6. Results: Operational/Customer/People/Society
What the force is achieving in relation to the satisfaction of its external customers, its people, society at large and its planned performance.
Multigraphs
Strathclyde Police - Performance and Recorded Crime compared with All Scotland
The red line and nodes denote the current situation in Strathclyde Police, while the blue represent the Scottish average. Recorded crime provides information about the demands on the force, rather than force performance which is reflected the other data reflect. Moving clockwise from domestic housebreaking detection to drug dealing offences, the latest 12 months data period is October 2004 to September 2005. All other indicators reflect the financial year 2004-05, this being the most recent data available at the time. It should also be noted that due to its size, Strathclyde Police tends to have the greatest share of recorded crime, road traffic causalities and so on, and therefore greatly influences the Scottish average.
Where Strathclyde Police's current performance exceeds, or recorded crime sits below, the Scottish average, the red node appears inside the blue circle; the closer to the centre, the higher the standard of performance or lower crime rate. Conversely, below average performance or higher crime rate results in the red node appearing outside the circle; the further outside the circle the lower the standard of performance or higher the crime rate.
Multigraph 1
Strathclyde Police - Latest Performance and Recorded Crime compared with Past Performance
The red line and nodes denote current performance and crime rates in Strathclyde Police, while the blue represent past performance and crime rates. Past performance and crime rates are calculated as the average of the previous four equivalent 12 month periods. Exceptions are the RTC indicators & racist incidents which, because of data availability, are based on the average of the previous three financial years.
Where Strathclyde Police's current performance improves upon past performance or where crime rates within the force area fall below past rates, the red node will appear inside the blue circle; greater proximity to the centre indicates a higher standard of performance or lower crime rate. Conversely, below previous average performance or higher crime rates result in the red node appearing out with the circle; the distance out with the circle indicates how much lower the performance or how much higher is the crime rate.
Multigraph 2
Strathclyde Police - SCRO/ PNC against National Targets, Scottish Average & Past Performance
The red line and nodes denote Strathclyde Police's current performance, while the blue points represents the national target, Scottish average or the force's past performance, as indicated.
Where the force's current performance exceeds its comparator the red node appears inside the blue circle; greater proximity to the centre indicates a higher standard of performance. Conversely, below comparator performance results in the red node appearing out with the circle; a greater distance from the circle indicates a lower standard of performance.
Multigraph 3
6.1 What are the demands on the force in relation to recorded crime?
Though the recorded crime figures displayed on the multigraphs are marginally higher than the Scottish average, Strathclyde's crime rate has fallen when compared against its rates of previous years.
Housebreaking crimes for the period ending September 2005 have fallen by over a quarter (26%) when compared against the average of the previous four years. Strathclyde Police has made a substantial commitment to reducing these crimes, through dedicated and focused Community Safety strategies. For example, 'Secure by Design' is a national initiative which, through effective partnership working, helps to improve security measures in both new build and regeneration projects of existing housing association accommodation. This has helped to establish better minimum standards of security and has proved to be valuable in reducing crime levels.
A key factor in housebreaking crimes is the vulnerability of the elderly, a group who are seen as easy targets. Strathclyde Police has sought to make an impact on crimes of this nature, by identifying postcode areas with a high concentration of such vulnerable householders and using mail drops to try to raise their awareness.
Improved vehicle security has made it harder for thieves to steal motor vehicles. Old fashioned methods of theft such as 'hot wiring' the ignition have become redundant with the result that criminals are having to concentrate on secondary crimes such as fraud to achieve their aims. This has had a direct impact on the level of recorded vehicle crime.
Improved partnership between Strathclyde Police and its partner agencies has also ensured positive action in preventing vehicle crime. For example improved security measures have now been introduced in specific areas identified as vulnerable, such as car parks and other areas of high risk. Strathclyde Police has also raised awareness of vehicle crime via media campaigns and by interacting with the public at community level.
Strathclyde police's commitment to tackling drug crime is acknowledged through its Control Strategy. During the past year there has been a slight fall in the number of individuals detected for drug supply, but a large quantity of drugs has still been recovered. Intelligence- led operations and use of the NIM has allowed the force to target specific criminals involved in drug-related crime. As a result, key drug dealers and their associates have been removed from circulation and large quantities of controlled drugs recovered. The reduced total number of drug dealing offences is a result of targeting these key drug dealers.
In addition to using Misuse of Drugs legislation, the force has targeted offenders by enforcing alternative legislation. An example is the seizure of assets under the terms of the Proceeds of Crime Act, which severely disrupts the criminal fraternity involved in drug-related offences.
6.2 What is the force performance in relation to crime detection?
When comparing crime detection rates from October 2004 to November 2005 with the previous year it is apparent that these have dropped. In an effort to target specific crimes and increase detection rates, Strathclyde Police has endorsed the following crimes as being of very high priority within the Force Control Strategy 2006 - 2007:
Terrorism
Child Protection
Drugs
Public Disorder
Violent Crime
Four crime areas in the Multigraphs have been identified and are further commented upon below.
Serious Violent Crime
In comparison with past years, serious violent crime per 1000 population has fallen slightly. So too, has its detection rate. Compared with the Scottish average the force's incidence rate is higher, its detection rate lower. As a result, Strathclyde Police is spearheading the challenge posed by serious violent crime through the work of its Violence Reduction Unit. More recently this has taken on a Scotland-wide agenda. Partnership working in this area is widespread, with all involved intent on reducing both the opportunities for, and levels of, violence. The Unit is a positive development, which may realise further benefits if some qualified research capability were included in its number.
Theft by Housebreaking Detections
Though not a Control Strategy high priority, theft by housebreaking remains an important area for the force. Although detection rate has fallen, Strathclyde Police is committed to reducing the occurrence of these crimes, and to target these through dedicated and focused Community Safety strategies. Improved community awareness and Secure by Design are current examples of force wide initiatives aimed at reducing vulnerability and opportunities for this crime.
Car Crime Detections
Compared with last years' figures, car crime per 1000 population has dropped five points while detections have dropped by 2.1 percentage points. One of the main reasons for this is likely to be the aforementioned advances in vehicle security. Other reasons may include raised awareness of vehicle crime and the force's work with partner agencies, which has led to positive preventative action and improved security measures in specific high-risk areas.
Drug Dealing Offences
As previously stated, Strathclyde Police has acknowledged drug crime to be a very high priority for the force in 2006 - 2007. Despite a lower number of individuals being detected for drug supply this year, the force is in line with the Scottish average. By using the National Intelligence Model and the Strathclyde Policing Model, and by developing the ethos of integrated planning, Strathclyde Police has impacted on drug crime through intelligence-led operations. Effective processing of available intelligence has allowed the force successfully to target specific Organised Criminal Gangs ( OCGs) involved in drug related crimes.
It has also helped the force to understand how OCGs function and operate. For example, in terms of Level 2 Criminality involving Serious Organised Crime, it is now recognised that OCGs do not focus on one crime area. Whilst some may have a particular crime "specialism" that is their mainstream source of finance, their structure and the need to maintain their power and profit base require them to engage in cross-sector criminality. One example is the need to launder the proceeds of their crime, while another is the use of violence, intimidation or firearms to maintain their power base.
As stated earlier, by targeting these groups or individuals the total number of drug dealing offences recorded has fallen.
6.3 Provide comment on force performance in relation to Road Traffic Collision Casualties?
Strathclyde's figures are outside the Scottish average in two of the three areas of road safety. The figures relating to killed and serious injuries ( KSI) are just below the average - by 0.1 points. Nevertheless, actual KSI casualty numbers show a marked and consistent downward trend over time. Similarly, while the force's higher than average rate (by over eight points) of slightly injured casualties is of concern, actual casualty figures continue to indicate a consistent downward trend.
The figures in the multigraphs and commented on above relate to the period from April 2004 to March 2005. It is pleasing to note that from April 2005 to January 2006, child KSI casualties in Strathclyde fell by 16.8% whilst total KSI for all classes fell by 12.4%. All classes of slight injury casualties fell by 9.1% during the same period.
As an example of some of the force's work in this area, during this period, "L" Division saw an increase in accidents involving motorcycles, as the area - particularly Argyll - became increasingly popular with leisure motorcyclists from all parts of the UK and abroad. Consequently an Action Plan relating to motorcycle safety was implemented and will continue in 2006.
6.4 Provide comment on force performance in relation to black & minority ethnic officers
The force has established a full time Diversity Recruiting Team as part of its Recruiting Department. The team's main remit is to raise awareness, amongst all of the minority communities and under-represented groups, of the significant employment opportunities the force offers. The aim is to encourage people from these groups to consider employment within the force, as either a police officer, cadet, special constable or a member of force support staff. This has been done in many creative, innovative ways, often using positive action measures.
To date there has been a measure of success, with 1.7% (195 police officers & force support officers) of the force establishment being made up of people from black & minority ethnic ( BME) communities. This is an increase of 26 on the position a year earlier, taking the force proportion closer to the figure of 2.4% of people living in the force area who have classified themselves as being of black or other minority ethnicity [2001 census data].
The matter of self-classification is also pertinent to force staff. Not all members of staff provide details of their ethnicity. In such cases, ethnicity figures may not necessarily reflect the true levels within the organisation. Recognising this, Strathclyde Police has made efforts to refine the recording of ethnic origin on its SCOPE system. In March 2005, the ethnicity of 12% of the workforce was recorded as 'unknown' or 'not stated'. Significant efforts to address this matter meant that by December 2005, those recorded as 'unknown' or 'not stated' had fallen to 2.2%. It is proposed that this particular element of equal opportunities monitoring be reviewed and acted upon on a quarterly basis, in a continuing effort to establish complete and accurate information. This is an issue for all forces which HMIC is pleased to see being tackled by Strathclyde.
The force has agreed to fund academic research designed to identify barriers that may exist for people from BME communities who may be interested in joining the force. It is anticipated that the research may also provide possible solutions to these barriers or problems. HMIC will be interested to see the findings of this research, which may provide useful pointers for the Scottish Police Service as a whole.
6.5 Provide comment on force performance in relation to sickness absence.
Sickness absence levels in the financial year 2004-05, for both police officers and force support officers, compare positively with the force's performance over the previous four financial years.
At 4.4%, the proportion of time lost for police officers in 2004-05 is at its lowest level in five years, well below the 4.9% average of the previous four years. At 6.2%, the absence level for force support staff is also below the previous four year average of 6.3%.
It is difficult to establish the key success factors behind improved police officer attendance levels. During this time, ill health retirements have fallen; 110 officers were medically discharged in 2000-01 as opposed to 54 officers in 2004-05 (and 36 in 2005-06). Long-term absence amongst police officers also dropped during 2004-05, with a lower number on reduced or protected pay. Both of these factors have undoubtedly had a positive effect on overall attendance levels.
Another factor may be significant changes to occupational health & welfare provision, following a Best Value Review carried out in 2002. A 'nurse-led' service has since been established, consisting of a team of suitably qualified occupational health nursing advisors, while a clinical manager was appointed to supervise and support the nursing team. In addition, a permanent contract for the services of two suitably qualified occupational health physicians has been put in place, replacing a temporary contract arrangement provided by BUPA Healthcare. The resulting multi-disciplinary service plays a key part in sickness absence management, with a focus on effective intervention and rehabilitation strategies.
Absence levels for force support staff show a slight increase, from 5.8% in 2003-04 to 6.2% in 2004-05. There was a small increase in the number of absences per employee over the corresponding periods, which would partly account for the increase in time lost. In addition to this, there was no noticeable progress in respect of long-term support staff absence. Indeed there were a number of staff members off through long-term absence during 2004-05, some with major health concerns. This clearly had an impact on overall attendance during this particular period.
A new absence management system was introduced throughout the force in February 2005. This requires all line managers to conduct return-to-work interviews following each absence period, and is expected to help reduce the number of staff absences and working days lost.
Performance in relation to sickness absence for police officers indicates relative parity with the other Scottish forces. Comparing the rates for force support staff with the Scottish average, however, highlights a cause for concern. The force continues to review the situation and is working to turn this around.
During the past year the force has looked for reasons behind this disparity in absence levels and tried to establish why there has been no improvement amongst support staff in 2004-05. The force intends to carry out further benchmarking activities with other forces in order to identify best practice in this area.
Strathclyde Police is finalising a new Attendance Management Policy, which will incorporate amendments to current procedures. This is expected to have a positive influence on attendance, offering clearer guidelines for managing both long and short term absence. A Training Needs Analysis of attendance management has also been conducted, following consultation with the quality & standards department of the Force Training & Recruitment Centre. As a result, the force will introduce training programmes that reinforce best practice in all issues directly or indirectly affecting employee attendance and ill health. This is intended to support change within the new Attendance Management Policy & Procedure, and reinforce line manager responsibility for managing attendance effectively. HMIC acknowledges the force's efforts in this regard.
6.6 Provide comment on force performance in relation to complaints against staff.
The level of 11.8 complaints per 100 members of staff is an increase on the average of 10.0 for the previous four years. Comment on why this is the case is difficult, and at best can only be speculative as no obvious trends are discernible within the categories of allegations. Even within the four year average there has been considerable fluctuation between the years. It is expected that the current year will show a downward trend and therefore a drop in the 11.8 rate. The Complaints and Discipline Branch continues to develop proactive approaches to reducing complaints, and the force continues to maximise opportunities for briefing officers at all levels.
Analysis has shown a significant proportion of complaints arising during transportation of prisoners to police offices. Consequently, the Branch is currently piloting the use of CCTV within a cell van-type vehicle in one sub-division. Similar initiatives have proved successful in other forces, and it is anticipated that a successful trial in Strathclyde will lead to a rollout to the rest of the force in due course. A gap in assessing force performance in dealing with complaints has also been identified. Through the Deputy Chief Constable, the Branch recently sought Joint Police Board approval to conduct a quality of service survey of people who have made complaints against the force.
While acknowledging that the statistics can vary, the force nonetheless remains proactive in its attitude towards complaints and will take reasonable steps to influence any trends or areas of concern that might arise. The Complaints and Discipline Branch has recently employed a researcher who is expected to take on a wide remit in analysing complaints trends, allegation hotspots, individual officers' complaints profiles and so on. An important aspect in this will be the new 'Centurion' IT system, which will greatly enhance the Branch's ability to identify and act on areas of concern. HMIC is pleased to note that the force is installing this system, which will bring it in line with other Scottish forces and help efforts to standardise complaints recording across the service.
6.7 Provide comment on force performance in relation to the ACPOS Performance Targets for SCRO/ PNC Timeliness
The Force Disclosure Unit was originally established as the Part V Unit in April 2002, and was responsible solely for dealing with the implications of the introduction of Part V of the Police Act 1997. Staffing levels were set in line with a business case based on anticipated levels of enquiries from Disclosure Scotland and expected revenue per enquiry. The first operational year showed original estimates to be excessive, with the actual number of Enhanced Disclosures received (2,830) representing 41% of the original estimate.
Over the years these levels have varied. So too has the work undertaken by the Unit, much of which was not anticipated from the original guidelines. The original business case centred on processing Enhanced Disclosures, but staff also have additional responsibilities, including:
- Raising, weeding and maintaining crime intelligence markers;
- Creating records on SCRO for nominals on SID that have no S number (links to previous task);
- Examining SCRO record prints-outs in relation to MOs, prior to them being weeded, in order to determine whether or not an Intel Marker should be raised;
- Carrying out Back Record Conversion work relative to the Nominal Index;
- Re-routing enquiries from Disclosure Scotland regarding duplicate records, pending cases and identification enquiries to the relevant department; and
- Processing Standard Enquiries where Disclosure Scotland has highlighted an Intel Marker.
In addition, the Unit has expanded to incorporate the Data Protection section and the Freedom of Information function, both of which have their own staff.
Until 2004, the Unit was meeting its original Service Level Agreement ( SLA) in around 90-95% of enquiries. However, in mid-2004 Disclosure Scotland appointed additional staff to clear its backlogs. The resulting extra work which was then passed on to Force Disclosure Units, adversely affected force processing levels. To cope with the increased workload in Strathclyde, additional staff from the force's Data Protection section received 'on the job' training so that they too could undertake Part V duties. Despite the department's efforts, by July 2005 it was apparent that the Unit's staffing levels were insufficient to meet the aforementioned SLA.
Interim measures have been applied to manage both the backlog and the increase in enquiries the department receives per month. These measures include the following:
- Overtime (Unit staff, FIB);
- Seconded staff (Mainly Protected Duties);
- Submitting business cases for additional permanent staff; and
- Re-locating the Department to more suitable accommodation (still to be finalised).
Prompted by the continued inability to match the level of Part V enquiries, a 'Force Disclosure Unit Resource Level Review' report was submitted to the Support Strategy Group ( SSG). In late 2005, approval was granted to appoint additional police (temporary) and force support officer posts to the Unit. As a result, four police officers on protected duties joined the Unit, though one has now returned to operational duties. The process for recruiting support staff is a longer one. Work is ongoing in this regard, although staffing implications in the FOI section and the recent move of the Unit to Pegasus House has caused delays. Nevertheless, it is hoped that these posts too will be filled by autumn 2006.
Force support officers already working in the Unit have also been abstracted from general Part V duties in order to train Unit secondees. Despite this, the number of enquiries processed rose to 639 in January 2006, a 25% increase on the previous month (511 in December). The following graph shows the number of enquiries completed for the previous seven months. As secondees' processing capabilities improve, the need for additional overtime assistance from other departments has declined.
The increase in enquiries processed has caused a welcome reduction in the backlog, from 1,145 in December 2005 to 891 in January 2006. However the force's internal figures on the number of days to turn around enquires differs from those highlighted in Multigraph 3 and drawn from Disclosure Scotland data. HMIC notes that the force is currently in discussion with Disclosure Scotland to reconcile differences in statistical data.
Following recent discussions with the Director of Intelligence, it was proposed that a business case be prepared for transferring some of the Unit's administrative functions to the Force Intelligence Bureau ( FIB). This would include raising intelligence markers and creating records on SCRO for nominals on SID that have no 'S' number. Currently just one member of the Part V team undertakes these tasks. As well as detracting from Unit effort, this results in minimal resilience for the task.
Resources and processes will be continually monitored with a view to ensuring that the Unit performs to capacity.
With regard to performance on SCRO timeliness, Multigraph 3 shows that while improving, Strathclyde Police's performance remains below the Scottish average and national target. The force's process for submitting information onto SCRO has two parts, both of which it monitors continuously: firstly the charge sheet is submitted to Information Resources; secondly, Information Resources then input the information to SCRO.
Regarding the first stage, concerns have been raised around the speed at which officers submit relevant forms to Information Resources. The ACC (Criminal Justice and Territorial Policing) is aware of this issue and deputy divisional commanders ( DDC) have been tasked with improving submission rates to an acceptable level. Action is being taken to resolve these not only at divisional level but also force-wide where appropriate. Best practice is shared through the force Criminal Justice Management Board and communicated to officers through the DDCs. The force hopes that solving these impediments will lead to improved timeliness.
Difficulties inherent in the second stage of the process stem from the force's IT system. For the purpose of recording the proportion of submissions made within one day, the present system defines Day 1 as the same named day rather than a 24 hour period. So for example, if a charge is made at 2330 on Monday and is entered on the system at 0030 on Tuesday, it is deemed to be a Day 2 update. Information Resources have little or no backlog after Day 2. However due to the counting convention stated above, the Day 1 backlog figure will be well in excess of 50%. HMIC notes that the force is currently examining how to overcome this technical anomaly and will be interested in the outcome.
Finally, PNC performance will always look poor in comparison to SCRO updates, as the former cases are updated by Phoenix on an overnight run. Again, this situation will be compounded by the recording anomaly indicated above and by the current submission rat