HMIC - RAISING THE STANDARD
Key:
Recommendations
Suggestions
/ ACTION / OWNER / PROGRESS/OUTCOME / STATUS
1 / Structure of Professional Standards Departments (PSDs) and
Professional Standards Committees
Page 35 / (1) Review current Hampshire Constabulary PSD committee structure against HMIC thematic report – Police Integrity: Securing and Maintaining Public Confidence 1999
(It was through this report that PSD came into being). Link to action plan on HMIC inspection of Hampshire Constabulary PSD.
(2) Review structure of Hampshire Constabulary PSD against Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO( document A Professional Standards Department: Guidance on Philosophy, Structure and Resource Implications 2003 - Bench mark for how PSDs should be structured. / Head of PSD / (1) and (2) already being addressed through the “Way Forward” action plan. Updates on structure will be within that action plan..
2 / ACPO should lead a project to establish and promulgate a standard template for the structure, functions and terminology used within professional standards, having regard to, and in anticipation of, the restructuring of the Service into strategic police forces. (page 42) / Await outcome of recommendation (national) / National
3 / It is suggested that, in the revised ACPO PSD guidance, the role of
a professional standards committee is defined to enable forces to ensure that their own strategic groups address professional standards issues appropriately. It is further suggested that all forces develop professional standards subgroups at basic command unit (BCU) level to improve communication between BCUs and PSDs.
Page 43 / First part is national action.
Suggestion re professional standards sub groups at Operation Command Unit (OCU) level to be discussed with OCU Superintendents, who are responsible for PS. / PSD Operations Manager
4 / Use of independent advisory groups (IAGS) page 45 / To be progressed within Hampshire / PSD Operations Manager
5 / Proportionality test and good practice of Cambridgeshire re assessment
Page 47
Assessing the complaint – see page 71 / None required.
Assessment process in Hampshire is now key role for Office Manager. Complaints are returned to OCU for Local Resolution (LR) or passed to PSD Investigating Officer for formal investigation. The team leader (Detective Chief Inspector) agrees terms of reference with Investigating Officer (IO) to ensure proportionate investigation to level of complaint. / Supt Operations / Ongoing Process
6 / National Intelligence Model (NIM)– generic strategic intelligence assessments of all professional standards matters to be included, driving pro-activity throughout business.
Thames Valley Police (TVP)good practice – NIM based upon up to date strategic assessment and control strategy, tactical assessments
Page 49
All forces should embed the NIM across every aspect of professional standards and have direct and robust links between professional standards departments and the core business processes of the force. (page 50) / NIM is being progressed within Hampshire, Tasking and Co-ordinating Group (TCG) process already showing progress re integrating intelligence across departments. New establishment of detectives will enable the force to fully embed NIM through proactive capability.
DCI Operations to note and consider contact with TVP re their TCG process.
Also locate document Ethical Standards within the Police Service: Corruption Involving Collusion with Criminals (National Criminal Intelligence Service 2003) / Head of PSD
DCI - PSD Operations / PSD Operations Intelligence Cell (OIC) nearing completion with one member of staff to be selected (Researcher).
Tactical TCG process
Functioning.
Strategic TCG process begins July 2006.
7 / Accessing the complaints system.
Page 63
Chief officers should establish methods of testing processes, systems and staff, for example by using mystery shoppers, to ensure that they are able to record and process complaints against the police in a timely and efficient manner. (page 69) / 1.  Consider access points, 3rd party reporting (Supt Operations)
2.  Review website re complaints info (Management assistant)
3. Tactical option for TCG (Supt Operations) / PSD Operations Manager
8 / Confidential reporting lines page 69. / Progress Crimestoppers line (DCI Ops). / DCI - PSD Operations / Funding of £6.5K approved with a start date of 04/09/06. This includes e-mail facility
9 / Local resolution. Page 78
Identify OCU champions – to include training, developing supervisors, monitoring and promotional work within OCU and among external stakeholders / Forms part of role of OCU Professional Standards Supts – for discussion with them
For training input to Chief Inspectors (consider TO conference) / DCI Strategic / Action to be lead by newly created (12/07/06) DCI Strategic role.
10 / Threats to the service page 105
Strategic threat assessments, at both local and national levels, should be completed by all forces in accordance with the timescales and reporting periods set by the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) (or by NCIS’s replacement, the Serious Organised Crime Agency). Assessments should draw on intelligence from, and subsequently inform, all the business areas within the professional standards environment, including complaints, civil actions, claims against the force, security issues and vetting. (page 108) / Members of TCG to note.
For PSD Ops to progress updated strategic threat assessment.
DCI Ops to consider content of chapter 4 – anti-corruption / DCI – PSD Operations / Our first assessment will be March 2007. This action has not been taken for three years. The delay is to allow meaningful trends and patterns to emerge from the new TCG/NIM process.
11 / Subject to the findings from the pilot, Centrex,2 in agreement with the ACPO PSC (ACPO’s Counter-Corruption Advisory Group),
should develop a nationally accredited course for anti-corruption staff to cover the skills areas specific to the role. (Page 111) / No action required locally. / National action
12 / ACPO and the Home Office should ensure that there is a Co-ordinated approach to the ongoing research into the disproportionate number of investigations conducted into officers from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. (page 117) / To be included in strategic assessment statistics on a quarterly basis – PSD analyst / PSD analyst
13 / Lawful business monitoring page 119 / Paragraph 4.62 to be noted by control room and personnel dept, to consider any action required locally and report back to PSD TCG (Supt Ogden) / Personnel and Superintendent – call handling
14 / Rec 8
Forces should cease to use executive authorities and – depending on the circumstances – either utilise the existing Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) legislation to authorise surveillance methods or use lawful business monitoring methods. (page 120) / Hampshire Constabulary to consider need to withdraw Executive Authority procedure / Head of PSD / Head of PSD to oversee all applications.
15 / Rec 9
Forces should apply the full effect of the Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 to all monitoring or recording of transmissions on telecommunication systems used wholly or partly for Police
Service business, unless authority for such action is granted
by RIPA. (page 120) / Review section and advise of any action required / Head of Information Compliance Unit/Information Assurance and Security Manager
16 / Referral of corruption offences
Para 4.66 and para 4.67
Page 120 / DCI Operations to assess process being applied in Hants to meet mandatory requirement, and consider impact of referring to an IAG / DCI – PSD Operations / Following IPCC Guidance meeting arranged on 27/07/06 with commissioner to seek advice and expectations.
17 / Field Intelligence Officer (FIO) role re business monitoring para 4.79 page 124 / DCI Operations to consider when determining role of Field Intelligence Officer / DCI – PSD Operations
18 / Operational security re intelligence handling in the force
Para 4.90 page 127
Rec 10
Chief officers should review their operational security arrangements to guarantee that measures are in place to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information and that operational security is thoroughly maintained. (page 128) / Refer to Head of CID to note and provide view on introduction of a dedicated OperationsSecurity (OPSY) post in Hampshire. / Head of CID
19 / Page 130 para 4.97
Amnesty on inappropriate e mail / TCG to consider in light of previous case of Op Crianza / Head of PSD / Global message issued to force
20 / Transaction monitoring page 131
Chief officers should review audit arrangements currently in place in respect of IT systems and put in place measures to ensure that all internal systems are both capable of audit and audited in order to prevent unauthorised access and information leakage. / Managers to note / Head of Information Compliance Unit/Information Assurance and Security Manager
21 / Vetting and vulnerabilities page 134 -141 / Manager to note section.
Personnel dept and recruiting to note / Information Assurance and Security Manager/Personnel Dept
22 / Substance misuse policy 4.133
In view of the recent legislation and the threat posed to the Service by drug misuse, forces should now be treating the area of drug testing as a professional standards priority. They should have fully human-rights compliant and integrated policies in place no later than January 2007. / DCI Investigations to note and locate copy of revised ACPO guidance – Substance Misuse and Testing: Policy and Guidance Document
To progress implementation of force procedure, to achieve target date Jan 2007 / DCI Investigations / Draft procedure prepared and will be submitted to ACPO group. Previous budget bid not successful, new bid to be submitted.
23 / Service confidence
All forces should have a service confidence policy in place by
January 2007. / Already in place – DCI Operations to review procedure to check it remains fit for purpose / DCI Operations / To be reviewed by 01/10/06
24 / Unsatisfactory Performance Procedure (UPP), grievance procedure, employment tribunals (ETs) and civil actions - section 5 page 148 / (For Director of Personnel and Force solicitor to note section).
TCG strategic assessment to include data on grievances, employment tribunals (PSD Ops, analyst)
Lessons learnt from grievances to be passed by Personnel for PSD organisational learning matrix
5.46 calls for review of use of mediators and an update of grievance procedures as per Home Office 2004 Fairness at Work – Personnel to provide update to TCG on Hampshire Position. / Personnel (Mr Love)
PSD analyst (quarterly strategic assessment data)
25 / The Home Office should determine a nationally agreed grievance procedure. (page 159) / For national action / National / National action
26 / Page 160 – role of Police Authorities to oversee grievance procedure and ETs / Head of PSD to seek confirmation from PA whether this function sits with Personnel Panel, or the Professional Standards Panel / Head of PSD
27 / Police Staff section 6 / Director of Personnel to note section. / Not yet known
28 / Staff welfare section 7
Rec 13
Chief officers should review all forms used in misconduct proceedings and unsatisfactory performance procedures to ensure that they are fit for purpose, contain all the necessary information, and comply with employment legislation and police regulations. (Page 189) / For allocation to PSD and Personnel to action / PSD office manager (re police misconduct)
Graham Love (re police staff misconduct and police UPP)
29 / 14. The Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales should, in collaboration with police forces, explore the option of introducing a cadre of retired superintendents whose services could be employed on a retainer basis as friends. (page 198) / National action / National / National
30 / 15. Centrex should clarify its policies and procedures concerning seconded members and work to improve the information provided before induction and increase the level of awareness among staff of their personal and professional responsibilities following appointment / Centrex / Centrex / Centrex
31 / 16 The Home Office should review the legislation relating to officers on secondment to achieve transparency, clarity and consistency. Secondments should be subject to central registration and recording. (page 211) / National / National / National
32 / Learning the lessons
Section 8
17 The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) should, in consultation with ACPO, the Home Office, the Association of Police Authorities (APA) and key stakeholders, agree a national standard for the recording of complaints and a programme of implementation and monitoring of compliance, without adding unnecessary layers of bureaucracy or other impediments to improving police performance. (page 226)
18. ACPO should work in partnership with the IPCC, the APA, HMIC and other stakeholders in the design and implementation of a robust and transparent performance framework which is subject to routine internal and external oversight and monitoring. (page 227)
19. ACPO, APA, IPCC, the Home Office and HMIC, as the key stakeholders in the implementation of this thematic’s recommendations, should establish a dedicated implementation group to regularly review the progress of recommended action and address any barriers to implementation. (page 256) / National recommendation re PIs and recording practices / National / National