Performance and Measurement

Summary

Bedfordshire Police covers 480 square miles and has a population of about 594,000. There is a wide diversity of communities, particularly in Luton and Bedford, with Luton having a relatively high number of black and minority ethnic residents. The force employs over 2,000 staff, and territorial policing is provided in two divisions: Luton and County.

The HMIC assessment for 2006/07 specifically assessed how the force is delivering Neighbourhood Policing, Performance Management and Protecting Vulnerable People. The delivery of Neighbourhood Policing is a force priority, and progress on the project’s roll-out has recently been reinvigorated under the direction of a new Assistant Chief Constable. The force has a number of Safer Neighbourhood teams in place within inspector-led neighbourhood areas, with staff comprising a mix of police officers, police community support officers, police staff and special constables. The force recognises that engagement mechanisms need to be developed further to ensure true community involvement in influencing policing priorities. There have been recent changes in structure that have prompted a review of the performance management arrangements. However, force performance is constantly measured against national and locally agreed targets.

The 2005/06 HMIC baseline assessment revealed two key areas of concern: protecting vulnerable people and tackling serious and organised criminality. A protective services directorate has been created, led by the Deputy Chief Constable. A new public protection unit has collected dedicated resources in the four Protecting Vulnerable People ‘themes’: domestic violence, public protection, child abuse and missing persons. Recent activity has included a focus on assessing and managing risks to victims of domestic violence. Once embedded, the change of structure will provide resilience and support to these critical areas of work. The area of tackling serious and organised criminality will be impacted by collaboration taking place with Hertfordshire to create a co-located major incident team, with dedicated resources invested by both forces. The initiative has recently been awarded demonstrator site status, with part-funding from the Home Office to assist with implementation. This joint team should obviate the need for additional staff to be abstracted to major incidents for long periods of time; this has previously had an impact on divisional performance.

The 2005/06 assessment identified other areas for improvement, but recent re-inspection has revealed that the force has increased performance by developing a structured approach in response to HMIC’s recommendations. As an example, the protective services directorate. This will enhance performance in areas that have previously been graded as Fair/Stable. In 2005/06, there were no areas graded as Fair/Deteriorated.

The force has developed excellent working practices within the community cohesion unit at Luton, where officers have developed significant contacts with minority communities within the town. The unit (mirrored by a similar one at Bedford) is responsible for producing a weekly community impact assessment, which has been commended by the ACPO national community tension team.

The main challenges for the force are to embed the changes in protective services and deliver the Neighbourhood Policing project.