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How the organisation formulates, deploys, reviews and turns policy and strategy into plans and actions.
3.1 The Director of SCRO can formulate internal policy without seeking the approval of the Executive or Management Committees. However if the policy impacts significantly upon the Scottish forces the approval of the Executive Committee is required.
3.2 In October 2000 the Executive Committee approved SCRO's Corporate Plan 2000/2003 and the 1999/2000 Annual Report. The Corporate Plan framework was developed over a 2 day seminar in January 2000 involving the Director, Deputy Director, Heads of Bureaux and their Deputies and outside consultants. The Annual Report and Corporate Plan describe the SCRO mission and strategy. The Corporate Plan details activities, actions to be taken, measurements of activity and which post has responsibility for co-ordinating the activity. Each SCRO Bureau has a statement of intent and planning statement published within the Annual Report intended to focus work activity for the forthcoming year. Progress towards the achievement of actions within the Corporate Plan and activity within the Bureaux planning statements is reported to the Director at the SCRO Office Management Meetings attended by the Deputy Director and the Heads of Bureaux.
3.3 HMIC recognises that one of the activities within the Corporate Plan is the development of performance measures and that the Plan was only recently approved. However, HMIC found that the issues identified within the Corporate Plan are not supported by detailed internal action plans specific to these issues and designed to achieve the desired outcomes.
During the inspection HMIC found that management information on the operation of computer systems is available but that this information is not widely used to gauge performance of processes and activities conducted by SCRO.
3.4 SCRO does not regularly benchmark its work processes with other organisations to assess effectiveness, quality and seek improvement. HMIC appreciates that the specialist nature of the work at SCRO militates against straightforward benchmarking but there are a variety of possibilities to be explored.
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3.5 Service Level Agreements exist, detailing disclosure and access to information, between British Transport Police, Stirling Council, non-police agencies (e.g. the General Teaching Council) and SCRO. No formal agreements exist between SCRO and the Scottish forces and the other criminal justice agencies (Scottish executive, Crown Office and Scottish Prison Service). However through the Integration of Scottish Criminal Justice Information Systems (ISCJIS) Project Service Level Agreements with the criminal justice agencies will be developed and HMIC recognises this as good practice.
3.6 In order to discuss management issues within SCRO Heads of Bureau and their deputies meet monthly with the Director and Deputy Director. These meetings are minuted and afford the management team the opportunity to learn of new developments and provide updates on projects. Although SCRO does not employ a Team Briefing system HMIC noted that Heads of Bureau hold frequent meetings with their staff to impart and receive information. Staff interviewed during the inspection expressed the view that they are able to make suggestions to changes in working practices and that their ideas are listened to by management. SCRO memoranda, Bureau memoranda and procedure documents are also used to communicate decisions and inform staff of new information. Generally, communication was good but see paragraph 6.10 regarding information on Part V plans.
3.7 SCRO has a responsibility to support the police service and the Crown via the Procurator Fiscal Service. This has been extended by Scottish Office Circulars to include the disclosure of information to local authorities in the relation to employment involving substantial access to children. Part V of the Police Act 1997 further extends the disclosure access to individuals on a payment basis. Senior management involvement with SCRO customers is by direct dialogue and attendance at informal and pre-arranged meetings. Customer satisfaction is gauged, informally, by letters of appreciation/ complaint, from responses from the Executive Committee and Scottish Executive as well as the SCRO Management Committee. SCRO acknowledge the value of quality of service surveys, however the reality is that current resourcing has not allowed for proper circulation, collation and evaluation to be undertaken and intends to address this as soon as resources permit. HMIC suggests that SCRO develop and implement regular customer satisfaction surveys at the earliest opportunity.
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