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| STRATHCLYDE POLICE: Review Inspection 1998 |
| 6 Operations |
| Crime Statistics |
| 6.1 During 1997/98, the number of reported crimes fell in Strathclyde police area by 4.2% to 211014. The detection rate increased by 2.71% to 36.71% over the same period. This is the highest level of crime detection ever recorded by Strathclyde Police and HMIC congratulates the force on this significant achievement. Crimes of violence have decreased, other than murder/culpable homicide which rose by 2 to 68 in 1997/98. Nevertheless, there was a notable decrease in attempted murders (down 10%) and an equivalent percentage reduction in robberies. The bulk of all crime is dishonesty and this category showed significant reductions in certain areas, particularly theft and attempted theft of motor vehicles, which were down 15% and 21% respectively. |
| Crime Management |
| 6.2 The Crime Management System is the computerised crime recording and management system within divisions. However, each division also has a Crime Management Unit consisting of a Crime Manager at Detective Inspector rank, a Deputy Crime Manager, at Detective Sergeant rank, a Detective Constable and 6 Force Support Officers. The support staff at the Divisional Crime Management Units provide 24-hour cover aligned with police officers' shift patterns and receive telephone reports of crimes direct from the reporting officers, which are simultaneously input to the system. A freephone number allows operational officers to phone reports from the locus of a crime. |
| 6.3 New crime reports are allocated by the Crime Manager, or deputy, to a shift or CID at the appropriate sub-division where supervisors allocate reports to named officers and automatically create an entry on the individual computerised work record of the officer concerned. On completion of enquiries, a report can only be filed with the concurrence of the Crime Manager. As well as allocating crime reports, the role of the Crime Manager includes giving directions to enquires, particularly when the initial report does not indicate that an apparent line of enquiry has been followed up at the time of attendance. The Crime Manager clearly provides a quality assurance check on the whole system. HMIC is satisfied that the crime management system has been well accepted across Strathclyde Police. The system has been enhanced since the inspection and is currently being piloted in two divisions. HMIC looks forward to reviewing progress at the time of the next inspection. |
| 6.4 The Divisional Crime Manager is also responsible for crime pattern analysis and the divisional intelligence office. It was clear that close liaison exists between the Crime Manager and the staff involved with these specialist functions. The Crime Management System is linked to the Crime Pattern Analysis computer and information from these systems is used to good effect at the weekly meetings which the Crime Manager chairs. At these meetings direction is given on the production of packages targeting specific criminals and during a visit to 'A' Division, a number of these packages were examined. HMIC was impressed, not only with the number produced, but also the quality of the content. In particular, HMIC welcomed the clear link into divisional and force objectives, particularly in relation to drugs and housebreakings. |
| 6.5 The Crime Management System was developed by the force to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its crime reporting, crime investigation, enquiry management and the provision of information. In the past, when a member of the public asked about the progress of a particular crime, the information they were given often depended on the availability of the enquiry officer. HMIC recognises that the system now in place records all work done in connection with a crime in chronological order, and station officers can now access the system and extract up-to-date information, thereby providing a better service to the public. |
| Child Protection |
| 6.6 The 1997 primary inspection recommended that the Force pursue the issues of medical examination of suspected victims of child abuse with Local Authorities and Procurators Fiscal, with the aim of securing adequate and appropriate provision at all times. Whilst medical examinations of children are still carried out by police surgeons in police offices, it is pleasing to note that good progress is being made towards re-establishing better examination facilities at the Frederick Stone Unit at Yorkhill NHS Trust. |
| 6.7 A full-time Child Protection Unit was established in the Force Intelligence Bureau in August 1997. The Unit comes under the umbrella of the Force Intelligence Bureau and comprises a Detective Sergeant and two Detective Constables. The Detective Sergeant and one of the Detective Constables were previously with the Bureau, while the other Detective Constable, a female officer, had previously served in a divisional female and child unit. HMIC was impressed with the experience that each of the officers brought to the Unit, and noted they are exclusively dedicated to the collation of information and intelligence relevant to the physical and sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults, together with similar details of convicted offenders and suspects. The Sex Offenders Act 1997 brought in a registration scheme for convicted sex offenders, and much of the Unit's work currently involves risk assessments. Proper assessment of risk must be conducted case-by-case and this is not a task which can be successfully undertaken in isolation by any one agency or service. Agreements over the sharing of confidential information between Local Authorities, other statutory bodies and the police are the best way to assess risk, develop strategies, implement action plans and establish good practice. In conjunction with the chief social work officers of the 12 councils within the force area, the force has developed a joint police/social work sex offenders protocol to formalise working arrangements in the registration, risk assessment and management of sex offenders. |
| 6.8 The Unit liaises closely, and indeed regularly visits, the female and child units in each Division, which have the responsibility to carry out the risk assessment on people registering under the Sex Offenders Act. At the time of inspection, 1468 records were held on the database, although the largest proportion of these related to intelligence records of people not subject to the provisions of the Act. As they are under no obligation to assist the police, in some cases assessment can only be based on intelligence or information on previous convictions. Whilst HMIC supports the Force's decision to carry out risk assessments of these people, this has created a substantial workload for female and child unit officers, and the Force will require to monitor this closely to ensure that it does not detract from the other duties of these officers. A functional review of the units, commissioned by the Chief Constable, is therefore particularly welcome. |
| 6.9 Local Authority reorganisation resulted in the creation of 10 Child Protection Committees in which the Force participates. Concerns about diversity of practice across the Committees' areas are addressed by a forum which includes the 12 Directors of Social Work for the Councils. Importantly, the 12 councils agreed to maintain, and proportionately pay for, a central register to be administered by the City of Glasgow Council which obviates the need for separate Children at Risk Registers. |
| 6.10 It was suggested by HMIC in the last Primary Inspection Report that there was scope for periodic meetings of female and child unit staff across the Force area for the exchange of good practice and mutual support. Both the Assistant Inspector and HM Lay Inspector of Constabulary were pleased to note that a system is now in place to facilitate this, and feedback following their first meeting indicated that it was well received. |
| Witness Protection Unit |
| 6.11 At the time of inspection, this unit had dealt with 21 cases involving the relocation of 17 families consisting of 30 adults and 27 children. A comprehensive policy document was issued in early 1997 covering the Witness Protection Programme and HMIC is satisfied that the measures taken to keep witnesses' new locations secret are extensive and that confidentiality is rightly treated with utmost importance. The unit was the subject of evaluation by the Scottish Office Central Research Unit (Crime and Criminal Justice Research Findings Series No. 26, 'Making it Safe to Speak' - A Study of Witness Intimidation and Protection in Strathclyde'). The conclusions noted that the programme represented a substantial improvement in the ability of the police to respond to serious threats to witnesses. |
| Turnaround Project |
| 6.12 Operating within 'A' Division 'Turnaround' is a Scottish Office/City of Glasgow Council sponsored project aimed at reducing womens' drug abuse and offending behaviour. It does so by offering a wide range of services and support mechanisms. Female prisoners brought to Stewart Street police office are provided with information regarding the scheme and, if willing, are the subject of initial assessment and interview by a project worker to determine their suitability for inclusion. Operationally the project has little resource implication for the force but has significant potential benefit. During the review inspection it was learned that, of the 163 women taken into custody at the police office since 1 January 1998, 57 were interviewed under the scheme although the number of participants who take advantage of Turnaround and subsequently re-offend is not recorded. This would have provided an effective measurement of the schemes value and the force may wish to consider the collection of this information before evaluating the scheme. |
| DNA Sampling |
| 6.13 Strathclyde Police have had a number of recent successes of DNA sampling and the subsequent matching to crime scenes. Whilst there have been varied responses from divisions to the taking of samples from individuals who come into custody, CID management at headquarters were actively taking steps to redress this through divisional crime managers. HMIC has concerns that, in common with other forces, Strathclyde has had to meet the additional costs of DNA sampling from within their own resources. Increasing the number of samples impacts on the revenue budget and in 1998/99 some £5-£600,000 will require to be found to meet the costs of analysis. |
| 6.14 Because of the concerns of the force over DNA sampling the Chief Constable has commissioned an efficiency scrutiny of this aspect of crime investigation and its terms of reference have been extended to include the force response to crime scene capture/management, fingerprinting, photographing and the interview of witnesses/suspects and accused. HMIC commends this initiative as good practice. |
| 6.15 The geography of Strathclyde, makes provision of expert services difficult. During a visit to Argyll, it became clear to HMIC that difficulties were being experienced in providing the expert services of an Identification Branch officer to large areas of the division because of demands from the busy central core. As a result some areas were being deprived of this specialist service and HMIC recommends that the force considers locating an additional Identification Branch officer in the division to provide increased specialist attendance at crime scenes. |
| Police Housing |
| 6.16 The problems associated with housing police officers, not in receipt of a housing allowance, in rural areas was highlighted in the Primary Inspection Report. It was recommended that discussions take place to consider how problems of housing police officers in rural areas might be averted. The force examined these problems in a number of different forums. In addition, the Personnel Department established a working party to examine the difficulties experienced in identifying officers suitable for duty in remote locations and to determine solutions and courses of action. At the time of the review inspection a report from the working party was being considered and HMIC would urge the force to maintain the momentum in respect of this matter. |
| Emergencies Planning |
| 6.17 In the event of a major incident, the existence of relevant and tested contingency plans is essential, and the Force continues to rehearse its response in partnership with the other organisations represented at the Strathclyde Emergencies Co-ordinating Committee. Several exercises have already been held in 1998, through a combination of live play and tabletop. |
| 6.18 HMIC found plans were being developed for a number of specific hazards, including the Clyde Tunnel and water-borne hazards, whilst training for senior managers within divisions is being progressed through a programme of meetings designed to consolidate knowledge on major incident procedures. |
| 6.19 Mention was made in the last Primary Inspection Report regarding the lack of IT support within the department to assist with the response to a large scale emergency. HMIC was pleased to learn that plans were well advanced to establish the necessary networked technology within the emergencies planning section. In addition, consideration was being given to the purchase of a stand-alone GIS (Geographical Information System) based computer system which would provide an interactive response to emergencies that follow a pre-determined plan. The system has been brought to the attention of all Scottish forces through the ACPOS Standing Working Group on Emergency Procedures, who consider that the system has the potential to meet a number of operational requirements. |
| 6.20 The emergencies planning section continues to maintain close liaison with divisions and provides a central point for expertise in the planning of local events, both small and large. This ensures a consistency of approach and avoidance of duplication, which HMIC welcomes. |
| Year 2000 Project |
| 6.21 In December 1997 the force set up a Year 2000 Steering Group chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable. A full-time programme manager was appointed and a project team prepared an options appraisal from which a force policy was developed. HMIC was impressed with the approach adopted which has led to a review of all contracts, a full inventory of equipment potentially at risk and the introduction of a millennium compliance clause introduced into all new contracts since 1997. |
| 6.22 A considerable amount of work has also been undertaken with key partners out with the police service and every member of the force has been provided with information on how to address the Year 2000 problem in their homes. |
| 6.23 Since the inspection the force has instigated a national multi-agency seminar at the Scottish Police College to consider the the interdependency problems which might be posed at the millennium. |
| 6.24 HMIC congratulates the force on their approach to the Year 2000 problem which is considered to be a model of good practice. |
| Traffic |
| 6.25 The 1997 Primary Inspection Report of Strathclyde Police recommended that consideration be given to experimenting with the deployment of local officers using hand-held speed detection equipment. This issue has been considered by the force with debate focusing on the necessity of ensuring that the integrity of the procedures and systems are not compromised. However, local officers stationed in rural environments, and who assist the traffic department in campaigns such as "Speedwatch", are deployed with a traffic officer to use the equipment. |
| 6.26 HMIC considers that opportunities are available for allowing local officers to make use of the equipment without the necessity to be accompanied by traffic personnel. This was none more evident than during the Inspectorate's visit to Mull, where speeding problems associated with a newly completed stretch of roadway on the south side of Tobermory were unable to be enforced due to non-availability of speed detection equipment to local officers. Enforcement would have required attendance on the island by traffic personnel from Oban or elsewhere. HMIC recommends therefore that local officers be appropriately trained to enable them to make use of hand-held speed detection equipment in a similar way to that used by other forces in Scotland to great effect. |
| 6.27 The Vehicle Crime Unit is based at Baird Street police office and comprises 2 teams of officers acting under the supervision of a Sergeant. Two specialist vehicles are dedicated to the unit and these high-performance cars are each equipped with a purpose-built dog cage. The crew comprises a traffic officer and dog handler with dog. Such has been the effectiveness of the unit in reducing car crime in the area, that a study has been carried out with a view to extending the concept to other parts of the force. HMIC welcomes the success of this initiative and looks forward to reviewing the situation during a future inspection. |
| 6.28 It was acknowledged during the last primary inspection that the accommodation provided at Meiklewood Road police office is poor and work on a new traffic complex based at Helen Street, opposite the current vehicle workshops, is due to start in June 1999 with a September 2000 completion date. This will provide accommodation for both traffic north and traffic south, and the merger will see a single traffic unit for the city of Glasgow. It appears to HMIC that this rationalisation will provide the scope to review management structures within the traffic department, and the opportunity for delayering of senior ranks. |
| 6.29 A recommendation of the 1997 Primary Inspection Report was that discussions should be held with the 4 councils concerned with a view to reducing police time spent on school crossing duties. At the time of inspection, in-force monitoring indicated a reduction of approximately 120 hours per week from the previous term in which police officers were requested to perform such duties. Some 522 hours per week has been provided by the force in backup to the Local Authorities since the beginning of 1998, with approximately 60% of this figure taken up by police officers. HMIC welcomes this reduction, which is due to the progress being made by Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils. Of concern, however, are the requests for emergency cover in those authorities which previously attained self-sufficiency. The force is alert to the need to monitor the situation and strive, where possible, to achieve further reductions in the use of police officers for such duties. |
| Spotlight Initiative |
| 6.30 At the time of pre-inspection of the force, some 57 spotlights had taken place since the initiative was launched on 1 October 1996. During 1998 initiatives have concentrated on womens' safety, transport, truancy, underage drinking/licensed premises and offensive weapons. |
6.31 The Child Safety Initiative at Hamilton
saw a broadening from the initial target areas. It commenced in the Whitehill, Fairhill
and Hillhouse areas of Hamilton in October 1997, in conjunction with the local authority,
with the objective to highlight the dangers which can affect young people, and children in
particular, by being:-
|
| 6.32 The scheme operates every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening between 2000 hours and 2300 hours and the officers involved in the project have been selected for their particular skills. As of the beginning of June 1998, some 249 interventions had taken place since the initiative commenced and, of these, 83% of the youths lived within the intervention area and some 59% were taken home for loitering. Very few of these children came to the attention of the police on subsequent occasions and there is a great deal of support for the project locally, both from members of the public and local councillors. HMIC welcomes the arrangement by the Scottish Office and Strathclyde Police to have an initial analysis of the data and interpretation of the results conducted by the University of Stirling. This will ensure a stringent academic analysis of the whole project and HMIC looks forward to monitoring the situation particularly in light of a proposed extension of the scheme. It is intended that further evaluation will be carried out by the force Policy and Development Branch. |
| Strathclyde Police - The Spotlight Initiative | |
| Forcewide Spotlights Total - October 1996 to June 1998 | |
| Spotlight On | Total Number |
| Warrents | 5 |
| Offensive Weapons | 14 |
| Litter and Public Nuisance | 2 |
| Transport | 9 |
| Underage Drinking/Licensed Premises | 10 |
| Vandalism | 2 |
| Sports Events | 2 |
| Drinking in Public Places | 2 |
| Truancy | 4 |
| Parks and Public Places | 2 |
| Hot Spots | 3 |
| Street Robberies | 2 |
| 6.33 The spotlight on domestic violence featured heavily in a media campaign in the early part of 1998 and focused public attention on the force's policy on domestic violence. In the 4 week period following the launch of the initiative statistics collated by the force indicated violence was involved in 352 of the 1088 domestic disputes recorded by the force. To date over 6000 calls relating to domestic violence have been dealt with. The policy also put in place a system to enable officers attending calls of this nature to be advised of the possibility of repeat victimisation and this facet was welcomed by HM Lay Inspector. The policy provides a good level of service to the victim and HMIC was encouraged to learn that this level of response will be a permanent feature. The provision of divisionally based units dealing with domestic violence, as described in the Inspectorate report 'Hitting Home', can however add an extra dimension in dealing with domestic violence and, accordingly, HMIC recommends that the force review this area in light of the recommendation in that report. |
| 6.34 CCTV is well established throughout the force with, at the time of the review inspection, 23 police offices housing monitoring equipment for 35 community systems. The Joint Police Board awarded grants to the force in April 1998 of £513000 allowing the continued operation of the systems. HM Lay Inspector saw at first hand the value of the systems during a visit to a monitoring station. Pre-recorded evidence of a Glasgow city centre stabbing was viewed and the tape played a crucial part in the conviction of a youth for murder. The use of CCTV in this case prevented what may have been a protracted and costly murder enquiry. |
| 6.35 Enthusiasm for the Spotlight initiatives continues to be high to HMIC, albeit some comment was made about the continuing need for statistical data. HMIC supports the force in its wish to fully evaluate Spotlight initiatives and was pleased to see that the Statistical Branch was being given access to the force crime system in an effort to extract data automatically. There is potential for this to be expanded further and benefits could be gained by providing the Statistical Branch with access to the command and control computer system to assist in this connection. |
| 6.36 The Spotlight campaign has achieved significant success and has been well received by the public. HMIC commends the force for the energy and determination which has been displayed in sustaining the campaign over a lengthy period. |
| Race Relations |
| 6.37 Race relations comes under the remit of Community Involvement Branch and in 1997/98 the total number of incidents reported showed an increase of 275 over the previous year to a total of 481. |
| 6.38 The rise in reported racially motivated crimes and offences is of concern to the force, although they had anticipated an increase in complaints following the launch in July 1997 of a revised Race Relations Policy which was designed to make reporting and processing of such complaints easier and quicker. The most common category of offence remains breach of the peace, accounting for over 50% of confirmed cases. Reports of robberies with a confirmed racist element and reports of racist graffiti fell slightly. Most of the confirmed racist incidents were reported within the force's Glasgow based divisions. HMIC welcomes the introduction of the Race Relations Policy and recognises this may have led to the increase in reported incidents, as this mirrors trends in other forces where similar policies have been introduced. |
| Victim Support |
| 6.39 There are currently 42 Victim Support schemes in the force area, and in 1997/98 12,072 victims of crime benefited from the services provided by the schemes. Victims of serious crime accounted for 37% of the workload. Many of the schemes have been initiated through their respective Crime Prevention Panels, with the management committees comprising of panel members, social work and representatives from other organisations, including Strathclyde Police. Scottish Office funding has enabled 2 pilot projects to be established at Ayr and Hamilton Sheriff Courts, with the aim to provide much needed support to victims and witnesses involved in the criminal justice system. |
| 6.40 Most areas of the force are covered by Victim Support Schemes other than a number of outlying areas in Argyll and Bute. The Assistant Chief Constable (Community Safety) has regular meetings - once every 4-6 weeks - with Victim Support in Glasgow who collate figures for all divisions within the force. Referral slips are issued by officers on attending a crime and given to the complainer. Information about the incident is held on the computerised Crime Management System within the force and staff from Community Involvement Branches at divisions will telephone Victim Support, usually the following morning, to have them attend to see complainers who have requested a visit. As part of the inspection process, HM Lay Inspector visited a Victim Support office and met with staff. Whilst he learned that relations with senior police management throughout the divisions were generally good, scope was identified for improvement in some areas. Accordingly, HM Lay Inspector observes the need for all divisional senior management to ensure sound liaison is developed with local Victim Support staff. |
| 6.41 During the HM Lay Inspector's review of this area it became clear that some individuals are unsure of their ability, under the Data Protection Act, to provide information to victim support organisations and HMIC suggests that the force reviews its instruction in this connection with a view to clarifying the situation for all members of staff. |
| Community Involvement Branch |
| 6.42 At the primary inspection the Inspectorate questioned the need for the number of superintending ranks within the branch and recommended that the rank structure be reviewed. In consequence a chief inspector has been introduced into the departmental structure in place of a superintendent. HMIC are satisfied the force has started the process of review and continues to monitor the situation closely. |
| 6.43 A community safety strategy was implemented in February 1998 and provides a framework for corporate and multi agency action to address quality of life and community safety issues. The focal point of the strategy is the creation of community safety forums comprising representatives of the police, local authorities, the public and private sector, elected representatives, voluntary and charitable organisations and the public. The force intends to have a strategy in place within each division by the end of September 1998. |
| CS Incapacitant Spray |
| 6.44 Trials of CS incapacitant spray commenced within 'D' Division in October 1997 and are scheduled to run for 12 months. During a visit to divisional headquarters the Assistant Inspector of Constabulary viewed a training demonstration given by trained instructors. On later speaking with a group of officers who were trained in its use it was evident that it increased their confidence in arresting violent criminals and was viewed as an essential part of their officer safety equipment. The spray had been used only four times since its introduction. All of these instances were well documented and after examining the records HMIC was satisfied that the necessary monitoring procedures are in place to provide public reassurance about the use of the spray. |
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