2 Organisation, Structure and Management of Resources

Partnership

1. In recent years there has been a growing realisation that the police cannot tackle crime alone and 1997/98 saw a major commitment to partnership, spearheaded by the Home Affairs Minister's address to a Summit Conference on Reducing Crime in Communities at the Scottish Police College in October. A further Summit Conference on Business Crime, in March, attracted representatives from various parts of the Scottish business sector and focused on the mutual benefits that can accrue to business and the community from collaboration and partnership. The concept of collaboration between police, local authorities, The Scottish Office, voluntary bodies, business people and community representatives is not new but the reform of local government in 1996 has caused chief constables to look closely at arrangements to ensure that the whole spectrum of issues associated with community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour is properly addressed in each unitary authority and co-ordinated effectively across each force area. This emphasis will be given a further boost in the near future with a policy document, jointly endorsed by The Scottish Office, ACPOS and The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), setting out a framework for developing a community safety strategy.

Devolved Authority to Local Command

2. The value of strong partnership with local authorities has resulted in a review of force organisational structures, with particular emphasis on determining appropriate operational command areas with local commanders being given suitably devolved authority to manage their own affairs. HMIC inspections have shown that forces have, in the main, understood the value of strong links between operational commanders and council chief executives and senior officers, including the benefits of coterminous boundaries, where at all possible. However I believe that there is scope for further rationalisation in this area with a view to strengthening these ties. The process of devolving authority to area commanders has taken place over a number of years and in some forces it is firmly established. Devolved authority encourages the liaison required to deliver appropriate local strategies although I am not yet convinced that all forces understand its full worth. The strengthening of links with local authorities has been demonstrated by the establishment of full-time liaison officers. This can be a valuable contribution to partnership. However it must be arranged on the basis of clear terms of reference, ensuring tangible benefits for the substantial police investment it represents.

Financial Delegation

3. The delegation of financial responsibility has been a slower process. While authority for the management of overtime payments lies firmly with local command in every force, there is scope for considerable delegation and I am heartened by steps taken in some forces to move financial responsibility closer to the point of service delivery. The joint study of financial management currently being conducted by HMIC and the Accounts Commission will look at this matter in more detail and its findings should be influential in determining the appropriate level of financial responsibility.

Administrative Support

4. Devolved management of resources can only succeed where there are appropriate levels of support in staffing, training and the availability of suitable information systems. Increasingly this is leading to the development of administration units of civilian support officers within command areas. However HMIC inspections have also revealed a few instances of trained police officers, some at senior supervisory rank, still involved in what can only be regarded as predominantly administrative duties and clearly some work is required to ensure appropriate levels and structure of civilian administrative support staff within local command areas.

Area Responsibility

5. Increasingly forces are employing operational inspectors with geographic area responsibility rather than a traditional responsibility for a group of officers. This development brings with it a need to consider carefully appropriate arrangements for 24 hour availability and staff appraisal. To address these issues some forces have a combination of inspectors, some with geographic and some with group responsibility, although this attracts the risk of overlap and lack of definition of individual roles. Area responsibility certainly encourages ownership among senior supervisors and is to be encouraged. The fact that forces are more and more considering different options to increase effectiveness is encouraging.

Shift Arrangements

6. The willingness to experiment is also demonstrated in the use of variable shift arrangements for operational officers. It is right that forces should give close attention to the need for suitable shift arrangements and there are examples, notably in Lothian and Borders Police where an evaluation has been carried out, of an Ottawa-style flexible shift arrangement, to identify benefits and problems. Elsewhere devolved authority to local commanders has led to different shift systems being used in the same force area and it is extremely important where that occurs to ensure that the force's corporate needs are also addressed.

Chief/Senior Officer Ranks

7. The Scottish police service is preparing itself to embrace Best Value and below I assess its readiness. The service has achieved much over recent years with limited resources and I regularly voice my support for proper levels of resourcing directed at the front end of policing. The Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 provided for delegated financial management to chief constables which is now well established in formal guidelines from The Scottish Office. While there is some evidence in practice of police authorities failing to delegate complete responsibility, this process has generally worked quite well. However there is less evidence of chief constables taking the hard business decisions that go hand in hand with the scope now given to them with single line budgets. Chief officer teams remain largely unaltered and there has been little change in the number of senior ranks. In the 10 year period between December 1987 (previously annual statistics were based on calendar years) and March 1998 the change in rank profile is as follows (secondments included):-

December
1987

December
1992

March
1998

Ratio*

Chief Officers (CC + DCC + ACC)

29

28

28

492.8:1

Superintendents (incl. Chief Superintendents)

212

218

217

63.6:1

Inspectors (incl. Chief Inspectors)

940

973

955

14.4:1

Sergeants

2,012

2,045

2,088

5.6:1

Constables

10,283

10,848

11,710

N/A

Total

13,476

14,112

14,998

N/A

* In tables at paragraphs 7, 8 and 15 the ratio for each rank at March 1998 relates to the number of constables and sergeants (the predominantly operational ranks), for which each is responsible. For sergeants it simply relates to the number of constables

1988

1993

1998

Ratio*

Chief Officers

244

233

205

573.1:1

(CC + DCC + ACC)

Superintendents

2,172

1,988

1,316

89.3:1

(incl. Chief

Superintendents)

Inspectors

9,170

9,220

7,947

14.8:1

(incl. Chief Inspectors)

Sergeants

19,596

20,258

19,089

5.2:1

Constables

92,898

96,591

98,387

N/A

Total

124,080

128,290

126,944

N/A

9. While in Scotland there has been a considerable increase in police numbers over the last decade (+11.2%), allowing an increase in constable numbers of 13.9%, the number of chief officer ranks have remained fairly static and superintending and inspecting ranks have marginally increased.

10. In England and Wales, by contrast, I note a dramatic reduction in all of these ranks over the same period. Looking at inspecting ranks the current situation reflects a ratio to subordinate officers which is about the same on each side of the border (tables at paragraphs 7 and 8). However a comparison of other senior ranks shows no such similarity. To a degree, chief officer ranks reflect the smaller average size of police forces in Scotland which will feature in your review of the Scottish police structure later this year and, while I do not exclude these ranks from my analysis, I am particularly interested in the differences which relate to superintending ranks. In the last 10 years a drop in superintendent numbers in England and Wales of 39.4% is in marked contrast with an increase of 2.4% in Scotland. In the last 5 years, covering the period since 1993 when Sir Patrick Sheehy reported on police responsibility and rewards, the difference is every bit as pronounced with a reduction of 33.8% in superintending ranks in England and Wales compared with a reduction of 0.5% (or 1 superintendent) in Scotland, even though the cuts in superintendent ranks in England and Wales have been used to argue salary increases throughout Britain. It is of more concern that any cuts in senior officer posts which have been made in Scotland have been predominantly applied to operational posts. On average, superintendents have a responsibility for 63.6 constables and sergeants in Scotland (paragraph 7), compared with 89.3 in England and Wales (paragraph 8).

11. The picture across forces is varied. However, in certain situations I have found it difficult during inspections to rationalise the need for some senior ranks in roles which do not demand the vast policing experience and professional training that officers in these ranks bring to the roles. Accordingly I cannot avoid the conclusion that this has cushioned forces from changes which have occurred in policing in England and Wales and in local authorities and other parts of the public and private sector throughout Britain. Such inaction represents a failure to take tough management decisions which are needed to free resources for front-line policing.

12. As already described there have been significant changes in the structure of operational command areas and more are promised in the near future. This has developed in tandem with changes to headquarters support structures and it is important that these changes also result in savings at senior officer level. HMIC inspections suggest that there is scope to do so and free up much needed financial resources for operational priorities.

Management On-Costs

13. The emphasis on using trained police officers for operational duties has led over the past few years to forces considering their management on-costs or the costs to them of supporting operational policing. This is to be encouraged but the concept is difficult to define and includes consideration of a number of elements, such as the level of civilian support, an identification of the operational involvement of each rank, a standard definition of operational policing and the ratio of senior and supervisory ranks to constables and sergeants, the 2 ranks which can be most readily identified with operational policing.

14. The definition of operational policing and the allocation of time of senior and supervisory ranks to operational duties are open to debate and I do not intend to address them here. The continuing and healthy increase in civilian support staff is shown at Section 6 (paragraph 1) and this represents a significant increase in the period December 1987 to March 1998 of 48.7% (comparing full-time equivalent posts for technical and clerical staff and traffic wardens, but excluding seconded staff).

15. Scottish force areas vary considerably in their size, population, geography and nature of communities and it is difficult to compare them in terms of organisation and structure. However the difference in rank ratios* is noticeable:-

Chief Officers

Superintending Ranks

Inspecting Ranks

Sergeants

Central Scotland

320:1

71.1:1

16.4:1

5.7:1

Dumfries & Galloway

198.5:1

66.2:1

14.2:1

5.1:1

Fife

261:1

87:1

16.3:1

6.4:1

Grampian

360.7:1

67.6:1

12.9:1

5.1:1

Lothian and Borders

610:1

78.7:1

16.1:1

6.1:1

Northern

302.5:1

86.4:1

15.9:1

4.7:1

Strathclyde

829.5:1

60.9:1

14.5:1

6:1

Tayside

348.3:1

74.6:1

17.1:1

5.7:1

Scottish Force Average

504.7:1

67.8:1

15:1

5.8:1

The difference is reflected in the management on-costs of each force and will no doubt be considered in your forthcoming review of policing in Scotland which is intended to inform the new Scottish Parliament.

Police Waiting Time at Court

16. For many years now it has been apparent that the number of police officers available for operational duties has been seriously affected by court procedures which gave limited recognition to the impact on the community caused by police attendance as witnesses.

17. I am pleased to note that an independent report prepared on behalf of the Scottish Office as a follow up to the 1991 Accounts Commission survey of police waiting time at court, during which time mandatory intermediate diets were introduced and other steps taken to reduce the problem, has found a drop of 9% by 1997 in the number of police officers cited to attend court as a witness on any day and a drop in the actual number of police officers attending court as witnesses of 42% in the same period. Coupled with an increase in citations countermanded, the use of local "on-call" schemes and a greater concentration of citations on dayshift this augurs well for police availability and this increased efficiency should encourage the criminal justice forum and all agencies involved in the criminal justice system.

Best Value

18. The Scottish police service is no stranger to the implications of value for money (VFM) and over the years it has achieved much with limited resources although often its achievements remain unheralded because of a failure to demonstrate VFM in a structured way. However it is generally well prepared for the implications of the Government's Best Value Regime which will apply to the police as it does to local authorities. It is my intention that the joint study currently being carried out by HMIC and the Accounts Commission will assist forces in pursuing this new approach to VFM.

19. The impact on forces will be beneficial in encouraging proper business planning. Unlike in England and Wales there is no requirement on police authorities to publish a costed policing plan but, by failing to show clear commitment to the principles of business planning the service fails to demonstrate sufficiently the link between resources allocated (inputs) and the resulting services delivered (outputs and outcomes). While the mechanics associated with the application of Best Value to the Scottish police service are not yet determined, they will demand structured planning based on concepts such as benchmarking and activity analysis and costing, which to date, forces have been reluctant to employ. Without a clearly defined strategic planning process it is difficult to see how Best Value can be demonstrated.

20. However the extent of the Government's commitment to 3-year rolling budgets is a crucial element in ensuring that Best Value leads to genuine improvement. The annual uncertainty associated with the allocation of funding is an impediment to good planning and this will be reviewed as part of the joint study in financial management already referred to. However forces can assist themselves by adopting a co-ordinated approach to strategy in the way they plan for the development of IT and use of buildings consistent with corporate plans. There are occasions when systems are introduced or equipment changed without proper analysis or consideration, using accepted tools such as cost benefit analysis, investment appraisal and project management, and valuable resources are wasted on inadequate solutions and therefore denied to front-line policing. Best Value should act to discourage this kind of approach and I would urge forces to grasp the concept wholeheartedly. In this respect I am pleased to see the formation of a new ACPOS standing committee to consider strategic financial issues. The Finance Standing Committee should be a useful vehicle in promoting efficiency.

Capital Allocations

21. Nonetheless capital allocations in recent years have been extremely tight and, even allowing for the arrangement entered into between ACPOS and the Scottish Office to transfer money from capital into revenue for 1998/99, the capital allocation to Scottish forces for the forthcoming year gives little scope for development of capital plans and is disappointing. I would like to see the whole process of capital allocations and the priorities afforded to projects reviewed and this is a matter which will be commented on in the Joint Study referred to earlier.

22. More and more, the service is forced to consider the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) alternative. Strathclyde Police has made great progress towards the replacement of its Training School by means of PFI and is close to agreeing outstanding issues with a potential preferred bidder. It is anticipated that satisfactory progress would lead to completion of the project in the financial year 2000/2001. Other forces are now giving it consideration for new police offices, but I am left uncertain about the long-term prospect of successfully funding a legitimate project for a police office, whether it be under PFI or not. Despite the limited experience available in this area, it is already clear that PFI is certainly not a panacea for all capital funding ills.

Scottish Parliament

23. In September 1997 a large majority of the electorate voted for a devolved Parliament for Scotland. It is the Government's intention to have the new Parliament in place in 1999. With very limited exceptions, responsibility for legislating on policing in Scotland will fall to the Scottish Parliament. The Secretary of State has announced that he would wish to review the current 8 force structure of Scottish policing, which dates from 1975, in order to inform the new legislature. This is an appropriate consideration now that local government changes in 1996 have settled down and I am pleased that there is to be full consultation.