The external inspection report of South Yorkshire Police is particularly important this year - Dr Alan Billings

The Chief Constable listens and either tells me there and then what she might do, or says she will go away and talk to her staff and then report back – or whatever.

On the other hand, the Chief Constable tells me about matters on her mind, sometimes positive and good, sometimes causes of concern.

I also have a more formal occasion. Each month I have a meeting with the senior command team (SCT) – Chief, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief Constables, the (civilian) Chief Officer and the District Commanders.

These meetings alternate between a private gathering and a public one. The latter is live streamed and recorded and is accessible from the website. The media are present, local councillors and any members of the public who wish to come. The public can also ask questions.

At these meetings the SCT presents reports showing how the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan are being met and whether the spending is keeping to budget as the year progresses. These formal public meetings are important as a means of showing to the wider public that their questions and concerns are indeed being raised with officers and properly and satisfactorily dealt with.

I am also helped to hold the force to account in other ways. There are, for example, some key committees and panels that I rely on for doing some of this work. These consist of small numbers of people with independent chairs, recruited through open competition, who look in some depth at particular areas of activity.

I also have small teams of Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs). These are volunteer members of the public who go in pairs, unannounced into our three custody suites – in Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield (which serves Rotherham as well). They have a checklist of things to look out for to ensure that those who are detained in custody are treated reasonably.

And I rely on the external inspections of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). HMI inspected South Yorkshire police last summer. I need their detailed report to check against my own feelings and findings.

It is particularly important this year because since the last inspection we have had a new Chief Constable and a new SCT. The last report said the force was ‘good’ overall – a great achievement under Chief Constable Stephen Watson, now leading Greater Manchester police – especially when you remember that in 2016 the inspectors had found SYP ‘requires improvement’.

When I appointed the present Chief, Lauren Poultney, in 2021, therefore, I said the task now was to consolidate that position and steadily improve on it. The impression I have from all my holding to account mechanisms is that this is the position. But I need the external check of HMI to be sure.

A shortened version of the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire’s latest blog post.