JAC Annual Report 2022/23

Membership and meetings

Members of the JAC are recruited openly and appointed for a period of 4 years, renewable once. Following a public recruitment exercise, Dr Sue Martin joined the JAC in March 2022.

During 2022-23 the JAC met on 5 occasions on the dates set out in Appendix B at the end of this report.  Meetings were routinely attended by Internal and External Audit, the Chief Executive of the PCC’s Office, Chief Financial Officers of the PCC and the Force, the Force Director of Support Services and the Force Deputy Chief Officer. Other senior management from the PCC’s office and the Force attended as necessary. Following each meeting, the JAC Chair wrote to the PCC and the CC to identify matters of note.

The JAC held meetings in private with Internal Audit and External Audit. The JAC has also been briefed by staff and officers of the PCC and CC on emerging issues, including significant matters relating to the Force Estate.

In addition, members of the JAC individually attended online (as observers) a number of the Force’s risk, performance review and other meetings in order to seek assurance on risk and governance issues. This activity remains a useful source of assurance as well as providing context for meetings of the JAC.

The CC and PCC do not routinely attend each meeting of the JAC, but the PCC joined the meeting in September 2022 providing his annual report. Both the CC and PCC met jointly with JAC members in March 2023 to consider key issues in the policing of Kent and the work of the PCC, including discussions of financial matters, and to answer various questions raised by JAC members. The JAC has been assured by the CC and PCC that they are fully briefed as to the issues and challenges discussed at each JAC meeting.  In addition, the Chair of the JAC meets with the CC and PCC annually.