Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary Primary Inspection 2002
Executive Summary and Recommendations
Efficiency and effectiveness
1. This Primary Inspection of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, conducted during February, 2002 confirms the force is efficient and effective. There is strong evidence of excellent ongoing work on community safety with outstanding public and multi agency support, while the force has responded with commendable professionalism to the exceptional demands of the Lockerbie Trial, and the foot and mouth crisis against a background of significant conventional operational demands.
Public confidence
2. Recently the force has had to confront serious public concerns regarding the conduct of an officer subsequently sentenced to imprisonment and dismissed from the service. The leadership has responded with positive proactive procedures which enable more open and accessible processes for initiating complaints. These merit wider national consideration for application in other Scottish police forces as part of the current complaints arrangements.
Service improvements
3. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary continues to seek improvements in service delivery and the current management with the support of the police authority is sustaining a sound overall strategy. There are a number of recommendations identified by HMIC which reinforce ongoing developments in force. In the main they embrace:
- refinements to the policy process in relation to more specific targets, the human resources strategy and financial services
- endorsement of active work with the local authority to upgrade the CCTV system developing options which may be of wider community safety interest
- improvements in crime recording and the dissemination of intelligence
- a more strategic approach to Best Value
4. In addition HMIC has taken the opportunity to highlight certain issues which are of national significance for consideration by ACPOS, including:
- the development of open and accessible arrangements for recording complaints in addition to traditional methods
- in the light of increasing drugs seizures, a review of the current approach to high levels of drugs storage in consultation with the Crown
- ensuring consistency across Scotland in the ongoing development of officer safety equipment and training
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is anticipated that following publication of the Report, the force will devise an action plan to progress the recommendations which will be the subject of future review by HMIC.
HMIC Recommends:-
Policy and Strategy
1. that the force develop more specific and measurable targets within the policing plan (paragraph 2.2);
People Management
2. the development of a human resources strategy which is fully reconciled with force goals and is supported by unit action plans and performance indicators (paragraph 3.5);
3. that policy in respect of acting ranks be rationalised, with long term periods of acting kept to a minimum (paragraph 3.18);
4. that the force review the current method of selection for specialist posts in order to ensure consistency (paragraph 3.21);
Partnership and Resources
Community Safety
5. that Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary continue to work with Dumfries and Galloway Council in order to establish a funded plan for early upgrading of the CCTV system (paragraph 4.34);
Finance and Resources
6. that the budgetary control system should highlight material variances which impact on budgetary performance (paragraph 4.75);
7. that the Force Executive review formally the scope for extending the range of devolved budgeting to include staffing costs (paragraph 4.77);
8. that the force pursue service level agreements with service providers which quantify services to be provided (paragraph 4.78);
9. that the Financial Services Section should prepare a business plan setting out its objectives, priorities and targets for the coming year in order that progress can be measured (paragraph 4.82);
Processes
Complaints and Conduct
10. that ACPOS evaluate the development and publication of open and accessible arrangements for recording complaints against the police in addition to the traditional method of direct communication with the force concerned (paragraph 5.19);
Crime Management
11. that the force puts in place crime recording and audit procedures which ensure that all crime is recorded in a consistent manner (paragraph 5.50);
12. that ACPOS address the current approach to methods of drugs storage in consultation with Crown Office (paragraph 5.55);
13. that the force further develop systems to brief uniform officers on relevant intelligence (paragraph 5.60);
Public Order
14. that the force assess fully the potential public order demands placed on it and ensures satisfactory levels of training and familiarisation for senior and supervisory officers (paragraph 5.79); and
15. in the continuing development of officer safety equipment and training in Scotland, that ACPOS review ongoing local developments to ensure consistency across forces (paragraph 5.80).
Best Value
HMIC and Audit Scotland recommend:-
1. that the force increase the awareness of the Police Authority in the Best Value framework and involves it in setting the criteria for determining the service review programme (Annex A, paragraph 12);
2. that the force review the process for the selection of service areas for Best Value review and their linkage to the strategic priorities for the force. The Best Value service reviews selected, and formal Implementation Plans arising from the reviews, should be encompassed within a programme which allows for monitoring of progress against given milestones (Annex A, paragraph 65).