This primary inspection of the Scottish Police College was conducted in October 2006, under the direction of Assistant Inspector of Constabulary, Malcolm R Dickson, who was assisted by HM Lay Inspector of Constabulary, Peter Daniels.
At the time of this inspection the programme was based on a five-year cycle, commencing with a primary inspection and supplemented by two reviews conducted at 18-month intervals.
Number | Recommendation |
|---|---|
1 | That ACPOS and the Scottish Executive enter into a debate about the long-term future options for the sequence of recruiting and training. |
2 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA and ACPOS clarify the relationship between the police service in Scotland and nationally provided police training, to establish the role of a single ‘intelligent customer’. |
3 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA consult with ACPOS on the subject of recruiting staff to central service posts and examine the options available to encourage candidates to apply for SPSA secondments, including the possibility of selection procedures that forces would accept for substantive promotion. |
4 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA project team consider the capacity of the future Authority to address diversity issues, including the option of creating a diversity co-ordinator post to support all parts of the Authority. |
5 | HMIC recommends that the College provide additional diversity training, or a different type of diversity training, to teaching staff. It should also review arrangements for assessing and monitoring teaching staff and develop a robust and consistent system to promote the maintenance of appropriate standards, particularly in relation to diversity and equality issues. |
6 | HMIC recommends that ACPOS discuss with the SPSA, and other organisations to which Scottish officers are seconded, the potential for seconded staff to be appraised, where possible, using the new personal development review system. Also, that appraisal processes be led, managed and maintained by the organisation to which staff are seconded, with copies of all relevant documentation being shared with forces. |
7 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA seek independent advice and liaise with other UK police training providers, to identify means of measuring costs over time that represent performance and can be benchmarked with other training in the UK and elsewhere as appropriate. |
8 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA consult with ACPOS and the Scottish Executive to agree the basis for funding any overall growth in training provision, and for handling savings in the event of any decrease in training need. |
9 | HMIC recommends that, as a matter of priority, the SPSA review existing accommodation at the College and the options available to address current shortfalls in terms of both standard and capacity, and develop plans to resolve these issues. |
10 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA, in consultation with ACPOS, conduct an exercise to: assess the service need for the training currently provided by the College; examine those additional national and local training needs of the service which are not currently met by the College, including training in specialisms such as firearms and public order, and the extent to which local training fits or does not fit with the College syllabus; and scope the medium to long-term training needs of the service and review this periodically (e.g. 3–5 years). |
11 | HMIC recommends that the SPSA use the products of recommendation 10 to formulate a training strategy for co-ordinating all police training in Scotland, including local training being provided by forces. |
12 | HMIC recommends that ACPOS and the Scottish Executive consider how best to maintain and develop professional skills, knowledge and personal motivation throughout the career of police officers, particularly constables, including the possibility of introducing periodic booster training and confirmation of qualification assessments. |
13 | HMIC recommends that the College, and the SPSA once operational, progress the introduction of an electronically managed learning environment to support the development of distance learning, and liaise with ACPOS to deliver the system nationally so that all except sensitive information is accessible to all police staff via the internet. |