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Jersey Police Complaints Authority: re-appointment of members [P.117/2019]

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STATES OF JERSEY

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JERSEY POLICE COMPLAINTS AUTHORITY: RE-APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS

Lodged au Greffe on 12th November 2019 by the Minister for Home Affairs

STATES GREFFE

2019  P.117

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

in accordance with Article 2 of, and the Schedule to, the Police (Complaints and Discipline) (Jersey) Law 1999, to re-appoint Mr. Howard Cooper as Chairman and  Mr.  Matthew  Swan  and  Mrs.  Rachel  Catchpole  as  members  of  the Jersey Police Complaints Authority for a period of 3 years, commencing on 1st January 2020.

MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS

REPORT

Jersey Police Complaints Authority ("JPCA") membership

Paragraph 1(1) of the Schedule to the Police (Complaints and Discipline) (Jersey) Law 1999 (the "1999 Law") stipulates that the JPCA "shall consist of a Chairman and not less than 6 or more than 8 other members".

The current membership of the JPCA is as follows –

Appointed 1st January 2017 for 3 years (see P.104/2016) Mr. H. Cooper (Chairman)

Re-appointed 1st May 2019 for 3 years (see P.32/2019)

Mr. G. Marett

Mrs. D. Taylor -Cox

Appointed on 2nd July 2018 for 3 years (see P.80/2018) Mr. Graham Jennings

Appointed 10th March 2018 for 3 years (see P.9/2018) Mrs. Gail McCourt

Mr. Duncan Baxter

Appointed 1st January 2017 for 3 years (see P.118/2016)

Mrs. R. Catchpole Mr. M. Swan.

Re-appointments

As outlined above, the JPCA is currently constituted of a Chairman and 7 members, and is  therefore  compliant  with  the  1999  Law.  The  re-appointments  of  Mr. Cooper, Mr. Swan and Mrs. Catchpole will ensure that the Authority remains compliant.

Mr. Cooper was first appointed to the Authority as a member on 6th March 2013, and was subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman on 1st January 2015, and Chairman on 1st January 2017.

Whilst the Law requires the appointment to be for a 3 year term, Mr. Cooper has indicated his intention to resign from office at the end of 2020 (after 8 years of service), by which time a suitable successor will have been identified either from within the Authority or following a recruitment campaign.

Mr. Swan and Mrs. Catchpole have completed their first term and have agreed to stand for a further 3 year term. Mrs. Catchpole took on the role of Deputy Chairman in March 2018 and has also agreed to continue in this role, subject to States Assembly approval.

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P.117/2019

Resignation

Paragraphs 3(1) and (2) of the Schedule to the 1999 Law stipulate that a member may resign from office at any time, and that the Minister will notify the States. Mr. Graham Jennings has tendered his resignation to the Minister, citing personal reasons which mean he is unable to completely fulfil his duties as a member of the Authority. The Minister would like to thank Mr. Jennings for his service.

Biography – Mr. Howard Cooper

Until 2012, Mr. Cooper was the Assistant Headteacher at Hautlieu School, where he had worked since 1976. Prior to becoming the Assistant Headteacher, he held positions as teacher of Design and Technology, Head of Sixth Form, and subsequently Director of Sixth Form Studies. During this period, he also undertook an exchange teaching post for one year in Australia. Before joining Hautlieu School, Mr. Cooper worked as a product development engineer for British Industrial Plastics, where he had previously completed an engineering training programme.

Mr. Cooper holds a Certificate in Education from Alsager College of Higher Education, and a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Exeter. He is a Trustee of the Hautlieu School Fund and a member of the Management Committee of the Royal Jersey Golf Club.

Biography – Mrs. Rachel Catchpole

Mrs. Catchpole graduated from UCL in 2001 with an LLB in Law before attending the Inns of Court School of Law in London. Following the completion of a 2 year training contract, she qualified as a solicitor in 2004. Mrs. Catchpole practised law at a major international law firm for 8 years, where she specialised in international arbitration, predominantly in relation to multi-million-dollar construction and energy projects. She moved to Jersey with her husband in 2012 and currently works as a freelance legal consultant.

Biography – Mr. Matthew Swan

Mr. Swan qualified as a Jersey advocate in 1999. He recently retired in 2015 as a partner of Ogier, having been managing partner of the Jersey law firm and head of the Banking and Finance Team. He has qualified as an English solicitor and a Cayman attorney. He is a Commissioner of the Jersey Gambling Commission, a member of the Board of Examiners  for the Jersey  Advocates' and  Solicitors' examination, and is actively involved in the Jersey Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Financial and manpower implications

The posts are honorary, although reasonable expenses can be claimed.

There are no additional financial or manpower implications for the States arising from this proposition.

Related Publications

Votes

Vote: Adopted 10 December 2019

Minutes

Hansard