Is there a formal policy regarding succession planning within the department for which the Minister is responsible

2.4   Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier of the Minister for Home Affairs regarding succession planning within the departments under Home Affairs:

Does the Minister have a formal policy regarding succession planning within the department for which she is responsible?

Deputy A.D. Lewis of St. John (Assistant Minister for Home Affairs - rapporteur):

I can assure the Deputy that the policy of the department is that every division of Home Affairs must have a succession plan. Each department within Home Affairs deals differently with succession planning and it is the responsibility of the head of department to implement a succession planning process within the department. All operational services within Home Affairs have staff development processes in place so that staff can become eligible for senior positions. Members will appreciate, however, that individual services are different, have different training needs and development needs. Moreover, ours are small unitary services by U.K. standards. Consequently,

factors such as the age profile of senior staff and resourcing assume great significance when assessing eligibility. As all divisions are essential services and, in many cases, require highly specialist staff, it is therefore essential that only the most qualified and experienced candidates form part of any succession planning.

1. Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:

I wonder if the rapporteur could indicate what was achieved in terms of succession planning in the police service during the current chief's first contract and what additional work has been achieved in terms of succession planning in the addition that was made to that contract largely, of course, to achieve that particular aim?

The Deputy of St. John :

Much progress has been made on this very point. In fact, this year we have appointed a superintendent where the post was previously held by somebody from the U.K. and that was very much a local candidate. The other candidates for that position were all local candidates. That lays the foundations for future succession within that particular division of Home Affairs. I would, however, stress that with the issue of the chief officer of the States of Jersey Police, as indeed is the case in most forces in the U.K., it is not policy to necessarily recruit locally for that post. In fact, in the U.K. it is deemed as illegal to do so and there is a good reason for doing that. However, there are senior officers living in the U.K. working for U.K. forces that are originally from Jersey and clearly they will be targeted as part of the succession plan.

2. Deputy J.B. Fox:

Would the Assistant Minister recognise that the way he portrays his communication on this subject, if I was a police officer looking to be a future chief officer in the States of Jersey Police, I do not think I would bother because there are too many negatives and I would be required to spend considerable amounts of time out of the Island away from my family and, when it is quite clear from the words that are being said, that there is no intention of succession planning for a deputy chief officer or a chief officer? Could he give me some reassurance that is not the case?

The Deputy of St. John :

In the case of the deputy chief officer that is certainly not the case, not at all. In fact, I did indicate that by the fact that we have in recent times appointed a superintendent from the force locally. However, it is normal practice that that person should be at least in post for 2 years in that rank before progressing to the next rank, and that would be the same in many other industries and public sector jobs as well. With the chief officer's position, as I said, there are opportunities for local candidates who have got the right experience. They would have to have gone to senior command

school, for example, and there is nobody in the force currently who has done that; that opportunity does exist. I do think, and it is general policy at the moment across most U.K. forces - in fact enshrined in law - that you do not appoint somebody to that top position from the local force. I do not believe it is best practice. I would strongly encourage many people from the Island to seek experience outside the Island. Indeed, many of our officers do, both through secondment, short term and long term, and end up coming back to the force most enriched by the experience and offering much greater managerial capacity to do the jobs that come up.

3. Deputy S. Power of St. Brelade :

Could the Assistant Minister confirm the status of the selection process for the succession of the governor at La Moye Prison and would he acknowledge to the Assembly the gratitude of his department to the professional and hard work of the outgoing governor?

The Deputy of St. John :

In answer to the last part of the Deputy 's question, absolutely and my Minister has said as much so far. We are indebted to him for bringing the prison further forward and managing a couple of projects that have been going on there to the benefit of that service recently. As far as the rest of the issue is concerned, I assume that the Deputy is concerned about succession planning in regard to that post. As Members will realise it is a highly specialist post. It is unlikely that people would have been working in another prison in Jersey because we clearly only have one and it is very refreshing to have people in that particular capacity coming in from much more demanding facilities in the U.K. to help run that prison. However, there is no reason why, in the future, senior officers in that prison should not be considered for the governor's job and local applicants were invited on this occasion and considered.

4. Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire:

I would like to challenge the logic of the chief officer of the police force with the Assistant Minister. Surely if one looks at the logic of the United Kingdom in not appointing a local officer, one is looking in the context of the United Kingdom. Jersey is not in the United Kingdom. Is the Chief Minister saying in future we should adopt policies whereby heads of departments, for example the Attorney General or other people in positions of authority in law, should come from outside of this jurisdiction?

The Deputy of St. John :

Thank you for the promotion, firstly, Deputy . No, I have to disagree with the Deputy . There is very good reason for that type of practice occurring in law enforcement circles and it is not peculiar to the U.K. whatsoever. It is peculiar particularly to small jurisdictions where clearly by having somebody from outside it avoids any possible accusations of ... I hate to use the word "corruption" but that is one of the reasons why it is not occurring in other countries because you simply do not have somebody that is too close to the people heading up that position. We have that already in

Jersey through the Honorary Police Service. That service is very close to the public and that works extremely well. I think the chief officer distancing himself to a certain extent from that is invaluable. If you want community policing, if you want the service to be close to the people, the honorary service do that very well and the lower ranks do that very well. I think it is very important at a senior level that there is never an opportunity to have a finger pointed at that candidate for being in any way inward looking.

5. Deputy J.J. Huet of St. Helier :

Is the Assistant Minister aware that, in polite words, it is called knowing where the bodies are buried?

The Deputy of St. John :

Perhaps I could take the Deputy off line on that one and have it explained to me because I really do

not understand the question. Deputy J.J. Huet:

What it means bluntly is if you have always lived in Jersey and you have always been in the police force you know where the bodies are buried so that is why you have somebody from outside the Island to be the head of the police.

The Deputy of St. John :

I think the analogy has some legs and yes, that is my understanding, that having that oversight from

somebody who has no axes to grind, has no history necessarily in the Island, I think has some

benefit. Clearly, by having somebody else that is senior in the ranks as a deputy or superintendent has its benefits too and that is the aim of the succession plan.

6. Deputy S.C. Ferguson of St. Brelade :

Yes, but would it not be better in the context of police officers and chief of police to look for people

with relevant experience to work in the Island? I really am a little confused as to why a central city

experience or Northern Ireland experience is relevant to policing in Jersey. Surely one of the more shire type of approach is more appropriate?

The Deputy of St. John :

When you are commanding over 250 men and women, whether it be in Jersey, the Isle of Man, Guernsey or anywhere in the U.K., the management process is the same. What we endeavour to do is select the best candidate for the job. That person would need to have gone to senior command school, would have had managerial responsibility at various levels before succeeding to a chief constable position. The object of succession planning is to appoint the best person, man or woman, to the post. That is done by an independent selection process so that we endeavour to get the best person for the job regardless of where they come from. However, it is at the moment, in our minds, desirable to have that post filled from outside the Island but it is not enshrined in law in Jersey.

7. Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:

Could the Assistant Minister confirm that, as Deputy Fox intimated, the total mixed messages that are going out to people essentially make a mockery of local succession planning? Secondly, could he confirm that the chief's mandate to prepare a succession plan over a very lengthy period has again proved a hollow charade?

The Deputy of St. John :

In answer to the last part of the Deputy 's question, absolutely not. The succession planning is working. We have just appointed a superintendent who is from the Island. We have other senior officers, chief inspectors, who are currently undertaking degrees, for example, in criminology and other off-line training and secondments to other forces in the U.K. All this is aimed at preparing them for senior management roles. Those are, of course, superintendent, deputy chief and we would not rule out the chief officer completely at all. Like I say, it would be the best person for the job. It is not enshrined in law that we cannot appoint a chief officer from a local candidate. It would be highly desirable to have somebody, for example, that has a past connection to the Island

and indeed they do exist in the U.K. at the moment working for other forces. That type of

enrichment through career development by leaving the Island and going to another force would be invaluable to Jersey. That is the sort of candidate that we would hope would apply for such a post