19 August 2026
Minutes of Meeting
Meeting: Chief Officer Team Board
Venue: Haigh Room, Alverton Court
Date and Time: 19th August 2026 9:30am – 1:00pm
ITEM 1: ATTENDANCE
CC T Forber - Chair
DCC S Bisset
ACC C Clarke– Local Policing and Safeguarding
ACC B Moseley - Crime and Operational Support
L Branford -White – Director of Finance
R Baran – Director of Corporate Development
K Russell – T/Head of Corporate Communications
Sgt L Najalia – Staff Officer to DCC
S Gardiner – Governance Support Officer
APOLOGIES
ACO L Stitt – Assistant Chief Officer
ITEM 2: Review of Minutes
Summary of Discussion:
The minutes of the meeting held on the 5th August were reviewed and approved.
ITEM 3: Review of Action Log
Summary of Discussion:
ACTION #18. Strategic Commercial Meeting. The meeting had taken place. Contract Management Training and Testing will be progress by the Strategic Commercial Group. Closed
ACTION #19. NICHE. Single Source Guidance had been circulated to reinforce Niche processes and standards. Closed.
ACTION #20. Quarterly Performance Meetings. Confirmation provided Business Partners are providing sickness data. Closed.
ITEM 4: Monthly Performance Update
Summary of Discussion:
Head of Data and Insight and Chief Inspector Operational Performance and Continuous Improvement joined the meeting.
The COT was provided with a briefing on July performance.
Response times had remained strong in terms of compliance, even over the summer demand period. Immediate attendance remained in the mid to high 80% range and Priority grades were holding at around 80%. The force is 10th in the UK for 999 call handling.
Total crime was up 3.7%, this has increased seen since April.
A discussion took place around harassment.
It was noted the increase in crime was partly around VAWG and Shoplifting offences.
Theft of motor vehicles was down by 15% and burglary down by 22%.
The CC requested further detail around bail management. Along with a request to provide an update and data around Right Care Right Person.
ITEM 5: Innovation Briefing – Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Summary of Discussion:
Head of Data and Insight and Head of Strategy and Governance joined the meeting.
ACC Mosley provided the COT with an overview.
RPA is being developed to automate repetitive, rules-based administrative and operational activity. The objective is to reduce manual effort, improve consistency and release capacity for frontline and higher-value work. The National Police Chiefs’ Council definition describes RPA as software that mimics human interactions with digital systems such as searching, entering data and extracting information.
NYP has established an innovation-led approach to automation and has proposed creating an internal RPA capability and dedicated team rather than relying solely on external consultancy support.
RPA development is being managed through the Force's innovation and change governance arrangements, with oversight provided through established boards rather than individual business areas developing automation in isolation.
An Automation Steering Group had been established to support prioritisation, governance and oversight of automation opportunities.
Initial business cases identify benefits including:
- Automation of data entry, report generation and compliance checks.
- Reduced manual errors.
- Increased staff capacity to focus on operational policing activity.
- Faster processing and improved organisational efficiency.
The programme had moved from exploratory discussions into formal decision-making, supported by funding, governance proposals and a prioritised delivery model. The focus remained on automating high-volume, rules-based activity to generate efficiency savings and release workforce capacity while maintaining appropriate oversight.
RPA development continued to progress with national funding secured, governance arrangements proposed and a structured delivery model established. Initial focus remains on high-volume manual processes to improve productivity, resilience and value for money across North Yorkshire Police.
Decision –
Approve Teams Proposal and Structure – Supported
Approve the financial plan for spend – Item to be reviewed in September.
Approve governance proposal – Supported
ITEM 6: On Call Provision
Summary of Discussion:
T/Supt Roffe attended and discussed the paper presented last year and the concerns raised by the Superintendent Association and Police Federation. COT put together a modified proposal and commissioned T/Supt Roffe to look at the impact before a decision is made.
ITEM 7: Corporate Communications
Summary of Discussion:
T/Head of Corporate Communications provided the board with a verbal update.
The Corporate Communications update focused on opportunities to showcase positive policing outcomes through national media channels. The Board was advised that the Manchester Arena family liaison documentary segment had been completed.
A discussion took place relating to a proposal from television production company Curve Media to feature North Yorkshire Police in a future episode of 999: What Happened Next?
Governance controls, victim engagement and reputational considerations are being incorporated into decision-making before participation is approved.
Corporate Communications confirmed that:
- The programme is an established national series which has previously worked with several police forces.
- Editorial control would remain with North Yorkshire Police.
- The production model required limited officer time and no access to police premises.
- Victim participation and support had been considered throughout the process.
Decision - Proposal from television production company Curve Media to feature North Yorkshire Police in a future episode of 999: What Happened Next? Supported
ITEM 8: Sergeant to Inspector Process
Summary of Discussion:
ACC Moseley provided the board with an update around the recent promotion process.
ITEM 9: People Management
Summary of Discussion:
Senior HR Business Partner joined the meeting.
Secondment Advert Requests
The secondment advert requests were reviewed and approved.
ITEM 10: COT Forward Planner
Summary of Discussion:
The forward planner was reviewed. The Taser 10 update was removed from the planner. The Plan on the Page update was added to the 16th September 2026.
ITEM 11: Freedom of Information Requests (FOI)
Summary of Discussion:
The FOI’s received between 31st July and 13th August 2026 were discussed.
ITEM 12: Urgent Financial Decisions and Updates
Summary of Discussion:
None raised.
ITEM 13: Any other Portfolio Updates by Exception
Summary of Discussion:
None raised.
ITEM 14: Chief Officer Team Commitments
Summary of Discussion:
The Chief Officer team Commitments for the next 2 weeks were noted.
ITEM 15: Any other Business
Summary of Discussion:
None raised.
DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
Date of next meeting: 26th August 2026 Time: 9:30am