Agenda Item No.

TAYSIDE JOINT POLICE BOARD

14 November 2005

Report by the Chief Constable No. PB 75/2005

SUBJECT: 112th ANNUAL CONFERENCE - INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE

Abstract: The Board is requested to note the report arising from the attendance of the Chief Constable and the Convener of the Joint Police Board at the 112th Annual Conference of the International Association of Chiefs’ of Police, and homologate the attendance of the Convener.

1. RECOMMENDATION

1.1 It is recommended that the Board

(a) note the report arising from the attendance of the Chief Constable and the Convener at the 112th Annual Conference of the International Association of Chiefs’ of Police, and

(b) homolgate the decision that the Convener attend the Conference, against the background of the G8 Summit.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 The Chief Constable J Vine QPM and Councillor C Young attended the above event in Miami, Florida from 24 - 28 September 2005. The Chief Constable’s Staff Officer was also in attendance.

2.2 The International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference is well established and attracts delegates from countries across the world. It is a unique opportunity to access and network with leaders responsible for policing in diverse situations ranging from the largest cities in the USA to rural and specialist community based forces with less than 30 staff. From within such a wide range of policing environments has come a wealth of innovative ideas and over the years many have been further developed to become best practice in the UK. The purpose of attending the Conference was to learn about current and emerging good practice in policing across the world and evaluate whether there was scope to apply it in Scotland.

2.3 The widely varying sizes of police forces represented and the diversity of oversight arrangements employed also provided an opportunity to examine and discuss both governance arrangements and how accountability and relationships with communities is managed.

1 2.4 The Conference was of a high standard and provided the attendees with an opportunity for networking with other senior Police Officers. American Chiefs of Police, in particular, consider attending this conference as critical to their career and personal development plan. The level of debate and the high quality of presenters made for a challenging experience that is already generating new ideas for consideration within .

2.5 Attendance at the Conference afforded an opportunity to share experiences of G8 both in terms of policing the event and in relation to the community consultation, representation and engagement which were very important to its overall success. The attendance of the Convener was of particular importance in this regard.

2.6 Other representation at the Conference from the UK included the President of ACPO, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police and delegations from the Superintendents Associations of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2.7 The 113th Conference will take place in Boston next year. The Tayside Police delegation met with representatives of Boston Police Department who were receptive to a proposal that the conference should feature a session on the Policing of the G8 Summit in Scotland with particular emphasis on handling the media and maximising the benefits for the local community. The proposal is presently being developed and will be the subject of a further report to the Board in due course.

3. THE CONFERENCE AGENDA

3.1 The conference was divided into themes and each individual session had clearly defined learning outcomes. A selection from the themes for this year’s conference is outlined in the following paragraphs.

3.2 Harnessing the Power of the Information Age Track

Since the events of 9/11 the US Law Enforcement Community has been criticised for its failure to share intelligence and provide high quality analysis. These sessions sought to provide attendees with an overview of how the various agencies were responding to a new strategic direction set by the Department for Homeland Security.

Notes and materials from these sessions have been forwarded to Headquarters Crime Management for assessment.

3.3 Chief Executive Education Track

This theme was aimed at Chiefs of Police and covered a wide range of topics from basic updates on new techniques and topical issues to high quality presentations on leadership. The Chief Constable had the opportunity to attend a “Compstat” (Performance Review Process) meeting conducted by the Chief of the City of Miami Police. This has prompted him to consider how Tayside Police responds to the communities we serve and how they might have more influence over the Police Service they receive.

2 3.4 Technology Institute Certificate Track

This theme concentrated on technology and future developments in policing. The presentations were thought provoking and challenging.

Notes from the presentations have been sent to the Head of Information Technology and the Director of Human Resource Services for assessment. They will also be considered during the development of the Force Strategic Plan.

3.5 Host Department Track

Each year the Host Department has the opportunity to present to visiting delegates. There were a number of interesting topics which crossed over into the Chief Executive Education Track and informal discussions with Miami Police representatives. Of particular interest, was the approach being taken on visibility and the use of volunteers to enhance the police presence on the street.

Notes on these session have been passed to Corporate Development Department for consideration in the development of the Force Strategic Plan.

4. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

4.1 The total cost of travel, accommodation and conference expenses was in the region of £5,000 and will be contained within the Force’s revenue budget.

5. CONCLUSION

5.1 The Tayside Police delegation attended as many of the presentations as possible across a wide range of subjects. A detailed document summarising the learning points is being compiled and this will be circulated to the Force Executive and Corporate Development Department.

5.2 The Force is currently developing its next three-year Strategic Plan. A number of the learning points from the Conference resonate with views expressed by representatives of communities here and of the Scottish Executive. This information will assist in the finalisation of the Strategic Plan.

JOHN D VINE QPM Chief Constable

Police Headquarters 4 West Bell Street DD1 9JU

18 January, 2011 NOTE: No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than any containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to any material extent in preparing the above report.

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