Policing in the UK The Independent Review of Policing

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Policing in the UKThe Independent Review of
Policing

• Sir Ronnie Flanagan GBE QPM
• Her Majestys Chief Inspector of Constabulary

Policing with confidence from research to
action New Zealand Police Research Symposium 2008
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Overview

• Policing arrangements within England, Wales
  Northern Ireland
• The role of Her Majestys Inspectorate of
  Constabulary
• The Independent Review of Policing

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Current Policing Arrangements
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The Golden Tenet

• No Minister of the Crown can tell him he must,
  or must not, prosecute this man or that one. Nor
  can any Police Authority tell him so. The
  responsibility for law enforcement lies on him.
  He is answerable to the law and the law alone.
• R v Metropolitan Police Commissioner 1968

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Policing in England, Wales and N.Ireland
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Tri-partite structure

• Home Secretary
• Responsible to Parliament for the overarching
  efficiency and effectiveness of the service as
  well as the maintenance of minimum service
  standards
• Chief Constables
• Responsible for the operational effectiveness of
  individual police forces

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Tri-partite structure

• Police Authorities
• Responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness
  of the police force for their area and for
  consulting with the public on policing matters
• Most police authorities have 17 members
• 9 local councillors appointed by the local
  council
• 5 independent members selected following local
  advertisements
• 3 magistrates from the local area

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Beyond the Tri-Partite

• A complicated landscape
• Accountability
• Corporate and organisational governance
• Statutory inspection and audit
• Judicial oversight

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Beyond the Tri-Partite

• A really complicated landscape!

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Role and work of Her Majestys Inspectorate
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Origins of the HMIC

• Established by Act of Parliament in 1856
• To examine and improve the efficiency of the
  Police Service in England and Wales

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HMIC Today

• Adding value by improving law enforcement

HOW?
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HMIC Today

• By promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of
  policing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

HOW?
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HMIC Today

• By inspection of police organisations and
  functions to ensure that

Agreed standards are achieved and
maintained Good practice is spread Performance
is improved
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HMIC Structure
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HMIC Inspection

• Force Inspections
• Thematic Inspections
• BCU inspections

• Baseline assessments
• Best Value reviews
• Joint inspections

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Performance and Accountability

• Police Act 1996
• Amended by Police Reform Act 2001
• s54 Require HMIC to inspect
• s40 Inefficient or Ineffective (or likely)
• (i) Direct Police Authority to take action
• (ii) Demand Police Authority to submit action plan

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Key HMIC Functions

• Key advisor within the tripartite system
• HMCIC role as Home Secretarys principal
  professional police advisor
• Advises on senior police appointments via the
  Senior Appointments Panel

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The Independent Review of Policing
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Independent Review of Policing

• Prime Minister announced the review on 27th March
  2007
• Exchange of correspondence with Home Secretary on
  26th April 2007 setting out Terms of Reference
• Interim Report published 12th September 2007
• Final Report published 7th February 2008

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The Work Streams

• Local Involvement and Accountability
• Manage Resources Effectively
• Reduce Bureaucracy
• Mainstream Neighbourhood Policing
• Cross cutting and intertwined
• Set against the wider policing environment

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Methodology Governance
Independent and Inclusive

• Central secretariat
• Police, APA, Home Office, and wider Government
• Reference Groups
• Practitioners Groups
• Diverse Think tank
• Equality Impact Assessed
• Wide ranging and open consultation

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The Final Report

• Central Themes
• Threat, Harm Risk
• Structures to deliver
• Improving performance
• Developing the workforce
• Freeing up space
• Delivering in partnership
• Involving local people Accountability

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• If we are to make the best use of police
  resources then it is essential that the
  supporting structures in the world of policing
  drive this behaviour
• The Review of Policing 2008

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Threat, Harm Risk

• Align resources to
• Reduce the threat to the public
• Mitigate the harm experienced
• Manage the risks borne by the service

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Structures to Deliver

• Roles and Responsibilities
• Re-define and clarify roles
• Remove duplication
• Focus incentives and accountability for
  performance productivity

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Improving Performance

• Less is more
• APACS
• High level indicators from existing PSAs
• Small number of additional indicators outside of
  PSA suite
• HMIC / AC / APA
• Statistical force profile, comparable high level
  data

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Developing the Workforce

• Ongoing workforce modernisation pilots
• Review of integrated competency framework
• 10 year workforce plan
• Forthcoming frontline supervision thematic
• Local review of flexible working practices
• Review of probationer training

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Freeing up Space

• Tackling Risk Aversion What is it?
• Protective response to some form of scrutiny
• May be locally or nationally driven
• Imposed or self-created

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Consequences

• Just in case principal
• Operational inefficiencies
• Diversion of resources
• Perverse incentives
• Is the public interest being best served?

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Consequences

• Increased unnecessary bureaucracy
• Challenge to discretion
• Erosion of professional judgement

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Getting the Balance Right
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Delivering in Partnership

• Neighbourhood Policing to Neighbourhood
  Management
• Dedicated multi agency teams,
• Joint tasking and prioritisation of local issues
• Better information and feedback to public
• Joint performance, monitoring and feedback
  mechanisms
• Financial planning and pooled budgets to support
  outcomes

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Involving Local People

• Why?
• Current funding arrangements precept
• Develop a greater understanding of policing
• Encourage opportunity to comment and influence

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Involving Local People

• How?
• Understanding Influence
• Increase in public confidence, trust and
  satisfaction
• CITIZEN FOCUS

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Structural Accountability

• Options
• Elected Commissioners
• Elected CDRP / Policing board chairs
• Strengthen LAs
• Strengthen Pas
• Bespoke arrangements at
  neighbourhood level

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What might success look like?

• Police service and landscape understood, visible
  and accessible to local people
• Service at all levels has customer service at its
  core
• Local priorities have sufficient space and weight
  in policing performance frameworks
• Ownership of issues clear to all parties
• People feel listened to with the police working
  for them

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What might success look like?

• Partnerships focused on outcomes delivered by
  most appropriate agency
• Contact with police leads to a rise in confidence
• Clear avenue of redress recognised and accessible
  to public
• Ultimate sanction available where there is
  complete failure

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Sir Ronnie Flanagan GBE QPM Her Majestys Chief
Inspector of Constabulary