The reform of Scottish policing has been effective with front line policing continuing and minimal impact to the services provided to communities, according to the HMICS annual report published today.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Derek Penman said: “The creation of Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority has been effective so far and policing is operationally stronger and better placed to deal with major events than the legacy police forces it replaced. However, the reform process has only begun and a major programme of change – with associated challenges – remains in terms of the medium to long term sustainability.
“Some of the change required will take time to achieve, and only once implemented will it be possible to fully assess whether the intended benefits of reform have been fully realised.”
The report highlighted that although the savings targets for 2013/2014 were achieved, financial challenges persist and there is a need for both Police Scotland and the SPA to have plans for deliverable savings.
Mr Penman added that effective localism and genuine engagement with communities will be a critical success factor for both Police Scotland and the SPA moving forward. He believes there is greater scope for some local authorities to assert themselves, escalate concerns around national decisions which have the potential to impact on local policing and strengthen localism.
“The unprecedented changes in policing led HMICS to review how we do our business. As a result, and as detailed in our Corporate Strategy, HMICS now has a new programme of inspections, known as Local Policing +, and this gives us a consistent means of assessing the quality of local policing across Scotland and allows us to report publicly on how Police Scotland and the SPA are delivering against local priorities and their responsibilities to keep people safe,” added Mr Penman.
HMICS has also introduced a programme of Continuous Improvement Reviews to report on how effectively Police Scotland and the SPA meet their obligations to deliver best value and will continue to conduct Audit and Assurance Reviews and Thematic Reviews.
Mr Penman continued: “We have extensive powers underpinning our purpose and these allow us to work effectively with Police Scotland and the SPA. As a values-led organisation, we continue to conduct our business in a way that is independent, accountable, proportionate and transparent. We also remain focussed on the needs of users.”
Background
This Annual Report covers the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014.
The full report can be found at www.hmics.org
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) is established under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and has wide-ranging powers to look into the ‘state, effectiveness and efficiency’ of both the Police Service of Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.
It has a statutory duty to ensure that the Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority meet their obligations in terms of best value and continuous improvement. If necessary, it can be directed by Scottish Ministers to look into anything relating to the Scottish Police Authority or Police Scotland as they consider appropriate. HMICS has an established role in providing professional advice and guidance on policing in Scotland.
HMICS approach is to support Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority to deliver services that are high quality, continually improving, effective and responsive to local needs.
