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Strathclyde Police Primary Inspection 2004

5. Processes

Allocation of Resources

5.1 In order to ensure an equitable distribution of personnel throughout the force area, Strathclyde Police undertook a review of resource allocation, which reported in January 2002. The key issues of relevance were to:

• identify and quantify the core policing functions to be undertaken
• ensure, so far as possible, that the approach to allocation is not open to manipulation
• minimise 'top-slicing' of resources to give commanders freedom to manage
• ensure that the allocation process is an integral part of the strategic management of the force
• conduct regular review to ensure ongoing relevancy.

5.2 As a result, the force has devised a 'resource allocation model' which provides a formula for deployment of personnel across the force. This is being implemented, with a gradual realignment of staff numbers through selective allocation of new recruits and officers on transfer. The model will inform future reports to the Joint Police Board as outlined at paragraph 4.13. In addition to providing transparency where none previously existed, the research also identified areas for further development, including management information and visibility issues. HMIC views the introduction of transparent criteria for resource allocation and deployment as good practice.

Management of Resources

5.3 The force introduced a new shift system for primary response policing in May 2000. The system, known as STRATHPOL24, has three core tours of duty, i.e. early, late and night, and a fourth known as a 'cover shift' which spans portions of late and night shifts for peak demand periods in the evening. There are overlap periods between early and late shift and late and night shift to facilitate the briefing and debriefing of patrol resources, with a resultant reduction in patrol hours. However, as tours of duty are longer, an additional 22 rest days per annum are provided to officers in order to aggregate the working week at 40 hours. The additional rest days are popular, indeed alternative posts which would take officers away from patrol work are less attractive than previously, but the consequential reduction in available patrol hours is of serious concern.

5.4 Of particular significance is that core operational groups are struggling to meet requests for assistance from the public, particularly from late afternoon through to the early hours of the morning. There are issues concerning managing public expectations, indeed HMIC recognises the valuable work which the force is taking forward in relation to call handling and problem-solving, but the shift system itself must also be manageable. During fieldwork, it became apparent that the cover shift was unpopular with front-line resources. However, as it is an intrinsic part of the STRATHPOL24 model, it was surprising to learn that this element had simply not been introduced or had been discontinued in some sub-divisions of the force.

5.5 HMIC recognises that no single shift system will be capable of meeting the needs of every community throughout a force as diverse as Strathclyde Police. However, it is apparent to the force executive that STRATHPOL24 has not been successful, and therefore alternative arrangements should be considered. Prior to, and during, the migration from the previous shift system, a force working group on shifts met regularly. The Force Working Practices Group, which was chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable, provided the opportunity to discuss emerging issues across the whole organisation. It has not met for some 3 years, and HMIC could find no evidence of ongoing dialogue between the force executive and the staff associations concerning options for change. Shift systems are important for the public to ensure optimum availability of resources to provide a policing service but they also have significant personal consequences for the police officers and support staff who have to operate them. HMIC therefore recommends that the force enters into early dialogue with staff associations and develops options to amend or replace the existing shift system.

5.6 In addition to being deployed during scheduled tours of duty, police officers are also required to attend court regularly when they are cited to give oral testimony. This can be during, before or after a scheduled tour of duty but particular problems are encountered when officers are due to perform night shift and also to attend court the following morning. In Strathclyde Police, no alteration is made to their rostered working hours, resulting in potential safety issues in relation to their ability to attend court that same day. It may also be interpreted as being inconsistent with the Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended, which stipulates that a worker is entitled to a rest period of 11 uninterrupted hours between each working day.

5.7 In recognition of this, some forces reschedule officers' shifts to commence earlier in the evening, so that their tour of duty finishes in time for them to have a rest period prior to attending court. In effect, officers are re-rostered to perform the 'cover shift' identified as beneficial in the STRATHPOL24 system. It is recommended that, in developing options to amend or replace the existing shift system, the force takes cognisance of the welfare of officers attending court after a scheduled night shift tour of duty.

Legal Services

5.8 In common with other public and private sector organisations, police forces require to access professional legal services. This can be in connection with civil litigation, commercial contracts and property conveyancing. Strathclyde Police is one of only three Scottish forces to maintain its own legal services capability and eight posts for professionally qualified solicitors have been established within its Legal Services Department. The department's clients are primarily the Chief Constable and the police board, although other work is undertaken on an appropriate charging basis. Where there may be potential for a conflict of interests, an outside firm of solicitors is engaged, although this is rare.

5.9 Where smaller forces employ their own solicitors, it may not be economically viable to have sufficient staff to allow specialism across each of the disciplines which are required. Consequently, external services, at greater cost, may also have to be obtained by a force on a regular basis. HMIC recognises the benefit in a corporate approach to this function across Scottish forces and is aware that Strathclyde Police was instrumental in establishing a Scottish forum of police solicitors to facilitate the sharing of good practice.

5.10 HMIC is aware of a proposal to establish a business benefits unit under the auspices of ACPOS. Such a resource, aligned within the ACPOS Secretariat, could instigate Best Value reviews of functions where potential exists to provide them on a national basis. Legal services is one of a number of so called 'back office' functions which could potentially benefit from such scrutiny and result in a more economic use of public funds. HMIC welcomes the work being undertaken by ACPOS, with support from the Scottish Executive, to establish a business benefits unit.

Crime Management

5.11 Strathclyde Police has a robust Crime Management structure in place, with the Assistant Chief Constable (Crime) clearly having strategic overview of crime across the force. He is assisted by the Detective Chief Superintendent 'H'CID (Operations), the Detective Chief Superintendent (Intelligence) and Head of Forensic Support. The Assistant Chief Constable is able to provide continuity of decision making and policy implementation by chairing the Crime Strategy Group and the CID Senior Management Forum, the latter of which is attended by Detective Superintendents and Detective Chief Inspectors.

5.12 A system of portfolio management has been introduced into the CID, with each Area Detective Superintendent now having additional responsibility for a portfolio of crime issues at force and national levels. The portfolios are diverse and comprehensive in the inclusion of all relevant crime areas. Support is provided by the Crime Strategy Section and the Crime Policy Unit, where staff keep up to date with legislative changes and carry out environmental scanning to ensure that policy can be developed, as and when required. The department provides secretariat support to senior officers, with staff covering crime strategy, crime policy, child protection and intelligence. HMIC recognises that this arrangement allows senior officers to take ownership of specific areas and provides a consistency of approach in matters of policy, with an opportunity for the force to engage at national level, and is seen as good practice.

Information Resources - Pinnacle

5.13 In October 2003, Strathclyde Police centralised the activities of Information Resources (previously Statistics & Warrants), Criminal Records Office and nine Divisional Crime Desks into a single functional unit within modern office accommodation in Glasgow city centre. The objective of this restructuring is to provide the force with 24-hour access to crime reporting and criminal justice information processing, using trained operators and capable of meeting all service level agreements and responding to workload fluctuations. Business benefits identified from this centralisation include improvements in efficiency through better utilisation of staff, accommodation and technical resources, with estimated annual savings of 466k.

5.14 While the transition to centralised Information Resources (IR) was managed as a force project and involved significant work packages in relation to technology and accommodation, the majority of effort related to human resource issues and relocation of personnel within existing posts across the force area. Staff were given options for redeployment or redundancy and an unexpectedly high proportion of staff opted for the latter. This resulted in a loss of almost a quarter of skilled staff who were expected to operate the new centre, including key management personnel. Although the force immediately embarked upon a recruitment programme, this was countered by a poor response to initial advertisements, delays in vetting new staff and logistical difficulties in inducting and training significant numbers of staff into a new role. Staff selection was ongoing during HMIC's inspection fieldwork and projected recruitment had been achieved by May 2004.

5.15 The transition to IR coincided with the force adoption of the Scottish Crime Recording Standard (SCRS), which initially increased the level of crime reporting across the force and increased the workload for IR. At the time of the inspection, it was too early to comment on the potential impact of the SCRS on the level of recorded crime within the force. By the end of the financial year April 2003 - March 2004, there was a backlog of some 5900 records still to be entered onto the crime system. Conscious of the need to maintain the integrity of recorded crime, the force has ensured that the backlog is recorded against the correct financial year. HMIC noted, as it spoke to officers and staff, that the backlog was impacting on other crime management processes throughout the force area. The force is confident in its recovery plan to clear the backlog by August 2004 and HMIC looks forward to reviewing a settled system at the time of the review inspection.

5.16 A crime management initiative to improve the quality of information recorded on crime reports added further to the workload for IR, as did the introduction of the Vulnerable Persons Database. The impact of these demands were underestimated by the force and, combined with the shortfall in staffing, resulted in a significant backlog of work within IR. HMIC acknowledges the difficulties experienced by the force in relation to staffing IR and recommends that the force reviews the approaches taken to staff redeployment, recruitment and estimating demand with appropriate levels of resources in future major change management projects.

5.17 HMIC considers it will be important for the force to apply any lessons learned from this review to the ongoing work in relation to Call Management.

5.18 It was highlighted to HMIC that the current crime recording system has been in operation for 10 years and is nearing the end of its serviceable life. Although the system is functional and providing robust crime recording, it is considered limited in terms of data analysis and does not integrate with other systems within IR. HMIC also learned that the system was not servicing the growing operational needs of the force in terms of crime management and was unlikely to integrate with the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application being developed for the call handling project. HMIC recognises that the force is keen to ensure any replacement crime management system is consistent with relevant developments in the Scottish Police Information Strategy (SPIS) and that this adds to the complexity of replacement. However, it recommends that the force reviews the requirement for a new crime recording system within the context of their change programme and future operational and business needs.

Covert Policing

5.19 During October 2003, a review of covert activities was carried out by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC). Police forces are subject to annual review in this area and all aspects of covert policing are thoroughly examined to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation, including the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 and the European Convention on Human Rights.

5.20 HMIC noted the Surveillance Commissioner's comments on the consistency of the quality of Directed Surveillance authorisations provided by Authorising Officers within divisions (Superintendents) continuing to be a challenge to the force. These comments are not unique to Strathclyde Police and are, in fact, a common feature of OSC inspections. Quality control mechanisms need to be revised in order to take cognisance of Authorising Officers who have infrequent contact with such legislation and HMIC recommends that ACPOS examines this area with a view to identifying training needs on a national basis.

Forensic Support

5.21 Within Strathclyde Police, scientific support is provided from within one or more operational branches of the force Forensic Support Department and, in some divisions, the services are complemented through the deployment of dedicated crime cars. Specialist services are also available from elsewhere in the force, for example, the Computer Crime Unit and Information Technology Department.

5.22 A Forensic Strategy, currently in draft form, awaits the results of a 3-month pilot into the attendance of Scene Examiners (previously known as Scene of Crime Officers) at volume crime. The measure of volume crime was refined to include just those categories of offence of which there is some potential for scientific investigation, but to which the Scene Examination Branch are not currently committed to attending under the current strategy. The pilot will attempt to provide a fair and equitable allocation of Scene Examiners over the nine territorial divisions and will be evaluated by Corporate Planning and Development at its conclusion.

5.23 A 3-year project has been initiated to increase the department's ability to attend more scenes of crime and training and development of additional staff will include specific targeting of volume crime. This programme, which should provide the force with Volume Crime Examiners over the next 3 years, could ultimately provide a 60% increase in the provision of fully qualified Scene Examiners. The force may wish to consider the status of its divisional crime cars, which utilise uniformed staff for scene examination, in the light of this development. This could provide an additional opportunity to release police officers for patrol duties by replacing these posts with qualified Scene Examiners. The proposed strategy makes reference to Scene Examiners targeting specific areas, through Tasking and Co-ordinating Group meetings, and recognition that the NIM process can be the vehicle for an integrated approach to overall crime investigation is indeed positive. HMIC is encouraged by this development, which is addressed in the recent HMIC Thematic Inspection of Crime Management in Scotland, and will examine the developments during the review inspection.

Strathclyde Policing Model and the NIM Process

5.24 During June 2003, the force formed the Strathclyde Policing Model Implementation Team, which was tasked with producing a robust, functional and sustainable policing model using the principles of the National Intelligence Model (NIM) to support the mainstreaming of a problem-solving approach to the force's core business. The problem-solving approach requires close partnership working with agencies to identify and deal with the root causes of problems, rather than repeatedly responding to the consequences.

5.25 The NIM was introduced to Glasgow East Division as a pilot during April 2002 and the force is continuing with a programme to ensure that each division and relevant department will be fully NIM compliant. HMIC noted that all nine territorial divisions are carrying out Level I tasking and co-ordinating, with a set agenda and attendees, and was encouraged to see a level of corporacy introduced to the process by the publication of a calendar of meetings. The calendar effectively brings a synchronisation of divisional meetings on a fortnightly basis, with HQ departments following a day later. Each division has a number of analysts but still requires to appoint additional staff to carry out roles specific to the NIM. The Assistant Chief Constable (Community Safety) is providing strategic direction with the Implementation Team providing a co-ordinating role in ensuring divisions are working towards full NIM compliance. The longer term aim is to dovetail the NIM successfully with problem solving to form the Strathclyde Policing Model. The force has piloted problem solving in the South Lanarkshire division since October 2002 and it has been successful in the resolution of a number of community issues and the reduction of incidents requiring police attendance. A full case study is included in the recent HMIC thematic inspection of community engagement, 'Local Connections'.

5.26 The force Strategic Tasking and Co-ordinating Group meeting, chaired by the Chief Constable recently took place, with a resultant Control Strategy being cascaded to divisions, giving a focus to local tasking and co-ordinating meetings. HMIC welcomes the focus given at strategic level and will examine the progress of the NIM during the review inspection.

Intelligence Analysis

5.27 The force has an establishment of 66 Intelligence Analysts based in Headquarters and in each of the nine divisions. HMIC was encouraged to see a proper career structure in place for analysts, where they may progress from Analyst Co-ordinator to Assistant Principal Analyst, Deputy Principal Analyst and, ultimately, Principal Analyst. The HMIC Thematic Inspection of Crime Management in Scotland recommended that the recognition of analytical staff be enhanced by forces putting in place a career structure to ensure the continued recruitment and retention of properly qualified and trained analytical staff. It is encouraging to see that the force has, so far, not encountered any problems with staff retention. In addition to a formal career structure, HMIC noted that the force has published guidelines for the 'Measure of Professional Competence for Criminal Intelligence Analysts', where analysts are able to progress on the successful completion of work-based assessments. HMIC considers this to be good practice.

5.28 The force published a strategic analysis paper entitled, 'Interim Report on Violent Crime in Strathclyde', using data from the past 4 years. The paper highlighted the under reporting of violent crime in the Glasgow area, comparing the number of crimes reported to the police with the number of people attending hospitals, having been assaulted with a knife or a blunt instrument. The paper has since formed the basis of discussion for a long-term strategy to reduce violent crime and key partners, including the Scottish Executive, have shown interest. HMIC is encouraged to see the development of an analytical product, as previously described, being used to assist senior management in developing force strategy.

Family Protection Unit

5.29 Responsibility at force executive level for family protection and related matters lies with the Assistant Chief Constable (Crime).

5.30 In January 2003, a decision was made to introduce Family Protection Units (FPU) within each of the nine territorial divisions. The units combine the disciplines of the investigation of child abuse and adult sexual assault, domestic abuse and the monitoring of sex offenders within the community. Each FPU is managed by a Detective Inspector and HMIC recognises the value in providing a management structure which affords support to officers working with cases which are distressing to the victim and investigator, whilst monitoring the quality of investigation carried out by each member of the team.

5.31 In August 2003, a Detective Superintendent was appointed to the post of 'Force Family Protection Co-ordinator', with a view to representing the force at strategic, inter- agency, ACPOS and Scottish Executive level. This is a key post and represents the most senior officer in Scotland with responsibility for Child Protection and related issues. A Child Protection Unit, comprising two detective sergeants, has recently been established with a view to providing the force with a strategic overview of all Family Protection Unit issues and to bring a consistency of approach to child protection. The unit was created to link with divisions in relation to:

• child protection
• domestic violence
• sex offender monitoring.

5.32 The Child Protection Unit has a role in updating and co-ordinating local family protection officers and a monthly meeting is held with the nine supervisors of divisional units. A forum was also arranged for sub-divisional officers and their deputies, where the Assistant Chief Constable (Crime) provided advice and guidance to help them discharge their responsibility for managerial oversight. Notably, this included learning points from previous incidents within the force and the identification of risk factors, including:

• separation
• pregnancy of victim
• escalation of violence/weapons
• sensitivity to cultural issues
• sexual assault/stalking.

5.33 HMIC acknowledges the positive progress being made by the force in delivering family protection services to some of the most vulnerable people in the community.

National Standards for Child Protection

5.34 In 2004, the Scottish Executive published a framework for national standards to protect children and young people. The framework is one part of a package of measures introduced under the Children's Charter. It has four main functions:

• it makes clear what children and their families can expect from those professionals and agencies responsible for the protection of children, reflecting the commitment made to children in the Charter
• it sets out the practice required from those agencies and professionals to deliver against those commitments
• it provides a framework for agencies' own evaluation of their performance
• it will help inform the development of multi-disciplinary inspections of child protection services.

5.35 HMIC was encouraged to see that the force had already used the framework to assist in evaluating its own performance in protecting children and young people. In terms of external scrutiny, HMIC is actively engaged in collaboration with other agencies to prepare for multi-disciplinary inspection of child protection on a national basis.

5.36 The quality of investigation and reports submitted by the FPU were commented upon positively by Procurators Fiscal during the fieldwork and, in one particular division, a dialogue was maintained with the Procurator Fiscal to allow early notification of possible solemn cases being reported.

Financial Investigation Unit

5.37 HMIC observed a strong emphasis from the force in the exploitation of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The Act was fully implemented on 24 March 2003 and introduced new statutory offences into the UK Criminal Justice system, providing the police with radical new powers to deprive criminals of the proceeds of crime. In fulfilment of achieving impact in this area, the force has introduced Financial Investigation Unit officers to each of the nine territorial divisions to support divisional enquiries and pro-active units. The force has also committed to the addition of six intelligence analysts within force headquarters to look at this area. The FIU has produced a briefing paper entitled 'Money Laundering Offences - Practices and Procedures'. Aimed at the operational officer, the briefing paper assists in explaining the key principles of the Act and the role of the FIU. The force acknowledges that it is still in the early stages of assessing how best to use the legislation and how it will respond to the demands from the Civil Recovery Unit, Crown Office. The emphasis and commitment by the force in this area of investigation and the integration of the Proceeds of Crime Act into mainstream policing, with the requisite support mechanisms in place to assist non-specialist officers, is considered to be positive.

Vulnerable Persons Database

5.38 In order to meet a number of statutory requirements to record incidents of domestic abuse, homophobic crime and racial incidents, Strathclyde Police developed a Vulnerable Persons Database, with funding provided by the Scottish Executive. Recently introduced force-wide, the networked system can provide officers and support staff with access to historical information and allow for an informed response by police officers when, for example, attending an incident of domestic violence. Officers within the Family Protection Units spoke favourably of the new system and the benefits of access to such necessary information.

5.39 During the fieldwork, officers expressed concern to HMIC that much of their time was taken up by double-keying information onto the Vulnerable Persons Database and the Crime System. The integration of a new crime recording system into the force IT infrastructure could alleviate this problem by removing the current requirement for the double entry of data. Although the database is in its infancy, the force may wish to consider the benefits from marketing the value of such a system to operational officers within this context.

Youth Justice

5.40 During the fieldwork, HMIC observed a significant commitment to the national 10-point Action Plan for dealing with the problem of young offenders in Scotland. The Action Plan was launched by the Scottish Executive in June 2002 and is aimed at children and young people up to the age of 16 who are offending, and to those 17 year olds who are under a statutory supervision requirement. Current pilot schemes are operating in the force which include: fast-track hearings to deal with 14-15 year olds with five episodes or more of offending over the previous 6 months, with the aim of providing a programme to reduce offending behaviour; a restorative justice 2 year pilot, currently running in the City of Glasgow in which offending children between the ages of 8-15 can be given the opportunity of being placed on alternative offender programmes. An Inspector is currently attached to the Restorative Justice Service, which has been established to provide a multi-agency response and early intervention with youth offenders in the City of Glasgow.

5.41 Of particular note is the Youth Court pilot which is based in Hamilton Sheriff Court. The 2-year project, which commenced in June 2003, was provided with funding from the Scottish Executive. The main partners in the Youth Court Pilot are the Scottish Executive, Strathclyde Police (North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Divisions), Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Children's Reporter, Sheriffs, Sheriff Clerks and North and South Lanarkshire Social Work Departments. The objectives of the Youth Court are to:

• reduce the frequency and seriousness of re-offending by 16 and 17 year old offenders (and some 15 year olds referred to the court)
• promote social inclusion, citizenship and personal responsibility of these young offenders whilst maximising their potential
• establish fast track procedures for those young persons appearing before the Youth Court
• enhance community safety by reducing the harm caused to individual victims of crime and providing respite to those communities which are experiencing high levels of crime
• test the viability and usefulness of a Youth Court using existing legislation and to demonstrate whether legislative and practical improvements might be appropriate.

5.42 During the pilot, a fast-track procedure is available, enabling offenders to gain access to courts and to supervised and monitored disposals, usually within 2 months of the commission of the offence (or date of detection). Most referrals to the Youth Court involve persons held in custody or liberated on a written undertaking. HMIC recognises the force's active participation and contribution to the national strategy.

Reporting Offenders

5.43 Strathclyde Police currently works to a target of submitting a report against an adult offender to the Procurator Fiscal within 28 days of caution and charge. In the case of a juvenile, a report should be sent to the Children's Reporter within 10 working days. These targets are now included in the Statutory Performance Indicators set by Audit Scotland and will be counted during the year 2004/2005.

5.44 During July 2003, the Force Inspectorate carried out a thematic inspection of Case Reporting and found that the force was consistently failing to achieve its case submission target of 28 days for routine police reports. Analysis carried out during February 2003 showed that only 6% of cases were reported within the requisite time scale. The thematic report made a number of recommendations, some of which were implemented throughout the territorial divisions. During March 2004, the force achieved 38% of cases being reported within the 28-day period. HMIC recognises the commitment made by the force in order to improve case reporting.

5.45 HMIC observed one division working very closely with the Procurator Fiscal, whereby an abbreviated police report was provided to allow an informed decision to be made as to how the case proceeds. The Procurator Fiscal attended the divisional headquarters on a daily basis and, with the information provided, could determine what further police involvement was required in order to proceed to trial, impose a Fiscal's fine, warning or take no further action. Divisional officers can, accordingly, direct their efforts to cases requiring full reports, the whole process being managed by a robust Case Management Unit based at Divisional Headquarters. The management information supplied by the division indicated good control of the process. As an example 76% of reports were submitted within the 28-day period, compared with the force average of 38%, during March 2004. HMIC considers this to be good practice.

5.46 HMIC noted a varying approach within divisions to the management of case reporting, with a wide variance in performance against target. One of the recommendations made in the force's Case Reporting thematic inspection report was to form an implementation team comprising representation from participants in all stages of the case reporting process in order to drive forward the recommendations contained in report. HMIC concurs with this recommendation and sees value in progressing this issue as a matter of urgency. HMIC also recognises that the force formed a Criminal Justice Processes Project Team, the remit of which is to examine all processes and apply the areas of good practice identified in the report, throughout the force. This is an area that HMIC will closely examine in the review process.

Integration of Scottish Criminal Justice Information Systems

5.47 The Integration of Scottish Criminal Justice Information Systems (ISCJIS) has been developing since 1992, with the concept that a person's criminal record will reflect up to date information from the point of detection by the police. The aim of this integrated process is to make all partners in the criminal justice system responsible for updating their own data, however, there is currently a disparity in the ability of partners to amend and update their data, due to issues of a technical nature.

5.48 In terms of partnerships, the force, through SCRO and ISCJIS, has developed strong relationships with other partners within the Scottish Criminal Justice System. However, while the introduction of ISCJIS will undoubtedly lead to long term benefits in terms of the timeliness of court results input, it has introduced some short term issues. These issues are being experienced nationally by all forces in Scotland.

5.49 Currently, Sheriff Court staff input information from court sheets directly to ISCJIS, which should automatically transfer to SCRO and, subsequently, to the PNC. However, due to technical issues, and in some cases as a result of inaccurate or inadequate data input by the courts, a number of the court results fail when being transferred to SCRO and consequently to PNC. In addition, the error reports that are generated are often incomplete. This has resulted in staff from Information Resources having to check all court sheets manually in order to ensure that they have been entered successfully on SCRO and PNC. This is a time-consuming task and with the current staffing issues being experienced in IR, it is having a detrimental effect on the overall performance of the force in terms of timeliness of court results and the number of outstanding impending prosecutions held on PNC.

5.50 In the HMIC Thematic Inspection of Crime Management in Scotland, the following observations were made:

".... Developing since its inception in 1992, the concept of ISCJIS is that a person's criminal record will reflect up to date information from the point of detection by the police. The significant changes to the previous process include making all partners in the Criminal Justice system responsible for updating the data at their own part of the process (this remains an aspirational aspect and during the transitional period, police forces are still inputting, amending or auditing data for other partners, either in respect of pre-ISCJIS cases or for partners who are not yet on-line) and transference of reports from police to COPFS through secure electronic channels."

HMIC will continue to monitor developments and progress in this area.

5.51 HMIC is aware that ACPOS is addressing a wide range of issues with partner agencies which will require to be followed through to resolution. HMIC is currently satisfied that the issues raised by Strathclyde Police are not unique to the force and that it will monitor progress at national level.

Call Management

5.52 Building on the Best Value Review of Public Interface in April 2001, the force undertook a series of reviews in relation to call management. This culminated in a decision by the force executive, in May 2003, to rationalise the existing force control room and divisional control room structures into two Force Contact Centres and three Area Control Rooms. While the scale is greater, the approach taken is similar to that adopted by other Scottish forces and was influenced by the economic and technological implications of the new Airwave communications system. Funding has been made available to the force from the Scottish Executive to support significant capital builds and major technology projects. Given the interdependencies between the rationalisation of call management and introduction of Airwave, these two separate projects each have a dedicated chief inspector as Project manager with the superintendent assuming the role of Programme Director (Airwave) to maintain oversight of both projects. Progress is monitored by the force Programme Board and it is envisaged that the new call handling structures will be in place by August 2005 and that Airwave will be rolled out to the force from April 2005.

5.53 HMIC recognises that the project includes significant accommodation, technology and people challenges and will have a key role in determining the future efficiency of operational deployment and improving the quality of service provided by the force.

5.54 The proposed call management model is based on three distinct elements, which are illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Proposed Call Management Model

5.55 All emergency '999' calls, non-emergency calls and routine force telephony will be routed through the two Contact Centres. New electronic media such as e-mail and text messaging from mobile phones will also be accommodated in due course. Although the Contact Centres will exist at two separate geographical locations, they will operate within a single 'virtual' environment, using technology to distribute calls intelligently to Customer Service Representatives. All calls that require to be resourced will be logged onto the force Command and Control system and passed electronically to the relevant Area Control Room for dispatch to operational resources. Calls that do not require police attendance and can be resolved by providing advice or assistance over the telephone will be passed to one of the nine Divisional Call Handling Units (DCHU). The force has procured a computerised Customer Relationship Management application (CRM) which will integrate with force systems and provide relevant caller history information to assist staff resolve calls at the first point of contact. While HMIC acknowledges the importance of CRM for successful call management, it notes that the crime recording system will not be included in the initial stage of integration. HMIC considers there are considerable benefits in integrating crime recording with CRM and considers that this aspect should be included in the recommended review of the force crime recording system.

5.56 Telephone calls will not be routinely passed from the Contact Centres to Area Control Rooms, with the notable exception of emergency calls which require a caller to engage directly with a dispatcher. HMIC has identified that the proposed model does not provide radio communications within the Contact Centre and that the force will rely on innovative technology to deliver simultaneously an emergency voice call with command and control data from the Contact Centre to a dispatcher within an Area Control Room. The force believes that only a small proportion of emergency calls require to be transferred in this way and is confident that this technology will provide a resilient solution.

5.57 Area Control Rooms will exist in three separate geographical locations across the force and will be responsible for the command and control of all operational resources. Airwave communications will be available within these control rooms and will ultimately deliver a range of new functionality to front line officers and support staff. A Force Control function will operate within the Area Control Room at Headquarters and maintain a force-wide overview. An inspector will be in overall charge of the Force Control function and assume responsibility for all three Area Control Rooms.

5.58 Divisional Call Handling Units will exist in each of the nine territorial divisions across the force. These units will be staffed by police officers and provide advice and assistance to callers. They will receive initial crime reports over the telephone and have access to the Force Command and Control system to log requests for police attendance. These will be sent electronically to the relevant Area Control Rooms. HMIC notes that officers within these units will be unable to enter a crime report directly onto the crime recording system and will be required to telephone Information Resources to raise a crime report. HMIC stresses the importance of officers in the call handling units to be able to record crime reports directly to allow the streamlining of the recording process and make crime information available to divisional crime managers at the earliest opportunity. Paragraph 5.18 makes reference to the need to consider a new crime recording system within the context of the force's change programme and future operational and business needs.

5.59 During the inspection fieldwork, HMIC visited the pilot Contact Centre, Area Control Room and DCHU at North Lanarkshire Division. It was noted that these elements had been introduced to test components of the call-handling model but were operating without the key technologies, processes and resources that will be present in August 2005. While HMIC acknowledges the significant benefits of the pilot in informing the call handling project, there was clearly a perception amongst staff and senior managers that the increased demand on front-line resources and other difficulties experienced with the pilot would be replicated within the fully implemented system. HMIC considers that the force should develop a marketing strategy for Call Management and seek to build confidence in the new processes. HMIC was also aware of national press coverage highlighting some of the difficulties experienced by the pilot and reported inabilities of the division to meet demand from the public. HMIC considers it essential that the force critically examines the demand profile from the pilot experience in North Lanarkshire Division and model this to predict the likely demands for the fully implemented system.

5.60 In summary, HMIC recognises that the force has embarked upon an ambitious and highly complex strategic development and looks forward to reviewing the implemented call handling model in due course.

Victim Issues

5.61 Strathclyde Police has adopted a number of approaches to ensure victims of crime are given the necessary support facilities and that the reporting of crime is made easier for those who may be reluctant to contact the police. In 2001, the Scottish Executive Justice Department published a Scottish Strategy for Victims Action Plan, which resulted in the publication of the ACPOS National Framework for Action. The force has since prepared its own action plan and has been actively addressing the issues contained within and monitoring progress.

5.62 The force has established close working practices with Victim Support Scotland (VSS) and a referral scheme is in operation where victims of crime are automatically referred to VSS by the police unless they choose to opt out of the process. The 'Opt Out' scheme was introduced in 2002 and resulted in a five-fold increase of referrals made compared to the previous year. Funding for VSS is provided by the Scottish Executive and the Social Inclusion Partnership. As a result of the increase in referrals, VSS has recruited more volunteers to accommodate it. VSS staff at regional management level spoke very favourably of the relationship with divisions, in particular, the professionalism of the divisional Community Safety officers and the divisional Domestic Abuse officers.

5.63 Strathclyde Police recognises the need to provide facilities for the victims of crime who do not wish to report a crime or make initial contact with a police officer. Some of these victims may have been subjected to racist or homophobic attacks and may have a reluctance to report the crime because they fear they may be discriminated against, receive poor quality of service as a result or believe their crime may not be investigated as rigorously as other types of crime. Third party crime reporting, which allows a victim to report a crime away from police premises and any police contact, is available for victims of and witnesses to racially-motivated incidents and crimes, with third party reporting centres situated throughout the force area. Agencies involved in third party reporting include the Scottish Refugee Council, West of Scotland Racial Equality Council, Social Work Standby Service, Glasgow Asylum Seeker Support Project, Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Asylum Seekers, The Well (Asian Advice Centre), East Pollokshields Multi-Cultural Centre and others, including housing associations.

5.64 Third party reporting centres are available for victims of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgendered (LGBT) incidents and police surgeries are held on a monthly basis at the LGBT centre in Glasgow.

5.65 HMIC notes the positive steps taken by the force to provide remote reporting and third party reporting facilities for victims of crime.

5.66 Now that all divisions have Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers, aligned with the Family Protection Units, a cohesive approach to providing support for victims of domestic abuse has been developed, allowing these officers to establish contact with the victims and advise them of the procedures undertaken from police investigation through to attendance at court. HMIC was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm of the Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers and their willingness to link-in with the relevant agencies and provide a victim-centred approach.

Family Liaison

5.67 HMIC has published a thematic inspection of family liaison in Scotland, 'Relatively Speaking' (2003), which identifies that ' In essence, family liaison is a formalised relationship between the police service and a bereaved family'. The report goes on to outline the training requirements for Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) as well as the need for appropriate monitoring to ensure their welfare is secured when dealing with such traumatic duties. During 2003, the Road Policing Department dealt with 116 fatalities. There are currently six officers who are trained as FLOs but, as one constable remarked, ' so many of us are FLO's without training'. By contrast, there were 70 homicides during 2003 within the force area and a further 85 FLOs to deal with them although HMIC acknowledges that these FLOs are now being utilised for a wide range of tasks.

5.68 HMIC's thematic report recommended that ACPOS clarifies the criteria for the deployment of FLOs in response to road deaths as the ACPOS Road Death Investigation Manual lacked clarity. HMIC is aware that a working group of the Investigation Sub Committee of ACPOS Crime Standing Committee is actively considering all the thematic report's recommendations as they applied to ACPOS and is due to report in July 2004. Subject to this clarification, HMIC recommends that the force reviews the requirement for trained FLOs within the Road Policing Department to ensure that the appropriate level of resources is available.

Operations

5.69 During 2003, proposals were put to the force executive to unify the structure of the Road Policing Department with that of Headquarters Operations. This was agreed and work commenced in August of 2003 creating a significantly-sized Operations Department comprising the following sections - Operations Co-ordination, Road Policing, Support Services, Emergency Planning, Courts Branch and Force Communications. This represents a department of over 1,000 police officers and support staff.

5.70 A number of business benefits were put forward as accruing from this reorganisation, including:

• avoidance of duplication and additional costs in support structures
• unification of the senior management structure under single strategic direction, facilitating joint debate and discussion at senior level across all specialisms
• the ability to provide logistical support to pro-active counter terrorist measures.

5.71 HMIC acknowledges the rationale for this reorganisation, however, at the time of the inspection, found evidence that the restructuring was not complete. While progress had been made, with the various specialist units functioning effectively, a unified structure had not been achieved and further change had still to take place if many of the suggested business benefits were to be achieved. For example:

• The original proposals for the reorganisation envisaged a 'change manager' of Superintendent rank to oversee and drive the process. The individual appointed did not take up the role as, shortly after having been appointed, he was given responsibility for an external force enquiry. The role was not re-assigned to any other person. In the interim, the new department's deputy head was promoted and, at the time of the inspection, his replacement had yet to take up post as he was on secondment. The head of Support Services was therefore carrying out the Deputy role.
• The acting deputy departmental head had issued a memorandum to establish a series of diaried Operations Policy Group meetings. Given that a clear aim of the reorganisation was a unification of the senior management structure, HMIC would have expected such minuted meetings to have taken place from the outset.
• The proposals acknowledge that the role of the Chief Superintendent (Operations) would significantly alter from being one of 60% personal, hands-on in relation to planning and co-ordination to one of 100% strategic management. The job description of the post holder and other departmental managers have yet to be rewritten to reflect this change and the head of department was significantly involved in a number of ongoing projects, e.g. the introduction of new call centres.

5.72 HMIC acknowledges that the imminent appointments of departmental business and personnel managers will assist the restructuring but recommends that the force revisits the project to ensure change is driven through. At the end of the process, a proper post-implementation review should be undertaken to assess whether the benefits have been realised and that the various specialisms contained within the department continue to operate effectively with regard to their core purpose.

Operation Prism

5.73 To facilitate the new department's and force's ability to respond to terrorist scenarios, Operations Co-ordination has put considerable effort into contingency planning under the title of Operation Prism. A series of plans are at an advanced stage that will give operational commanders a range of tactical options depending on the terrorist scenario faced. The planning team includes an officer from Lothian and Borders Police who is adapting the plans produced to meet his own force's operational requirements. HMIC welcomes this commitment to contingency planning and the sharing of information between forces. HMIC regards this as good practice.

Road Policing

5.74 The Road Policing Department is now headed by a superintendent with a chief inspector as his deputy. In addition, there are three operational command areas and a specialist services section each headed by a chief inspector. The internal restructuring of the Road Policing Department from two sub-divisions to three areas appears to have been achieved relatively successfully although concerns were raised regarding a perceived loss of administrative support.

5.75 A series of focus groups was held at inspector, sergeant and constable level within the department and HMIC acknowledges that the change to the road policing structure did not attract negative comments from officers of any ranks interviewed although uncertainties were expressed as to the future direction of road policing. It was identified that, in addition to casualty and crime reduction roles, there had now been added counter terrorism. Concerns were expressed that, given the department's relatively small size, it would be difficult to achieve all of this without sacrificing attention to the primary role of casualty reduction. The restructuring proposals stress that ' there would be no change to the current roles and remits of the various specialist departments and, most certainly, no detriment to delivery of front line operational specialist services to colleagues and to the public'. HMIC welcomes this commitment. The goal of reducing road traffic casualties remains paramount and is the rationale for the existence of road policing. At the time of the inspection, the department was under strength by 18 constables. It is hoped that these vacancies are filled at an early opportunity sending a clear message that front line delivery is to the fore.

Road Policing Intelligence Office

5.76 Effective road policing is intelligence-driven and focuses on the management of those hot spots where collisions occur, on offender targeting, on managing driver behaviour and preventing collisions as well as crime prevention and disorder. All of this incorporates successful working relationships and partnerships with other agencies involved in road policing. HMIC was pleased to see evidence that the Road Policing Department was operating in this manner.

5.77 The Road Policing Intelligence Office is enthusiastically led by a sergeant whose background has been in CID. She is supported by a number of field intelligence officers, all constables, who are all based at the force's road policing complex, with the exception of one constable who acts as an interface between Road Policing and the Force Intelligence Bureau. A high level of intelligence submissions are generated by the department's officers, over 400 a month, and this results in the production of good quality intelligence bulletins tailored for each of the traffic command areas and also a significant number of intelligence packages for operational officers to action. Ideally, the field intelligence officers should be based in the operational command areas and this is an area the department may wish to consider.

5.78 In addition, the Office lacks an intelligence analyst. Such a post is considered essential, particularly with the introduction of the National Intelligence Model (NIM) throughout the force. The force's own strategic assessment recognises the significant role that road policing has to play, in both the enforcement of traffic offences and in combating mainstream criminality. HMIC understands that positive consideration was given to the provision of an analyst but that provision of such a post seems to have been lost in the ongoing restructuring. HMIC recommends that the case for an intelligence analyst as part of the Road Policing Department Intelligence Office be given active and positive consideration. This would significantly augment the capabilities of the Office and the intelligence-led capability of the Department.

Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership

5.79 The force, together with the 12 constituent local authorities, are members of the Strathclyde Safety Camera Partnership, which is currently responsible for 73 fixed sites, 24 red light sites and 26 mobile sites. Administration of the Partnership's cameras and the associated enforcement process is provided by a team of police and support staff based at the road policing complex. Enforcement cameras have attracted considerable publicity and often negative criticism as being nothing more than 'income generators' for the police. The reality is that the identification of fixed cameras and mobile sites are determined by strict criteria, as laid down in the Scottish Executive Scottish Safety Camera Programme Handbook. Justification for each site is based on casualty statistics. HMIC notes that, at the time of the inspection, the Partnership had completed a lengthy review of all sites to ensure they met the criteria. This has resulted in a number being removed and new sites being added. The results of a 2-year evaluation (April 2000 to March 2002) of the impact of cameras showed a 67% reduction in fatal and serious casualties in areas with cameras. HMIC supports the targeted use of camera enforcement technology alongside pro-active road policing.

Community Speedwatch

5.80 The force has piloted the community speedwatch scheme in Scotland through its Traffic Education Support Team (TEST). The concept, already well established in England, aims to share the responsibility of addressing the problem of rural speeding, either real or perceived, in a partnership approach involving the community police and other agencies. HMIC has already commented in some detail on the scheme in its recently published thematic, Local Connections - Policing with the Community (2004). Since then, an evaluation of the pilot has shown there to be a 64% reduction in the number of speed related offences detected during the period of the pilot compared to the same period the previous year. The force is examining a number of issues that have arisen out of the pilot before any decision is taken to introduce the scheme elsewhere. HMIC acknowledges the positive engagement with local communities in the introduction of this initiative.

Air Support

5.81 Strathclyde Police operates the only Air Support Unit (ASU) in Scotland. The unit, which is part of Support Services, consists of an inspector, who is the Unit Executive Officer (UEO), a sergeant, who is the deputy UEO and Unit Training Officer, and five constables. In addition, there are 11 relief air observers who provide cover for the full-time staff during periods of training, illness or annual leave. The relief air observers are primarily drawn from Support Services, i.e. nine, with the remaining two coming from territorial divisions.

5.82 Training for unit staff is extensive and includes attendance on the National Air Observers Course, Helicopter Underwater Escape Training and Cockpit Resource Management. Training standards are set nationally by ACPO (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) Air Operations Standing Committee and its Technical and Training Sub Committee. HMIC was pleased to note that the force is a member of both bodies, thereby ensuring a contribution to policy making and implementation.

5.83 The unit currently operates a Eurocopter EC135 aircraft which is fitted with a variety of sophisticated equipment including forward looking infrared camera (FLIR) and Microwave Down-linking which allows images from onboard cameras to be transmitted live to suitably equipped ground stations. The unit played a vital role during a recent explosion at Stockline Plastics factory, Maryhill, utilising the equipment referred to, to assist in the on site search and rescue operation.

5.84 Published criteria for deployment exist and all requests are logged by the ASU using a locally developed software programme Microman Flight Logging System. The programme is capable of providing detailed management information, copies of which were supplied to HMIC. The programme has also been purchased by Merseyside Police ASU. Where requests for air support are refused, for example, if they do not meet the criteria or because of adverse weather conditions, these are also recorded.

5.85 The helicopter, pilotage and technical support are currently provided to the force under contract from Bond Helicopters. As a result, Bond Helicopters holds a Police Air Operators Certificate on behalf of the Chief Constable and are responsible for pilot training and requalification as well as aircraft provision and maintenance. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sets rigorous requirements for police air operations and carries out announced annual inspections as well as unannounced visits. HMIC had access to CAA inspection reports as part of this inspection.

5.86 Following a crash involving the force helicopter in February 2002, the Department for Transport Air Accident Investigation Branch report on the circumstances recommended that the CAA should require Police Air Operators Certificate holders to review the safety benefits provided by the use of helmet mounted night vision goggles (NVGs). The force has undertaken considerable research into the implications of introducing NVGs and a detailed report has recommended their introduction.

5.87 The contract arrangement, while not unique to police air operations, is not a common one. The force is, however, satisfied that the arrangement currently represents 'Best Value' ensuring, for example, that where the primary aircraft is not available, for whatever reason, that the firm supplies a suitable replacement. The force is more than half way through a 7-year contract with Bond. This is the second contract the force has entered into. The cost of the contract to the force is in excess of 1 million a year and is met entirely from the force's revenue budget.

5.88 This funding arrangement is unusual in that air support units in England and Wales receive 51% of funding from the Home Office. Home Office financial support has been crucial to the spread of air support throughout England and Wales, with all but two of the 43 forces now having air support capability either as part of a joint unit with neighbouring forces or as a sole operator. While the case for widening air support within Scotland has been the subject of discussion, this has not resulted in expansion beyond Strathclyde. Without direct financial support from the Scottish Executive, it is difficult to see other Scottish forces being in a position to pursue actively air support, the benefits of which, e.g. searching of large areas for missing persons, rapid transport of specialised teams and vehicle pursuits, are widely accepted.

5.89 The ASU keeps records of all requests from other forces and the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency (SDEA) for air support. While the number of such requests is not high, they have increased over the last 3 years, as the following table illustrates.

Table 2: Air Support Deployments

5.90 The costs are based on the force's own current estimate of an hourly rate of 1300. In January 2004, the force executive agreed a charging policy in respect of air support to other forces. Where there is a threat to life, no charge is made for the service. For a pre-planned event/operation, the cost will be recovered at the hourly rate charged to the force by its supplier, including fuel costs, landing fees and overtime incurred. The figures above do not include these additional costs. From details supplied, all of the above incidents appear to come into the latter category. While the number may not seem significant, given that average flying time daily is around 3 hours, a single request could in theory deprive the force of its air support capability for a day. In addition, as has been previously referred to, the cost of providing air support is met entirely by the force from its revenue budget. With the prospect of air support involvement in the recently announced G8 Summit to take place in Scotland, there is a strong 'Best Value' argument in support of the force's stated policy. Although this inspection did not examine the force's underwater unit, HMIC is aware that the General Policing Standing Committee of ACPOS has produced a standardised charging regime for diving services within Scotland. Acknowledging that only Strathclyde Police is a service provider, nevertheless a similar regime and document for the provision of police air support may be useful in ensuring all forces are aware of the likely costs involved. HMIC will re-examine this area at the next review inspection.

Marine Unit

5.91 The force, for many years, operated a marine policing unit. With the introduction of air support to the force, the case for the unit at that time receded and the police launch was withdrawn from service in 1991. During 2002, a scoping report and business case was made to reintroduce a marine policing unit. Following an extensive pilot exercise during 2003, the force has decided to form a full-time marine unit and has purchased a pre used 'ARUN' class patrol boat capable of being used at sea. HMIC will review the progress made by the force in establishing the unit during the next review inspection.

Firearms

5.92 The force maintains a significant firearms capability and indeed the force executive has recently approved an increase in the current number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs), from 246 to 325. This increase has been approved primarily in recognition of the anti terrorist demands placed on the force. The increase is planned to take place over a 3-year period and a series of 'open nights' have been held at the Force Training and Recruitment Centre (FTRC), Jackton to raise awareness amongst potential volunteers as to the role of the AFO. HMIC notes that, of the current 246 AFOs, only 3% are female. However, the force has recently appointed its first full-time female member of the force Tactical Firearms Unit. HMIC acknowledges this and will be interested to see if such open nights are successful in recruiting further female officers.

5.93 The increase in firearms officers has implications for the Firearms Training Department, which is based at the FTRC, and a review of staff levels is ongoing. Currently it consists of one inspector, three sergeants, eight constables and one force support officer. All the police officers are also members of the force's Tactical Firearms Unit.

5.94 Alongside the review of staffing levels, the Firearms Training Department has been working towards attaining 'quality approval' from the Central Police Training and Development Authority (CENTREX) based at Bramshill, Hampshire. Success will mean the Department can offer a variety of courses to officers from throughout the United Kingdom. The process, in five stages, is well advanced and it is hoped that quality approval will be achieved by October of this year. HMIC will be interested in the outcome of the force's bid.

5.95 If successful, there are implications for training provision in Scotland. Forces would no longer have to go to England for certain national courses, e.g. those for instructors and strategic commanders, with approved courses being available 'on their doorstep'. HMIC is aware that ACPOS General Policing Standing Committee has considered this issue. HMIC believes such an approach represents Best Value and would encourage forces to make use of this national facility which ACPOS acknowledges 'will take firearms training capabilities significantly forward in Scotland'. The force currently offers a number of courses to other Scottish forces, including an Initial Strategic Commanders Course, refresher Strategic Commanders Course and Post Incident Manager. These have been attended by 22 officers from a number of other Scottish forces. HMIC welcomes this. HMIC will review progress in accreditation and forces uptake of courses at the next review inspection.

5.96 An examination of the number of incidents where officers are authorised to carry firearms might suggest a significant increase in recent years as illustrated in Table 3. These figures exclude authorisations in respect of personal protection duties and the destruction of dangerous animals.

Table 3: Firearms Authorisations

5.97 However, an explanation is offered by way of a firearms policy change. Since April 2002, the force has operated a new 'enablement' policy. In essence, where an ongoing incident is believed to be a potential firearms incident, the Duty Officer at Force Control, an officer of inspector rank, on the basis of assessed information, ' may direct Armed Response Vehicle crew members to remove the weapon(s) from the secure gun box in the vehicle, arm themselves and enable them to respond safely and appropriately to a spontaneous firearms incident'. Thereafter, the Duty Officer will seek confirmation and verification from the duty Assistant Chief Constable or a Divisional Superintendent. The force has adopted this policy change to assist a speedy response that protects both the police and the public, while allowing a Chief Officer to retain control over the issue of firearms. It is seen as a proportionate response in terms of human rights and health and safety legislation. All firearms incidents are monitored by the force Firearms Monitoring Group and the policy is consistent with the ACPO Manual of Guidance on the Police Use of Firearms. HMIC welcomes the introduction of more flexible arrangements to facilitate access to weapons in appropriate circumstances.

5.98 A number of other developments were identified during the inspection. The force, in common with all others in Scotland, has pursued less lethal options and crew members of the force's armed response vehicles have access to baton guns. These can be deployed in situations which would otherwise result in the police use of firearms and HMIC welcomes this sensible measure designed to give officers a range of tactical options. While the baton gun has not yet been discharged in Scotland, there have been a number of recorded usages in England and Wales. All instances are reported to the Secretariat of the ACPO Working Group on the Police Use of Firearms and details are circulated throughout the United Kingdom to ensure good practice is promulgated.

5.99 Currently, all the force's superintendents and chief inspectors receive initial and refresher training to allow them to command firearms incidents. The force is at an advanced policy development stage with a view to establishing a 'cadre' of senior officers who will receive additional training to take charge of the more complex pre-planned and long-term spontaneous incidents. This will not replace the current training given or the wider involvement of the force's tactical and operational commanders in firearms incidents. HMIC notes this development and will examine progress in this and other areas of firearms policy and practice at the next review inspection.

Public Order

5.100 During 2001, the force undertook a review of its ability to respond to public disorder as a result of serious disturbances which occurred in the North of England and disorder at a number of events within the force area as well as possible future demands. Consequently, the decision was taken to increase significantly the number of officers trained in all aspects of public order policing. A Public Order Review Group was established and its resultant detailed 3-year plan is currently half way through implementation. As a result, the number of public order trained officers at the time of the inspection, had risen from 190 to 860. HMIC was pleased to note that a significant number of female officers have volunteered to undertake such duties, 52 or approximately 6%. All officers, who are volunteers, have completed a 5-day initial training course and significant progress has been made in delivering refresher training, which is a pre requisite if officers wish to remain qualified.

5.101 Responsibility for training delivery rests with the full-time public order unit, a recommendation of the review group report. The unit, based at the Force Training and Recruitment Centre, Jackton, consists of one inspector, two sergeants and eight constables. All the unit's officers have successfully completed the Tactical Trainers Course provided by Greater Manchester Police. In addition, those members of the unit who are qualified as tactical advisers provide a 24-hour on-call facility to tactical commanders on the ground who may have to manage such incidents. Training for the force's superintendent/chief inspectors, who will undertake a tactical/operational command role has, for the time being, been provided by both Greater Manchester Police and Kent Constabulary. In total, 27 officers have been trained.

5.102 The unit is expanding its delivery of training courses with the development of evidence gathering and police support unit driving courses. The current total training commitment is the equivalent of 35 weeks per year. HMIC was able to witness part of a refresher training course and was impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of all participants. Facilities at Jackton are considered to be good but, recognising the expansion of training and with aspirations to attain quality approval from the Central Police Training and Development Authority (CENTREX) for courses delivered, a business case has been put to, and accepted by, the force executive to expand the facilities in due course. Successful accreditation will mean that the unit could offer courses to officers throughout the United Kingdom and the potential implications for service delivery in Scotland should be examined in due course by ACPOS.

5.103 As the majority of officers trained now come from territorial divisions rather than Support Services, each division now retains the officer's public order equipment locally. Divisions are also being supplied with appropriate vehicles to allow for the transportation of public order officers. Each division now has a Public Order Liaison Officer to ensure, for example, all equipment is properly stored and maintained. To date, the effectiveness of call out and mobilisation arrangements has not been tested on a large force-wide scale. HMIC would be interested in the outcome of such an exercise. HMIC, acknowledging the significant effort and resources that the force has put into its public order capability, will review progress in implementing the 3-year plan at the next review inspection.

Emergency Planning

5.104 The Emergency Planning Section is headed by a superintendent who is the designated Force Emergency Planning Officer (EPO). He is supported by a chief inspector, two inspectors, two constables and two force support staff. A recent business case has been made for an additional inspector in light of increasing demands placed by new legislation, commitments to issues surrounding counter terrorism and an expanding exercise programme, amongst other factors. HMIC welcomes this development. The case for civilianisation of some of the departmental posts was discussed. It was the view of the EPO that scope was limited as the police officers were all on call to provide expert advice to Police Incident Officers at major incidents. In addition, most of the police staff in the section are trained negotiators who are subject to additional call outs. HMIC acknowledges the valid operational reasons behind this stance, nevertheless, as the section develops, further consideration should be given to the potential to civilianise posts.

5.105 The section has overall responsibility for the compilation, subsequent exercising and testing of contingency plans under the stewardship of the multi-agency Strathclyde Emergency Co-ordination Group (SECG). The section is assisted in this through nine Divisional Emergency Planning Officers (DEPLOs), who are, as the name suggests, based in each of the force's territorial divisions. DEPLOs are not full time in this role, undertaking these duties in tandem with whatever primary role they have been allocated. It is the intention of the force Emergency Planning Officer to scrutinise how effectively the DEPLO role is being undertaken and HMIC welcomes this. Many of the plans that the force and other partners will work to are maintained at local level, where local knowledge and contacts are vital to ensure the effectiveness of the plan and the emergency services response to it.

5.106 Partnership working in this field is ensured through a series of local co-ordinating committees. The SECG group provides a force-wide oversight and underneath it are five local working groups. The DEPLOs attend the local working groups. The introduction of a generic Multi-Agency Incident Response Guide to provide 'the framework for the co-ordinated response of agencies to an emergency' is a welcome development and HMIC regards this as good practice.

5.107 Under the auspices of the SECG, the Joint Police Board in April 2003, entered into contractual agreement with a commercial company to supply a single help-line for members of the public seeking information after a major incident. The help-line, intended to provide public reassurance at this crucial period and alleviate pressure from partner agencies' control/call centres, can be accessed by the 21 multi-agency contributors, who have all met the costs involved, to provide a set amount of information to the general public. This is the first known use of such a facility within the emergency planning environment in the United Kingdom.

5.108 It is unfortunate that at the time of the inspection HMIC was able to witness at first hand the 'success' of the helpline and the force's and other agency partners' response to a major incident. The explosion at the Stockline Plastic factory on 11 May 2004 and resultant fatalities has been well documented publicly. HMIC, however, was able to monitor the effectiveness of the multi-agency response. Within 2 hours of the explosion occurring, the first strategic level meeting between the partnership agencies, including the emergency services, local authority, NHS and utilities had taken place. Following on from this, a casualty bureau was set up and the help-line put into effect. In its first 72 hours, the system dealt with over 1,000 calls. Within 24 hours, a recovery group to examine the acute and long-term community impact issues, investigation issues and recovery issues had been established. While there will no doubt be learning points, the multi-agency response bears testament to the planning and exercising that goes on unpublicised year after year. HMIC acknowledges the professionalism and dedication of all the agencies who responded to this incident.

Professional Standards

5.109 It is normal practice for HMIC during the inspection process to examine a force's complaint handling process. As HMIC has recently completed a thematic inspection of complaints against the police across Scotland, including Strathclyde Police, and published the resulting report, Quality of Service (2004), on this occasion, it has restricted its examination to the force's Complaints and Discipline Department, Professional Standards Unit (PSU).

5.110 In Quality of Service, HMIC has recommended that ' all forces should be supported by a dedicated professional standards unit, capable of conducting robust proactive investigation'. Strathclyde Police operates a very significant dedicated unit which meets these criteria. Professional standards units were a result of a recommendation contained in a 1999 thematic report produced by HMIC for England and Wales, designed to ensure forces were capable of dealing with internal corruption and pro-actively maintaining integrity. Strathclyde Police established its unit in 2000 following a force working group that examined integrity issues within the force. The Unit currently consists of a superintendent, chief inspector, two inspectors, five sergeants, two constables and two force support officers. HMIC was pleased to note that four of the units police officer's were female. The unit's strength is such that it is able to sustain an intelligence gathering function alongside a pro-active capability.

5.111 Supporting the force Integrity Strategy, the remit of the section is as follows:

• to protect the integrity of the force
• to protect the integrity of employees
• to protect the integrity of force systems.

5.112 In pursuit of raising the unit's profile and awareness of the issues surrounding integrity within the force, the unit provides considerable input to training both locally and nationally. At a local level, these include training for cadets, probationary constables and newly-promoted sergeants. HMIC was pleased to note that when officers throughout the force were questioned as to their knowledge of the section during inspection visits, there was a general level of awareness and that awareness was positive and appreciative of the need for the section. In particular instances, officers had either been involved with the unit or knew of someone who had made contact seeking advice or guidance. The unit has operated a confidential help-line for the last 3 years and there has been a significant increase in referrals, by this and other means, from 59 in 2001/2002 to 200 for 2003/2004. HMIC sees this as further evidence of raised awareness rather than a growing integrity problem.

5.113 The unit is represented on a variety of national forums including the ACPO Counter Corruption Advisory Group (ACCAG) and the ACPOS Professional Standards Practitioners Forum. Such bodies are important to encourage the sharing of best practice, to develop policy in the area of specialism and to allow the service to make its views known, as appropriate. The Practitioners Forum has a key role to play if HMIC's recommendation in relation to professional standards units in Scotland is to be achieved.

5.114 Measuring the success of such a unit and the integrity strategy is a difficult area. HMIC acknowledges the development that has taken place within the force. Measuring progress against the recommendations of the 1999 working party report and the position prior to the unit's establishment in 2000 provides clear evidence that significant progress has been made. Further, the force can point to a pro-active capability that did not exist before, a number of successful convictions of staff as a result of actions of the unit, a deterrent effect and improved processes and procedures. HMIC is aware that the head of the Professional Standards Unit is considering benchmarking with another unit in England and Wales and regards such an exercise as good practice. However, there are still areas where it is acknowledged that further progress can be achieved. For example, the need for an internal threat assessment and for improved vetting procedures. HMIC would encourage the completion of such a threat assessment and will monitor progress at the next review inspection.

5.115 The importance of vetting, not only at the recruitment stage, but at various points throughout an individual's career was recognised within the original force working party report and is also a key element of the force Integrity Strategy. With the likelihood of significantly enhanced levels of recruiting in the next decade, as many more officers reach retiral age, successful vetting is the first line of defence in preventing inappropriate individuals becoming part of the Scottish police service. Accordingly, HMIC welcomes the force decision, reached since inspection fieldwork was carried out, to appoint a Force Vetting Officer.

5.116 HMIC is also aware that ACPO in England and Wales has recently adopted a national vetting policy to which the head of Strathclyde's PSU has had an input. This policy has been circulated to all Scottish forces via the ACPOS Professional Standards Standing Committee with a view to the policy being adopted in Scotland. HMIC is supportive of an all encompassing vetting policy for the Scottish police service which operates not just at the recruitment stage but throughout an individual's career, meeting the need to ensure integrity is sustained.

Health and Safety

5.117 During the course of the inspection, assistance was given by the Health and Safety Executive in respect of examining the force's approach to health and safety issues. It was found that the necessary force policies and procedures were in place and that divisional health and safety policies had been prepared and distributed. The force health and safety policy statement was last revised in November 2003 and is signed by the Chief Constable and the convener of the Strathclyde Joint Police Board. Generally, there was good dissemination of information, with the force health and safety manual available to all members of staff via the force intranet, providing guidance on health and safety issues and giving access to generic risk assessments. In addition, a health and safety information booklet has now been provided to every employee. The force is in the process of developing a health and safety strategy.

5.118 The Force Safety Unit, comprising two safety officers with administrative assistance, provides support and guidance on health and safety matters. Each department and subdivision has a designated safety officer, with health and safety committees at divisional, departmental and force level. Representation is included from occupational health and welfare, the staff associations and the trade unions. Health and safety training is undertaken in-force, mainly by the Force Safety Unit in conjunction with the Force Training Department and covers a variety of areas including risk assessment, display screen assessment, moving and handling and designated safety officer training. Due to resourcing issues, the inspection found that the Senior Force Safety Officer was heavily involved in providing an input to the training programme. This limits his ability to provide a strategic overview of health and safety issues across the force. HMIC is aware that an additional post for a safety officer has been advertised which, when filled, may offer an opportunity for the Senior Force Safety Officer to review his role in the context of these observations.

5.119 Despite continuing to have a level of accountability in this key area, it was noted that there was no specific health and safety training for senior officers beyond that given in the Designated Safety Officer (DSO) course, normally at chief inspector rank. In addition, there was no formal refresher training for moving and handling and limited opportunities for refresher training for DSOs. The roll-out of training for the emergency response belt, designed to assist in controlling particularly violent prisoners, resulted in one division retraining all personnel in moving and handling at the same time, due to the lengthy interval since the original training was given. The force may wish to consider reviewing this aspect of training in light of the accountability of senior management for health and safety issues.

5.120 Risk assessments are carried out by trained risk assessors, with the forms held locally and a copy forwarded to the Force Safety Unit. Generic risk assessments covering a variety of aspects of policing, e.g. general police duties, firearms training, vehicle stops, police diving, searching of dangerous and potentially hazardous sites (landfill areas), were widely available. A number of local risk assessments were viewed, however, it appeared that the Force Safety Unit was not always made aware when a new risk assessment had been completed. This is an area which, given additional staff, can benefit from examination by the Senior Force Safety Officer with a view to establishing robust procedures and HMIC will look at progress during the review inspection.

Custody and Care of Prisoners

5.121 The care of prisoners while detained in custody is recognised as a specialised and difficult area of police work. Consequently, all HMIC Primary Inspections involve an examination of custody facilities and arrangements within the force. Strathclyde Police has 42 facilities regularly used for custody holding. Approximately 110,000 persons in total are held in custody per annum in the Strathclyde Police area with 86% being male and 14% female.

5.122 Many of the individuals in custody have drug or alcohol dependency problems and/or mental health issues and, in common with the findings of other force inspections, this appears to be an area of increasing difficulty for custody staff. In addition to providing standard custody facilities, the force also hosts the only designated holding centre in Scotland for detainees under the Terrorism Act 2000. During the course of this inspection, HM Lay Inspector of Constabulary visited nine custody centres, of which three were divisional headquarters, five were sub-divisional offices, and the designated terrorist holding centre.

5.123 Strathclyde Police has an agreement with the UK Immigration Service (UKIS) that all persons detained by the UKIS will be processed and held at one divisional custody facility. These arrangements appear to be working satisfactorily and while there is an increased need for interpreters, these requirements are attended to by the UKIS.

5.124 The responsibility for escorting custodies to and from the courts was recently transferred to the private sector and early difficulties received adverse publicity. HMIC recognises that the change in prisoner handling has the potential to release officers for patrol duties and is supportive of this change in process. HMIC will be interested to see how this process develops.

5.125 The force uses computerised prisoner processing software, developed in-force, to record details of all persons detained in custody, including details of any special risks. Whilst the process is standardised across the force, the system is now somewhat dated and difficult to upgrade. Accurate recording of matters affecting the care and welfare of each custody are of the utmost importance but while there was evidence of risk assessment questions being asked about any illnesses, injuries, medication, drink or drugs taken, etc., the system does not prompt the user to ask specific questions. This leads to inconsistency with no facility to audit the process other than reverting to the audio-visual CCTV system, where installed.

5.126 HMIC observed a positive team spirit in each of the locations visited, possibly contributed to by the stability of the custody teams which experienced a low turnover of staff over the past few years. The force makes use of a high proportion of civilian support staff and is actively examining ways to return more police officers to operational duties by increasing the level of civilian staff and widening their role. HMIC noted comments from both police and support staff that the role required a mixture of front desk and telephone answering duties that were not always compatible with the custody demands at certain times.

5.127 There was clear differentiation between police and civilian staff uniforms, albeit that there is no form of individual identification for civilian staff, a matter the force may wish to address. All custody staff had received appropriate training, including the National Equal Opportunities Training Strategy (NEOTS), and there was evidence of regular refresher training being given to staff. The force is also in the process of providing all civilian custody staff with personal safety training. Due to the increasing use of civilian staff within custody areas and the increase in their direct, and often solo, contact with custodies, HMIC considers this training to be a positive development.

5.128 HMIC observed that there was good availability of guidance on religion, race and diversity, as well as language and translation facilities. The force had recently produced a comprehensive guide to a wide variety of religious and ethnic groups and this was found to be extensively available, and often displayed prominently, in all custody locations visited. A language identification card, enabling the accurate identification of almost 50 languages, was also widely in use. Arrangements were in place to address the cultural and dietary needs and religious observance of prisoners.

5.129 There was evidence of increasing standardisation across the force with regard to the provision of equipment in custody areas. Metal detectors, search tools, sharps storage boxes, first aid kits and anti-suicide suits and blankets were all in common use. Panic alarms had been installed in some offices for staff, which provided varying levels of coverage, and in one office, staff had been provided with personal alarms.

5.130 Many of the persons detained in custody present particular challenges regarding the provision of medical support, due to the prevalence of health problems associated with substance abuse or the state of their mental health. Effective measures are in place with those local medical practitioners who act as police casualty surgeons and duty officers reported no problems in summoning their assistance. Principal divisional police surgeons attend the quarterly meetings of the Police Casualty Surgeons Technical Subgroup, which also has representation from forensic support, CID, uniform divisions and policy support. While there was structured liaison at force level, there was little evidence of formal liaison between casualty surgeons and police officers at divisional level. One exception to this was 'Cops and Docs', a regular circular prepared by the principal police casualty surgeon in Ayrshire, which provides divisional police officers and casualty surgeons with the latest information.

5.131 All forces face challenges over the distribution of medication to prisoners and custody staff can be required to dispense significant quantities of controlled drugs on a regular basis. Following a casualty surgeon's examination of a prisoner, the doctor may prescribe a quantity of drugs to be issued to the prisoner during his time in custody.

5.132 The force has identified an innovative approach to this issue and uses a Dossett Box, a plastic container with sections for the frequency (morning, noon, afternoon and evening) and the relevant day(s) of the week, to store the prescribed drugs. After examining the prisoner, the doctor prepares and labels the Dossett Box, putting the exact quantity of each drug into the relevant section.

5.133 While the use of the Dossett Box is a practical solution to this issue, the inspection found that the quality of the labelling and storage was inadequate. Many of the labels used were poor photocopies with insufficient personal information recorded to exclude the possibility of a mistake in provision. In addition, there was no standard form of secure storage for these boxes. No accidents have been reported, but current procedures are creating an unnecessary risk and, in this regard, the force requires to review its arrangements for the distribution of medication to prisoners.

5.134 The force intranet provides all staff with direct access to force information, including an up-to-date copy of the procedures manual and any relevant diversity information. PNC and SCRO checks are carried out for all custodies so that all known information is accessed to ensure they receive the correct care and attention. Care was taken to respect privacy and protect the confidentiality of sensitive information with no names, reasons for detention, medical information or other personal information visible to any visitors to the custody area. The force has a policy of gaining a coherent verbal response from all custodies at regular intervals, the frequency dependent on a risk assessment of the prisoner's condition, with a maximum interval of one hour. Where necessary, this may include rousing the prisoner to ensure that there has been no deterioration in their condition.

5.135 Health and safety considerations within the custody environment are of particular importance. While secure storage was available for personal belongings, storage facilities for other items, such as coats and shoes, varied in suitability. In some instances, HMIC found these items being kept within the cell passageway outside the cell door, creating a trip hazard while in others they were retained within the service cupboards adjacent to the cells beside the cisterns and electrical ducts. In some of the older buildings, the ventilation and heating systems appeared inadequate.

5.136 Regular fire drills were held within offices but they did not appear to extend to the custody area with any consistency and some staff were uncertain about evacuation procedures. Fire exits in the custody areas also need to be tested on a regular basis and while this appeared to be the case generally, there was one exception where the inspection team found great difficulty in getting a fire exit to open. Clear and accessible evacuation plans are required, together with easy access to any additional equipment needed (such as sufficient quantities of handcuffs for evacuating prisoners), with office fire drills and tests of the fire exits being extended more frequently into the custody areas.

5.137 HMIC found varying levels of cleanliness and hygiene in custody areas. In some areas, the standards were more than satisfactory while in others, the situation was below that expected. HMIC does not believe that this state of affairs is due to any lack of expenditure or attention, as sufficient cleaners appeared to be in evidence. Rather, that the methods being employed in some of the older premises are no longer sufficient for the task at hand. There was also a lack of consistency in the provision of washing facilities, with showers being available only in some locations. Interestingly, it was estimated that there was a significantly higher demand for showers at the more modern and cleaner establishments than the other locations, where demand was practically nil.

5.138 For some time, HMIC has advocated the provision of audio-visual CCTV systems in custody areas as a positive development for the protection of the public and police alike, as well as increasing confidence in the custody arrangements at police offices by promoting transparent ethical standards. However, HMIC has reservations about the value and integrity of systems which are not fully 'tamper proof'. During the inspection, HMIC examined the arrangements for the storage of CCTV images and found that the methods employed were very satisfactory. The provision of secure storage and clear labelling of the tapes, including the use of a numbered seal system to prevent tampering was seen as a positive step in the management of the tape storage.

5.139 The force now has CCTV systems installed in all main custody holding stations and a number of smaller facilities. A review of custody provision is ongoing within the force and some elements of future CCTV development in the force are dependent on the outcome of the review. While this is a sensible approach, it is the view of HMIC that, once decisions are taken, CCTV development should progress without delay. HMIC noted that a video tape CCTV system was newly installed at one office during this inspection. Officers commented that the administrative burden involved with managing the video tape system was significantly higher than for one using digital technology. HMIC has found that there are a number of forces using, or considering use of, digital CCTV systems. This technology has the additional benefit of better quality sound and visual images and HMIC is supportive of such developments.

5.140 It was noted that the Joint Police Board has established an Independent Custody Visitors Scheme (ICVS), which was in the process of being introduced within each of the force's nine divisions during the inspection. Custody Visitors attend at custody areas unannounced to check on the welfare of prisoners and the standards of facilities. HM Lay Inspector has spoken with the local project manager for the scheme at the Joint Police Board and although the scheme is in its early stages, there is some evidence that the process is having a positive impact.

5.141 ICVS reports to the Joint Police Board have recognised the force's positive approach to the scheme, including good liaison arrangements and swift, safe access to custody areas. The majority of ICVS views are taken on board by the force and teams have been consulted on proposed policy changes. There was, however, some indication that the resolution of a number of ICVS issues are being frustrated by the complexities of the protracted ongoing internal policy review of criminal justice processes.

5.142 The provision of interview rooms in the custody area, which would better facilitate partnership working with outside agencies, was thought to be insufficient with few custody facilities having suitable facilities. The small number of arrest referral schemes in operation may be attributable to this. Nevertheless, HMIC did note that there appeared to be some good work ongoing in this area including partnerships with Narcotics Anonymous, Routes Out of Prostitution and Safeguarding Communities - Reducing Offending (SACRO).

5.143 Entrances to custody areas appeared secure but many were used both by support staff and by police officers with their prisoners. This increases the risk of harm coming to the staff and the force may wish to examine whether there are alternatives where this occurs. Some offices had secure entrance yards where police vehicles could be brought into a secure compound before the prisoner exited from the vehicle, however, there was no consistency of approach throughout the custody centres.

5.144 There are a number of incidents every year where police officers are required to utilise their CS spray. The force has well documented procedures for post-incident decontamination of any person affected; however, custody staff reported that an element of cross-contamination can still occur where clothing is disturbed during search procedures at the office. HMIC noted that there were no special decontamination facilities available and this resulted either in those affected having to remain outside until the effects had cleared fully or clothing having to be changed and aired outside.

5.145 HMIC is aware that the force is examining custody holding as part of its review of criminal justice processes and is considering the greater rationalisation of facilities with the aim of improving prisoner care. HMIC welcomes this review and recognises the force's commitment to deal with this complex issue. While recognising that the process cannot be completed in the short term, uncertainties about the future direction of custody care appear to be inhibiting progress in a number of areas. HMIC recommends that the force takes into consideration the findings of this inspection in reviewing its arrangements for the custody and care of prisoners, paying particular attention to matters of custody management, health and safety and staff training.

Freedom of Information

5.146 The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of related obligations on public authorities including publication schemes and records management. From January 2005, any person who makes a request to a public authority for information must be informed whether the authority holds that information and, subject to exemptions, supplied with that information.

5.147 Strathclyde Police made preparations for the Act in 2001 and a project team was formed. The force recognised from the outset that records management was crucial to the success of FOI and introduced a Force Information Policy in November 2003. It is intended that the policy will be supplemented by new procedures and records management training will be provided for office managers and senior administrative staff. The force intends to procure a technology solution to support correspondence tracking, workflow and document and records management, which should be operational in 2005/2006. This is complemented by an off-site storage service for manual records, provided under contract to the force.

5.148 The force adopted a Model Publication Scheme, which was developed by ACPOS and subsequently approved by the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner (OSIC). The scheme is fully operational on the force internet website and makes a range of information and publications freely available. The force has also taken steps to make the contents of the website user-friendly to allow readers to navigate through the legislation with greater ease.

5.149 The force recognises that the publication scheme will only meet some information requests and is currently developing structures and processes to provide localised or specific information. In keeping with other Scottish forces, Strathclyde Police will adopt a 'business as usual' approach to information requests and integrate the statutory requirements of FOI with mainstream business and operational processes. The force is developing an Enquiry Response Model and intends to capture and fulfil the majority of information requests locally, with designated personnel being available to support FOI at a divisional level. Corporate responsibility for FOI will be assumed by a Central Disclosure Unit, which will manage all force disclosures required under the Data Protection Act 1998 and Part V of the Police Act 1997. It is envisaged by the force that this unit will develop expertise in relation to FOI and provide support and guidance to divisional personnel in relation to information requests and potential exemptions. ACPOS is progressing national training material which will be augmented by Strathclyde Police to incorporate their local procedures.

5.150 HMIC was assisted in the inspection of FOI by the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner (OSIC). While it was recognised that the force was still in the preparatory stages of meeting its obligations under FOI, both HMIC and OSIC noted the significant efforts made by the force to prepare for implementation. HMIC and OSIC also acknowledge the role of ACPOS in promoting a co-ordinated approach to FOI across Scotland and look forward to reviewing the practical application of the legislation jointly in future inspections.

Police National Computer (PNC)

5.151 During the inspection, compliance auditors from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) England and Wales were invited to conduct a PNC compliance inspection of the force. A number of recommendations were made in the Compliance Report, including establishing a PNC Steering Group, the development of a PNC strategy and the introduction of a marketing strategy to promote the effective use of PNC within the force.

5.152 Strathclyde Police is in receipt of the Compliance Report and HMIC will engage with the PNC audit team in ensuring a positive response from the force.

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