| Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary 1998/99 | ||||
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Chapter 2 THE OUTCOME OF INSPECTION 2.1 The inspection year was marked by a significant change in the HMIC approach. HMIC extended the time between inspections for each force from an annual event to an 18 month cycle. The change became necessary to ensure HMIC could deliver its important programme of thematic inspections, which benefit and have implications for the whole Service, against resource constraints. The changed approach eased the burden of inspection on forces without sacrificing its cutting edge. 2.2 Twenty-eight inspections have been carried out including two within the Metropolitan Police. These inspections produced a total of 193 recommendations. The specificity of recommendations, it must be noted, is not the totality of the documented learning experience for forces. Whilst progress against recommendations is pursued by HMIs, within each inspection report are numerous examples of other professional advice. Expressions such as 'may wish to consider' or 'urge to investigate the possibility of' are useful to feed the thinking within a force. An inspection report generates activity within a force well beyond the number of recommendations. 2.3 An analysis of trends in recommendations provides a useful touchstone of the broad areas the management of forces are finding the more problematic. This year's figures suggest that there is some commonality of problems in respect of strategic planning, the management of IT, crime recording, crime management, and complaints and discipline issues. 2.4 Whilst there has been a quantum leap in the approach of most forces to strategic planning in the recent past, the subject continues to prompt recommendations for improvement. The medium term vision was not apparent in a couple of forces whilst in others there was a necessity to integrate subsidiary plans and planning processes into the strategic vision. Plans need to be the product of meaningful consultation, particularly with middle managers who are vital to realising the aspirations. The need for numerically specific targets was a regular feature of recommendations as was the desirability of identified milestones of progress. 2.5 Parts of the Service are failing to maximise the benefits of IT. Strategies for IT need to be coherent, cohesive and contemporary in their awareness of external developments in a dynamic technology. Care must be taken to ensure that front line personnel are able to maximise the benefits as opposed to bearing the burdens of the voracious appetite of the new technology for data and information. Ownership of an IT strategy at chief officer level must be accompanied by frequently updated information to the force of planned IT developments and the benefits of such developments must be clearly spelt out to operational staff. Strict adherence to the demands of data protection are crucial for the credibility of the Service. It is a matter of concern that a small number of forces needed to be reminded of their responsibilities in respect of data security. 2.6 It is crucial that crime recording practice is in total accord, in all forces, with national policing and guidance set by the Home Office. There is an ever present risk that vulnerabilities in a system provide temptation to the corrupt officer or team to inflate performance. Forces need to remove temptation by establishing robust systems and subjecting those systems to a searching and regular audit. The integrity of recorded crime figures assumes additional importance as the thrust towards crime reduction develops. It is important that inter-force and inter-BCU comparisons are based on totally valid data. Recommendations were made on inspection to a small number of forces regarding their responsibilities for recording crime and auditing those records. 2.7 With a few exceptions, forces now have qualified finance officers supporting senior management. HMIC welcomes this progressive trend as effective financial planning is a pre-requisite of both the efficiency gain requirement and the onset of Best Value. Forces need reminding, however, that these requirements cannot be solely finance led as resource consumption is inextricably linked with performance. The full participation of the force corporate management team and the collective will of the whole force are pre-requisites of success. Just as HMIC welcomes the appointment of finance specialists, the trend to appoint professionals in other disciplines, including procurement managers after the publication of the thematic What Price Policing, is a positive step forward. PROGRESS ON EARLIER RECOMMENDATIONS 2.8 A vital part of the inspection process is assessing progress against recommendations made in the previous year. During 1997/8 HMIs made 193 recommendations as a result of inspections of the 28 forces that were again inspected during 1998/9:
In summary 96% had been implemented, an improvement of 4 percentage points over last year and 8 points over 2 years ago. 2.9 A small team, based at Queen Anne's Gate, undertakes a specialist role in checking the compliance of forces and other users with the rules for use of the Police National Computer (PNC). This is an important area of work. The facilities provided by the PNC are a tremendous benefit to police officers throughout their working day. It is of crucial importance that such benefits are never restricted through any misuse of access and that the public are reassured that information on the PNC is used strictly for the purposes intended. Our small unit conducted 21 such compliance audits including two of Scottish forces at the request of HMCIC Scotland, one non Home Office force and four non police organisations who have restricted access to a limited number of PNC applications. 2.10 Analysis of migration plans to NSPIS were also conducted in 23 forces. Forces are required to have a project plan to facilitate the move to NSPIS applications as they come on line. Each force must be in a position to purchase NSPIS applications or prove that their own systems are NSPIS compliant. 2.11 The preparedness of both the public and private sector to face the challenge of the Year 2000 date change has been a recurring topic of debate. It is, quite rightly, a priority to Government to ensure that along with all the other emergency services, police systems are compliant and that there is no threat to the quality of service received by the public. Directed by Cabinet committee, Action 2000 has overall responsibility for ensuring that the national infrastructure is ready and that necessary action is being taken. Within each Government Department there is a designated Responsible Body charged with ensuring preparedness. In March 1999 HMIC was required by the Responsible Body to conduct an independent assessment of the millennium preparedness of all police forces in England and Wales, the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the National Crime Squad. By invitation we also conducted an independent assessment of two non-Home Office forces, the British Transport Police and the States of Jersey Police. Each was assessed in detail against a template designed and validated by Action 2000, using HMIC personnel and technical staff seconded from forces and PITO. The process was conducted in two phases and forces were graded against the Action 2000 colour code. The results were reported at the regular public National Infrastructure Forum meetings. The results of Phase 1, completed in June are shown in (FIGURE 2). FIGURE 2 Millennium Preparedness - Phase 1 Results All forces will be revisited in Phase 2, which is scheduled to be completed on 30 September 1999, in order to check on their progress towards BLUE status by that date. Action 2000 has complimented HMIC on the rigour of our approach. I am confident that as a result of this exercise, and our close co-operation with the ACPO (Millennium Co-ordinating Committee) that all forces will be BLUE in good time before the millennium date change and that operational and infrastructural preparedness will be assured. 2.12 The HMIC programme of thematic inspections produced reports that should help forces to improve in areas of policing that have proved problematic. Every force, even the better performers in particular areas, can and should learn from every one of our thematics. The fact that chief constables are so willing to subject their own forces to be studied in a particular thematic is evidence that they recognise the benefit to the force and the Service as a whole. The HMIs and I are keenly aware that there is a special demand placed on thematic sites and remain continually grateful for the facilities made available and the generally open approach of staff to the rigours of a thematic inspection. 2.13 Our thematics over recent years have covered a range of important aspects of police operations, service delivery and the strategic management of police forces. The scope has varied from the very broad such as value for money and police training to the quite narrow, but equally important, such as child protection. Taken together the product of the wide ranging thematic experience provides a solid platform for an improved policing future. 2.14 The thematic inspection reports produced in 1998/9 continued the tradition of importance and variation (FIGURE 3). FIGURE 3 Thematic Inspections 2.15 The public have high expectations of the Police Service response to disorder. Their expectation extends beyond large scale disorder which, if unchecked damages the sense of safety well beyond the damage to people or property at the scene. Concerns, even fears, are just as keenly felt if low level disorder and anti-social behaviour are left unchecked. These day-to-day manifestations are a constant irritant which go to the heart of local quality of life. The inspection found forces increasingly adopting a problem solving approach to root out the problem at source in partnership with others. Whilst neither an easy nor soft option this is the way forward using, where necessary, the sanctions of the Crime and Disorder Act. 2.16 Styles of disorder are as subject to the changes of fashion as are other aspects of life. The Service had to learn very quickly appropriate strategy and tactics to deal with environmental protest particularly when targeted at proposed transport infrastructure. A great deal has been learned with specialists and specialisms emerging to carry out the policing task with the safety of officers and demonstrators, in their self-inflicted peril, being paramount. 2.17 A great deal of progress has been made over the past decade in how the caring services, and under that label I include the police, respond to allegations or suspicions of child abuse. Historically agencies ploughed their own furrow, often for spurious reasons of confidentiality or professional independence, to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable, the nation's future, its children. Thankfully, harsh lessons were learnt and new victim centred approaches were found to provide a more appropriate and rounded response. Collaborative working between agencies became the rule rather than the exception. 2.18 There is no room for complacency in this important area of social concern. The thematic revealed training needs amongst child protection specialists. The report reminds the entire Service that the existence of such specialists does not remove all responsibility from other officers. Patrol officers should develop their awareness and alertness to the signs and symptoms of abuse and understand the links to other abusive behaviour in the family and the misuse of drugs. There is room for more preventative approaches and the development of protocols between agencies and standardisation of language should help to improve understanding and co-operation between agencies. This inspection, supported on the ground by members of the Social Services Inspectorate and staff from H M Inspectorates of Probation and Prisons, was an excellent example of joint inspectorate working. The degree of protection a society offers its children is an indicator of the sophistication of its civilisation. Such protection also protects the future of that society itself. 2.19 This thematic demonstrated that road policing has too often been marginalised in the past. The financial cost alone of road accident casualties to the nation is estimated at £12.6 billion per year. The human cost to blighted families of 69 deaths per week cannot be estimated far less calculated. The progressive increase of anti-social behaviour tinged with significant violence increases the cause for concern. 2.20 The inspection revealed that, as forces concentrated on targeted aspects of performance, the road traffic effort had dissipated. The volume of traffic grows year after year yet traffic officers typically are only 7% of force strength. Those officers are as highly skilled as they are well motivated and are the source of most of the good practice ideas. Their professionalism and their frustration must be met by all chief constables adopting the ACPO road traffic strategy within their own strategic approach. Managing Learning: A Study of Police Training 2.21It is crucial to the future of the Service, particularly at a time of an increasing complexity which is unlikely to diminish, that police officers and other staff receive timely, appropriate and cost effective training. The demands amongst others of new legislation, carrying out the policing role in more enlightened and professional ways, coming to terms of friendship with new technology, all create a training demand. The HMIC thematic inspection is the most comprehensive study of police training ever undertaken. The product is a report unashamedly robust in the delivery of its messages. 2.22 Investment in training is substantial but the lack of precise knowledge of the actual cost is a cause for concern. Regrettably the inspection found that training does not necessarily reach those whose needs are greatest and at the same time duplication of effort and a lack of meaningful performance measures or frameworks of accountability lead to expensive waste. 2.23 The report provides valuable check lists for forces in all aspects of the management of training. Common Minimum Standards (CMS) should be established through a National Training Organisation (NTO) that addresses the historical culture of the Service to training. The idea that 'I cannot learn unless I have been on a course in a classroom' should be as moribund as the culture that spawned it. Contemporary demand for training can only be met by contemporary and more flexible methods of delivery. 2.24 I was pleased to note that this important thematic was given influential weight in the report of the Home Affairs Committee into police training. 2.25 'Without integrity there is nothing' is surely one of the truisms of policing by consent. Policing is both expensive and crucial to the well being of our democracy. The doctrine of policing by consent cannot survive if the public, who are increasingly more demanding as they are in other aspects of customer activity, lack confidence in the integrity of the Police Service. This thematic was initiated in recognition that, whilst public confidence in the police remains high when compared to many other institutions, confidence was being dented and corroded by the unacceptable behaviour of a small minority. There is a responsibility also to the vast majority of officers, whose day-to-day duty is marked by their good work, to take positive action against the minority and establish a preventative regime against corruption or other unprofessional behaviour. 2.26 This inspection was geographically and conceptually wide-ranging. On-site visits were made to almost half of all English and Welsh forces as well as the National Crime Squad and National Criminal Intelligence Service. All chief constables responded to an in-depth questionnaire. The inspection report, in addition to its recommendations, again provides a check list to assist police managers to improve the integrity and ethical standing of their individual organisations. 2.27 Integrity of the Police Service is one cornerstone of policing by consent. Another is that the Service realises as specific the needs and policing aspirations of the visible ethnic minority population. When the original HMIC thematic on community and race relations was published in the Autumn of 1997, I shared the concerns of the Home Secretary and Ministers at aspects of its findings particularly that across the country performance was so patchy. That report had twenty recommendations alongside examples of good practice. The Home Secretary announced, when launching the original thematic, that HMIC would carry out a further inspection within 12 months in increased number of forces (fifteen as opposed to six) to assess and report on progress. 2.28 We found that overall the response had been less than satisfactory. Too much was still being left to dedicated individuals, or small teams be they BCU commanders or specialists dealing with racist attacks and incidents. The training effort had not yet responded and gaps were evident in the minds of officers where knowledge should exist. The Service had failed to set the conditions precedent to securing more recruits from visible ethnic minorities or developing the careers of such officers in the Service. Overall progress in 12 months had been very limited and where good practice was apparent it was isolated. This depressing picture was particularly disappointing because it was the very year that the Macpherson Inquiry was taking evidence and gaps in police thinking, actions and training were emerging. Most of those gaps had been identified in the original HMIC thematic. Follow-up to Thematic Recommendations 2.29 It had already become apparent, and the revisit of Winning the Race emphasised the point, that whilst an effective progress chase existed to monitor responses to recommendations in a force inspection report, arrangements were less substantial in pursuing progress against thematic inspection recommendations. Under new arrangements the regional HMI writes to the chief constables in his region seeking progress reports on thematic reports three months after their publication. This is already providing a much improved and more effective process. It ensures that recommendations of thematics do not gather dust in forces and are given the priority they deserve with follow-up by the regional HMI. There is no suggestion that chief constables have been cavalier regarding thematic recommendations. It is quite simply that, in the volume of other changes to be actioned, they have not always secured the agenda priority they deserved. 2.30 If there was one consistent theme repeated throughout this year's round of thematics, as in those of previous years, it is that of leadership. Training is more effective in forces where the top team have seized the issue: identification and investigation of racially motivated incidents are more systematic and professional in forces where chief officers have emphasised their commitment to the ACPO good practice guide. Leaders have the key role in their deeds as well as their words in the maintenance and improvement of integrity standards. The visibility of leaders, the setting of standards by them and the imposition of transparent sanctions are of crucial importance. The thematic programme, in addition to lighting the path of progress on the subject matter, is a constant reminder of the nature and content of the job of leader in contemporary and future policing. 2.31 The Inspectorate has a statutory responsibility under the provisions of section 77 of the Police Act 1996 to keep under review the handling and investigation of complaints. During the course of inspection, HMIs place particular emphasis on the management, integrity and timeliness of investigation of complaints and the use of management information to identify the underlying problems that are causing complaints. In 1998/99, HM Inspectors of Constabulary made 11 recommendations relating to complaints. These included:
2.32 The number of complaints cases involving the conduct of police officers has fallen by 7.8 per cent in 1998/99 which is the fourth consecutive annual decrease. Since 1994/95 there has been an 18.5 per cent fall in the numbers of complaints cases recorded. Each complaint case may consist of a number of individual complaints but these too have decreased by 8.1 per cent (FIGURE 4). This equates to a level of approximately 0.25 complaints per officer. FIGURE 4 Number of Complaints Recorded 1993-1998/99 2.33 Although the national trend is for a reduction in complaints recorded, sixteen forces did see increases including Lincolnshire with an increase of 120% (up 141 complaints). An increase in recorded complaints can be an indicator of a change in the recording system itself and a sign that the force is encouraging the reporting of complaints. However, those forces where there have been such increases should monitor the situation carefully using management information to identify any trends in types or locations of complaints in order to take preventative action in the future. 2.34 Once a complaint has been recorded following investigation it can be resolved in a number of ways:
2.35 As in previous years the proportion of the complaints completed that was substantiated was very small at 2.4 per cent which is the same as in 1997/98. Nationally, the proportion of complaints substantiated varies considerable from 0.1 (Nottinghamshire) to 8% in (North Yorkshire). The proportion of complaints withdrawn fell 1.3 percentage points to 14.1%. HMIC encourages the use of informal resolution where this is appropriate. Nationally, 34.8 per cent were informally resolved which is just above the figure for last year but again the use of informed resolution varies from a very high 59% (Derbyshire) to a low of 22.2% (Cambridgeshire). 2.36 In 1992, a voluntary agreement was reached with the ACPO which prescribed a target of 120 days for police forces to complete the investigation of complaints. On average in 1998/99, 76.6 per cent of all complaints were completed within these time limits which is an increase of 1.2 percentage points in comparison with last year. The percentage of complaints completed in the time guidelines varies considerably between forces ranging from 50% to 100%, however, the majority of forces (34) managed to complete 70 per cent or more within 120 days. HMIs encourage forces to examine the reason for the failure to achieve a high proportion of complaint investigations within the time limits set in order to improve in future. 2.37 The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) has a statutory responsibility for the investigation of complaints against the police. The Inspectorate continues to maintain close links with the PCA and seeks its views as a matter of course during each inspection. The number of complaint cases referred to the PCA fell for the fourth consecutive time by 24% to 1,336 in 1998/99 which equates to 6.6% of all cases. Of these the PCA chose to supervise 944, again lower than last year, forming 71% of those referred. 2.38 Overall, I continue to be satisfied with the general standard of complaints investigations in general but encourage forces to ensure that rigorous monitoring systems are in place to enable a more proactive approach to the reduction of complaints. Only those complaints directed at police officers are covered by formal procedures. In 1998/99, HM Inspectors continued to recommend that forces maintain systems to record, investigate and monitor organisational complaints in the same way as those directed at individual officers. A dissatisfied member of the public is unlikely to be happy that his/her complaint is treated any differently because it is directed at a policy rather than a person. The same is true of civil actions which are also not subject to any national guidance or external supervision. 2.39 In 1998/99 12,378 civil claims were received by the forces of England and Wales of which 48% (5,961) were public liability claims for malfeasance which includes assault, false imprisonment etc. The remaining were made up of 184 industrial tribunals, 3,868 claims in relation to road accidents and 2,365 employer liability (accidents etc) (FIGURE 5). FIGURE 5 Civil Claims received by Police Forces - 1998/99 (England and Wales) 2.40 In total, 65 court awards were made for malfeasance totalling over £400,000 with the addition of 1,302 which were settled out of court at a cost of almost £4 million and over £400,000 legal costs meaning that civil actions for malfeasance cost the Service over £8 million. The total cost to the Police Service of civil claims in terms of settlements, court awards and legal costs for all types of civil action came to over £20 million which equates to 0.3% of the entire police budget. In addition to the cost to the Service in terms of money, there is also a cost in the public confidence. In 1998/99, there have been a number of very high profile industrial tribunals relating to equal opportunities which has had a detrimental effect on public perception of the police. 2.41 As part of our thematic inspection into the Integrity of the Police Service we found that in 1998, 39 forces had had at least one officer convicted of a criminal offence, a total of 216 officers across the country. So it can be seen that there is much progress still to be made in this area. The introduction on 1 April 1999 of the new disciplinary procedures (see paragraph 3.31-3.35) will provide a considerable improvement in the ability of chief officers to deal effectively with disciplinary matters.
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