Tayside Police Primary Inspection 1999

4 Human Resources

1. Staff Strength

1.1 At 31 March 1999 Tayside Police compared 1,149 police officers (including 23 on secondment outside the force and one on a career break) and 489 civilian support staff. This compares with 1,094 and 438 at 31 March 1996 at which point establishment levels fixed by Central Government no longer applied and Chief Constables were given full responsibility for deciding strengths, constrained only by budget provision and Police Authority agreement. The growth in police officer numbers is in part attributable to extra funding provided by the Scottish Office in 1997/98. This latter funding accounts for an additional 15 officers while management delayering and pro-active manpower planning (e.g. imaginative use of unpaid periods of sickness and maternity leave, part-time working arrangements, slippage in filling vacant posts) has allowed the Chief Constable to maximise operational resources. 

Table 1: Strength

1.2 The increase in support staff is also due, in part, to extra funding providing by the Scottish Office in 1996/97 and used with the intention of returning an additional 28 police officers to 'front line' service. Of this total, 21 posts have been achieved with the remainder incorporated into the on-going civilianisation programme for implementation in 1999/2000. The transfer of services to the force formerly undertaken by Tayside Regional Council resulted in an increase of 11 posts. In addition further posts have been funded from income generation, efficiency savings and the realignment of posts. The procurement officer, forensic scientist/DNA technicians, the recruiting and training officer and IT posts were created from these sources. Over the same period there has been a reduction in 10 traffic warden posts.

1.3 Following recommendations made in the HMIC Review Inspection Report in 1997 the Chief Constable presented a report to the Joint Police Board recommending a number of posts be civilianised and funded within the GAE allocation to the force. The report detailed 25 posts that if civilianised would facilitate the return of 20 officers to core policing tasks. The full year costs of these posts amounts to £392,000 but with phasing the force anticipated the costs in 99/2000 could be reduced to £230,000. In setting the 1999/2000 revenue budget the Board approved the civilianisation programme but at a reduced funding level of £166,000 which will require further phasing of some of these posts towards the end of the financial year.

1.4 Generally Tayside Police have attracted a good calibre of applicants as police officers and support staff. Occasional difficulties have been experienced in recruiting the more specialised and qualified members of support staff such as forensic scientists and fingerprint experts. This is attributable to the rapid development in these areas with demand outstripping supply. HMIC supports the move by the force in implementing training and development programmes for staff in this field with salary progression dependent upon qualifications and experience gained. During the past 18 months, due to the Year 2000 issues, it has been slightly more difficult to recruit experienced computer staff. However of the 16 in post only 2 members of staff have been attracted elsewhere.

1.5 HMIC noted the introduction of a number of policies and guidelines designed to allow a greater degree of flexibility in working practices in order that staff can more readily balance work and family life. Tayside Police currently have 11 police officers working on reduced hours, 23 support staff operating on a job share basis and 5 support staff who have had their full time hours adjusted to meet their personal circumstances. These positions have been managed by applying the force policy dealing with career breaks, part time working, job share, variable shift arrangements, temporary reduced hours and working on a phased basis.

2. Human Resource Services Department

2.1 All personnel, recruitment, training, staff development, welfare and occupational health issues are the responsibility of the Human Resource Services Department that is headed by a senior support staff member who has professional personnel qualifications. Career development was established as a separate department in December 1997 with a superintendent in charge who has responsibility for both police and support staff matters. Divisions and departments work very closely with the Human Resource Services Department particularly in relation to staff appraisal, staff selection and training issues. HMIC noted that immediately following the formal inspection the Chief Constable decided the Head of Human Resources would take full responsibility for the Career Development Department. This will permit the existing post of superintendent to be discontinued and a lower level support staff post to be put in place. The Head of Human Resources will then report directly to the Chief Constable and become part of the Force Executive. HMIC will review the proposed arrangements at the next inspection.

2.2 The Department has a mix of 22 police and civilian staff working on 2 sites - the bulk at Force Headquarters and the remainder at Recruiting and Training at Baluniefield. Although there is a human resource strategy in place which co-ordinates the various functions of the department there is no structure diagram indicating line management responsibilities. HMIC found the line management between the Head of Department and the Force Executive somewhat nebulous in that the Head of Corporate Services, the Assistant Chief Constable, and the Deputy Chief Constable all appear to have some responsibility. Whilst there is no suggestion other than this worked well in practice HMIC suggests that a more clearly defined accountability at this level is required and the changes outlined at paragraph 2.1 above should make a significant difference.

3. Strategy

3.1 The force human resource strategy provides a functional focus in support of the corporate aims of the organisation. The present corporate plan is now somewhat dated and currently under review by the force (see chapter 2 paragraph 1.2). HMIC recognises that significant change has occurred within this area of work since the corporate plan was first produced in 1995 and looks forward to reviewing the department's alignment with the new plan at the next inspection.

4 Absence Management

4.1 The force absence management policy has been in place for some three years however no management information is produced on a regular basis (although annual statistics are published) as the recording procedures are acknowledged by the force to be poor. In particular HMIC noted that no improvement targets had been set but notes that the policy is to be reviewed in the near future to reflect recent developments and employment legislation. HMIC suggests that the opportunity is taken to ensure that more robust recording procedures and absence management information is provided and that reduction targets are set.

4.2 Sickness absence fell by 26% for both police and support staff in 1998/99 compared with the previous year as the following table indicates. This represents 3834 fewer days lost and HMIC welcomes the significant reduction and the commitment of the force to the effective management of sickness including the support and advice provided by the Occupational Health Department. This achievement is linked by the Force to line managers taking a responsibility for the issue.

Table 2: Sickness, days lost

5. Health and Safety

5.1 Tayside Police has a professionally qualified health and safety adviser who for line management purposes reports to the Head of Corporate Services. The Health and Safety Adviser sits on a number of working groups both within the force and nationally. HMIC noted his contribution to the force pro-active stance with regard to health and safety management.

5.2 A comprehensive Health and Safety Policy sets out the Force approach to managing health and safety at work. Prior to the introduction of the Police (Health and Safety) Act 1997 the force issued a specific health and safety policy statement re-emphasising the Chief Constable and Joint Police Board's commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy working environment.

5.3 While the force had a safety committee in place prior to implementation of the legislation at that point a new committee was formed with wider representation including the Police Staff Associations and Occupational Health. The Committee provides the main avenue for consultation between staff and management to ensure the effectiveness of heath and safety arrangements. It meets four times per year and is chaired by the Assistant Chief Constable.

5.4 The Joint Branch Board of the Scottish Police Federation has appointed safety representatives who have since carried out reviews across the force. Each division has a designated inspector or chief inspector as safety manager with similar arrangements in place covering force headquarters and Baluniefield. Training has been provided for all staff to a level consistent with their responsibilities. The training programme has included risk assessment, accident prevention, reporting and recording and relevant aspects of current legislation.

6. Welfare Services

6.1 The force employs 2 welfare officers, both qualified counsellors. They are deployed on a territorial basis and their workload comprises visits to the sick and pensioners, confidential consultations and attendance/input at meetings and training courses.

6.2 HMIC noted that a draft welfare policy has been drawn up by the Welfare Officers and is soon to be submitted for consideration by the Policy Group. There had been concerns about welfare issues overlapping with other areas such as grievance and management matters but the policy will establish clearer boundaries and delineate responsibilities.

6.3 During the inspection it was learned that a pilot scheme has been introduced in Eastern Division whereby staff working in specialist areas such as child protection and domestic violence officers receive the offer of a meeting with the welfare officer every month. The system is an opt out one in that the appointment is made and it is up to individuals to cancel should they not wish to attend. It has proved popular with the staff and the practice will continue in Eastern Division with similar arrangements being considered for both Western and Central Divisions. CCTV operators have also been included within the scheme. HMIC considers the force approach to be good practice, being a pro-active and preventative approach to staff well being.

6.4 Until 1996/7 the welfare officers produced annual statistics showing the breakdown of the nature of their workload. When these statistics were no longer required for the force annual report the requirement to maintain them was withdrawn. HMIC believes such statistics are a valuable means of assessing the nature and volume of the welfare officers' workload, a useful tool in identifying trends and a means to assist with the identification of areas requiring preventative action. HMIC suggests that the Force consider how best to gather, publish and use relevant data from the welfare area.

6.5 When recorded these statistics were produced manually from the welfare officer's diary and it highlights the fact that no IT support beyond an e-mailing system is available to them. Access to the force personnel system would be particularly useful to provide more timeous information on staff details and schemes. HMIC suggests that the force considers providing such access.

7. Equal Opportunities

7.1 At the time of inspection the post of Equal Opportunities Adviser had just been advertised and the successful candidate will take responsibility for equal opportunities monitoring. Following a revision of the Force's Equal Opportunity Policy in 1997 awareness training was given to every member of the force between February and June 1998. This consisted of a distance based learning package, completion of a CD ROM exercise and a day's classroom training. Although the training included a 'mastery test' to help gauge understanding and impact of the training HMIC noted that no evaluation of the training had taken place and suggests that this be done to gain assurance about the effectiveness of the extensive and commendable training effort.

7.2 From a total of 506 applications to join the force in 1998, 368 were from men (one non-white), 138 from women. Figures indicate that the force was attracting more applicants of ethnic origin three years ago than currently. HMIC will examine this area further during the review inspection as it is recognised that all Scottish Forces will be responding to the MacPherson (Stephen Lawrence Inquiry) report recommendations and the resultant Scottish Office action plan.

7.3 HMIC noted that a sergeant with wide experience of working with ethnic communities in Dundee had recently been assigned to the training department. This officer is well known to local community leaders. Her professional and personal interest in ethnic issues should assist in adding to the experience and knowledge of the Recruiting and Training Department. This is a positive step and good use of an officer's skills in support of a policy imperative. Tayside Police is a member of the Uniform Services Forum, which amongst other issues seeks to identify and apply successful methods and approaches to encourage individuals from various ethnic backgrounds to join the Services.

7.4 Historically no equal opportunities monitoring group has existed and no directed monitoring and benchmarking undertaken. An Equal Opportunities Review Working Group has now been set up and HMIC supports this move by the force. The provision of regular management information to a corporate level is essential to be confident that equal opportunity policies are working well in practice.

8 Grievance

8.1 The force operates a formal procedure to deal with grievances from members of staff including allegations of harassment or bullying at work. Prior to taking any steps under the formal grievance procedure an officer or support staff member can contact any of the trained harassment contact officers to discuss the matter informally and in confidence.

8.2 There are 10 contact officers in the force (9 police officers and 1 support staff member). They meet on a quarterly basis. The force attaches particular importance to their activity but it appears that much of the management of the contact officer system is left to the officers themselves. HMIC suggests their laudable efforts should be complemented by more robust management support.

9. Assessment Centres

9.1 Tayside Police has been in the vanguard of developing Assessment Centres for the selection of police personnel for promoted posts. They have been operated since 1993 as the method by which most officers would be selected for promotion. However feedback from a staff satisfaction survey carried out by Abertay University (that included questions about assessment and selection) prompted the Chief Constable to instigate a review of the process.

9.2 During the inspection it was clear that there was an underlying dissatisfaction with the present system particularly at constable level. There was a mix of views about its efficiency but the philosophy, openness and fairness of the assessment process was not seriously challenged. It was more the operation of the process that caused concern. HMIC supports the timely review and will revisit this area at the next inspection.

10 Recruitment/Training

10.1 The force training strategy, created in 1998, covers the period to 2003 although the force acknowledge that the needs of the organisation are constantly changing and periodic reviews will be carried out. It is anticipated that a review will be required to ensure alignment with both the human resources and career development strategies as they are introduced.

10.2 The training strategy has been developed around the National Training Strategy for the Police Service in Scotland to which each force has contributed. The level of national training has been agreed by ACPOS and local training delivered by Tayside Police is complementary to that. Local training focuses on providing police and support staff with:

• foundation level - basic professional knowledge and practical skills
• developmental level - training opportunities which reflect their roles and responsibilities
• specialist level - training in skills to meet the requirements of specialist roles within the force.

While HMIC found the strategy satisfactory it would be enhanced by a clearer indication of timescales for the delivery of the objectives.

10.3 The main in-force training is carried out at Baluniefield in Dundee. The inspector in charge is also responsible for police officer recruiting. The Department employs 4 sergeants and 2 constables. One sergeant and one constable are involved with recruiting although a vacancy in the latter post is being considered for civilianisation. In addition there is one senior civilian personnel recruiting officer who is now responsible for the recruiting of all support staff and has an involvement with police recruiting.

10.4 Each of the three territorial divisions has a training officer, a sergeant in Central Division and a constable in each of Western and Eastern Divisions. The force makes use of a computerised training diary that exists on stand-alone equipment based at Baluniefield. However the individual responsible for allocating Scottish Police College courses which make up the bulk of the training abstraction is based at headquarters. As the system is not networked HMIC questions whether best value is being achieved from the individuals and the computer capacity. The maximum level of training abstractions for the force in any given day is set at 55 officers although there are occasions when this figure can be exceeded but only after consultation with divisional or departmental Commanders who are best able to determine operational needs.

10.5 Evaluation of training is important to ensure effectiveness of the programme and that the standards set are appropriate. Tayside Police use the Kirkpatrick model, which is a well-established conceptual framework for training evaluation, based on 4 levels of criteria. Currently, the force evaluate to level 2, that is the measurement of learning outcomes through examination or other instruments of assessment. It is the intention of the force to implement further levels, which will involve workplace evaluation, as resources permit. HMIC will review progress in this area at a future inspection.

10.6 Tayside Police make good use of training videos and distance based learning packages available from the training department. Of the 65 distance based learning packages that are collated and maintained by the Scottish Police College 24 were produced by Tayside Police making the force the biggest single contributor to the system. HMIC commends the force for its commitment in this regard.

11. Special Constabulary

11.1 There are currently 189 special constables in the force, 62 in Central Division, 53 in Eastern Division and 74 in Western Division. Of the total 56 are women. Tayside Police receives substantial support from these men and women who volunteer their services and a positive impression was given to HMIC of the integration of special constables throughout Tayside Police during visits to various stations.

11.2 Special constables receive one 2-hour training session per month except in December and July. Occasionally sessions are held on Sundays where training is likely to take three or more hours. All are trained in the use of the ASP baton and rigid handcuffs, which have been made a personal issue. Special Constables in Central Division received CS spray awareness training prior to the start of the Force CS pilot however the force decided not to equip or train these officers in its use at this point in time. While those spoken with in Central Division felt a little disadvantaged by not having the sprays as carried by their regular colleagues they understood the Force decision at this pilot stage.

11.3 Divisional training officers are responsible for training of the special constables within their divisions. Central Division special constables are expected to carry out operational duties with a shift before going out with specialist departments. However after a year or two many are now reporting for duty regularly with the Identification Branch, Dog Section, Force Support Group etc. They are encouraged however to split their duties between operational shift work and any specialism. HMIC commends this range of usage as good practice but emphasises the importance of deployment remaining a management decision which reflects proven need and identified priorities and not the preference of individuals.

11.4 During the inspection process some concerns were raised by special constables about uniform jackets and stab resistant vests. Some officers were wearing anoraks as opposed to the blouson jackets issued to regular officers. There is a general feeling that the difference in uniforms marks them out in operational situations and they would appreciate parity with their regular colleagues. The force has agreed to issue the covers for stab resistant vests on a personal basis but the relevant plates will be retained at stations for rotational use. The Special Constabulary would prefer a personal issue of the complete kit. HMIC recognises there are cost implications but the force will wish to keep the situation under review in the wake of experience about the roles undertaken by and the threat to the safety of Special Constables. (All regular officers in operational roles have a personal issue of stab resistant vests.)

12. Staff Associations/Unions

12.1 HMIC met with the Force representatives of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents and the Scottish Police Federation. Both groups were positive about the levels of consultation, formal and informal, with the Force Executive although each said there was still scope for improvement.

12.2 The Superintendents Association had pressed for the introduction of the strategic management meeting in addition to the Policy Group. (See chapter 1 paragraph 2.1) The focus placed on consultative arrangements in the Accounts Commission management modules had added clarity to the systems of meetings within the force.

12.3 The Police Federation voiced concerns of their members regarding assessment centres but were satisfied that they would have the opportunity to contribute to a review of the assessment centre process as part of the working party. (See also paragraph 9.1 above) Concerns were also raised by the Federation about delays taken to progress grievances made by members of staff. The force procedure lays down timescales for the handling of each of the three stages of the process and in two particular cases highlighted to HMIC several months elapsed before matters were concluded. Given the anxiety grievance cases can cause for all the individuals involved adherence to the agreed procedures is important. Since the inspection HMIC has been advised that the operation of the Grievance Procedure is to be reassessed.

12.4 UNISON expressed some disappointment about the recent publication of the staff survey conducted by Abertay University without prior consultation with the unions. Aspects were given to the press with comments attributed to the Police Federation who had been consulted about its release. Generally consultation was described as good.