Community Policing
Customer Service Standards (Quality of Service Commitment)
The public should receive the same high quality of service whenever they are in contact with the police, regardless of where, how or for what reason that contact takes place.
National Policing Improvement Agency
Since April 2007, the National Policing Improvement Agency has become responsible for operational delivery of this policy area.
Quality of Service Commitment
The introduction of the QoSC is a key development in working towards a more citizen-focused approach to policing that reflects the needs and expectations of individuals and local communities.
The standards describe the level of service expected whenever the public have contact with the police. This includes:
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making it easy to contact the police - providing accessible and responsive services
- providing a professional and high-quality service - providing appropriate help and advice
- dealing with initial enquiries from the public - taking appropriate steps to deal with enquiries
- keeping people informed - providing contact details and updates
- ensuring the public voice counts – the public can have a say in how their area is policed
- dealing effectively with victims of crime - providing support for victims
- listening and responding to the concerns and complaints of the public - working to improve police services
- dealing with freedom of information requests - responding appropriately to requests for information
Read our Quality of Service Commitment to see the standards in full.
Measuring customer service via the Police Performance Assessment Framework
Customer service performance is already measured through the Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF).
This framework contains statutory performance indicators (SPI) which are broadly aligned with the QoSC:
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SPI 1a - satisfaction with making contact
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SPI 1b - satisfaction with action taken
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SPI 1c - satisfaction with progress updates
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SPI 1d - satisfaction with treatment by staff
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SPI 1e - satisfaction with overall service
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SPI 3a - satisfaction of victims of racist incidents
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SPI 3b - comparison of satisfaction for white users and users from minority ethnic communities.
These measures will be key in assessing the impact of the Quality of Service Commitment.
Code of practice
The standards set out in the Quality of Service Commitment are consistent with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (new window). This code places a statutory obligation on criminal justice agencies to deliver service standards to victims of crime.
