SCRUTINY REVIEW - CAPTURING COMMUNITY VIEWS TO INFLUENCE PRIORITIES

“To identify how the Authority should better capture community views to influence priorities in the development of the policing plan.”

The questions which the Scrutiny Group sought to answer were:-

• How are local priorities captured by the Constabulary?
• How are the local priorities captured and published on the Constabulary website used by Members to inform the Policing Plan?
• Is the Authority satisfied that in the development of the Policing Plan it considers the views of a representative sample of the population?

The Police Authority’s inspection report, published on 4 March 2010, stated that with regards to setting strategic direction and priorities, “the Authority is performing well in this area. The leadership and influence of the Authority is evident in the approach to setting policing priorities and it is strengthening its role. The Authority is clear about what matters to local people and makes sure that their concerns and needs are taken into account in the Policing Plan and priorities. It works with the Constabulary to balance local needs with regional and national priorities.”

The Authority adopts a variety of consultation (survey) and engagement (meetings, roadshows, focus groups and events) methods to consult the public about their priorities for policing which were commended in the inspection report.

The results of the surveys conducted throughout the year are reported to Performance Panel in July and December to inform the development of the Chief Constable’s objectives. In July 2010, an additional question was added to the survey which asks, “if you could identify just ONE priority for police action within your local area, what would this be? Therefore, the Authority has established its own mechanism for capturing local priorities identified by the public.  

However, the scrutiny review has shown that Constabulary officers and staff routinely engage with the public in meetings, surgeries and during day to day contact. The outcomes of this engagement are not routinely captured for consideration by the Authority when developing the Policing Plan.

The scrutiny group’s recommended that:-

Recommendation 1:
The Constabulary develops consistent naming conventions and structures for public meetings in order that the offering made to the public is simplified and can be easily understood and recognised.

Recommendation 2:
The Constabulary considers further developing and publicising alternative engagement methods where officers are still accessible but the public would feel more comfortable divulging information, such as “beat walks”, designated times in coffee shops, established community group meetings etc.

Recommendation 3:
That the Constabulary considers reviewing the way that public meetings and engagement methods are communicated to local people to ensure that:-

• the information on the website is updated and reviewed regularly to ensure that the information is accurate;
• Posters / notices are clearly displayed in advance of engagement activity;
• better use be made of local publications, community events and community based websites to advertise the meetings; and
• supervisors ensure that officers are able to attend meetings as advertised and arrive at public meetings at the publicised time; if this cannot be achieved, a substitute officer should be provided.

Recommendation 4:
That the Constabulary reviews the training, development and skills of officers conducting public engagement to ensure consistency and understanding of the methods and purpose of engagement and in order that each officer has the requisite skills to undertake meaningful and effective public engagement. Guidance would be helpful to officers to assist them in the delivery of different engagement methods.

Recommendation 5:
A formal quality assurance process for determining how local priorities for publication on the website be considered.

Recommendation 6:
Monthly priorities published on the Constabulary website be analysed and used to inform the Policing Plan Development Group.

Recommendation 7:
That the Authority and Constabulary consider developing a joint consultation strategy to capture public opinion about policing priorities.