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Crime Trends
6.1 Grampian Police is one of four Scottish forces to have recorded an upward trend in crime during 1997/1998 after a period of falling crime rates over the past decade in Scotland. In 1998 the force recorded a total of 45,811 crimes compared to 44, 342 in 1997, an increase of 3%, slightly above the 2.5% increase recorded in Scotland as a whole and the highest total recorded by the force since 1995 (see Figure 7 below).
Figure 7: Number of Crimes - Grampian Police
Figure 8: No of Crimes per 100,000 population -Scottish Forces 1998
Figure 9: No of Crimes per Police Officer -Scottish Forces 1998
6.3 Despite these statistics the force's clear up rate has risen steadily over the past ten years and in 1998 was 38% compared to the Scottish force average of 41%. While this is the second lowest clear-up rate among Scottish forces in 1998 it is an increase of 8% on the 1992 figure when the total number of crimes was considerably lower and at a time of rising crime trends HMIC acknowledges this continuous improvement by the force.
Crime Strategy
6.4 The crime strategy acknowledged as good practice in the Primary Inspection report (paragraph 6.3) was never implemented and the force now intends to produce a revised crime strategy.
Crime Recording
6.5 The force's crime recording system received favourable comment at the time of the primary inspection and is now well established throughout the force. Officers and staff spoke highly of the system and the management information it produces. A Crime Desk had only just been introduced in Aberdeen at the time of the primary inspection and this was also found to have become an integral part of the force's crime management. HM Inspectors considered the force's Crime Desk good practice (paragraph 6.4) and recommended its extension to cover the rest of the force area. Although such an extension was still being considered the Crime Desk, at the time of the Review Inspection was still confined to Aberdeen Division. HMIC would encourage the force to continue with its intended extension of its Crime Desk in order that sub-divisions within the Landward Division of the force can share the benefits of this system.
Crime Management
6.6 The Primary Inspection report suggested a need for a review of crime management in the force (paragraph 6.7). No overall review of crime management has been undertaken but various aspects of crime management were addressed in the Review of the CID carried out at the end of 1998. Other aspects have still to be addressed. A new system of crime enquiry allocation, to be managed on a sub-divisional basis, was identified in the force's Crime Action Plan for 1999/2000 and set for introduction in June 1999 and this will be reviewed at the time of the next inspection.
6.7 Evidence of good practice, enthusiasm and commitment was found within sub-divisional crime management units with local crime managers (detective inspectors) and their staff working well together in small teams. HMIC was particularly impressed by the pro-active targeting of offenders evident in some sub-divisions and the direct involvement of crime prevention officers in such initiatives. This example of collaboration between officers of different specialist backgrounds is good practice. It is a practice which now needs extending to involve the valuable resources of the Traffic Department which in this force often appeared to play a peripheral role in relation to crime. (see comments at paragraph 6.34-6.39 below).
Criminal Intelligence
6.8 Criminal Intelligence was the subject of scrutiny during the force's review of the CID carried out at the end of 1998 and various recommendations were made which are now being considered by the force. At the time of the inspection a new Detective Inspector had just been appointed as Force Criminal Intelligence Officer and he was involved in the planning which lay ahead in terms of progressing the various recommendations made regarding Criminal Intelligence both as a structure and a tool within the force.
6.9 Some positive changes had already taken place since the time of the primary inspection. The local intelligence officer at Queen Street is now strategically placed in the hub of the sub-division's accommodation close to the briefing room and officers commented on this positively. There was also evidence that local intelligence officers contribute to sub-divisional briefings by assisting in the preparation of briefing files. On occasions these officers attend briefings but it would appear that their involvement in briefings could still be improved to maximise the benefit of the information that these officers have to offer.
Crime Prevention/Community Safety
Primary Inspection Recommendation 10
"HM Inspectors recommend that the force reviews the relative positions of the Force Crime Prevention Officer, the Community Involvement Unit Inspector, the local authority liaison officers and local commanders to ensure that the full benefits of a properly co-ordinated effort are enjoyed in establishing sound community safety strategies."
Review Inspection Findings
6.10 This recommendation resulted from confusion surrounding the role of the Community Involvement Unit Inspector in relation to community safety issues and a lack of clarity regarding the reporting arrangements for the local authority liaison officers seconded to each council. These officers were appointed to improve co-ordination between the force and the councils and to assist in developing joint community safety strategies. The above recommendation reflected the impression that local community safety strategies would benefit from better co-ordination between the various police roles involved in community safety matters.
6.11 Although the force has made some structural changes affecting the various roles involved in community safety, the review inspection found that there is still room for more clarity in the line management and co-ordination of the efforts of the various officers involved.
6.12 The main change in structure has been the creation of a Community Development Department. This new department was introduced in April 1999 and is headed by a chief inspector who was said to report to the detective chief superintendent. According to those concerned however the chief inspector reports to the detective superintendent (support services) in practice and this should be clarified. The situation reflects the fact that the new department has been established before a clear policy has been put in place.
6.13 The chief inspector in charge of the new department was immediately tasked with developing force policy in relation to a number of important areas including community safety, race relations and domestic violence.
6.14 In practice however these areas are managed within divisions and HMIC suggests that there is a need for a structure be put in place to ensure appropriate liaison between the chief inspector, Community Development, responsible for force policy on these issues and the personnel within sub-divisions responsible for the implementation of that policy.
6.15 The Community Development Department was said to encompass Community Involvement, Crime Prevention, Educational Liaison and the Force Drugs Co-ordinator but the job descriptions relating to these posts do not all reflect line management through the chief inspector, Community Development.
6.16 The Community Involvement inspector appears to be almost fully committed to educational liaison matters relating to Police Box with other duties being undertaken by the sergeant. Both these officers are located in the Community Development Department premises at Bridge of Don. The Force Crime Prevention Officer is located at Headquarters but is responsible for crime prevention policy matters to the chief inspector, Community Development. Crime Prevention Officers are located within sub-divisions however and are responsible to divisional commanders through the sub-divisional crime managers. School liaison officers are located throughout the force area but supervised by a sergeant who reports to the Community Involvement inspector and this is discussed in more detail under the Police Box heading at paragraphs 6.19 - 6.22 below. The Force Drugs Co-ordinator is also located within the Community Development Department and reports to the chief inspector although the job description suggests that line management is directly through the Detective Superintendent (Support Services). Local authority liaison officers, responsible for the development of joint community safety strategies with local councils report to divisional command with no discernible links to the Chief Inspector, Community Development who is responsible for the development of a force community safety strategy. There is a need for close liaison here to ensure appropriate co-ordination between these respective strategies.
Race Relations
6.17 At the time of the Review Inspection a constable was seconded to the Grampian Racial Equality Council (GREC) as part of the force's effort to promote awareness of race equality issues and to foster relations between GREC, other related organisations and the force. During the inspection a conference was held in Aberdeen entitled "After the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry - Leading the Way Forward." This was jointly arranged by the force and GREC and attracted top level speakers on the subject.
6.18 The Chief Inspector in charge of the Community Development Department is a member of the Executive Committee of GREC and the divisional commander of Aberdeen Division is a member of the Multi Agency Panel on Racial Harassment recently established in the city. An "Awareness Day" was held in May 1999 for the force's domestic violence liaison officers and other officers in specialist roles. All the above activities by the force are good practice and reflect the force's commitment to the promotion of race relations and race equality issues (see also paragraphs 5.5-5.6 regarding recruitment). However there is a need for the force to publish a policy on such matters and again this is an example where the force has developed new practices and introduced structures and initiatives without there being policy in place to support and direct such measures. There is also a need for the force to focus its attention at operational street level to ensure that the awareness of its front line officers is as high as that of selected officers in specialist posts. The force acknowledges the need for a review of its procedures for dealing with racial incidents and this is encouraging. An officer had been tasked with reviewing force policy at the time of the inspection. Without a published policy statement and clear operational guidelines the awareness of operational officers will be limited and HMIC suggests that the force addresses this matter as a priority.
Police Box
6.19 Police Box is an educational resource package for primary and secondary schools developed by the force's educational adviser and launched in 1995. It is an educational programme designed to promote health, safety, well-being and good citizenship and which addresses drugs, bullying and vandalism as part of that programme.
6.20 HM Inspectors during the Primary Inspection suggested a need for the force to review the position of school liaison officers (paragraph 6.20). The force deploys twelve constables as full time educational liaison officers with a sergeant responsible for their supervision. These officers come under the line management of the Community Involvement inspector who is now part of the new Community Development Department. The officers are employed solely on school liaison work which primarily involves the delivery of Police Box material to children in the 7 _ 14 age range. HMIC had suggested that greater benefit might be gained from the devolvement of responsibility for these officers to sub-divisional command. This has so far been resisted however on the grounds that the centralised control of these officers is necessary to provide a consistent and co-ordinated approach to schools liaison work across the force. It is now the force's intention that the educational liaison officers will become the responsibility of sub-divisional officers with the sergeant's post being retained within the Community Development Department to provide co-ordination, liaison and guidance. This will be reviewed at the time of the next inspection.
6.21 The Police Box concept continues to develop and the first volume of a CD Rom had just been released at the time of the Review Inspection. HMIC was impressed with the quality of this product which is consistent with the high regard in which Police Box is generally held.
6.22 Police Box is no longer simply a force resource and it is now widely used throughout Scotland. The force's marketing of the product has been throughout the UK and considerable interest has been shown in respect of the new CD Rom. In many respects this represents a considerable achievement for the force. In terms of funding and other committed resources, the force might wish to consider its long term strategy in respect of Police Box and the future development, marketing and ownership of the product, with a view to sharing more costs with partners to avoid a disproportionate share falling on the force budget in Grampian.
Domestic Violence
6.23 The primary inspection identified a lack of understanding by officers of procedures relating to domestic violence at that time. HM Inspectors also questioned the role of the Community Protection Investigation Unit in this area and urged the force to review its domestic violence arrangements.
6.24 On 1 May 1999 the force appointed a Domestic Violence Liaison Officer (DVLO) and a deputy for each of the force's five sub-divisions. The deputy in the sub-division with the highest number of reported incidents was subsequently appointed on a full-time basis.
6.25 HM Inspectors found that six weeks into their new post these officers had already become established within their sub-divisions under the line management of the sub-divisional detective inspector. All spoke of having made valuable contacts with other agencies and many had already visited victims of domestic violence to offer support and relevant advice. A domestic violence database had been set up with each of the DVLOs monitoring the significant number of domestic violence incidents reported in each of their areas since 1 April 1999. The information recorded is detailed and will provide the force with valuable data about the incidence and nature of domestic violence for statistical and management purposes as well as providing important intelligence for operational purposes.
6.26 The appointment of these officers is seen as a positive step and has involved the commitment of significant resources which will have a real impact on the way in which domestic violence incidents are dealt with by the force. That impact might have been greater however had the appointment of the Domestic Violence Liaison Officers been accompanied by a force policy on domestic violence. This had still to be developed at the time of the inspection and will be reviewed at the time of the next inspection.
Community Protection and Investigation Unit
6.27 As a result of the above officers in the Community Protection and Investigation Unit no longer have a responsibility to monitor incidents of domestic violence and this is welcomed.
6.28 At the time of the Primary Inspection two detective constables had recently been appointed to the CPIU to deal with the monitoring of sex offenders. This followed the introduction of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 which resulted in a requirement for certain sex offenders to register with the police. Thirty eight sex offenders had registered with Grampian Police at that time. The Primary Inspection report said that the role of these two officers would be reviewed at the time of the next inspection.
6.29 The Review Inspection found that the two detective constables are still in post and are dealing with an ever increasing caseload. The number of registered sex offenders in the force area has increased from 38 at the time of the Primary Inspection in March 1998 to 83 in June 1999. The two officers have administrative support and good relations were reported with local social work departments. The detective inspector in charge of the CPIU is actively involved in the supervision of the cases dealt with and HMIC was impressed with the professional attitude of the officers spoken to in this department. As more sex offenders become convicted and registered the workload of the unit will expand and this will have resource implications if quality of performance is to be maintained.
Review of Major Crime Enquiries
6.30 During the time of the Primary Inspection a murder which had taken place six months earlier remained undetected at that time and HM Inspectors noted that no formal review of the investigation had been undertaken. In highlighting the need for such a review HMIC was referring to the formal process of independent review which is recommended as good practice in the ACPO manual on murder investigation and has been a feature of major crime enquiries for a number of years.
6.31 The need for such reviews was noted by the force and this was highlighted during two major crime seminars held within the force in 1998. There are currently a number of outstanding enquiries in the force which would fit the category suited to review but to date no such action has been undertaken and the need for such reviews has still to be incorporated into force policy. A senior detective officer has been tasked with formulating policy in this respect and the force is urged to progress this without further delay. HMIC would expect to see a clearly defined policy in place at the earliest opportunity and this important investigative tool being utilised.
6.32 The major crime seminars referred to above were table top exercises involving a wide cross section of officers likely to face operational decision making in the event of a major crime. Invited parties included procurators fiscal, pathologists and key personnel from other forces all of whom contributed to the learning process. Much of the focus was on lessons learned from the Scott Simpson murder enquiry and these were discussed in a very positive manner.
Problem Oriented Policing
6.33 An officer in the Landward Division of the force has been tasked with the introduction of Problem Oriented Policing. This was originally intended as a pilot within one sub-division but is now to be promulgated force-wide. The planning of this project is still at an early stage and HMIC would suggest that visits be made to other forces where this type of policing is already in place. The force places emphasis on the importance of involving local constables in the identification of problems or incidents which would benefit from this sort of approach and HMIC would not disagree with this. If the maximum benefit of a multi-agency response to local problems is to be achieved however the force needs to gain the support and commitment of local authorities and other organisations and to do so will require senior level support from within the force. This is evident at both executive and superintendent level throughout the force and HMIC would encourage the force to progress this worthwhile venture which will be examined at the time of the next inspection.
Traffic Department
6.34 The Traffic Department remains a centralised unit within the Operational Support Division with patrol crews operating from Nelson Street, Inverurie, Elgin, Huntly, Mintlaw and Banchory. The unit based at Banchory was established to address particular problems in the South Aberdeenshire area.
6.35 The force is on target in respect of the national road accident targets set by the government. These include a reduction in injury accidents by one-third by the year 2000. This is being achieved in each local authority area except Aberdeenshire and it is hoped that the extra deployment of traffic crews in the area will assist.
6.36 In respect of the increase in traffic crews based at Inverurie, HM Inspectors at the time of the Primary Inspection, made the observation that this may provide a satisfactory base for improved co-operation with local operational staff (paragraph 6.38). This was said in light of the pending move of the South Aberdeenshire sub-divisional headquarters to Inverurie. Traffic officers at Inverurie currently share a building with other operational staff however and the impression was given at the time of the Review Inspection that the dividing wall between the two units was only one of the barriers between them. Both units said they tended to work separately from each other and this reflected the situation which HMIC found generally.
6.37 There are many examples of good work being undertaken by the Traffic Department. These included many sound initiatives being taken to address the number of serious and fatal road accidents in the force area and the commitment of traffic officers in this respect is not in question. However, across the wider spectrum of policing the integration of the department was less evident. This was particularly the case in respect of travelling criminals.
6.38 The philosophy of "Roads Policing" is said to be accepted by the force but this concept extends beyond the traditional role of the traffic officer. HMIC would suggest that the policing of the force area would benefit from the specialist skills and experience of traffic patrol officers being targeted towards the disruption of travelling criminals, drugs couriers and other offenders who travel in cars. If this cannot be achieved through co-operation and shared strategies and objectives with sub-divisions and other departments then the force may wish to consider decentralisation of the Traffic Department. This would allow divisional commanders to deploy traffic officers according to sub-divisional priorities and if properly managed to do so without detriment to the road safety priorities of the force.
6.39 In the short term however HMIC recommends that the force reviews the role of the Traffic Department in relation to crime and the targeting of offenders and incorporates crime related objectives into the departmental objectives.
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Review Inspection Recommendation 7 HMIC recommends that the force reviews the role of the Traffic Department in relation to crime and the targeting of offenders and incorporates crime related objectives into the departmental objectives. |
6.40 In addition to the above comments there was no evidence of traffic officers attending uniform shift briefings which was one of the objectives behind the introduction of the new briefing procedures. The force is urged to make more effort generally to achieve greater integration between specialist units and other operational staff to secure the practical benefits such co-operative working can bring.
Fatal Road Accidents
6.41 Following an observation in the Primary Inspection report that there was a need to review the Traffic Department's involvement in the reporting of fatal road accidents (paragraph 6.40), the force has decided that all fatal road accidents will now be reported by Traffic Department officers. This policy took effect from 1 May 1999. HMIC had made the above suggestion in light of the observation that experienced and specialist Traffic Department officers often attended fatal road accidents in the past but did not involve themselves in the reporting or investigation of every accident. The suggestion that more use could be made of their specialist experience has led the force to decide that every fatal road accident will now be reported by a Traffic officer and experience will show if this has been a practical response to HMIC's observation. Traffic officers trained in accident investigation techniques will continue to attend the scene of all fatal road accidents as they did prior to the new policy. There are some initial concerns about the potential depletion of the number of patrol crews available for patrol due to their commitment to the investigation and reporting of fatal accidents. This will depend on the number of fatal accidents under investigation at any one time but the concern is not wholly unrealistic and presents a scenario which will require management should it transpire. The number of people killed as the result of road accidents in the Grampian Police area over the past three years is shown in Figure 10 below. The new policy is due for review by the force in October 1999 and the outcome of its introduction and subsequent review will be examined at the time of the next inspection.
Figure 10: Fatal Road Accidents - Grampian Police - 1996/97 - 1998/99
School Crossing Patrols
Primary Inspection Recommendation 11
"HM Inspectors recommend that the Chief Constable determines a suitable arrangement, in consultation with the Chief Executives of each local authority, which will enable him to hand over responsibility for school crossing patrols to local authorities."
Review Inspection Findings
6.42 Grampian Police have to date employed the school crossing patrol officers in the force area and the provision of cover in their absence regularly fell to traffic wardens and police officers. This carried both an administrative burden and was a constant drain on other police resources.
6.43 HMIC had previously highlighted that school crossing patrols should not be a police responsibility and the Chief Constable referred the matter to the Joint Board in August 1998 where the transfer of responsibility to local councils was proposed. This was approved and responsibility was handed over to local authorities, as is the case elsewhere in Scotland, with effect from 1 August 1999.
6.44 HMIC is encouraged by this although the handover of responsibility and freeing up of police resources in real terms has still to be effected and this will be the subject of review at the time of the next inspection.
6.45 It was noted that in adopting the amendment the Board resolved to record appreciation of the work done in this area by the police and in particular the support of police officers working with schools in the area of road safety.
Firearms Licensing
6.46 At the time of the Primary Inspection the force's firearms licensing department had accrued a substantial backlog of firearms certificates awaiting renewal with the consequence that a significant number of people were effectively in illegal possession of firearms. A number of staffing and administrative difficulties had contributed to this situation and technology was not being used to full advantage. The clearance of that backlog by the time of publication of the Primary Inspection report was acknowledged but HMIC stressed the need for the force to resolve its administrative difficulties and to use the two year gap caused by the change in currency of firearms certificates (from 3 to 5 years) to amend procedures to ensure that renewals are dealt with promptly in the future (paragraph 6.45).
6.47 The Review Inspection found that there were no renewals outstanding. A proposed strategy for the future management of firearms licensing by the force had been prepared and HMIC will be interested to note the extent of implementation of this proposal at a future inspection. Meantime an officer has been tasked with producing a new general order on firearms licensing and a handbook of guidance for officers undertaking firearms licensing enquiries. The computerised firearms licensing system "SHOGUN" is now in place although files currently held in the licensing office have still to be scanned onto computer with a view to achieving a paperless system. This is a massive undertaking involving around half a million files. It is intended that the task will commence in September in order that all files are on computer before the certificate renewals begin.
6.48 The two field enquiry officers in post at the time of the Primary Inspection are still in post. These officers have been office bound due to the volume of work involved in the recent handgun surrender and preparing for the high volume of renewals which will fall due from September 1999. Licensing enquiries have, in the main, been undertaken by sub-divisional officers and some officers on light duties. The post of manager which was vacant at the time of the Primary Inspection was filled and the force now intends to appoint an assistant manager and two additional administrative staff. This will release the two field enquiry officers to undertake enquiries and an additional field enquiry officer is to be appointed to cope with the volume of work which this department is about to deal with. The force will consider three year contracts thereafter depending on the work rate of the department at the end of each three year cycle.
6.49 It was learned in the course of the Review Inspection that in order for Firearms Licensing staff to become aware of a certificate holder having come to the notice of the police, officers have to inform the Licensing Department by way of a report or e-mail. At present the technology available does not do that automatically. The force fully recognises the issue and is currently seeking a solution through use of the force intranet. HMIC would encourage this course of action and will review at the time of the next inspection.
6.50 The Primary Inspection report suggested that the force undertake a review of its arrangements for the preparation of response plans for explosives stores (paragraph 6.54) and the Review Inspection established that an appropriate review had been undertaken. An inspector from the Emergency Planning Department is now involved in the planning procedure and response plans have been incorporated within the list of action plans held on the force's command and control system. Inspections will be carried out on a quarterly basis by a field enquiry officer from the Firearms Licensing Unit who will be accompanied on one of those visits each year by the inspector from Emergency Planning and a sub-divisional representative.
Emergency Planning
6.51 HMIC's Primary Inspection report suggested that there would be benefit in bringing the Royalty and VIP Planning Unit under the umbrella of Emergency Planning (paragraph 6.54) and the force has accepted this. The move has not taken effect yet but this has been partly due to accommodation difficulties and once these are resolved it is intended that the chief inspector and sergeant who form the Royalty and VIP Planning Unit, currently located at Bucksburn, will move into accommodation at headquarters as part of the Emergency Planning and Response sub-division.
Fingerprints/DNA
6.52 The Primary Inspection report identified a need for monitoring arrangements to be put in place in respect of the taking of fingerprints and DNA samples from people in police custody (paragraphs 6.56 and 6.57 respectively). It had been noticed that the number of cases where fingerprints or DNA samples could have been taken but had not been was unacceptably high in light of the lost opportunities which this represented for the detection of serious crimes reported within the force area. The Review Inspection found that monitoring procedures had been put in place as suggested. These had revealed that there are still cases where fingerprints and DNA samples should have been taken but this had not happened. This is disappointing as there are many recent examples within the force where fingerprints and DNA samples have resulted in notable detections for serious crime. The force needs to ensure that these lost opportunities are kept to a minimum and while there has been a significant improvement since the time of the Primary Inspection there are still steps which the force could take to highlight the importance of taking such samples and impressions. There are no guidelines or awareness leaflets or notices available to officers and HMIC suggests that such guidance should be introduced and consideration given to the posting of notices in custody/detention areas to remind officers of the importance of securing this potential evidence. The issue has otherwise been recognised at senior level however and is discussed at Operational Strategy Group meetings. Where opportunities have been missed this is brought to the attention of sub-divisional officers to address and HMIC would encourage this positive action.
6.53 An Automatic Fingerprint Recognition (AFR) terminal has been installed within the Identification Bureau at force headquarters which allows faster comparison of latent prints found at scenes of crime with impressions stored on the national database. The success of this will be reviewed at the time of the next inspection.
Forensic Science Laboratory
6.54 Paragraph 6.59 of the Primary Inspection report identified a need for three areas involving the Forensic Science Laboratory to be reviewed. These were the resourcing of the laboratory, presumptive testing arrangements and the storage of drugs productions. The Review Inspection revealed that some progress had been made in respect of these issues but there continued to be a need to review the effectiveness of current and potential developments in these areas.
Resourcing
6.55 At the time of the Primary Inspection staff shortages within the laboratory had been highlighted as a serious problem. Various posts vacant at that time have since been filled but staffing levels continue to be an issue with the current staff carrying a heavy workload and a substantial backlog of cases all involving serious crime. Efforts are being made to manage this situation through negotiations with the Procurator Fiscal's Office but the problem will not be fully resolved without a proper review of the long term resourcing arrangements for the laboratory.
6.56 HMIC repeats the recommendation that the resourcing of the Forensic Science Laboratory be reviewed with a view to addressing the current workload of staff and backlog of cases involving serious crime.
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Review Inspection Recommendation 8 HMIC repeats the recommendation that the resourcing of the Forensic Science Laboratory be reviewed with a view to addressing the current workload of staff and backlog of cases involving serious crime. |
Presumptive Testing
6.57 Presumptive testing is a term used to describe field testing or screening for controlled drugs. These tests are now sufficiently reliable for cases to be submitted in respect of certain controlled drugs without the need for full scientific analysis. It is common practice in most forces for police officers to carry out these tests, especially in relation to cases involving cannabis, with analysis by laboratory staff only being required in such cases in the event of a not guilty plea. At the time of the Primary Inspection however presumptive testing in Grampian Police was being carried out by scientists and not police officers. This has been addressed and presumptive testing for cannabis resin is now carried out by police officers. Testing kits are held at police offices within each sub-division and officers are trained in their use. The introduction of this policy has relieved laboratory staff of a significant workload. The policy is restricted in that it applies to cannabis resin only and where more than one type of drug is found or the amount such that supply charges are being considered then presumptive testing is still undertaken by scientists at the laboratory. The force is now considering widening the policy to cover small amounts of powder drugs and this will be reviewed in the course of the next inspection.
Drugs Productions
6.58 Controlled drugs come into the force's possession in a number of ways the most common being as productions in criminal cases. The storage and security of productions is the responsibility of the force's property custodier along with found property handed in to the police. Drugs are an exception in this force however with all drugs coming into the force's possession either as productions, found property or surrendered under other procedures being retained within the forensic science laboratory. This is the case irrespective of any need for scientific analysis of the drug and laboratory staff are responsible for all the administration involved in the storage and eventual destruction of all drugs retained by the force. Where the drugs are required as evidence this involves movement of the drugs between the force and the procurator fiscal's office or the court and this involves the signing in and out by officers transporting the drugs. Drugs are also signed out of storage when handed over to laboratory staff for analysis and then returned to storage. The administrative burden is considerable as is the responsibility involved in ensuring the security of the total number of drugs held at any one time. This responsibility falls largely on one of the laboratory's senior scientists and the observations made in the Primary Inspection report have still not been addressed by the force. HM Inspectors, during the Primary Inspection highlighted the huge workload which drugs storage was causing laboratory staff and were advised that this was due to be addressed. HMIC is disappointed that the force has not delivered on this undertaking and recommends that in light of the current staffing issues and backlog of scientific caseloads within the laboratory the anomaly of having senior scientists diverted from their specialist function in this way needs to be addressed without further delay.
6.59 HMIC recommends that the practice of retaining drugs productions within the Forensic Science Laboratory be reviewed with immediate effect as part of a wider review of all procedures relating to the retention, storage, security and destruction of controlled drugs by the force.
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Review Inspection Recommendation 9 HMIC recommends that the practice of retaining drugs productions within the Forensic Science Laboratory be reviewed with immediate effect as part of a wider review of all procedures relating to the retention, storage, security and destruction of controlled drugs by the force. |
Force Custody Procedures
6.60 Force custody procedures were examined in the course of the Review Inspection with a particular focus on the care and welfare of people detained in police custody. Some issues were identified in this area which HMIC would suggest need addressing with urgency. The force had already recognised that the force guidance manual on the care and custody of prisoners required updating and an officer was working on this at the time of the Inspection. The "old" manual, which had been issued as recently as 1998, remained in place however and was found to be seriously deficient, particularly in respect of prisoners' rights.
6.61 The main custody centre for Aberdeen is within the sub-divisional headquarters at Queen Street where anyone who is arrested in the city and is to be detained in custody overnight is held. Sergeants are in charge of prisoner reception and processing and are responsible for the care and security of prisoners for the period they are in custody. The custody sergeant is assisted in this task by civilian custody assistants who are appointed as "janitors" and "matrons" and undertake the role of turnkey. HMIC considered this a rather quaint job title for a post, which in most forces, has developed into a highly responsible and increasingly demanding position. In Landward Division prisoners are held at main police stations and supervised by duty personnel. Information relating to people in police custody is held on a paper based system of forms held in a file. A computerised system was due to be introduced soon after the Review Inspection.
6.62 The Primary Inspection report suggested a need for a review of video coverage of charge bars and cell passages (paragraph 7.8(iii)). A review has been undertaken and surveys started about the time of the Review Inspection but there had been no increase in the number of video cameras in cell blocks since the time of the Primary Inspection. This is discussed in more detail in Chapter 7.
6.63 At Queen Street there is video camera coverage of the charge bar but not of the cell corridors which are on three different levels. It was also noted that the cells had no buzzers or other means by which prisoners could attract attention. Prisoners' names, vulnerabilities or risks were not identified outside their cells and the only way of identifying the occupant of a cell was through a board in the charge room or the turnkey's clipboard.
6.64 It was noticed at the main cells complex at Queen Street that there were no prisoners rights notices in the cells. This was addressed in the course of the inspection at Queen Street and other stations. Where there were notices posted however it was found that these were not always consistent with the contents of the force's guidance manual. There appeared to be no provision for the dietary or other religious requirements of ethnic minority prisoners at any station and the washing facilities, at Queen Street in particular, were found to be very basic consisting of a sink in the corridor with no shower facilities available in the cell block. Women are held in cells on a separate floor from men but there are aspects of current guidance in relation to female prisoners which need to be changed. Other features of the current prisoner handling manual which caused concern to HMIC included the following:
6.65 Overall HMIC formed the view that the standards for prisoner management in Grampian fell significantly below that which should be expected from a modern police force. The operational culture was one of control and containment with little emphasis on rights and welfare. HMIC recommends that the force undertakes a review of its prisoner handling procedures and urgently addresses the need for guidelines in this area to include all aspects of its care, welfare, security and rights of people who are arrested or detained in police custody within the force area. The chief constable has since given assurance that work to develop new procedures is actively underway. This is encouraging but in view of the importance of the subject, HMIC nevertheless places on record a firm recommendation on this issue.
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Review Inspection Recommendation 10 HMIC recommends that the force undertakes a review of its prisoner handling procedures and urgently addresses the need for guidelines in this area to include all aspects of its care, welfare, security and rights of people who are arrested or detained in police custody within the force area. |
6.66 The dispensing of drugs and medicines is undertaken by the custody sergeant who holds the key to a drugs cabinet where a stock of common drugs is held. HMIC was concerned that while drugs are dispensed to prisoners on the authority of a doctor and a record is kept of the drugs given to each prisoner, there is no record maintained of the quantity of drugs remaining in the drugs cabinet which is simply replenished on prescription as stocks run low. HMIC would question the need for such a cabinet which raises not only operational but also legal issues concerning the storage of drugs in such quantities. The legal issues have been discussed with the chief constable. HMIC would also urge the force to introduce a method of accounting for drugs held which provides both an audit trail and an accurate record of the drugs held at any given time.
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