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14 July 2026
Record of actions and decisions
Title: Chief Officer's Management Board - Strategic
Date: Tuesday 14 July 2026 at 1pm
Venue: Clift Room, Sutton Road HQ
Attendees
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| A/CC Peter Ayling | Acting Chief Constable |
| Ch/Supt Neil Loudon | Rep. Local Policing Directorate |
| T/ACC Tracey Quiller | Central Operations Directorate |
| T/ACC Simon Thompson | Crime Directorate |
| ACC Simon Wilson | Serious Crime Directorate |
| ACO Richard Leicester | Director of HR and L&D |
| ACO Gavin McKinnon | Director of Communications |
| A/ACO David Jedrzejewski | Rep. Director of Support Services Directorate |
| PSE Gary Beautridge (item 4) | Head of Corporate Services |
| PSE Nicola Endacott (item 4) | Head of Intelligence & Data Analysis |
| PSE M Chinavicharana-Mole (item 5) | Head IT Portfolio & Business Engagement |
| PSE Natalie Hardy (item 10) | Head of Internal Comms & Marketing |
| PSE Alexa Fox (items 6 & 11) | Head of HR Resourcing |
| ACO Claire Medhurst (item 12) | Director of Support Services Directorate |
| PSE Sonya Gransden | Chief of Staff |
| DI Neil Martin | Staff Officer to DCC |
| PSE Catherine Hughes (minutes) | Executive Assistant to CC |
Apologies
- CC Tim Smith KPM
- ACC Nigel Brookes
- PSE Jonathan Castle
1. Approval of the record from Tuesday 30 June 2026
The record of the previous meeting was approved.
2. Matters arising/action updates
03/26 – ACO Leicester provided an update, and the item was carried forward to 25 August.
16/26 – the update was noted and the action discharged.
17/26 – the update was noted and the action discharged.
4. Force performance management framework
PSE Beautridge presented the papers and outlined that the new framework is a fundamental redesign, aligning with the national Police Performance Management Framework and local needs, aiming to simplify reporting, strengthen leadership, and improve organisational accountability.
Chief Officers approved the refreshed framework for launch, including agreement of its purpose, design principles and governance expectations.
Chief Officers endorsed:
- a clear communications and engagement plan will be developed, setting out what will change, what will remain the same, and what is expected of leaders, analysts and governance forums.
- an initial governance cycle and reporting cadence is established, including standard agendas, pack structures, ownership, action tracking and escalation routes across force, command and team levels.
- early adoption focuses on priority areas where risk, harm or organisational focus requires early grip, supported by targeted deep-dives and learning to refine products and processes before wider rollout.
- implementation and delivery success is reviewed at 6 and 12 months and reported into the Strategic Coordination Group. The review with include inspection findings, risks, benefits and progress.
- a detailed implementation plan is developed, including a communications and engagement approach and workshops with commanders and performance leads to support consistent identification, escalation and management of performance challenges.
- current consultation and community insight processes are reviewed and strengthened to provide more granular diagnostic insight and local proxy measures, recognising that force-level crime survey for England and Wales data alone is insufficient to support targeted intervention and local monitoring.
5. IT projects quarterly update
PSE Chinavicharana-Mole presented the paper as previously shared and highlighted key points including progress on intelligent automation, the victim journey and contact management programme, digital forensics platform challenges, and tactical IT projects.
The paper was noted and there were no decisions or actions.
7. Force Vulnerability Board proposal
T/ACC Thompson presented the paper as previously shared providing an overview of the redesign of Kent Police’s vulnerability governance through the implementation of a Force Vulnerability Board which will replace the Force Public Protection Board. Mr Thompson highlighted the rationale for change, how the new model was developed, and what has changed including how the new governance will operate.
Chief Officers were supportive of the change and there were no decisions or actions.
8. Risk appetite proposal
A/ACO Jedrzejewski presented the paper as previously shared outlining the proposed strategy for the enhancement of the existing approach to risk appetite and tolerance at the strategic and tactical level. He noted the proposal builds on the existing model and reflects developments in national best practice and the increased maturity of risk management within the organisation.
Chief Officers discussed the practical impact, the need for simplification at operational levels, and the importance of consistent application. The proposal was approved with agreement to review and adjust the process for practical application at both strategic and practitioner levels as needed.
10. Command floor design
PSE Hardy presented two design concepts for a refresh of the visitor facing areas on the Command Floor featuring predominantly historical images, with interchangeable picture boards. Chief Officers preferred style A and discussed the need to include modern representation, and the opportunity to expand similar designs with a local focus to other sites.
6. Online assessment efficiency review
PSE Fox presented the paper as previously shared providing an analysis of Kent Police Online Assessment (OA) performance, with a focus on overall pass rates, candidate outcomes by demographic group, and trends over time. The paper sets Kent’s performance in the context of the national benchmark to identify areas of strength and development. Areas for immediate action were identified and include mandatory in-person briefings for candidates, ongoing benchmarking with other forces, and further engagement with the College of Policing to identify additional support.
The paper was noted and there were no decisions or actions.
9. Any other business
There was no further business for the open session.
CLOSED SESSION - no record taken
Date of next meeting
Tuesday 28 July 2026, 1pm, Clift Room.