HMIC Inspection – Chase BCU (Staffordshire Police) November 2006 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary Central Region Inspection of Chase BCU Staffordshire Police CROWN COPYRIGHT ISBN 978-1-84726-313-1 Hard Copy FIRST PUBLISHED 2007 ISBN 978-1-84726-314-8 Electronic Copy HMIC Inspection – Chase BCU (Staffordshire Police) November 2006 CONTENTS page 1. Executive Summary 5 Recommendations and Good Practice 6 2. Introduction and Methodology 8 3. The Force and BCU Context 10 4. The Leadership Audit 13 5. BCU Performance 22 6. What We Found 25 The Baseline Assessment Frameworks Leadership and Direction 26 Leadership Performance Management and Continuous Improvement Citizen Focus 28 Fairness and Equality in Service Delivery Neighbourhood Policing and Problem Solving Customer Service and Accessibility Professional Standards Reducing Crime 30 Volume Crime Reduction Investigating Crime 30 Managing Critical Incidents and Serious Crime Tackling Serious and Organised Criminality Volume Crime Investigation Improving Forensic Performance Narrowing the Justice Gap Promoting Safety 32 Reducing Anti-Social Behaviour Protecting Vulnerable People Providing Assistance 33 Call Management Accessing Specialist Operational Support Resource Usage 33 Human Resource Management Training, Development and Organisational Learning Race and Diversity Resource Management Information Management National Intelligence Model HMIC Inspection – Chase BCU (Staffordshire Police) November 2006 APPENDICES Appendix ‘A’ Chase Organisational Structure Appendix ‘B’ Leadership Audit Survey Results Appendix ‘C’ Performance Charts Appendix ‘D’ Notional Contract HMIC Inspection – Chase BCU (Staffordshire Police) November 2006 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Basic Command Units (BCUs) are a fundamental building block in the delivery of policing services. Following a five-year rolling programme of BCU inspections, HMIC has moved to a more intelligence-led approach whereby only a small number of BCUs are selected for inspection, following an examination of their relative performance within their most similar BCU (MSBCU) group. (The inspection itself includes review of performance data, a comprehensive self-assessment process and leadership audit, followed by a structured and on-site inspection.) In the case of Chase BCU while some performance problems had been identified by HMIC the inspection was in fact conducted at the invitation of the BCU commander and senior officers of the force. 1.2 Chase BCU is centred on the county town of Stafford, serving three local authority areas - Stafford Borough, Cannock Chase District and South Staffordshire District Councils. The BCU has a total population of 318,692 in 129,100 households, centred on the main urban areas of Stafford and Cannock; the BCU also contains large areas of rural countryside and smaller towns such as Rugeley, Stone and Wombourne. The area is well served by the major roads network, and attracts significant numbers of visitors for both business and recreation. The annual ‘V’ festival attracts up to 70,000 people for what is now a major established popular music event. 1.3 Staffordshire BCUs operate under considerable freedoms - devolved from force including police pay. Without losing corporacy, BCU commanders are encouraged to innovate. Chase BCU faces some significant challenges, including the roll-out of neighborhood policing teams, and has had considerable success in attracting funding and support for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Against this background, in many performance areas the BCU performs above the average for its MSBCU family. Performance challenges include the volume and detection of violent crime, and the detection of residential burglary and robbery. 1.4 The Leadership Audit, consistently reinforced by other elements of the inspection, reveals a well-motivated workforce, working in what they perceive to be a positive and rewarding environment where roles are clearly defined and supported by a meaningful Performance Development Review (PDR) process. Some concerns were expressed around the sufficiency of resources to meet demand, subject to ongoing work within the BCU. It was clear that senior managers take the time to consult and communicate with their staff, leading to a feeling of inclusivity and underpinning a ‘can do’ culture. 1.5 Any searching inspection process is likely to highlight areas for improvement. In Chase, gains can arguably be made through work to address custody capacity issues and in the allocation and management of crime enquiries. Taken together, these do not represent serious concerns about the management of the BCU and are more than offset by strengths such as the positive working environment/cultural effective financial planning and governance, an active Special Constabulary working as an integral part of BCU operations, and the development of a managed crime unit. The commitment of the Senior Management Team (SMT) to the ongoing vitality and continual improvement of the BCU’s performance through engagement Page 5 of 46 GL3 – BCU Inspection Report HMIC Inspection – Chase BCU (Staffordshire Police) November 2006 with communities, partners and staff promotes confidence in the continued success of this BCU. Recommendations and Good Practice 1.6 The inspection team has made the following recommendations that should contribute to the drive for continuous improvement displayed by the BCU. There are also various suggestions that the SMT may wish to consider contained within the What We Found section of the report, mainly from data gathered by the inspection team or from BCU staff participating in focus groups or interviews. Recommendation (1): The BCU has clearly identified its custody provision as a potential impediment to performance improvement, and is currently engaged in strategic development towards a new custody facility shared with a neighbouring BCU. However, to address these issues in the short term the BCU should re-examine the scope for more productive use of its existing capacity, focusing particularly on better management of bail-backs to the police station. Recommendation (2): Tensions are evident between arrangements for the allocation of crime investigations and the shift pattern worked by operational officers, which can lead to delay in the initial investigation of offences and risk both to victim dissatisfaction and the loss of sanction detections. The BCU should review its crime allocation process to maximise the chances of a positive outcome. Where crimes are allocated to investigating officers, early supervisory activity should include a crime investigation plan which ensures that all productive lines of enquiry are followed. Page 6 of 46 GL3 – BCU Inspection Report HMIC Inspection – Chase BCU (Staffordshire Police) November 2006 1.7 The inspection team also acknowledges the following areas of good practice: Culture: Throughout the inspection the positive ‘can do’ nature of Chase BCU’s culture was evident. It is also a culture of inclusion, fostered by formal links and contacts and reinforced through informal links between senior and junior staff. In particular, effective links between different teams and disciplines create a team atmosphere and an environment where staff value the contribution of others. This culture is clearly influenced by the personal investment of the BCU commander and his senior management team, and can be seen through interaction with staff representative groups, communities and partners. Special Constabulary: The Special Constabulary provides excellent support at Chase. Under an established divisional and sub-divisional command structure, officers provide support during traditional periods of high demand, such as Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as local support through alignment to neighbourhood management teams. The divisional officer has developed and maintains a comprehensive personnel record to inform the selection and deployment of staff. There are ambitious plans to expand the Chase Special Constabulary to 200 by the end of 2007. The Special Constabulary has taken on responsibility for specific functions including the policing of Stafford Rangers Football Club and the Tuesday night-time economy in Stafford. On two recent occasions Specials were able to call to duty a full Common Minimum Standards (CMS) serial to respond to local disorder within an hour of the first call for assistance. Managed Crime Unit: The BCU has identified a quality of service issue around unattended reports of crime. Using staff from each Incident Management Unit (IMU) shift on short attachments, it has put in place a system for attending and obtaining crime reports through a system of appointments, offering victims of crime a more consistent and reliable service. It addition to offering reassurance and a better quality of service to victims, this initiative may also deliver additional sanction detection opportunities through more timely intervention. Financial Planning and Governance: Staffordshire Police operates significant budget devolvement, including police pay, to its BCUs. In Chase, a combination of robust management structures and effective processes, supported by particularly able practitioners, has enabled the BCU commander to integrate short, medium and long-term financial planning with BCU planning and priorities. Further devolvement and scrutiny enables the BCU to control spending, maintaining performance whilst remaining in budget and releasing resources for the development of both its PCSO establishment and custody facilities. Page 7