This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Strathclyde Police Review Inspection
27/07/2006
Strathclyde Police has demonstrated positive progress in its efforts to improve service delivery, according to a report published today by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
The review inspection report focuses on the current activities undertaken by Strathclyde Police, including action taken in response to the recommendations and suggestions made in HMIC's primary force inspection in 2004.
Of the 11 recommendations and 28 areas for further review made after the primary inspection, four recommendations and eight areas for review have been fully discharged.
These include a review of processes for redeploying staff, a considerable increase in the number of family liaison officers trained to help those bereaved through road deaths and an improvement in welfare provision for staff.
The force has also demonstrated a number of positive community planning initiatives in association with partner agencies and communities to tackle local issues.
Work on developing the force's promotion policy and shift systems continues and the arrangements for officers attending court from night shift still needs further consideration.
As part of the inspection process, HMIC also examined other areas of policing including recruitment of special constables, race relations, community planning, disability discrimination, management processes for the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, management and execution of warrants, and how the force is working with its partners to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andrew Brown, said:
"Strathclyde Police has made steady progress to address the recommendations of the 2004 primary inspection.
"Positive progress across a number of areas is strengthening and improving the service being provided to the local communities of the Strathclyde police area.
"At the time of the primary inspection the force had embarked on several new initiatives, which form many of the areas for the review yet to be discharged.
"Action has been taken to address almost all of these issues, although it is too early to assess their level of success.
"I look forward to the next review in 2007, when I would hope that all the remaining recommendations may be discharged."
HMIC uses a cyclical inspection process comprising a primary inspection and two successive reviews. It can be summarised as follows:
- A primary inspection of each police force and common police service is made every five years. This comprises a comprehensive examination of all aspects of activity at a strategic level. Subsequent field work focuses on areas which attract particular attention due to performance levels, variations from common practice or concerns identified about approaches followed. The process also seeks to identify good practice for other forces or common services. A report is presented to the appropriate police board/authority, published and placed on the HMIC website.
- In the intervening years, two review inspections take place at 18-month intervals. These focus on issues including progress against recommendations made in the preceding primary inspection and against recommendations made in recent thematic inspections and national developments in policing. Reports of these inspections are presented to the Police Board/Authority and a copy posted on the HMIC website.