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CHAPTER SEVEN: Conclusions
Managing the improvement of services to the public lies at the very core of policing. Performance management is the means by which an organisation measures, analyses and makes decisions on service delivery to ensure that standards are met.
However, performance management is not just about the setting and measuring of targets. Rather, it also involves instilling a sense of ownership and accountability for performance issues in staff at every level, driven by effective, visible leadership with the ability to review and challenge where necessary, all of which is underpinned by the availability of relevant, timely and accurate information.
The Scottish Executive's continuing emphasis on improving public services ensures that the spotlight remains firmly focused on police performance through the delivery of Best Value and efficiency. At the same time, an ever more informed 'customer' demands to be kept up to date through effective public performance reporting.
This inspection has established clear evidence that performance management within forces and common police services is substantially developed through existing accountability arrangements. The message that everyone has a responsibility for the achievement of high quality services through continuous improvement has also started to permeate through all levels of the organisation and will, with continued effort, lead to a fully embedded performance culture.
Against this positive background however, areas for improvement are nonetheless evident. Notable in this respect is the need for clearer mechanisms for priority setting at a national level and agreement on performance indicators which are fit for purpose and which more accurately reflect the full ambit of policing activity, as well as the ability to collect and process timely, reliable performance data in a way that is not overly bureaucratic.
HMIC is encouraged to note that these areas of weakness, where they occur within forces and common police services, are well recognised, with improvement work either in progress or in prospect. HMIC also recognises that many areas of performance management are in the early stages of implementation, making firm conclusions as to their efficacy difficult. This will be an important consideration when progress towards the recommendations arising from this thematic inspection report, is reviewed.
At the national level, as well as the need for a more consistent approach to priority setting, there remains a recognised need to collate, monitor, evaluate and report on performance across the whole of the Scottish police service. The formation of the ACPOS Performance Management Business Area represents a positive step towards this, and should prove to be a strong focus for those recommendations directed at ACPOS, as well as for driving existing performance related projects.
HMIC believes that the recommendations contained in this report recognise and complement existing effort across the Scottish police service and build positively for the future.
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