17 June 2010
'Bittersweet' Report for Police Authority
South Wales Police Authority is performing ‘well’ in performance scrutiny and community engagement, according to an inspection report from the Wales Audit Office and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
In addition, the Authority is performing ‘adequately’ in the areas of setting strategic direction and value for money. The report states that overall, the Authority gives an ‘adequate’ performance, but is in a strong position to make further progress and improve.
Speaking of the report, Chair of the Police Authority, Councillor Russell Roberts, said: “As an Authority, we recognise the value of having an independent inspection to check that we are carrying out our role appropriately, and have found the overall process constructive and useful.
“It is pleasing to see that our work with scrutiny and community engagement, which we see as two of the very important roles of a Police Authority, are regarded as performing well. We have made great strides in recent years to develop these areas of work, and they are highlighted throughout the inspection report.
“We are also pleased that the inspection has been carried out so thoroughly. As with all public services, we know that there is always room for improvement in the way we carry out our business. This inspection process has provided us with the opportunity to not only have an independent check on what we do and how we do it, but also combine this with our own self-assessment. This will, undoubtedly, improve the service we provide to our communities and we are reassured to see that this is the firm view of the Inspectors.
“While the inspection has been a long, and thorough process, it is always important to ensure that the results are fair and consistent across all areas and all authorities. From the information we have been given we have to question whether this is the case as our overall score does not match the evidence of the report. It is also in direct contradiction with other reports recently published by both the HMIC and Wales Audit Office on our performance and this must lead to confusion within the public mind.
“In March this year, HMIC highlighted South Wales as being one of the four most improved forces nationally. As well as this, we have made the biggest progress nationally in terms of building public confidence, and have made great strides in our performance. In the last 12 months alone, South Wales has had nearly 14,000 less crimes, which is equal to 37 less victims each day. These results could not have been achieved without the Authority setting clear direction and priorities for the Chief Constable and the force. Therefore, we find it difficult to understand how we have been judged to be performing only adequately in this area.
“One of our clear aims as an Authority is to provide an outstanding service to our communities, while ensuring good value for money and efficiencies. In December 2009, this was confirmed within the Wales Audit Office Police Use of Resource (PURE) report, which highlighted the well-developed budgetary and financial management processes in place. It is also a well known fact that we ask our communities to contribute the lowest amount to policing in Wales through their council tax payments. Alongside this, our direct costs on the administration of the Authority have also been shown to be one of the lowest throughout Wales and England. So we are heavily disappointed that these points have not been better reflected in the report and the overall score.”
All 43 Police Authorities across Wales and England are due to be inspected. So far, 10 inspections have already been carried out. The South Wales report highlighted 43 strengths and 10 areas for improvement, all of which are already being implemented.
Councillor Roberts continued: “This is a bittersweet report for us. We are disappointed with the overall scoring assessment of the inspection, but are pleased with the highly positive narrative of the report. Of the ten inspections that have already taken place, South Wales has the highest number of strengths identified, and one of the lowest number of areas for improvement. This highlights the good work our Members and staff are doing. However, we are far from complacent and will use the Report in our drive for continuous improvement.”
The inspection process was carried out between January and March this year, and considered a range of areas of the Authority’s work. It considered four main areas: Setting Strategic Direction, Scrutinising Performance Outcomes,
Community Engagement and Providing Value for Money. Each area was scored on a 1-4 scale, as follows:
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1 – Performs poorly (does not meet minimum requirements)
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2 – Performs adequately (meets most of the minimum requirements)
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3 – Performs well (exceeds minimum requirements)
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4 – Performs excellently (significantly exceeds minimum requirements)