National police service leadership board

Report: 12
Date: 21 June 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

A new Leadership Development Board has been established to oversee all aspects of the leadership agenda in the police service. This report provides information on a number of the background papers that have been produced.

A. Recommendation

The Human Resources Committee are invited to note this report and requests further updates.

B. Supporting information

1. The APA has circulated information on the establishment of a new Leadership Development Board and are informally seeking the views of police authorities on the various programmes of work.

2. The new Board (see Appendix 1) had its first meeting on 21 May and discussed a number of papers on various aspects of the police leadership agenda.

3. The Senior Appointments Panel (see Appendix 2) has been constituted as a sub-group of the Leadership Development Board. Its role will be to work with police authorities to co-ordinate a timetable of ACPO appointments and, to this end, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC) will write to police authorities seeking information on likely appointments over the next twelve months and seeking information on those officers who are on the Accelerated Promotion Scheme, the Accelerated Promotion Scheme for Graduates and those superintendents who are considered to have high potential but who have not yet undertaken the Extended Interview.

4. In addition, the panel will sift all ACPO rank candidates to confirm basic competence for the post in question, thereby replacing the existing statutory requirement for Home Secretary approval of potential candidates. The panel will not prepare short lists, their function is advisory only.

5. Finally, the panel will look at Performance and Development Reviews (PDRs) for ACPO rank officers. The suggestion is that HMI will take the lead in preparing PDRs for the commissioner and other chief officers, in consultation and partnership with the relevant police authority, and that for other ACPO ranks further development work is needed. The Home Office will produce a paper on this issue for consultation with police authorities via the APA, and with ACPO, who are likely to raise concerns about the involvement of police authorities in chief officer PDRs.

6. The Accelerated Promotion Scheme (APS) project is intended to replace the existing APS and Accelerated Promotion Scheme for Graduates (APSG) with a new fast track scheme, with participants from both inside and outside the Service (see Appendix 3). The project is looking at five broad themes, namely recruitment and selection, training, career development, marketing and integration and transitional plans. It is envisaged that police authorities will have an oversight role.

7. There is also a continuing review of the Extended Interview (EI) programme (see Appendix 4), although this work is contingent on developments with the APS project and the review of senior officer training and development (see next paragraph). There are four key issues, namely:

• how to ensure effective linkages between national and local recruitment;
• what is the role (if any) of EI in relation to senior appointments, eg: where should it be positioned? Should training and development come before assessment?
• the running of an assessment centre programme;
• technical issues about how competencies are tested (and the linkage to the national competency framework).

8. In addition, there is a review of senior officer training and development, ie: Inspector and above (see Appendix 5). This will look at the current provision of training and development by National Police Training (NPT) and other police forces, perceived development needs and best practice in this country and abroad. The Home Office are currently carrying out a review of training for Inspecting ranks and above within each police force.

9. Two other pieces of work considered by the Leadership Development Board covered the various police training reforms, such as the creation of the Central Police Training and Development Authority, and a programme of supporting research on police leadership which will include work on the Extended Interview process, higher police training and accelerated promotion (see Appendix 6). A further piece of work may include how to change the culture of the police service if the various leadership reforms are to be successful, eg: if the service is prepared for the potential impact or effect of more women, more ethnic minorities or more gay or lesbian candidates on the new APS scheme. (see Appendix 6)

10. Some of this agenda may change or may move at a different pace if there is a change of Home Secretary. In any event, there is a lot of activity afoot and the MPA needs to be well placed to contribute to the debate. Members may wish to commission regular updates on progress.

C. Financial implications

The MPA will need to consider the financial implications of any changes to the various leadership programmes that are being discussed. At the present time, it is not clear what the financial implications will be for police authorities.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Alan Johnson, MPA.

For information contact:

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

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