This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Central Scotland Police Primary Inspection 2003
25/03/2004
In an inspection report on Central Scotland Police
published today, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for
Scotland (HMIC) acknowledges that Central Scotland Police
has deservedly earned a high reputation for:
- The reduction and detection of crime - an area in
which the force consistently returns performance
results which are among the best in Scotland.
- An enthusiastic and motiviated police and support
staff - reflected in high levels of performance in
combating crime and anti-social behaviour.
- Partnership working - having been one of the first
forces in Scotland to second a police officer to a
local authority to assist in the preparation and
implementation of a strategy to promote community
safety, the force has continued to work with partners
in the public, voluntary and private sectors to reduce
crime and the fear of crime.
- Commitment to the public - in terms of listening to
community needs and expectations and securing the
provision of a high profile policing service through
the Safer Central philosophy and its associated
programme of operational initiatives.
In recent times, the force has completed a programme of
Comprehensive Strategic Reviews, which have provided a
structure for ongoing continuous improvement activity. The
most recent phase, which is currently in the course of
implementation, will seek to optimise the allocation of
policing resources to meet varying local demands.
The force has recently undergone some adjustments in
terms of both personnel and structure, with the recent
change of Deputy Chief Constable and introduction of an
additional chief officer in the role of Assistant Chief
Constable (Operations). The force has enjoyed stability in
the post of Chief Constable, with Mr Andrew Cameron having
taken up appointment in August 2000.
Based on this strong and effective foundation, HMIC has
identified the following areas for development and
review:
- raising the profile of corporate planning and
target setting
- focussing on key aspects of personnel processes,
such as absence management, career development and
training on diversity
- clarifing existing financial rules for budget
holders
- considering a fresh agenda of Best Value reviews as
the current programme of comprehensive strategic
reviews reaches a conclusion
- improving timescales on reporting offenders
- improving access to information about domestic
violence cases
- introducing a process to enagage partners in
tackling policing problems.
HMIC also identified significant good practice in
relation to:
- active participation and high level of visibility
of Chief Officers
- clear executive commitment to crime reduction and
detection
- securing a positive and committed working
atmosphere
- documenting and presentation of supporting
strategies
- detailed examination of policing demand and pursuit
of optimised resource management
- quality control and measures to secure fulsome
investigation
- steps to inform the public following drugs
operations
- application and evaluation of restorative
justice
- collaborative approach to tackle anti-social
behaviour
- where road deaths occur, the use of multi-agency
site visits to consider contributory factors and the
recording of outcomes in an action log for transparency
and accountability
- identification of training of sergeants as Firearms
Incident Support Officers
- collaborative arrangements with another force to
provide fall back support for call handling
- an integrated approach to resource and demand
management
- detailed analysis of medical demand and service
provision for persons in custody.
Overall, HMIC considers the force to be efficient and
effective.
The report published today is the result of a primary
inspection of Central Scotland Police. A primary inspection
of each police force and common police service is made
every five years. A report is published and placed on the
HMIC website
www.scotland.gov.uk/hmic
In the intervening years, two 18 month review
inspections will take place. These reports are presented to
the Police Board/Authority and a copy posted on the HMIC
website.
HM Assistant Inspector of Constabulary and HM Lay
Inspector conducted the Primary Inspection of Central
Scotland Police in November 2003, under the direction of HM
Chief Inspector of Constabulary.
The current Chief Constable, Andrew Cameron, took up his
appointment in August 2000.
Central Scotland Police is responsible for policing the
three council areas of Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and
Stirling. It serves a population of approximately 280,000
people and has 721 police officers and 270 support
staff.