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Recruitment of Chief Officer of States of Jersey Police

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WQ.372/2019

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATES EMPLOYMENT BOARD BY DEPUTY M.R. LE HEGARAT OF ST. HELIER

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2019

Question

Is the States Employment Board confident that potential candidates will not have been discouraged from applying for what may appear to be a pre-determined process following the publication of an article in the Jersey Evening Post dated 22nd July 2019 entitled Is it time for an Islander to hold the post of police chief?'; is there also confidence that the number of applicants will allow a selection of high-quality experienced officers to be shortlisted for interview; is it envisaged that any measures will be necessary to mitigate potential complaints that the States have not embarked upon a fair and transparent process and, if so, has the Communications Unit been consulted?

Answer

The recruitment of the Chief of Police is overseen by the Jersey Appointments Commission (JAC) who ultimately will provide assurance about the veracity and robustness of the recruitment process. In all cases, SEB will require assurance from the JAC that there is a credible and objective recruitment process.

Following the publication of the article, the Group Director for People & Corporate Services (PCS) consulted the Chair of the JAC and the Minister for Home Affairs. It was agreed that additional oversight would be put in place to refer any queries or concerns from candidates through to the Group Director, PCS who would brief the Minister and JAC of any emerging issues or concerns.

One query was received and resolved to the satisfaction of the candidate. No candidates have withdrawn because of the article.

The Government of Jersey's Communications Directorate did not arrange the interview and is not involved in any recruitment decisions.