|
|
|
|
Introduction
1.1 At the time of the Primary Inspection the force had a single tier command structure with each of the five sub-divisions under the command of a superintendent with a chief inspector as deputy. A strong traditional culture of centralised control of CID and Traffic existed with a large proportion of CID officers working in squads based at force headquarters. Although some CID officers were located within sub-divisions these officers still fell within the CID command structure in respect of overtime and staff appraisal. Sub-divisional commanders were restricted in their deployment of these officers which impeded the delivery of effective local policing strategies.
1.2 Although good examples of co-operative working between units were found, co-ordination of local action was restricted by the fact that command of operational policing by sub-divisions, CID, Traffic and other specialist units only really came together at Assistant Chief Constable level which limited the scope of co-operation and collaboration between these units in day to day operational policing. HMCIC also found that local accommodation arrangements as well as this tendency towards compartmentalisation, inhibited briefings and other communication between officers from different stations and departments.
1.3 HMCIC recommended more appropriate lines of responsibility to ensure direct access between the force executive and specialist support functions particularly in respect of the roles of the chief superintendent, Headquarters Division and Media Services. It was also recommended that strategic benefit would be gained if the command areas of the force matched the boundaries of its constituent local authorities. It was against this background that the recommendations referred to in this Chapter (Primary Inspection Recommendations 1 - 6) were made.
CID Re-organisation
Primary Inspection Recommendation 1
"HM Inspectors recommend a reorganisation of the force's CID to include:
a reduction in Headquarters CID to comprise only those necessary elements of CID support which cannot be sustained by local command areas and to function principally as a support arm with its command structure fully integrated with that of the force as a whole; and
a redistribution of freed CID resources, including inspector and other supervisory ranks, to local command areas, to be brought under the undivided control of uniform commanders.
Review Inspection Findings
1.4 The Review Inspection found that re-organisation of the force's CID had taken place in June 1998 with the responsibility for CID officers transferring from headquarters to sub-divisional command. Detective Chief Inspectors, Inspectors, Sergeants and Constables are all now part of divisional command areas under the command of sub-divisional officers.
1.5 There is a detective chief inspector in each division located at Queen Street and Inverurie respectively. Some doubts were expressed during the Review Inspection about the role of these officers with more benefit being seen if they were to belong to Headquarters CID rather than divisions in order to maintain a more direct link with strategic and policy issues relating to crime. HMIC's view in this respect is that the line of command for two senior officers with strategic responsibility should not prevent effective liaison between headquarters and divisions and that wherever their line management responsibility lies, these officers under the current structure have an important role to play in the chain of communication between Headquarters and their respective Divisions. Whilst recognising the views expressed HMIC would view a reversion to central command as a retrograde step and encourages senior managers to continue to develop the experience and skills necessary to provide an integrated service at a level where areas of responsibility must necessarily involve the exercise of flexibility and the management of ambiguity.
1.6 There is a detective inspector in each of the five sub-divisions and these officers perform the role of sub-divisional crime managers. Detective sergeants and constables report to their respective detective inspector but in the absence of the detective inspector would report to and be directed by a uniform inspector.
1.7 At Headquarters, the Detective Chief Superintendent remains in command of Headquarters CID with two detective superintendents responsible for "Operations" and "Support Services" respectively. The job description of the Detective Chief Superintendent had not been updated to reflect the recent changes to his role and HMIC would encourage the force to complete that task in order to clearly define where that officer's responsibility begins and ends in relation to crime and crime management within the force.
1.8 Within the Headquarters CID structure there remains a Crime Squad and a Surveillance Unit, both under the supervision of the same detective inspector, a Drugs Squad, and the Community Protection and Investigation Unit each headed by a detective inspector. These units report to the detective superintendent (operations). There is a detective inspector in charge of the Crime Desk and Central Input Bureau, while both the Force Intelligence Section and the Identification Bureau are also headed by detective inspectors. These units report to the detective superintendent (support services). Inspectors carry out the roles of Force Crime Prevention Officer, Force Drugs Co-ordinator and Community Involvement Inspector, each of whom reports to the chief inspector in charge of a new "Community Development Department" (see paragraph 1.13 below). The head of the Forensic Science Laboratory also reports to the Detective Superintendent, Support Services.
1.9 Following this devolvement of responsibility for CID officers to divisions, crime management teams are now more closely aligned with their respective sub-divisions and are integral to the working of the sub-division. During inspection however it was found that there is still some way to go before it can be said that CID officers generally are fully integrated within the sub-divisional structure. When asked about the integration of CID officers within sub-divisions, the message from senior officers was more positive than that from uniformed constables and sergeants who frequently claimed that they noticed little change in practice. There was little evidence of CID officers attending shift briefings and it was noticed that some CID officers still referred to their "own bosses" meaning CID as opposed to divisional supervisors.
1.10 There were however positive examples of personnel changes taking place which should impact on this area including experienced detectives being transferred to uniform posts and one sergeant with no previous CID experience being transferred into a CID post.
1.11 After many years of a heavily centralised CID, HMIC accepts that this relatively recent change will take time to settle but integration is a matter of will as well as structure and officers of all ranks need to make more effort before it can be fully achieved. Moving people about is only part of the solution which must also involve a change in culture. The situation will be subject to review at the time of the next inspection.
Review of the CID
1.12 A Review of the CID was undertaken during October to December 1998 and a report containing a number of recommendations produced. This resulted in an action plan being prepared, outlining the Review recommendations and the decisions and action to be taken in respect of these recommendations.
1.13 One of the CID Review recommendations which has been implemented is the creation of a Community Development Department headed by a chief inspector reporting to the Detective Superintendent, Support Services. The new department is a significant step by the force designed to address strategic and policy aspects of important areas such as community safety, crime prevention, race relations and domestic violence. The structure and responsibilities of this new department are discussed in more detail in Chapter 6.
1.14 Another Recommendation was that the force appoint a Director of Intelligence. It was noted that this recommendation has been marked "not agreed" although the Chief Constable has since stated that the detective inspector responsible for the force intelligence section fulfils this function although the postholder does not bear the formal title of Director of Intelligence. Given the increasing importance of intelligence led policing in the fight against crime HMIC is concerned at the apparent lack of clarity surrounding the forces response to this specific recommendation and would ask that this matter be re-considered.
1.15 The Review of the CID challenged a number of long standing assumptions about crime management and investigation within the force. The Report was a pragmatic, forward looking document which, together with the Action Plan sets a positive agenda for the future of the CID within the force. The action plan outlines a very ambitious programme but HMIC notes that slippage has already occurred in respect of many of its timescales. There does appear however to be commitment to complete the programme which contains many positive features which would benefit the force. Progress will be noted at the time of the next inspection.
Force Structure
Primary Inspection Recommendation 2
"HM Inspectors recommend that the command areas of the force match the boundaries of its constituent local authorities."
Review Inspection Findings
1.16 On 1 September 1998 command area re-organisation took place with the creation of two new divisions namely Aberdeen Division covering the city of Aberdeen with boundaries coterminous with those of Aberdeen City Council, and Landward Division covering the local authority areas of Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council. A chief superintendent was appointed as divisional commander for both new divisions.
1.17 Aberdeen Division consists of two sub-divisions, Bucksburn and Queen Street. Landward Division has three sub-divisions, North Aberdeenshire, South Aberdeenshire and Moray. Each of the five sub-divisions is under the command of a superintendent. (Fig.1 below)
Figure 1: Sub-divisional Structure of Grampian Police
1.18 HMIC noted that the Chief Constable's Annual Report for 1998/99 included supplements relative to each local authority area. Each supplement provided details about the local policing of that area and in doing so the report acknowledged the different local priorities which exist within the force area. HMIC considers this good practice and appreciative comment was made to HMIC by one local authority official who had just received the document, regarding the Chief Constable's initiative in this respect.
1.19 The force appointed liaison officers to work with each of the three constituent councils with a view to improving liaison and assisting in the development of joint community safety strategies.
1.20 The development of these strategies has not progressed as far or as quickly as in some other force areas but each council now has a Community Safety Strategy in draft form and some progress is being made. Community Safety is discussed in more detail in Chapter 6 but HMIC would encourage the force to persuade the respective local authorities of the need to progress these draft strategy documents in order that local communities can begin to benefit as soon as possible. Following the inspection HMIC were told that it was hoped to launch two local strategies in the autumn of 1999. Progress will be examined by HMIC in conjunction with the Accounts Commission in the latter part of 2000.
Senior Officer Roles
1.21 The Primary Inspection identified a need to review chief superintendent roles in the force (paragraph 1.16) and the appointment of the two "area" commanders was part of the force's response to this suggestion. There are currently five chief superintendent posts remaining in the force. In addition to the two divisional commanders, there is a chief superintendent in charge of Headquarters Division, Headquarters CID and Operational Support Division.
1.22 The Review Inspection found that the chief superintendent post within Headquarters Division is to be reviewed following the appointment of a Head of Finance and Information Technology on 19 July 1999. This is a new post which is discussed in more detail in paragraph 3.5.
1.23 In relation to senior officer roles in a wider context, the Primary Inspection report suggested that the "pooling" arrangements for twenty four hour senior officer coverage could be extended beyond local arrangements to improve command resilience and formalise call-out arrangements. It was said that this would be reviewed at the time of the next inspection. (paragraph 1.20). The review inspection revealed that a Chief Constable's Memorandum had been issued regarding this but the content of the document was of questionable value in determining what the pooling or on call arrangements for senior officers are in practice.
1.24 However many senior officers were consulted regarding this in the course of the Review Inspection and no concerns were expressed about on-call arrangements or call-out procedures which appeared to be working in practice. None saw any need to extend the current local arrangements and HMIC would see this as something which should be left with the force executive to monitor.
Stolen Vehicle Squad
Primary Inspection Recommendation 3
"HM Inspectors recommend the abolition of the Stolen Vehicle Squad consistent with other recommendations on structure."
Review Inspection Findings
1.25 During the Primary Inspection HM Inspectors questioned the value of the Stolen Vehicle Squad in its existing form and saw it as "another example of compartmentalisation within Aberdeen." As a measure consistent with the recommendation that the CID be decentralised and devolved to divisional command, the above recommendation was made in relation to the Stolen Vehicle Squad.
1.26 The squad had previously consisted of six officers, a sergeant and five constables and was part of Operational Support Division and most of these officers had traditionally had a Traffic Department background.
1.27 The force disbanded this squad with effect from 1 September 1998 with four officers returning to operational duties in the traffic department and the remaining two transferring to a new Stolen Vehicle Enquiry Section as part of the Headquarters CID Crime Squad under the supervision of a detective inspector. The reduction in numbers resulted in responsibility for stolen vehicles generally being transferred to sub-divisional officers in the same way as other crime. The two officers in the new Stolen Vehicle Enquiry Section were tasked with working alongside the Force Intelligence Section to address organised vehicle crime and related enquiries.
Figure 2: Theft and Attempted Theft of Motor Vehicles Grampian Police 1997-1999
1.29 Figure 3 below shows trends over the ten year period between 1989-1999.
Figure 3: Theft of Motor Vehicles
1.30 The force closely monitors these figures and comparative analysis between sub-divisions shows different crime patterns within the force area. Management information in this respect is good and in areas most affected action has already been taken in an effort to halt and reverse these trends.
1.31 As part of the implementation of this change a review of the situation was underway at the time of the Review Inspection. One of the review's conclusions was that creation of sub-divisional auto-crime units might be a positive way of addressing the issue and this has already taken place within at least one sub-division. The officer in charge of the new section has also taken practical steps to increase the efficiency of the section and he plays an active role in the monitoring of such crime himself. The report compiled following the review had not been addressed by the force executive at the time of the Review Inspection and developments in this respect will be examined at the time of the next inspection.
Briefing
Primary Inspection Recommendation 4
"HM Inspectors recommend that the force reduces the number of police offices used for reporting on/off duty in order that it becomes the norm for full briefing to be given by supervisors to officers coming on duty at centralised points. These briefings should include regular contributions from specialist units, such as CID, Traffic and Local Intelligence Officers".
Review Inspection Findings
1.32 The Primary Inspection found that the force did not have a culture of using structured briefing procedures in the course of day to day operational policing. Most officers taking duty relied on self-briefing at the start of a shift by reading information available on computer or a telephone briefing from a supervisor at another station. The situation was exacerbated by the number of small offices in the city where officers reported on and off duty making face to face briefings difficult.
1.33 Following the above recommendation the force reduced the number of offices in Aberdeen at which officers reported for duty and this improved the setting for briefings although some further changes in accommodation have still to take place.
1.34 A General Order was issued in 1998 which was intended to introduce structured briefings at the start of each shift as routine procedure across the force. As part of the procedure a briefing file was created on the force computer system to provide a standard format and these files are compiled locally on a daily basis within each sub-division. The local intelligence officer was found to be involved in this in most sub-divisions and this is good practice. The briefing file is then used by the officer giving the briefing to refer to the relevant pieces of information. Briefings were examined during the course of the Review Inspection and were found to consist mainly of historical information being read off the file to an assembled group of officers with little in the way of tasking or direction. Where briefings were witnessed they did not give the impression that they were typical and many officers both in the city and landward divisions confirmed that briefings were not always given and that they still relied on reading the computer briefing file themselves. Practices do appear to vary between individual supervisors but overall HMIC concluded that structured briefings are not the norm within the force.
1.35 The attendance at briefings by officers from specialist units such as CID and Traffic also appears to be unusual. Although CID officers are now part of sub-divisional command comments were still received in both city and landward areas that there is little liaison with uniform colleagues and the attendance of CID officers at some offices where briefings are sometimes held would be regarded as very unusual. These comments were equally appropriate in respect of Traffic officers whose tasking did not appear to integrate effectively with uniform or CID colleagues. While the above recommendation was intended to address these issues, there seems to have been limited progress in breaking down the barriers between these different units through the introduction of briefings.
1.36 Even where briefings are given, there was evidence of a lack of direction in respect of duties and any focused patrol appears either to be based on the initiative of individual officers or as a result of a specific crime trend or intelligence brought to notice within the sub-division. Where no such intelligence exists officers said they were left to choose how and where to patrol. Overall there was little evidence of the robust, intelligence led, integrated tasking and co-ordination of patrol which HMIC would hope to find.
1.37 HMIC has several concerns about this situation. One was brought to light by an officer who had previously had responsibility for a particular area within the city. As a result of changes made to accommodate briefings, this officer no longer reported on duty at the small office in the area where he worked and instead, for the purpose of receiving a briefing had to travel several miles to another office. His return to his own area then became difficult due either to city traffic or involvement in calls outwith his area. This officer believed that the level of patrol in his own area had suffered significantly as a result. HMIC's concern in this respect is that unless officers such as this are receiving real benefit from face to face exchange of information with officers from specialist units, then the effort the force has made to accommodate briefings cannot be justified.
1.38 HMIC recommend that the force reviews the steps taken to introduce briefing procedures within the force and:
a) ensures that where officers are required to travel to briefings then the briefing is worthwhile and improves the quality of service provided by these officers during that tour of duty; and
b) amends the format of the briefings in order to give priority to the co-ordinated operational tasking of officers.
|
Review Inspection Recommendation 1 HMIC recommend that the force reviews the steps taken to introduce briefing procedures within the force and: a) ensures that where officers are required to travel to briefings then the briefing is worthwhile and improves the quality of service provided by these officers during that tour of duty; and b) amends the format of the briefings in order to give priority to the co-ordinated operational tasking of officers. |
Headquarters Division
Primary Inspection Recommendation 5
"HM Inspectors recommend a review of Headquarters Division to determine appropriate levels of civilian support roles, proper use of trained senior police officers and more appropriate lines of responsibility to ensure direct access between the force executive and specialist support functions which are matters of vital strategic importance to the force."
Review Inspection Findings
1.39 This recommendation expressed the concern by HMIC that senior support staff carrying out specialist functions of vital strategic importance to the force such as Finance and IT did not have access to the force executive other than through police line management including the chief superintendent in charge of Headquarters Division. The force has taken a major step in response to this recommendation by creating a senior level civilian support staff post of Head of Finance and IT (referred to in paragraph 1.22 above). At the time of the Review Inspection an appointment was due to take effect on 19 July 1999 following which the post of Chief Superintendent in charge of Headquarters Division is to be reviewed. The impact of this appointment within the force will be examined at the time of the next inspection.
Media Services
Primary Inspection Recommendation 6
"HM Inspectors recommend that a location be found for Media Services at the heart of the force, both physically within Headquarters and organisationally within a structure that allows it to perform a strategic role".
Review Inspection Findings
1.40 The above recommendation was accepted by the force and has now been discharged. The Media Services Unit was previously located at Nelson Street and has now been relocated to the first floor of Force Headquarters at Queen Street. Whereas during the Primary Inspection this unit was found to have been marginalised both physically and organisationally, the staff are now located within force headquarters and close to the Queen Street sub-divisional offices within the building. The Force Press Officer now attends daily briefings with members of the force executive and is regularly involved in operational briefings and press conferences. Staff reported a significant improvement in their working environment and relations with the rest of the force and HMIC acknowledges the effort which has been made by the force to reach this point.
1.41 The staff of the Media Services Unit formerly consisted of a Force Press Officer, Assistant Press Officer, an admin assistant, a "TV unit" officer and a "Design Unit"(Graphics) officer. Some redistribution of staff has taken place which resulted in the relocation of the first three posts at force headquarters, the transfer of the TV Unit officer to the Training Department and the transfer of the Design Unit officer to Inspectorate and Review Division. The force also sought professional advice regarding its corporate image, public relations management, internal communication and media services unit which involved media consultants working with the force during 1998 following the resignation of the Force Press Officer. This resulted in the creation of a new post to fill this vacancy and a Head of Public Affairs and Media was appointed in April 1999 with the former assistant Press Officer taking the role of Force Press Officer. The new head is a professional media person with a wealth of experience in media matters and the impact of this appointment and the new arrangements will be reviewed at the time of the next inspection.
1.42 At the time of the Primary Inspection Media Services was part of Traffic and Support Services under the Operational Support Division and HMIC had questioned this position. Recent Orders suggest that it is still part of Operational Support Division under the command of a chief superintendent but the new head of department has been told to report direct to any member of the force executive. HMIC suggests that the line management of the unit still requires clarification and that this is documented as soon as possible.
1.43 The force has a document headed Media Strategy which is, like other policy type documents, accessible through the force intranet. It was acknowledged however that this document is a set of guidelines for dealing with media issues as opposed to a strategy. A more strategic document was prepared by the consultants advising the force and the new head of department is now to draw up an action plan based on this document. HMIC will review this at the time of the next inspection.
1.44 A new Force magazine/newsletter (called "The Informer" following a competition to give it a title) has been introduced as part of the force's attempt to improve its internal communication. The publication is of a high standard with up to date factual information about changes and developments affecting the force. It is of a less formal nature than official force documents and includes articles regarding sports and other events of personal and social interest to members of staff. HM Inspectors asked officers and staff for their views on the publication during the inspection and the comments received were generally favourable.
1.45 The force continues to second sergeants to the unit in order to gain insight into working with the media. The last three secondments have been for three months and HMIC considers this good practice.
|
|
|