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3. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 2003 PRIMARY INSPECTION

Leadership

Policy and Strategy

Strategic Planning

Recommendation 2 - that the annual planning process be reviewed taking account of the change of timetable and the introduction of NIM and ACPOS Policing Priorities and, following review, that the process be formalised, documented and published throughout the force area and assimilated into practice .

3.1 The force has now reviewed its annual planning process and, at the time of the inspection, had recently held a two-day strategic planning event to confirm and debate the findings. Both the outgoing Chief Constable and his successor took part, along with other members of the force executive and senior managers. The objectives of the event, which was facilitated by Centrex, were as follows:

• to have a 2-day strategic 'visioning' and planning event, where force senior managers contribute positively to developing the force's future strategic direction and strategic plan;
• to encourage the involvement, participation and commitment of force senior managers in setting the future strategic direction;
• to identify key pieces of work within strategic planning and to begin to develop a control strategy to ensure that strategic plans remain active and relevant;
• to assist in developing an annual planning cycle; and
• to use independent practitioners to facilitate the development of the proposed strategic planning priorities and control strategy by senior managers and the force executive.

3.2 The outcome of the event has been broad support for the future strategic direction of the force, which takes into account the National Intelligence Model ( NIM), the force strategic plan and the business planning process including finance. Approval for the supporting documentation, currently in draft form, will be sought at the next police board meeting in June 2007.

3.3 The force now has a clear view of how the various constituent elements will come together to form its business planning cycle, and what the timescales involved will be. This is shown in the table at Appendix A. Interestingly, a marketing phase has been built into the annual planning process. The Corporate Communications division is to lead this by running a series of executive briefings for chief inspectors and superintendents to market the results of the planning process. As a matter of priority the force is also working on an electronic briefing project, its aim being to make sure that staff are aware of and understand the NIM operational priorities and goals of the force. Of particular interest to HMIC is the force's intention to place NIM at the centre of its business by using a more comprehensive control strategy as the template for business delivery.

3.4 The overall governance arrangements for strategic delivery are shown in the diagram below.

Fig. 1: Lothian & Borders Police Strategic Governance Arrangements

3.5 The force Strategic Board, which is chaired by the Chief Constable and comprises all members of the force executive, divisional commanders and heads of department, is responsible for delivering the strategic plan. In doing so it takes account of financial and operational planning, business planning and NIM priorities, which themselves take account of ACPOS priorities. Other areas of Board activity include the following:

• determining the force's strategic aims, strategic planning and direction;
• direct ownership of the force-wide 'Diversity' programme;
• receiving progress reports from the four Thematic Boards and the Business Change Board; and
• providing a forum for the Chief Constable in which to brief senior members of the force on strategic issues.

3.6 A framework of five subordinate boards - the Business Change Board and four Thematic Boards - is responsible for delivering the main work of the Board. Their responsibilities and structure are described below:

a. Business Change Board - chaired by the deputy chief constable and attended by the chairs of the Thematic Boards, heads of Corporate Development, of Information Technology, and of Finance, and the Business Change co-ordinator:

• owns and focuses on the overarching co-ordination of key strategic force projects;
• receives outline business cases for projects requiring significant IT or other resources;
• decides which projects will be run and the sequence of this work, referring to the force control strategy, operational, business and financial planning processes when carrying out this assessment:
• allocates projects to the appropriate Thematic Board;
• acts as a point of focus for ensuring that budgets are allocated to follow the programmes of work that are approved;
• provides an overview of the status of key strategic projects to the Strategic Board;
• co-ordinates and prioritises key internal programmes of work and national commitments, to make sure that finite resources are managed effectively;
• manages financial planning against delivery of key strategic projects;
• manages resource allocation and programme co-ordination to make sure that strategic priorities are being met;
• takes on the functions that were previously the responsibility of the Information Management steering group; and
• as appropriate adds or removes projects from the key strategic project schedule so that only key strategic projects are overseen by this process.

b. Thematic Boards (Reassurance Board, Policing Excellence Board, People Board and Organisational Development Board) - chaired by an executive member and attended by various divisional commanders and heads of department:

• own and co-ordinate work within their thematic area;
• have the authority to deliver their programmes without further reference to the Strategic Board or Business Change Board, other than by means of updates through planned meeting schedules. (The exception to this is where there are significant changes to timescales or where an emerging conflict with work co-ordinated by another Board cannot easily be reconciled. Such issues would be reported to the Business Change Board for resolution); and
• are responsible for any funds allocated to their programmes;

3.7 The force is confident that the strategic business structures it has developed and which were in place at the time of this inspection are fit for purpose. The perception of some members of staff though, is that the positioning and role of the boards can blur lines of responsibility. In countering this, the force executive points to the overall strategic direction of the force and complementary work underway to support the strategic structures. HMIC has some sympathy for this position, taking into account other aspects of work such as performance and business benefits.

3.8 However, the new direction is still not fully implemented and we will watch future progress with great interest. For this reason we are unable to discharge this recommendation at this time.

Force Inspectorate

Recommendation 3 - that the force examine its system of performance management with particular focus on accountability, and within this examination review the relative roles of Management Services and the force inspectorate with a view to further developing direct support for Executive responsibilities in this area.

3.9 Since the 2004 review inspection, the force has made good progress in developing and implementing its Performance and Activity Management ( PAM) model. The result is a culture in the force that embraces and encourages performance management. This is reinforced by the force's commitment to and active participation in the emerging national performance management landscape. Indeed, the measures and structure of the PAM framework have been aligned to the nearly completed new Scottish Policing Performance Framework.

3.10 The PAM framework is now well embedded and understood within the force. HMIC was pleased to see the force executive's very high level of commitment and visibility to this process, and we believe that the level of accountability this engenders is healthy and positive. A programme of strategic and tactical PAM meetings now covers most of the main operational and support areas of the force and a plan is in place to extend this across the whole force.

3.11 Strategic PAM meetings take place every three months and are chaired by the deputy chief constable. At the moment such meetings are held for each of the territorial divisions of the force only, though work is under way to design a suitable model for other specialist divisions and support departments. In addition to the deputy chief constable, these meetings are attended by the divisional commander and members of the senior management team. A senior representative from Corporate Development also attends. The strategic PAM has a clear remit, examines performance in the medium- to long-term and is aligned with the force's business cycle. The main foci of the meetings are listed below:

• outstanding actions
• overview of performance
• criminal justice & partnerships
• sound governance & public value
• NIM - strategic intelligence assessment (includes strategic discussion on criminality);
• self-assessment - the force's model is based on the European Foundation Quality Model ( EFQM)
• inspectorate recommendations
• summary & new actions.

3.12 The tactical PAM has two different formats: one for territorial divisions and the other for specialist divisions. In each territorial division the meeting is held monthly and is chaired by the Assistant Chief Constable (Territorial Operations). The meetings are aligned with the National Intelligence Model Level 1 tasking and co-ordinating group cycle, and are attended by the same senior management team as that of the strategic PAM. The main aim of the tactical PAM is to address performance in the short- to medium-term through early intervention. The main foci of these meetings are as follows:

• outstanding actions
• overview of performance
• service response
• public reassurance & community safety
• NIM - control strategy
• emerging issues
• proposed initiatives
• summary & new actions.

3.13 The tactical PAM meetings for Operational Support, the Criminal Investigation Department and Community Safety are held quarterly and chaired by the Assistant Chief Constable (Specialist Operations). They are scheduled to take place after the strategic PAM meetings in territorial divisions and are attended by the divisional commander and members of the senior management team. One of the main aims of this tactical PAM is to examine how these specialist divisions are supporting the operational divisions. The main foci of the meetings are as follows:

• outstanding actions;
• overview of performance;
• NIM - level 2 tasking and interventions;
• road policing;
• FCC;
• events;
• forensic opportunities;
• violent offenders/vulnerable victims;
• financial investigations;
• community planning;
• summary & new actions.

For all these meetings a brief and concise action minute is drawn up, which clearly indicates points of note and actions to be carried out.

3.14 HMIC welcomes the force executive's commitment to this process, and found clear understanding of its remit and role within the process. This remit includes the following:

• holding commanders to account in a manner that is robust but not aggressive;
• highlighting and praising good performance - and its links to force objectives;
• offering support and assistance for tackling any poor performance identified;
• holding commanders accountable for only those outcomes or processes that they can influence;
• following up on previous actions agreed with commanders; and
• ensuring that managers have access to timely and accurate performance data.

3.15 Commanders have also been given a clear indication of their role in the process. Their responsibilities in this regard are as follows:

• recognising the significance of the review meeting for force performance;
• being prepared to explain performance - good and bad - and to detail actions taken in response, at meetings;
• implementing action plans agreed at the meeting;
• identifying any support needed to deliver action plans at the meeting;
• following up on previous actions agreed with the executive; and
• ensuring that plans and performance issues are cascaded down within their area of command.

3.16 The force is currently looking at how this performance culture proliferates to levels below that of the command unit. In 'A' Division, for example, a City of Edinburgh PAM report for the division is compiled following the tactical PAM. And, from the beginning of April 2007 there will be a structure of meetings and briefings to cascade this throughout the division. This initiative is in its early stages and it is recognised that further changes in the division will be necessary as the new Local Policing Area structure (see Area for Review 1 - Operation Capital) begins to operate at its full potential. HMIC is content that fuller consideration will be given to developing both the format of the report and more sensitive performance indicators for local areas.

3.17 This improvement in the force's performance culture has seen a strengthening of the role of Corporate Development, as it takes a more active and proactive stance. The various strands of this division have now been brought together so that the work of the Process Improvement team, Executive Support Policy Branch, Performance Improvement Unit, Programme Office, Crime Registrar and the Force Inspectorate inform the strategic direction of the force executive and of the force as a whole.

3.18 Within Corporate Development, the force inspectorate has established a core programme of inspections to identify good practice and act as a quality control on self-assessments of major operational and support commands. The programme also has the capacity to conduct inspections in any thematic areas identified through risk management or the PAM process. A recent example of this was when the PAM process revealed concerns about the consistency of referrals to Victim Support Scotland. The force inspectorate was able to carry out a review, report findings and make recommendations for improving this aspect of service.

3.19 Looking at the substantial progress since the last review inspection, we are content to regard the terms of this recommendation as having been discharged.

People Management

Promotion Selection

Recommendation 5 - that ACPOS consider, as part of its ongoing development of a People Strategy for the Scottish Police Service, a framework for promotion selection that ensures that a consistent approach is adopted by forces across Scotland.

3.20 ACPOS Personnel and Training business area still believes that the introduction of a national competency-based appraisal system is a necessary precursor to establishing a more consistent approach to promotion selection across Scotland. Nevertheless, HMIC is pleased to note the efforts of most forces to extend their selection process for superintendent ranks to external candidates. Indeed all but one force have now advertised externally for superintendents; in all these forces external candidates have been involved in the selection process and many have been successful. We commend Lothian and Borders Police in particular, for its efforts to establish an open and transparent selection process that actively encourages external candidates. At the time of our inspection the force was running a promotion selection for an estimated 6 to 8 superintendent vacancies. Three of the 34 applicants had applied from other forces (all out with Scotland) and, of these, two were among the 24 to pass successfully on to the second interview stage.

3.21 HMIC is aware that one force has yet to advertise externally for superintendents, or indeed for any other rank below that of chief officer. This force maintains that it is still piloting a new promotion system internally and is, in any event, awaiting the introduction of the new national competency-based Personal Development Review ( PDR). We look forward to the time when all forces advertise vacancies nationally.

3.22 At the 2004 review inspection, we noted the importance that the then ACPOS Personnel and Training Standing Committee members attached to the need for the new PDR prior to establishing a nationally consistent approach to promotion selection. At the time of this inspection the new PDR had been successfully piloted and a structured roll-out programme scheduled to start within the year. However, the PDR system was designed to be used with the national hrs personnel system. This system has now been superseded by scope. Although the PDR system will go live in one other force that uses hrs, in August, implementation in other forces will be delayed until a module has been developed that is compatible with scope. HMIC would encourage ACPOS to give this work priority, since the pilot has clearly demonstrated the benefits of the new system.

3.23 As ACPOS is still working toward this recommendation, we are unable to discharge our interest and will continue to monitor progress in this area.

HR Strategy

Diversity Training

Recommendation 7 - that the force focus on the delivery of its diversity training programme, setting, monitoring and securing compliance with a timetable that reflects the significance of race and diversity issues for policing.

3.24 Lothian and Borders Police has been providing diversity awareness training since July 2002. HMIC further acknowledges the steps the force has taken to extend this activity, expanding its training programme in January 2005 to provide two courses each week and supplementing this, from March 2006, with a third course, twice per month. Moreover, members of the force executive still regularly attend courses, expressing their commitment both to the training and to getting direct feedback from attending staff. Nevertheless we are disappointed to note that, as of 20 March 2007, 356 members of staff had still to undergo any diversity awareness training. This equates to 8.3% of the total force strength, many of whom are front-line operational officers.

3.25 The force has assured us that the remaining officers, with some exceptions, will be fully trained by July 2007. The 63 exceptions include officers on career break, on secondment, on maternity leave or sick leave and two who have been suspended. Indeed the force training department has confirmed that of those still untrained and available, 197 have been booked onto forthcoming courses, while memoranda concerning the remaining 96 members of staff (48 police officers and 48 support staff) have been forwarded to divisional commanders or heads of department. Diversity awareness training for probationers continues to be delivered by the Scottish Police College.

3.26 We have previously been critical of the length of time the force has taken to complete its diversity training. In response, the force has sought to emphasise the quality of its scheme. In particular it points to the fact that all participants, irrespective of rank or grade, are trained to level two of the National Equal Opportunities Training Scheme, a higher standard than that originally recommended. Moreover, over time the course content has evolved to accommodate not just changes in legislation but those in the wider political and social environment too. It now includes inputs on sectarianism and trans-gender matters, black and minority ethnic ( BME) and lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender ( LGBT) 'interface sessions', and contributions from members of the Edinburgh and Lothians Race Equality Council ( ELREC) who recount details of their personal experiences of racism.

3.27 The diversity training team has also taken cognisance of the recommendations of a report prepared by the Diversity Lay Advisers to the Joint Police Board. Nor is this the only set of comments that the force has acted upon since it first began to provide diversity training in 2002. The force contends that its diversity training should be viewed in the context of striving for continuous improvement in this area. To aid this process, the impact of the training is evaluated in two stages. The first stage comprises an in-course de-brief, followed three months later by the second stage, during which a questionnaire is circulated to all participants and their line managers. As well as providing statistical information on the impact of the training, the feedback is used to inform continuous refinements to course material. The training team has been keen to receive suggestions from those attending the courses, and recently invited representatives from the Commission for Racial Equality ( CRE) to validate the course content.

3.28 The Diversity Training team has compiled two reports on responses to the follow-up evaluation questionnaire. From these, we found that the majority of respondents, both participants and line managers, were positive about the course and its impact. The three-day course has also been praised by an academic researcher working for the CRE. In addition, the most recent figures available to us at the time indicate a marked drop in the number of complaints against the force alleging racially discriminatory behaviour, from 15 in 2000-01 to just one instance in 2005-06. We believe that all these indicators reflect positively on the training delivered to date.

3.29 HMIC was interested to note that where unavoidable vacancies on the training courses have arisen, the force has offered these places to outside organisations. Feedback from these bodies has been extremely positive, to the extent that one public and one private sector organisation invited the diversity awareness training team to train staff in their respective organisations. The force has turned down these requests. However, in response to an approach from Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service in 2006, the team did train a group of Fire and Rescue Service trainers who were preparing to deliver their own internal diversity awareness course.

3.30 The force clearly puts a high value on the quality of its inputs, a consequence of which has been the length of time taken to train its staff. Given the force's commitment to training all available staff by July 2007, we are willing to discharge this recommendation at this time. Nevertheless, the emphasis that it has put on continuous course development leaves the force with a problem, as courses delivered in the first months of the scheme bear little resemblance to those delivered over the last 18 months. The force acknowledges the knowledge gaps arising from this situation and, in concentrating on eliminating the training backlog for the time being, has yet to decide how to address the matter. HMIC believes that developing suitable refresher training is not just an issue for Lothian and Borders Police, but one that affects the rest of the Scottish police service. It follows, therefore, that ACPOS has an important role in this regard.

Best Value

Recommendation 10 - that the force develop its approach to service review as part of its strategy for continuous improvement to ensure that a medium term, transparently identified programme of focused reviews is in place, and that reviews are conducted by trained staff with active challenge and participation from the Police Board with costing and evaluation integrated within the process.

3.31 The force is committed to the ACPOS Efficiency Strategy and to working in partnership with the Police Board, ACPOS and the Scottish Executive Justice Department to achieve Best Value. Its objectives are to deliver cumulative year-on-year improvements in value for money, from expenditure as well as through a self-critical culture and drive to deliver efficiency and effectiveness both within the force and in comparison with other forces and organisations.

3.32 As part of the force's approach to 'Delivering Continuous Improvement', a strategic plan for 2007-08 has been presented to the Business Change Board. This draws together local and ACPOS priorities, findings from consultations and information on past force performance. The plan has highlighted the 12 most significant projects currently affecting the force, and examines these in the context of the force's three main processes for delivering Best Value i.e. Best Value reviews, continuous improvement savings and Systems Thinking.

3.33 Best Value reviews are an opportunity for the force to reconsider the way in which it delivers services, in what is a radical and challenging process for everyone involved. Its Best Value Review Programme 2006-09, was drawn up using a prioritisation and selection matrix that linked force priorities, strategic and service plans, corporate risks, goals, the control strategy and National Intelligence Model. This medium-term plan for Best Value will be updated annually.

3.34 The force recognises the importance of continuous improvement savings arising from staff initiatives or the implementation of previously identified cost saving measures e.g. Police Custody Service Officers. It also recognises the benefits of much wider cross-cutting reviews such as the 'West Lothian Criminal Justice Process'. In this review, Systems Thinking was used to generate solutions to problems beyond the force's immediate environment, in collaboration with the Scottish Courts Service, Procurator Fiscal Service and West Lothian Council.

3.35 Elected members of the Police Board are responsible for overseeing the implementation and management of Best Value throughout the force, through their involvement in the Policy and Best Value Working Group. Members are involved in approving the programme, but rely on professional advice when scoping the projects.

3.36 The challenge process is mainly limited to board members who have been involved in the Best Value reviews. Recognising this as a limitation of its current practice, the force has used consultants in its review of Occupational Health and Safety and an HMIC staff member in a review of Youth Action Teams. However it also needs to include an 'independent challenge' or a 'critical friend' outside of the review team, in order to test and challenge the process and its conclusions. Consultation with other Scottish forces on future service reviews has also taken place, to assess the potential for carrying out joint reviews. Learning from the experiences of other forces can also aid the process of independent challenge.

3.37 Members receive training in 'Policing and Best Value' when they join the Board. At the time of writing, the content of this training was being reviewed to take account of future electoral changes. The next wave is planned for the summer, the hope being that members will be fully trained by September.

3.38 Staff training still needs further development, specifically for Best Value. However, staff currently receive project training in Prince 2 (Pride) and force business managers have attended 'Continuous Improvement Workshops' run by the ACPOS Business Benefits unit.

3.39 ACPOS' Annual Report on Best Value records the challenges facing Scottish police forces in achieving significant efficiency savings. It has drawn up a set of guidelines to help them meet the targets and which includes a counting convention for identifying efficiency savings. ACPOS intends to continue improving the measuring and monitoring of benefits, using quality improvement tools to evaluate and demonstrate Best Value.

3.40 The force has a schedule of cash and non-cash savings from which it identifies the benefits of its improvements according to the ACPOS guidance. However, what time is devoted to the reviews/improvements or what the costs/benefits of undertaking a review are, is unclear. Forces monitor and evaluate the results of any improvements, the findings of which their finance officers then submit to ACPOS. That said a recently completed Occupational Health and Safety ( OH&S) review by consultants failed to identify the anticipated costs/benefits of the recommendations in financial terms. If costs and benefits are to be monitored and, in the latter's case achieved too, they must be clearly disclosed.

3.41 There is strong financial motivation within the force to continue to improve by 'benchmarking' best practice using Systems Thinking, activity-based costing and many other techniques. To aid this process, the ACPOS Business Benefits unit can put practitioners in touch with counterparts in other forces. The force's view is that it is moving from an environment which views achieving Best Value as a legislative requirement, to one in which Best Value is brought into the mainstream as 'continuous improvement'. The findings of this inspection suggest that the force is working positively to achieve this. Accepting what progress has been made to date, the following areas need to be developed further:

• identifying and reporting the time to be devoted by each member of staff to the review, the required reporting date and the costs (in terms of staff time and other costs) of the review. Previously the questions of whether the benefits expected to arise from the exercise would outweigh the costs of undertaking it was not considered;
• Best Value training for elected members and the review team should be planned rather than just ad hoc;
• although the reviews have included elements of comparison and consultation, through the use of benchmarking data and a staff survey, the inclusion of any option appraisal process is not readily apparent from the reports; and
• neither the OH&S review report nor the 'West Lothian Criminal Justice Process' defined the anticipated benefits of their recommendations in a form that could be measured in financial terms. It is difficult to see, therefore, how progress towards achieving these benefits could be monitored.

3.42 HMIC, together with Audit Scotland, will continue their interest in this recommendation in the future.

Police Time at Court

Recommendation 11 - that ACPOS, together with the Scottish Executive, carry out a national survey of police time at court to assess the current picture and contribute fully to needed reform.

3.43 In our 2004 review inspection we noted the positive steps taken by the force, since publication of its Silent Witnesses report in 2003, to minimise time wasted by police officers at court.

3.44 As a result of the report the force introduced its police witness standby scheme. An internal evaluation of the first 18 months (from April 2004 to October 2005) of the scheme concluded that, since its introduction, there had been an 80% reduction in the number of officers attending summary trials at Edinburgh Sheriff Court each day. In monetary terms this equated to non-cashable efficiency savings of £147,142 or, in more updated terms, to around £92,000 per annum. The standby scheme was subsequently extended in August 2006 to include Sheriff and jury cases at the same court. An initial evaluation of this exercise suggests that non-cashable efficiency savings of up to £31,000 per annum may be realised. The review also looked at the breakdown of shifts from which officers had been abstracted in order to attend court, over 2 reference periods. As can be seen from the table below, all shifts were to some extent affected.

Table 1: Police Time at Court

3.45 HMIC has learned that, following extensive discussion with the Area Procurator Fiscal, it has not proved possible to adapt the scheme so that the affected officers are available for operational street duties. Nevertheless, as the majority of those cited to appear in court are excused by 11 am, the force is almost always guaranteed extra officers each day that the court sits. Additionally, we have been informed that extension of the standby scheme to Edinburgh District Court has not been pursued to date. This is due in part to the imminent reform of the District Court system and the transfer of the court to different premises, and partly because only three or four trials at most are scheduled for this court each week.

3.46 The success of the standby arrangements at Edinburgh Sheriff Court has led to similar schemes being introduced in other territorial divisions.

3.47 HMIC is pleased with Lothian and Borders Police's work in minimising police time at court, and also notes that ACPOS has set up a Police Time at Court working group, chaired by a senior manager from the force. The group, on which all Scottish forces are represented, is working to identify best practice in terms of police witness standby schemes, e-citations and witness scheduling initiatives. It intends to drive process improvement in this area and has already identified several examples of good practice throughout Scotland.

3.48 This issue of police time at court is a persistent one, where further progress can and should be made. ACPOS and its partners in the criminal justice arena must continue to concentrate on the further gains to be made. We will maintain an interest in this area. Nevertheless, in view of progress made to date, and ACPOS' intention to conduct regular national activity analyses, we consider this recommendation discharged.

Recovery of Fines

Recommendation 12 - that ACPOS engage with the Scottish Executive in establishing a cross-agency review of the recovery of fines, with a view to freeing up police resources.

3.49 The police service in Scotland has long acknowledged that recovering fines imposed by the courts has a significant impact on its resources. In the Sheriff Courts alone, where fines account for over 60% of all court disposals, it has been suggested that about 60% of such fines require significant, costly and at times prolonged intervention before they are fully paid. Much of the responsibility for collection ultimately falls upon the police service.

3.50 The Summary Justice Review Committee, under Sheriff Principal McInnes, stressed the need to reform the way in which monetary warrants were executed in Scotland, if the courts and the public were to retain confidence in the fine as a sentence. HMIC fully supported this aim and consequently is pleased to note that the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007 received Royal Assent in February of this year, paving the way for the introduction of Fines Enforcement Officers ( FEOS) within the Scottish Courts Service.

3.51 Even before Royal Assent was granted, the National Fines Enforcement project board had begun to oversee a programme of work to transfer responsibility for monetary warrants from the police to the FEOS. Indeed, since April 2006 work has been going on to design the blueprint for the feo structure, roles and responsibilities. These posts will be introduced to coincide with the Court Unification process, which is expected to be completed within the Lothians area by December 10th 2007.

3.52 Meanwhile, work on a guidance booklet for sheriffs, justices of the peace, legal assessors and clerks of sheriff courts should be completed by June 2007. In situ testing of feo systems and processes is due to be finalised by November 2007, and shortly thereafter the FEOS should be operational.

3.53 Given these developments, HMIC feels that satisfactory progress has been made in this area. This recommendation is discharged and our interest in this area concluded.

Processes

Crime Management

Recommendation 13 - that the force prepare an updated crime and community safety strategy, with associated action plan(s), to clarify the arrangements for crime management and set out a prioritised programme of tasks together with updated performance targets.

3.54 Since our 2004 review inspection, the force has made considerable progress in implementing a National Intelligence Model-based crime and community safety strategy. This replaces the structures, procedures and policies previously inspected and reviewed.

3.55 While work on a number of issues is still going on, the force has enthusiastically incorporated NIM into the process for identifying its strategic threat assessment. Through its strategic tasking and co-ordinating group, chaired by the Chief Constable, the force has set out its control strategy, detailing its priorities and replacing previous goals and targets. The draft strategic assessment for 2007 is a professional document that explains the force's current performance, control strategy priorities and intelligence requirement. HMIC would encourage the force to replace its existing goals and targets and to include clear performance indicators for the priorities of each of its four divisions.

3.56 At a senior level there is a thorough understanding of NIM principles and clear, concise and enthusiastic leadership to drive the application of the model throughout the force. The work going on at present involves enhancing the tasking and co-ordinating process to ensure the efficient and effective deployment of force personnel, including specialist resources based at both 'X' Division (criminal investigation department) and 'O' Division (operational support). This is crucial if the force is to avoid less evidence-based self-tasking and ensure accountability. HMIC proposes that the force Level 2 tasking and co-ordinating forum be chaired by a specified, permanent chief officer, to secure consistency and direction.

3.57 As this is a relatively new venture for the force, we are unable to evaluate fully the efficiency and effectiveness of this new NIM-based strategy. Nonetheless, what has been achieved so far does inspire confidence. The force will continue to monitor progress, in partnership with the NIM development team based at the Scottish Police College. In these circumstances, we are content that a sufficiently robust infrastructure is in place to enable good progress in the future. This recommendation can now be considered discharged.

Resource Deployment Formula

Recommendation 19 - that the force develop a resource deployment formula to allow systematic incremental resource deployment, tied into operational demands and budget setting, to be undertaken.

3.58 At the time of our 2004 review inspection the force was finalising the remit of a project, led by a senior chief superintendent, to develop a systematic approach to resource allocation and deployment. At the time of this inspection, the project had produced a resource allocation model that had been presented to the force executive in December 2005. The result of extensive research and consultation, the model takes into account both demand and need ( i.e. socio-economic factors and other demography). It has been designed for use by territorial divisions only. Although the project team looked closely at the feasibility of extending the formula to support functions, it found that no other force had been able to do this in a sensitive or sustainable way. HMIC notes that the force has yet to agree formally to adopting this resource allocation model.

3.59 We were pleased, however, to observe the force's progress in introducing a structured approach to activity analysis. This will entail a rolling programme for capturing activity information across the whole of the force. As well as informing resource allocation and performance management, the information will help to inform grant-aided expenditure negotiations with the Scottish Executive and will be used in developments around activity-based costing. The benefit of adopting this particular activity analysis model nationally across all Scottish forces is currently being considered.

3.60 We are content that the force is making positive progress in this area and consider this recommendation discharged.

Care and Custody of Prisoners

Recommendation 21 - that the force re-examine the competency and sufficiency of staff quotas within the main holding stations, against demands placed on them.

3.61 Lothian and Borders Police continues to run a bespoke training package for Police Custody and Security Officer ( PCSO) staff. It is delivered through a 12-day course and is co-ordinated by the force training branch. Following initial training, PCSO staff are also given additional on the job training, designed to suit the local environment in which they work. A good example of this is the training recently given to staff based at St Leonard's Custody Centre. This was part of a joint initiative with Edinburgh Royal Infirmary which sought to establish a more effective way of managing diabetes in custody environments. The positive feedback that has been received will lead to the initiative being extended to all custody centre staff during 2007. HMIC is content that this training structure meets the needs of the force.

3.62 The Lothian and Borders Police Prisoner Security and Welfare manual provides comprehensive guidance on all aspects of prisoner security and welfare. It is available to all staff, including those not working in the custody arena. The manual is intranet-based and contains hyperlinks to associated guidance documents such as force General Orders and Chief Constable memoranda. HMIC is pleased to note that the chief inspector responsible for custody in 'A' Division has a specific role in developing a national custody manual for Scotland.

3.63 Just prior to the start of the inspection process, we learned that the force executive had approved a proposal to re-model custody-holding within 'A' Division. An additional 20 PCSOs will be recruited in 2007-08, to replace the 20 police officers performing custody officer duties at the Wester Hailes, Gayfield, Drylaw and Craigmillar police offices. Releasing 20 police officers for operational duties is, however, only one aspect of the new model which will see custody-holding within 'A' Division restricted to three custody centres (St Leonard's, Wester Hailes and Drylaw). Together, these will have a maximum capacity of 48 cells between 7 pm on Monday evenings and 7 pm on Friday evenings. The above proposals take account of current demand profiles and will provide an additional three PCSO posts per shift at St Leonard's. We believe that this development offers a pragmatic solution to custody-holding issues within 'A' Division during the mid-week period.

3.64 Between 7 pm on Friday evenings and 7 pm on Monday evenings, all five custody centres within 'A' Division will be operating. This will increase capacity to a maximum of 56 cells and raise PCSO staffing levels at St Leonard's by an additional one PCSO per shift. However, without additional cell capacity the force will continue to struggle to accommodate prisoners over the weekend period without resorting to multiple cell occupancy. Recent research carried out by the force suggests that Lothian and Borders Police has the fewest cells per head of population of all Scottish forces. This is of particular concern to HMIC, given the rate of population growth in and around the West Lothian and City of Edinburgh Council areas. The planned West Lothian Civic Centre is due to become operational in 2009-10. This will provide some additional cell accommodation and may therefore come to ease some of the current pressure on available space.

3.65 In budgetary terms, an estimated saving of around £50,000 will be made on non-contractual overtime from the PCSO budget as a result of this re-modelling exercise. It is anticipated that further savings will be made by not having to provide relief cover for the police officer custody positions at the four outlying custody centres in 'A' Division. HMIC is also satisfied that the transfer of female custodies from divisions out with Edinburgh to St Leonard's, while not ideal, is the most appropriate option open to the force given its volumes of prisoners.

3.66 The force has indicated that its re-modelling exercise will eventually be cash-neutral. However, with 11 of the 20 released police officer posts being lost through natural wastage, this will still leave the force with an additional nine operational posts. It is anticipated that the above changes will be phased in during the course of the 2007-08 financial year.

3.67 HMIC is satisfied that the above reforms, coupled with the continuing use of dedicated nursing staff within the St Leonard's facility, will improve the efficiency of 'A' Division's custody process. We note though, that a further 15 constables still perform custody duties at the three holding facilities in the divisions outside Edinburgh. With no clear proposals for replacing these officers with PCSOS, we believe that this is a missed opportunity. And so, while this recommendation can be fully discharged at this time, it is hoped that the force will continue to develop this approach and review arrangements in divisions out with Edinburgh.

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