Collaboration Agreements

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Section 23E of the Police Act 1996 (which itself comes from section 5 the Policing and Crime Act 2009) places on the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable a duty to publish copies of collaboration agreements to which they are party.

October 2013 (supplemented March 2015) – North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU)

Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Durham Police & Crime Commissioner, Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner, Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary & Chief Constable of Northumbria Police with the North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU)

The objective of the arrangement is to provide additional capacity and capability across the region to tackle serious and organised crime. The agreement was varied in April 2015 to incorporate additional regional functions. Please note: A copy of this collaboration agreement is not available online on the grounds that publication could reveal – and therefore undermine the effectiveness of- operational tactics. In order to comply with the publication requirements under Section 23e of the Police Act 1996. the Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria is publishing the title and objective of the agreement (as shown above).

February 2015 (Supplemented January 2018) – NATIONAL POLICE COLLABORATION AGREEMENT

The National Police Collaboration Agreement sets out how police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners will collaborate and coordinate nationally and help establish the National Police Chief’s Council based on the agreement of Chief Constables, Police and Crime Commissioners and the Home Secretary. This has been signed by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria and the Chief constable for Northumbria.

National Police Collaboration Agreement Part 1 (PDF)

National Police Collaboration Agreement Part 2 (PDF)

July 2015 – NATIONAL POLICE CO-ORDINATION CENTRE

The National Police Co-ordination Centre will enable operationally independent and locally accountable Chief Officers to co-ordinate national operations on behalf of the Chief Officers in order to protect the public. The Parties have agreed to collaborate with each other in relation to the running, the carrying out of the functions, the funding and the establishment of NPoCC.

NPoCC Sec 22a collaboration agreement

November 2015 – CIVIL NUCLEAR CONSTABULARY – Section 22a Collaboration Agreement

All Home Office Police Forces have been requested to enter into a formal collaboration agreement with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). The CNC is an armed police service responsible for the protection of civil nuclear material at sites across the UK. Their officers have the full powers of a Constable at licensed sites and 5 kilometres beyond the boundary and anywhere whilst escorting nuclear material. The purpose of the Section 22A collaboration Agreement is to provide a lawful basis for the CNC to assist Home Office Police Forces when authorised to do so, as a simple alternative to the Energy Act 2004.

A copy of this collaboration agreement is not available online on the grounds that publication could reveal – and therefore undermine the effectiveness of operational tactics. In order to comply with the publication requirements under Section 23e of the Police Act 1996. the Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria is publishing the title and objective of the agreement (as shown above).

November 2015 – SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT SERVICE – Section 22a Collaboration Agreement

The force has entered into a formal collaboration agreement to share the Durham Constabulary scientific support laboratory and facilities which are ISO accredited, to enable the Force to provide a fingerprint enhancement service which will meet national quality standards for the foreseeable future.

December 2015 – Police and Crime Commissioners’ and Chief Constables’ North East (NPCC NE) Region – Collaboration Agreement

A number and variety of collaborative arrangements for the delivery of policing services are already in place nationally and across the NPCC NE Region. On behalf of the Region, as part of responsibilities under an agreed “lead force” model, North Yorkshire Police has undertaken a review of the two services of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) and the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) aspect of the wider Civil Contingencies response. From this review, outline business cases for these service responses have been formally approved by the Region’s Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners including the recommendation:

“A single Section 22A Agreement between all seven forces in the Region is required to form the legal basis for collaborative working.

A sub-functional agreement specifically for CBRN (and for DVI) is also required to detail bespoke arrangements not specified in the overarching Section 22A Agreement.”

Thus this new Agreement provides a single, overarching legal agreement for the entirety of the NPCC NE Region’s seven policing services, and other partners, for collaboration. This Agreement was signed by the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable for Northumbria in December 2015. The two sub-functional Agreements for CBRN and DVI have now also been agreed and signed.

In September 2018 the Commissioner and Chief Constable signed a sub functional agreement relating to Digital Forensics with further information available in the following link Digital Forensics North East Regional Sub-functional Collaboration Section 22A

As joint working progresses individual sub-functional service agreements may be added to this overarching Agreement rather than requiring a new Section 22A Agreement each time.

September 2016 – ACRO Criminal Records Office Section 22A Collaboration Agreement

The Commissioner and Chief Constable were presented with the above Section 22A agreement on 15th September 2016 where agreement was given by both parties.

The management of criminal records is a national service that has been carried out by ACRO, as part of Hampshire Constabulary since 2014. To help formalise this arrangement, a national S.22 collaboration agreement has been developed to provide governance for this service provision.

September 2016 – National Police Collaboration Agreement in Relation to the Property and Wireless Interference Authorisations Pursuant to Section 93 of the Police Act 1997

The Commissioner and Chief Constable were presented with the above Section 22A agreement on the 15th September where agreement was given by both parties.

February 2017 – Agreement regarding CHIS Authorisation

The NPCC has agreed to implement a national collaboration agreement to support CHIS (covert human intelligence sources) authorisation for the purposes of counter terrorism and combating domestic extremism which was signed by agreed by the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable.

A copy of this collaboration agreement is not available online on the grounds that publication could reveal – and therefore undermine the effectiveness of operational tactics. In order to comply with the publication requirements under Section 23e of the Police Act 1996. The Police & Crime Commissioner for Northumbria is publishing the title and brief description of the agreement (as shown above).

April 2017 – NABIS (National Ballistics Intelligence Service) Collaboration Agreement

Establishment of the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (“NABIS”)

A copy of this collaboration agreement is not available online on the grounds that publication could reveal – and therefore undermine the effectiveness of operational tactics. In order to comply with the publication requirements under Section 23e of the Police Act 1996, only the title of the agreement has been published.

June 2017 – Strategically Aligned Forensic Service between Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables for Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary

A collaboration agreement between Durham and Northumbria for joint forensic service facilities based within Durham premises.

Due to the nature of this collaboration, the Police and Crime Commissioner is only publishing the title and objective of this agreement.

February 2018 – Collaboration Agreement relating to National Vehicle Crime (NAVCIS), the National Police Freedom of Information and Data Protection Unit (NPFDU) and the National Wildlife and Crime Unit (NWCU)

Following the Parker Review, a number of national policing functions have been embodied in national collaboration agreements to ensure their continuity in a formalised manner. In this particular instance, 3 of those functions – the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, the National Police Freedom of Information and Data Protection Unit and the National Wildlife Service – are to be formalised in a single collaboration agreement.

A copy of the collaboration agreement can be accessed by clicking on the following link collaboration agreement

April 2018 – Modern Slavery Police Transformation Fund Programme

Forces nationally are asked to sign a s.22 collaboration agreement to support a programme of further development of the modern slavery agenda taking forward recommendations made in a review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. There are no legal, financial or operational issues in relation to the agreement.

A copy of the collaboration agreement can be found at the following link Modern Slavery Police Transformation Fund Programme Section 22a agreement

July 2018 – Regional Collaboration Agreement for a single Dedicated Source Unit for the North East Counter Terrorism Unit

In October 2016, the Chief Officers of the seven regional police forces (Cleveland, Durham, Humberside, Northumbria, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire) agreed to create a single Dedicated Source Unit (DSU) for the north east region and to create a regional authorising officer post to provide authorities on all covert human intelligence sources (CHIS).

A regional s.22 agreement has been completed and signed off in relation to CHIS authorisation at the end of last year.

The Agreement now implements the single DSU.

Due to the nature of this collaboration, the Police and Crime Commissioner is only publishing the title and objective of this agreement.

29th November 2018 – Fire Investigation Collaboration

That the function of Fire Investigation undertaken by both of the Fire Services within the force area are addressed within Northumbria Police’s ISO Accreditation, with Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable to act as the legal entity for the Fire Investigation activities.

Fire investigation collaboration agreement

27th June 2019 – Single Online Home Section 22A Agreement

Since February 2019, a number of updates have been received from CC Simon Cole in relation to progress with Single Online Home transition, and the Section 22 agreement, reaffirming the need for all forces to sign the document by 14th June to secure the necessary governance and payment arrangements for the Police.uk service.

The current Police.uk service will transition to the SOH platform from 1st August 2019, with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) being the contracting authority.

A copy of the Section 22A agreement which was signed by the Acting Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable can be found by clicking on the following link Single Online Home Section 22A Agreement

19th September 2019 – National police collaboration agreement in relation To: (a) property interference authorisations pursuant To section 93 of the police act 1997 And (b) targeted equipment interferance pursuant to inter Alia s.106 of the investigatory powers act 2016

The three North East Forces have a collaboration agreement under RIPA with regards to property interference. This allows the Chief Constables of each Force to authorise property interference which extends into the other two Force areas. Equipment interference used to be covered under this legislation.

Authority for equipment interference is no longer covered under RIPA, and therefore falls outside of the previously agreed collaboration.

The Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) now covers ‘targeted equipment intercept’ and the paper asks for an amended S22 agreement between the three Forces to cover this change in legislation.

Due to the nature of this collaboration, the Police and Crime Commissioner is only publishing the title and objective of this agreement.

23rd January 2020 – Ammended S.22A Collaboration Agreement – in relation to the Modern Slavery Police Transformation Programme.

The Police and Crime Commissioner agreed the amended Section 22A agreement which supersedes the original section 22a agreement signed in April 2018.

Modern Slavery Programme S.22a Agreement

28th August 2020 – Forensic Collision Investigation Network (FCIN) S22a Legal Agreement

The Forensic Collision Investigation Network (FCIN) have finalised the S22a legal agreement that details the collaborative model, hosted by North Wales Police. The Commissioner and Chief Constable agreed to sign this agreement to formalise the national agreement and begin the journey to become part of the FCIN and achieve ISO 17020 accreditation in Forensic Collision Investigation by October 2022.