Could you be the new Reasonable Grounds Panel Community Co Chair?

The Reasonable Grounds Panel (RGP) was developed by Northamptonshire Police as an innovative approach to regulating Police stop and search. The Northamptonshire Stop & Search Working Group has announced that it currently has a vacancy for a volunteer co-chair to join this vital community forum which is attended by members of the community from across Northamptonshire, working together with police leaders to review and hold the Force to account in its use of stop and search techniques and improve the force’s ethical, proportionate use of the tool.

This is a voluntary role with no financial recompense. The minimum age for any potential candidates is 18.

Duties to include:

• To chair meetings of the RGP including agreeing with the Police Chair, panel case items and any other relevant issue to facilitate this meeting.
• To represent the RGP both internally and externally.
• In support of the aims of the group to liaise with the media alongside the Police Chair.
• To discuss, agree with members of the RGP any reasonable grounds issues in relation to stop and search and refer them to the Stop and Search Working Group (SSWG) for consideration.
• Community Co-Chair to assist the Police Chair in accessing our most affected communities to ensure that the RGP gives them an active part to play in the ethical, effective, and open to scrutiny approach to stop and search.
• Support the police chair in the collation of evidence for all HMIC visits and inspections regimes supported by Northamptonshire Police Corporate Services.
• Chairs to attend regular meetings with the Assistant Chief Constable that relate to issues of concern about either use of powers or any issues raised from the Panel and produce a quarterly update report for the force.
• Assist in the planning and delivery of both written/verbal annual feedback events across the whole county as to the working partnership between the Police and these two strategic/operational structures.
• To agree with Police Chair any trends or bespoke RGP activity to better understand disproportionality or other Stop and Search related issues.

The application process is as follows:

• Submit a 150-word statement matching your experiences to each element of the RGP Community Co-Chair role description.
• Describe what you will do as RGP Community Co-Chair to support the engagement of the community at all RGP's.
• Detail how you will ensure as RGP Community Co-Chair that you will support the Police Co-Chair in providing direct operational feedback to the SSWG meetings.
• Provide examples of your experiences chairing meetings with diverse communities
• Identify what you know about Reasonable Grounds in the context of Use of Powers (UOP)
• List of success in engagement with young people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities who are overrepresented in terms of Northants Police Use of Powers (UOP)
• Personal experience or knowledge of the impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic heritage males in terms of Northants Police UOP

The successful applicant will be selected by an Election Panel made up of Stop & Search Working Group Community and Police members.

How you can apply:

If you have any questions or require any addition information, please email Lesley Smith.

To apply please email your Election Statement to [email protected] by 4pm on Monday 11^th October 2021.