By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottinghamshire’s new police commissioner says he will be expecting a “robust response” from the force’s Chief Constable to the conduct of officers in the aftermath of the Nottingham attacks.
Labour’s Gary Godden was elected to the position of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), defeating the sitting Conservative PCC Caroline Henry by more than 40,000 votes in the May 2 election.
The Commissioner sets Nottinghamshire Police’s £290m budget, sets out its priorities and holds the force to account on behalf of the public.
Mr Godden was sworn in during an event at Nottingham Castle on Thursday, May 9.
He spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the force being placed in special measures, cuts to Community Protection Officers (CPOs) in Nottingham, and the response to the conduct of a number of officers in the aftermath of the Nottingham attacks.
Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old Ian Coates were fatally stabbed by Valdo Calocane on June 13 last year.
Nottinghamshire Police was criticised by family members in the months following over how its officers had responded to the events.
In January, PC Matthew Gell was found guilty of gross misconduct after he looked up records relating to the Nottingham attacks suspect when he had no part in the investigation.
The force also discovered through a search of PC Gell’s phone that he had forwarded a WhatsApp message with “graphic” descriptions about the incident to two other people outside the force.
He was given a final warning, while another officer received “management intervention”.
A special constable was also dismissed for viewing footage of the incident.
Some of the words were described as “crude and distasteful” by the force’s deputy chief constable, Steve Cooper, and as “abhorrent” by family members.
Mr Godden says he is “expecting a robust response” when he speaks to Chief Constable Kate Meynell about the issue.
“I will be asking the questions a lot of the public are asking around those officers, what has happened to them and what is the plan going forward,” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned that behaviour is not acceptable but that is a matter for me to deal with with the chief and on behalf of the public I will be asking the chief those questions.”
In Nottingham city, the Labour-run City Council recently approved cuts to its Community Protection Officer (CPO) workforce in a bid to save £3m over the next four years.
Between resident services and the CPO workforce, a total of 63 jobs are expected to be cut.
The authority declared effective bankruptcy last year and Government commissioners were appointed in February amid significant financial challenges.
A new leader of the council, Dales ward councillor Neghat Khan, was recently appointed by the Labour Party upon the resignation of Cllr David Mellen.
“There are really difficult challenges at the moment that we have got on a financial perspective and for me it is really important we work in partnership with the City Council to deliver a safer Nottinghamshire for all,” Mr Godden said.
“However we need to look at different ways of generating the funding required to deliver these results.
“I am open and happy to have those discussions with the new leader, Neghat Khan, come May 20, to sit down and work a pathway through to try and make sure that as many of the resources we can keep we do keep them, and there is some form of presence.
“I will be having extensive conversations with Neghat on those subject matters.”
They are not the only challenges Mr Godden now faces.
In March, Nottinghamshire Police was also put into special measures by a watchdog over concerns on how it runs investigations and handles victims.
It must now produce an improvement plan and has been set a deadline of September to make changes.
Mr Godden added: “It is my first day today and I think the way we are going to work is we are going to establish a good relationship with the chief, we are going to hold the chief to account, but within that I will be looking to advise and support a way forward to make sure Nottinghamshire comes out of special measures as quickly as possible.
“This is not easy. It is not an easy job, not an easy task to make sure the resources are put into the right places and we are in very difficult times, both from the City Council point if view and a country point of view and our communities are suffering because of that.
“I think there is trust in the police. Yes, can we improve? Of course we can.
“Are we going to improve? Yes, we are going to improve.”
