could be deployed to where they are needed most. I do recognise that the difference between the crime types experienced in the urban areas in comparison to the more rural areas, and it is incumbent on local policing commanders to ensure that their local policing teams understand the offending in their areas and work with their communities to problem solve, disrupt and deter offending."

4. We also challenged the level of the public's support claimed by Sue Mountstevens as PCC, using questionable statistics and a questionable survey. We asked:

"[On the PCC website], you claim that the “majority” of people who responded to your survey on policing, supported the approach. Yet it was very close - a 51% to 49% split. Do you feel that the article on your website was therefore exaggerating the extent to which your Police service has consent from the public, in terms of “policing by consent”? Why do you feel that the positive response was so close to the negative response?"

Ms Mountstevens said:

"51% of respondents agree that Avon and Somerset Police has got the right balance between engaging with local people and enforcing the coronavirus regulations, while 40% believe the police are not doing enough to enforce the health emergency rules. The remaining 9% who completed the survey believe the police are enforcing coronavirus restrictions too much. Avon and Somerset Police has adopted a step change more recently in their approach with a clear focus on explain, engage and encourage but with a swifter move to enforcement options when people refuse to engage with direction."

Andrew Pope comments:

"I will let the response from Sue Mountstevens speak for itself, apart from to say that she as PCC also used dodgy statistics over the Police Budget."

5. We also asked Ms Mountstevens a set of questions about Coronavirus, the Glastonbury Festival and other large events such as at the Bath and West Showground. We want to see Somerset residents protected.

Her response was very disappointing:

"Your questions relate to operational policing matters that are subject to discussion and decision-making between the police and the event leads. If you wish to obtain further information on this I would advise you to contact Avon and Somerset Police for the information that you seek. As PCC, I am unable to answer the questions that you have raised."

Andrew Pope comments:

"I've heard this many times from PCC's when I have questioned them.

It seems to be the stock response when they don't want to answer.

She is the elected representative, there to answer for the Police's performance. But when I pass on concerns from the public about the licensing objectives which include public safety, Ms Mountstevens avoided the question.

How disappointing. The Police should be there, working with local authorities to protect us all, and the resources should be prioritised to do that, instead of spending money on new buildings for the Police and spending a fortune on IT."

 

Somerset Independents will continue holding elected representatives to account.

Standing Up For Residents