The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Panel met to conduct confirmation hearings for three proposed Deputy Police and Crime Commissioners (DPCCs). The panel endorsed the appointments of Oliver Bryan as DPCC for Engagement and Lobbying and Neetu Squire as DPCC for Community Cohesion. The panel also recommended the appointment of Reverend Gwyn Davies as DPCC for Criminal Justice, but he subsequently withdrew for health reasons.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Appointments

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) proposed dividing the DPCC role into three part-time positions: Engagement/Lobbying (0.5 FTE¹), Criminal Justice (0.2 FTE), and Community Cohesion (0.2 FTE). The PCC said that this approach would allow for targeted expertise, broader representation, and increased flexibility in attracting qualified candidates. The panel was asked to conduct confirmation hearings and provide a report with recommendations on each candidate's appointment, in accordance with the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011².

Oliver Bryan, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner: Engagement and Lobbying

The panel recommended the appointment of Oliver Bryan as DPCC for Engagement and Lobbying. The PCC stated that Mr Bryan had experience lobbying at a government level and had experience with public affairs and communications.

During questioning by the panel, Mr Bryan highlighted his experience:

• Working within the Office of the Police and Commissioner (OPCC).
• Lobbying the government for concessions for the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
• Leading nationally reported work into the effectiveness of government spending in New Zealand.
• Working to resolve issues with the redaction of documents shared between the Police and Crown Prosecution Service, which he brought to the attention of the Public Services Select Committee.

The panel determined that Mr Bryan understood the role, met the criteria, and would be fully committed to carrying out his duties. While the panel was satisfied that he understood operational and personal independence, they had some concerns about his ability to retain a level of personal independence from the PCC. They also advised that there would be some training and onboarding needs in relation to gaining a wider understanding of the diversity of communities within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and their different needs. The panel requested that the frequency of DPCC update reports be increased to every three months.

Reverend Gwyn Davies, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner: Criminal Justice

The panel recommended the appointment of Reverend Gwyn Davies as DPCC for Criminal Justice. The PCC said that Reverend Davies had experience working within the criminal justice system as a magistrate.

During questioning, Reverend Davies highlighted his experience:

• Working as a magistrate at both Leicester Magistrates Court and Loughborough Magistrates Courts.
• Working with different organisations and partners as the ordained chair of the South Leicester Christian Partnership.
• Representing the voice of Christians to the police.
• Working with the homeless, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

The panel determined that Reverend Davies understood the role, met the criteria, and would be fully committed to carrying out his duties. The panel considered him to be thoughtful and intelligent and demonstrated a welcome approach to personal independence in the role. The panel advised that there would also be some training and onboarding needs in relation to his new role and understood that he would continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help the Commissioner deliver his Police and Crime Plan. They also advised external mentor support to help him transition into the role and to deepen his understanding of, and relationships with, the range of strategic structures and full diversity of communities and stakeholders across the whole of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The panel expressed concern that the number of hours allocated to this role may be insufficient for the work involved and requested that the frequency of DPCC update reports be increased to every three months.

Subsequent to the meeting, the panel was notified that Reverend Davies would not take up the role due to health reasons.

Neetu Squire, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner: Community Cohesion

The panel recommended the appointment of Neetu Squire as DPCC for Community Cohesion. The PCC stated that Ms Squire had experience with community engagement, partnership building and networking.

During questioning, Ms Squire highlighted her experience:

• Working in community engagement and building bridges between communities, local authorities, police, and faith groups.
• Working in a wide range of settings including hostels, mother and baby units, children's homes and schools.
• Supporting charities to enhance their delivery of youth work and crime prevention work.
• Engaging with vulnerable young people and implementing initiatives to address social issues such as youth crime and anti-social behaviour.
• Supporting communities to improve relations following public disorder, through conflict resolution, active listening, and responding to community concerns with empathy and professionalism.
• Working alongside partners and stakeholders to co-create the first Connecting Communities event, a citywide initiative which aimed to build bridges between diverse communities, local services and the police.
• Working alongside police, councillors, businesses, and community leaders to create safer, more cohesive communities within Leicester City.

The panel determined that Ms Squire understood the role, met the criteria, and would be fully committed to carrying out her duties. The panel considered her to be very passionate and committed towards her work with a wide skill set and experience making her ideal for a community cohesion role in a multi-cultural area. The panel advised that there would be some training and onboarding needs in relation to her new role and understood that she would continue to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help the Commissioner deliver his Police and Crime Plan. In particular, it would be important for her to develop and deepen her understanding of, and relationships with the full diversity of communities and stakeholders across the whole of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, not just the city area, and across all age groups.

The panel expressed concern that the number of hours allocated to this role may be insufficient for the work involved and requested that the frequency of DPCC update reports be increased to every three months.

Other Matters

• Public Questions: There were no public questions submitted.
• Urgent Items: There were no urgent items for consideration.
• Declarations of Interest: No declarations of interest were made.
• Future Meetings: Future meetings were scheduled for:
  • Wednesday 4 February 2026 (budget meeting)
  • Tuesday 21 April 2026
  • Tuesday 23 June 2026
  • Tuesday 29 September 2026
  • Tuesday 27 October 2026
  • Tuesday 8 December 2026