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Chapter 8 The way forward - our recommendations
Recommendation 1
8.1 We recommend that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice establish and chair a national group that reflects at least the tripartite arrangements for policing in Scotland (Policing in Scotland Steering Group or PSSG). This group should:
- decide which policing risks require co-ordination at national level, having taking cognisance of both operational and Best Value considerations; and
- oversee the response to these national risks, where it is deemed necessary to do so.
Recommendation 2
8.2 We recommend that the PSSG initiate and oversee a programme of work to ensure that it is able to achieve its purpose in managing national policing risks. This programme should be initiated within three months of this report going to the Scottish Parliament, and progress reported to the Parliament within 12 months. The work programme should include the following:
a) the expansion of the Scottish Strategic Assessment, which should include:
- a more robust and continuing analysis of the capability and capacity of policing to meet the high-risk operational demands and needs currently identified, as well as those referred to below; and
- an analysis of national organisational risks such as the provision of adequate police buildings, and those risks arising from failure to deliver major change programmes such as the national IT convergence strategy.
Within this same recommendation, the PSSG should also:
b) oversee and expedite the work underway by ACPOS to develop standards for policing across Scotland, recognising that these should be focused on service outputs and outcomes rather than methods and style, so that local variations in delivery can be preserved and supported where appropriate;
c) initiate and oversee joint work between the Scottish Government, ACPOS and police boards/ authorities to increase the range and detail of information on the high level costs of policing;
d) with some urgency initiate and oversee work to develop a mechanism through which collaborative arrangements between forces for operational services can be drawn up and agreed. This mechanism should properly reflect local and national needs whilst ensuring that Best Value principles apply at both of those levels;
e) initiate and oversee work to develop proposals on how the weaknesses in governance highlighted in this report can be addressed; and
f) initiate a thematic review of current collaborative arrangements between forces in order to establish whether:
- demand, need and risk have been effectively assessed in advance of the arrangement;
- national risk has been effectively managed;
- Best Value at both local and national level has been achieved; and
- decision-making and governance arrangements reflect the level of risk being managed.
And finally, within this recommendation:
g) that the Cabinet Secretary for Justice require HMICS to conduct a thematic inspection of the SPSA with a focus on covering the relevant issues identified within the Independent review of policing.
Recommendation 3
8.3 We recommend that Scottish Ministers bring forward draft legislation to impose a statutory duty on chief constables and police authorities to take the following explicitly into account in all
decision-making: Scotland's national policing capacity and capability; its national resilience to catastrophic events or strategic threats from criminality; and the reduction of the costs that arise from unnecessary duplication of services.
A national steering group for national policing issues in Scotland
8.4 The previous chapters in this report highlight a number of areas where we are unable to provide assurance that risks are being effectively assessed and managed. We have therefore recommended that a group be formed to address the serious gaps that we have identified. The following diagram illustrates a potential structure:
Figure 5. National Steering Group - potential structure
8.5 The PSSG may also wish to consider adopting a holistic risk assessment model such as that illustrated in Figure 6 below.
Figure 6. Proposed method of risk management for policing in Scotland
Risk management - the role of HMICS
8.6 We believe that the proposed structure above generally, and in particular the risk management aspect, responds to the need for a more dynamic and focused management of risk at national level. It would also provide the appropriate level of shared ownership and decision-making between the tripartite relationship stakeholders.
8.7 In our opinion, it would also bring about changes to the role of HMICS. We believe that there is a need to assess the Scottish Government's current and future policies, and to do so at the same time that risks identified through the NIM process are being considered. HMICS, with its detailed understanding of the state of policing as a result of forces' self-assessments and its own thematic inspections, as well as from conducting this review, would be in a strong position to carry out or assist in such a function.
8.8. Furthermore, should other risks such as those posed by critical incidents come to the attention of the forum, HMICS would be able to provide professional expertise, and contextual and impartial information about the force involved.
8.9 Finally, since the forum will be considering how to reduce and manage the most serious policing risks in Scotland, the role of HMICS in making sure that its recommendations are addressed and that the outputs sought are achieved needs further consideration.
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