11. ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER SERVICES

General Office

11.1 Responsibility for the Administration function rested with the Administration Manager. The General Office was staffed by a Supervisor (who was also the Cashier), a Criminal Desk operative (who dealt with the whole range of parole, bail, etc functions) and two other staff who, in addition to acting as typist and telephonist, also dealt with all matters relating to prisoners’ personal cash. There was also a relief member of staff who had been trained to cover all functions up to and including Supervisor level not only in the General Office but also in the Stores (see paragraph 11.3). In addition, all staff within the function were gradually being trained in all other duties so that some form of cover could be provided in the event of a major staffing shortage.

11.2 We were told that the transition of the General Office from a uniform staff to a civilian staff function had gone very smoothly and had been done on a phased basis, with the civilian staff gradually filling vacancies which had occurred as a result of natural wastage. Accommodation within the Office was generally satisfactory for the number of staff employed in the area and we were satisfied that all procedures appeared to be in accordance with standard SPS instructions. Because staff were fairly restricted in terms of the total space available, prisoners’ warrants had to be kept within the area of the General Office but we were satisfied that proper arrangements were in place to ensure that the passman working in the area had no access opportunities Budgets had been devolved throughout the establishment down to Supervisor level and the system appeared to be operating without any major difficulties. Some problems continued to be experienced with the recently introduced computerised financial management packages but those problems were not unique to Aberdeen and were being addressed at national level.

Stores

11.3 The stores function was managed on a day-to-day basis by a Procurement Officer and one other civilian member of staff who dealt with prisoners’ wages and canteen as well as staff uniforms.

11.4 The stores area was totally adequate for the size of the establishment and at the time of our inspection, it was in the process of being re-organised and would continue to include a secure area for storing items of staff uniform. The majority of items were now purchased through local contracts and those arrangements appeared to be operating very smoothly but some problems were being experienced with relation to the supply of items of staff uniform. Though stores staff were able to access the stock records of SPS Central Stores and could place orders based on the number of items held, it was not until the delivery van arrived that the stores staff found out what they were receiving. This problem was not unique to Aberdeen and is one to which we have drawn attention in a number of inspection reports. We suggest, therefore, that urgent consideration be given to devising some form of system which either allows establishments to have a guarantee that what they order is what they receive or ensures that establishments are notified in advance that their orders will not be delivered in full.

SPIN

11.5 The establishment had appropriate computer hardware in all strategic areas in order to ensure that most SPIN functions could be and were being used. At the time of our inspection, a bid for additional hardware was with SPS HQ.

11.6 The local SPIN Co-ordinator (LSC) had only been in post for three weeks and was providing cover mainly due to the fact that he required light duties. The permanent LSC post had been lost earlier in the year though a bid had been incorporated into the Strategic Plan to create a post which combined that role with another post in the establishment. The current LSC had had experience in that role at his previous establishment and was already collating information on staff competence and training requirements. He also had passed draft Data Quality checks to the Deputy Governor for his consideration.

11.7 It was clear that staff’s competence on the use of SPIN had not been monitored in recent months, though that was now being addressed. The area of most significant concern was the lack of a Quality Assurance Plan; local management were aware of that shortfall but the issue remained to be addressed.

Community Links

11.8 The main thrust of the community links efforts was being channelled through a Charity Committee which comprised four members of staff, with the main focus being on giving talks on request at a variety of local venues and organising various fund-raising activities. Donations or cash raised were then given to a charity, which currently was a local hospital, and the Committee had plans to develop and increase its fund-raising activities.

11.9 Additional work that the Committee would consider included local projects such as decorating a church hall and they had organised an Open Day for the families of recent recruits. It was clear that those involved in the Committee were dedicated to and focused on developing positive and supportive links within the city of Aberdeen.

Ethnic Minorities Liaison Officer

11.10 The Ethnic Minorities Liaison Officer (EMLO) was a Residential officer who had held the role for two years, having previously been Deputy EMLO. His training had consisted of a two day course in the EMLO role 18 months previously.

11.11 The EMLO client group at Aberdeen had in recent times consisted of a variety of nationalities from, inter alia, Morocco, Algeria, Lithuania, Romania, Pakistan and China, having for the most part been detained by the Immigration Service office at Aberdeen. Numbers were usually very small - ie, normally only two or three at a time and sometimes none - but just before the start of our inspection, 25 such individuals, all of Eastern European nationalities, had just been admitted.

11.12 Ongoing contact was maintained with the Immigration Service, whom the EMLO found to be helpful, but we were disappointed to learn that there was no liaison in place with the local Community Relations Council (CRC) or similar body. A quantity of reading material in a variety of relevant languages was available though it was in a somewhat disorganised condition and no money had been set aside for its upkeep and renewal. Special dietary needs were, however, discussed between the detainee and the cook and an Imam was available to attend for Muslim detainees, though we were told that he had not been needed for some time.

11.13 We were assured that there was little or no problem with racial abuse or harassment within the prison, with no such incidents having been reported.

Comment

11.14 Aberdeen’s population profile did not usually appear to make significant demands on the EMLO role. However, the sensitivity surrounding this area of detention suggests that regular contact with the local CRC would benefit all concerned.

Equal Opportunities

11.15 The Equal Opportunities Officer (EOO) was the same Residential Officer who carried out the EMLO role and in respect of Equal Opportunities, he reported to the HR Manager. He had had no training in the Equal Opportunities field, relying instead on what he called a "common sense approach". As EOO, he had been involved in two minor issues as an intermediary, both of which had been resolved informally.

11.16 There was no local Equal Opportunities Committee and no publicity within the establishment about the role or presence of the EOO, nor was this included in the staff induction process. A local policy was, however, in existence and had been updated and re-issued in January 1997.

Comment

11.17 Given the importance of this issue, it was disappointing to be told that the role holder had had no training in Equal Opportunities issues and this should be addressed at an early stage. It would also be helpful if the existence and identity of the EOO was more widely publicised in the establishment; this information could also usefully be included in the staff induction programme. Finally, consideration should be given to the introduction of an Equal Opportunities Committee.