Preamble
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary ( HMIC) has a statutory duty under section 33(3) of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 (the 1967 Act) to report to the Scottish Ministers on the effectiveness and efficiency of the police service in Scotland. It discharges this duty through an inspection programme which involves primary and review inspections of individual forces and common police services, and through conducting thematic inspections on areas of particular interest or concern simultaneously across all of the police service in Scotland.
The objective of thematic inspections is to establish the state of current practice in the subject area. It does this by consulting widely with stakeholders and then formulating comment and recommendations which should aid and promote improvement. Recommendations may be directed at individual forces or organisations, representative bodies and the Scottish Executive. HMIC revisits recommendations arising from thematic inspections during subsequent force inspections. Occasionally, a further thematic will be undertaken specifically to measure general progress made. Specific progress in-force should be assessed regularly through action reviews.
The Need
The sharing of case-specific information by the police and other public services in the UK has been the subject of considerable scrutiny in a number of high profile public inquiries in recent years. These have tended to involve those who are at risk of harm or those who pose a risk of causing deliberate harm, and sometimes both. The latest in a long line of inquiries was conducted by Sir Michael Bichard, following the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The Bichard Inquiry sought to identify lessons to be learned and point a way to minimise similar risks in future. The recommendations from his report published in 2004 are presently being progressed by a number of public bodies including, for the police service in Scotland, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland ( ACPOS), through the structure of a Scottish National Working Group.
Although protecting children and other vulnerable people and managing certain offenders in the community are probably the most important aspects of information and intelligence sharing to get right, there are many other purposes for which police engage, or should engage, in that sharing activity. These include:
- providing case-specific information or intelligence to public service partners, to allow them to carry out their statutory duties by identifying other risks and/or minimising other threats to public order or safety (e.g. information to local authorities about anti-social behaviour, or to procurators fiscal about persistent offenders);
- providing non-personal information or intelligence to community planning or community safety partnerships, to assist collaboration and co-operation in efforts to reduce or prevent crime and disorder;
- providing non-personal information or intelligence to other public service partners, to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities and achieving their objectives (e.g. strategic assessments of crime and disorder threats to criminal justice partners to help inform their views of 'the public interest').
Scottish Ministers, the Westminster Government and all public service providers are aware of the need to improve information sharing. The Bichard recommendations are just one of a number of positive actions currently being undertaken to enhance information sharing across organisational boundaries, for the benefit of all communities.
Work is currently being completed at national and local levels to develop data sharing fora in order to achieve national data standards: the Macleod short-life working group recommendations seek to improve information sharing between the National Health Service ( NHS) and partner agencies, the Getting It Right For Every Child ( GIRFEC) agenda to enhance child protection.
This diversity of work being completed provides clear evidence of the commitment of all public service providers to develop greater information sharing. However, it also demonstrates the complexity of the subject matter and therefore the challenges that lie ahead.
The inspection looked at each of these areas, to ascertain what the strengths and weaknesses were and where opportunities and threats might emerge in the evolution towards greater intelligence and information sharing.
Existing and Emerging Systems and Structures
There is now a single integrated intelligence system for the police service in Scotland, i.e. the Scottish Intelligence Database. Nevertheless there are still many other police information systems in which intelligence and information (which may ultimately appear on SID) is collated, or analysed, or assessed, or disseminated or stored (most but not all of them, yet, using electronic technology). There are different systems in different forces and even some differences within forces.
However, there is welcome consistency and a degree of constancy in the structural backdrop against which police information sharing operates. This is provided by the fact that every police force and policing organisation in Scotland is committed to five key developments which, in their own ways, contribute or will contribute to facilitating and improving information and intelligence sharing:
1. the national intelligence model ( NIM) - a business structure adopted by the police service which uses information in its widest sense to enable managers to determine strategic direction and make tactical and resourcing decisions;
2. convergence and future joint development of police information and communications technology;
3. community planning - the means by which police forces and other public services combine, at local authority level, to plan and deliver joint and co-ordinated efforts to achieve shared aims;
4. national and local criminal justice boards - established to provide a means of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system at local (Sheriffdom) and national levels;
5. the integration of Scottish criminal justice information systems ( ISCJIS).
Within policing, the collection of appropriate information, its accurate assessment and timely exploitation are essential for efficiency. For this to happen all police information must be treated as a corporate resource. It is, therefore, important that information can be collected, recorded, evaluated and stored in a consistent manner across police boundaries. The bullet points above show the main enablers for achieving this. However there are also blockers which need to be addressed. Issues and factors which might be considered to be obstructive are as follows:
- lack of common standards for recording and evaluating information;
- incompatible information technology;
- inconsistent information sharing arrangements with partner agencies;
- a culture of protectionism applied without proportionality.
In England and Wales, a Code of Practice and Manual of Guidance on the Management of Police Information ( MOPI) was introduced in 2006. This work recognises the requirement to share information not just across UK policing and its partner agencies, but also further afield. In Scotland, ACPOS was working on a Scottish version at the time of this inspection.
Sharing information between partner agencies in support of community planning is being progressed by the Scottish Executive, which has established a National Data Sharing Forum. The processes and procedures facilitating such exchange have also been considered by the inspection team.
Inspection Value
This inspection has examined current arrangements for sharing intelligence and information and has sought to identify good practice both nationally and internationally. The report contains a number of recommendations and suggestions for improvement where considered appropriate.
A significant aspect of the thematic inspection methodology was consultation with internal and external stakeholders. The views of many participants and partners on the process of sharing intelligence and information have been canvassed and contributed to the final report.
HMIC anticipates that this report will be of significant interest to police leaders and managers. However the Inspectorate hopes that it will also be of interest and assistance to those in partner organisations who believe that information and intelligence sharing is critical to improving delivery of service and safety to some of the most needy members of our communities.
Project Aim
The aim of the project was to examine the current state of intelligence and information sharing within the police service in Scotland.
Project Objectives
The objectives of the project were to:
- Consider the leadership, strategy, people, resource management and key processes of intelligence and information sharing and accountability across Scotland.
- Examine the use of intelligence and general information in developing strategies and policies, business planning and accountability.
- Consider the attributes of successful systems.
- Identify instances of good practice.
- Make recommendations designed to promote continuous improvement of the service provided by the police service in Scotland.
Methodology
HMIC methodology is to conduct inspections using protocols aligned with the business excellence model created by the European Foundation for Quality Management ( EFQM). This allows a structured and comprehensive examination of key organisational functions and ensures that HMIC inspections are evidence-based. The approach is now established HMIC practice.
This thematic inspection of intelligence and information sharing adhered to principles of project management, establishing the aim, objectives, methodology, resources and timescale involved. Mr Andrew Brown, HMCIC, issued a project mandate to undertake the inspection and the project initiation document set out the approach adopted.
The project was undertaken in a phased approach, based on a strategic planning model which identified key stages and milestones. Following an initial literature review and desktop research, liaison was established with representatives of relevant Scottish Executive departments, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland ( ACPOS), the Information Commissioner's Office, the Scottish Information Commissioner, Audit Scotland, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service ( COPFS), Scottish Children's Reporter Agency ( SCRA), Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales ( ACPO) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency ( SOCA).
In previous thematic inspections value has been derived from seeking out good practice internationally. In light of the ever-increasing global context to intelligence and information sharing it was felt that HMIC should endeavour to explore how the police service shares information in an international context. The major international policing event during the summer of 2006 was the Federation of International Football Associations ( FIFA) World Cup, and HMIC took the opportunity to study the intelligence and information sharing structures and processes put in place for this world event.
The inspection of all eight Scottish forces and the four common police services, namely the Scottish Police College, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, the Scottish Criminal Record Office and the Scottish Police Information Strategy, was conducted in June and July 2006. Prior to this, each organisation completed a comprehensive 29 question protocol.
The protocol was adapted from the standard HMIC inspection format, based on the EFQM model. Although adhering principally to this format, the main headings of this report have been amended slightly to reflect more appropriately the scope of intelligence and information sharing.
Analysis of the responses provided a wealth of detailed information, permitting the inspection team to focus on the most relevant issues during the fieldwork visits. Fieldwork consisted of an examination of systems and reports, as well as interviews with police and support staff across a range of levels and responsibilities. Owing to the nature of the subject under inspection, interviews were conducted with principal partners in criminal justice, community planning, community safety and anti-social behaviour partnerships, to give a clear picture of the intelligence and information sharing landscape. An important aspect of this work was face-to-face interviews with chief constables, directors of common police services and executive officers of partner organisations.
HMIC acknowledges the valuable assistance of nominated liaison officers from each of these organisations, in collating protocol returns and negotiating workable timetables for subsequent visits. HMIC would also like to acknowledge the assistance of partner organisations in facilitating the inspection team and arranging interviews with key personnel.
At various points the report highlights a range of activity in the police service in Scotland and in principal partnerships involving the police, much of which can be considered transferable good practice.
The inspection was carried out by HMIC staff under the direction of Mr Andrew Brown, CBE., QPM., Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Mr Malcolm R Dickson, QPM, MA, Assistant Inspector of Constabulary.