Summary report from Resources Committee 9 May 2023

Main Items of Business 

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Estates inspection update.

Initial Business Cases:

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021;

Q Division PPU Hub/Project Quest Initial Business Case;

Policing in a Digital World Programme (PDWP) Training & Capabilities Initial Business Case.

Key Issues Raised 

Estates

Recent updates to guidance requires that RAAC light-weight concrete planks (commonly found in buildings constructed from the late 1950s to the 1990s) must now be identified, monitored, risks managed and remediated where appropriate.

Following inspections across the estate, RAAC has been confirmed in three sites: Fettes, Perth and Baluniefied. It has been confirmed most sites (62 sites) do not contain RAAC.

The Committee has been assured these issues have been dealt with swiftly and there is no risk to officers, staff or visitors at any of the police estate across the country. The prevalence of RAAC across areas of the ageing the estate has been fully quantified.  In the limited places where RAAC has been identified the estates team is working with structural engineers and business areas to identify longer term solutions.

Initial Business Cases (IBC)

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 IBC 

The Committee noted the ambitious timelines required to progress work required to ensure legislative compliance with the legislation.
Members agreed that focus was required to ensure Police Scotland and the Authority were a participant in future discussions in respect of new legislation at a suitably early stage, to ensure better and more informed understanding of how legislative compliance impacts on Police Scotland.

Cyber Training and Capability Initial Business Case (IBC)

Members agreed the requirement to upskill Officers and staff to ensure current and future challenges of cybercrime are met. This will also maintain and build public trust and confidence to develop a globally recognised, adaptive and forward looking cyber and digital training structure through hybrid delivery mode.

Project Quest Initial Business Case (IBC)

Members discussed at length, an IBC which seeks to modernise the Police estate within Lanarkshire (Q division) whilst delivering Best Value in both ongoing running costs and addressing backlog maintenance.

Whilst the Committee supported the strategic intent of the proposal several concerns were raised and discussed in detail.

The most pressing issues were:

Estates strategy context with the wider division and rest of the country;

Affordability of capital spend including impact on the wider capital budget.

Additional work was requested to provide an understanding of how this project is aligned to the plans for other Divisions and recognising the competing priorities for the Force, how the capital spend would be allocated over the life of the project.

Conclusions/Actions Reached 

The following items were approved;

Initial Business Case Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021

Cyber Training and Capability Initial Business Case (IBC)

The committee noted the Project Quest Initial Business Case (IBC), and support was given for the direction of travel.  However, the Committee did not approve the specific proposals to move forward with missives for three buildings at this time.

Additional information was requested on the project before it could be approved to progress further. 

This includes information on the affordability of the Project Quest which seeks to address challenges across the Lanarkshire Police estate.

As this is such a large capital spend, the Committee also wish to understand how this proposal fits with the estates plans for other Divisions.