Police Authority inspection

Report: 15
Date: 5 February 2009
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This report provides Members with an outline of the progress being made to develop police authority inspection.

A. Recommendation

That members note progress in developing a police authority inspection framework.

B. Supporting information

1. The Policing and Criminal Justice Act 2006 gave Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the Audit Commission the powers to undertake inspections of police authorities in England and Wales. Regulations were laid before parliament last year and the powers come into force on 1 April 2009.

2. The Audit Commission and HMIC are developing a methodology for police authority inspection, in discussion with a Police Authority Reference Group, which has members from inspectorates, pilot authorities, the Home Office, the Association of Police Authorities (APA), the Association of Police Authority Chief Executives (APACE), Police Authority Treasurers (PATs), the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). The Metropolitan Police Authority attends these meetings.

3. The objective of the inspection will be to assess the extent to which the police authority makes a difference to policing in its local area. It is likely that the inspectors will focus on four key areas:

• Leadership and capacity
  Does the police authority working with the force have the leadership, capability and capacity needed to promote service improvement and support the delivery of priorities?
• Performance management and scrutiny
  How effective is the police authority in ensuring the force delivers the priority services, outcomes and improvements that are important to local people?
• Partnership, collaboration and community engagement
  How effective is the police authority in ensuring the force identifies the priorities that are improvement to local people and works with others to deliver them?
• Use of resources, efficiency and value for money
  Managing finances - How effectively is the police authority managing its finances to deliver value for money?
  Governing the business – how well does the police authority govern itself and commission services that provide value for money and better outcomes for local people?
  It should be noted that this section will be delivered through the current police use of resources assessment delivered by the Audit Commission.

4. The methodology has yet to be agreed. However, discussions so far indicate that key lines of inquiry (KLOEs) will be produced in advance, so that there is transparency in the process and so that each authority is assess against the same criteria. The inspections will be outcome focused. Currently, it is anticipated that inspections will be undertaken by a small team of drawn from the Audit Commission, HMIC, supported by a peer member or officer (although there is some concern about how the peer element will be funded). They will spend three to four days on site interviewing officers and members.

5. The methodology is being piloted at three sites, Derbyshire, Kent and West Yorkshire. The initial pilot (Derbyshire) has provided extensive learning, which will be incorporated into the next stage.

6. Inspectors had hoped to start the full programme of inspections in April 2009, but this timetable is now looking increasingly unlikely. Current indications are that it will start in July 09. It is not yet known at what point the MPA will be inspected.

7. The inspectors will produce a report at the end of the process, and where weaknesses are found, they will expect police authorities to develop and implement improvement plans (it is likely these will provide the focus for future inspection activity). There is no clarity on whether the inspections will be scored, particularly because as yet there is no clear picture of what an effective police authority looks like. Not scoring inspections would mean that police authorities were being treated differently from other audited and inspected bodies including the police service. Scoring options are going to be tested at the remaining pilots and will form part of the consultation on methodology.

8. In preparation for police authority inspection, the APA has developed a self assessment framework (attached at appendix 1). This provides an indication of the sort of evidence inspectors will be looking for during the inspection process. MPA officers are currently reviewing the extent to which the MPA meets the criteria laid out in the framework and ensuring that evidence is ready for the inspectors. It should be noted that as part of the process to develop the methodology this framework is also being reviewed.

C. Race and equality impact

The self assessment framework assesses how authorities deliver their statutory responsibilities and obligations under equalities legislation.

D. Financial implications

It is unlikely that the inspection itself will have direct financial implications for the authority, although there will undoubtedly be an opportunity cost in ensuring the MPA is prepared. It is possible that there will be financial implications to the peer element of the process if discussions with the Home Office prove unsuccessful.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Siobhan Coldwell, Head of Oversight and Review, MPA

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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