Northern Constabulary and joint police board have effective partnership but some improvements could be made
Northern Constabulary and the Northern Joint Police Board have established many of the key elements of Best Value, although some areas could be further developed.
The Best Value Audit and Inspection: Northern Constabulary and Northern Joint Police Board is the second Best Value report on a Scottish police force and joint police board. It provides an overview of how both these bodies are meeting their best value duties and is a joint report from the Accounts Commission and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS).
HMICS’s performance assessment of the police force shows that it has low crime rates and high detection rates in comparison to the Scottish average.
Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Bill Skelly said:
“Northern Constabulary is performing well and the force demonstrates many of the elements of best value. A recent force review has led to a significant restructuring and the resources this freed up went towards frontline policing.
“The force could make changes in some areas. It should improve its performance monitoring and make sure it better shares the information and it should concentrate on meeting national targets for call handling and the submission of reports to the Procurator Fiscal and Children’s Reporter.”
The Accounts Commission found that the board has a strong awareness of its role and effectively scrutinises the force and holds the chief constable to account.
Chair of the Commission, John Baillie said:
“The board has good working relationships with the chief constable and the force, and an effective partnership with them in achieving best value. It ensures that policing priorities are focussed on the needs of local communities. However, the board could develop its role by sharing good practice with other police authorities and forces and making sure it receives relevant performance reports from the force.”
The Commission notes some evidence of inconsistencies in the relationships between the board and the four councils that board members are drawn from. At the moment, local authorities report the work of the board back to the full council in different ways. It is important that the relationships between the board and the councils are clear, particularly in relation to the allocation and use of resources. Clarification of national guidance on the duties and responsibilities of boards and board members would help this.
The board and the force will now produce an improvement plan to show how they intend to address the findings.
