Mixed Economy Policing

Falkirk Priority Crime Unit

Superintendent Gavin Buist

Superintendent Robbie McGregor

The Role of a TypicalPolice Officer

PublicCalls

Anti-Social

Behaviour

VolumeCrime

Community Focus

Investigating Crime

Crime

CrimeCrime

Crime

Crime

Of all the tasks associated with volume crime investigation:

• 15% require the use of coercive police powers• 85% don’t• All are very time-consuming if done properly• All are currently impeded by other demands

Investigating Crime

So:

• Service to the public was suffering• Investigations were not particularly

efficient• Performance in certain areas could have

been improved

Workforce Inefficiencies

Research and Good Practice

• Surrey Police – mixed economy models

• NPIA Workforce Development Team

The start of a long relationship……….

Towards a New Business Model

• Move from ‘crime report’ focus to a ‘task’ focus

• Disaggregate crime investigations into their component parts

• Entirely new approach to volume crime investigation

• Match staff and core skills to tasks• Geographical task bundling to maximise

efficiencies

Planning Team

• Area Commander• DCI Crime Operations• Senior Manager HRD• Unison• Scottish Police Federation• Corporate Management representative• Project Manager

Consultation

• Falkirk Area Command Management Team• Police Board• Local Officers – focus groups and briefing• Local Community – focus groups of users• Force Policy Group• Local Media

And ongoing liaison with Surrey and NPIA

New Police Staff Roles

POLICE INVESTIGATIVE ASSISTANTActivities – a range of investigative tasks, including

– Statement-Taking– Victim/witness liaison– House-to-house– Interviewing– Collecting and identifying productions– CCTV uplift

NO POLICE OR COERCIVE POWERS

New Police Staff Roles

POLICE TEAM CO-ORDINATOR

Activities

– Update/search records & databases– Make appointments, schedule and allocate tasks to

police officers and police staff– First line of victim & witness contact/feedback– Liaison with other departments and agencies

BACK OFFICE SUPPORT POST

Structure

1 DS

4 DCs (who act as Team leaders)

4 PCs (who support the DCs)

2 Team Co-ordinators

8 Investigative Assistants

Structure

Team Leader

Support PC

Team Coordinator

Investigative

Assistant Investigative

Assistant

What Have We Achieved?

• New and operational role for police staff• New career opportunities within the Force• Realising practical efficiencies in tasking and task-bundling• Fully integrated and dynamic Team• Police staff fully accepted by colleagues and Divisional

personnel• 18 staff carrying the previous workload of 100 police

officers• Flexibility – police staff investigating serious crimes• Uniform officers can be more visible in communities.

Key Outcomes

• Group 3 Volume crime detections in Falkirk up 11% compared with same period last year; Group 4 up by 4%

• Much more scope for targeted high profile police patrols

• More people surveyed think Falkirk area is a safe place

• Quality of service improved……

Service delivery outcomes

Victims of Crime Perceptions of Service Attributes

PCU processed crimes cf non PCU processed crimes

45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95%

Victim adequately inf ormed of case

progress

I nitial contact satisf ection

I mpression of service more positive

f ollowing contact

Victim treated f airly

Victim treated sensitively

Victim reassured by police actions

Victim inf ormed of what the police

would do

Victim inf ormed of progress witout

asking

Victim knew who to contact to get back

in touch

Overall satisf action with how police

dealt with the matter

% of respondents (victims) positive

Case processed via PCU Case not processed via PCU

Sample size: PCU ~50

Non PCU ~150

Neutral responses excluded

“The Scotsman” 11 July 2008

The SIO’s view

Having had the services of Fraser and Anne for a fortnight, I have to say that I have been consistently

impressed by their commitment and dedication in the face of a high volume of work. They certainly took a

great burden away from their police officer colleagues and I would be happy to work with them again in the

same circumstances.

The politician’s view

“Civilians don’t sign up to the level of commitment that a sworn police officer does. They don’t necessarily have the same dedication. It’s frightening and astonishing that civilians can be carrying out the job of police officers in such serious crimes.

“Police officers sometimes have to carry out fairly menial tasks. Sometime that requires them to do jobs that, yes, could be carried out by civilians”

Mr XXXXXXX, Labour MSP, quoted in The Scotsman, 11 July 2009