City of London PEEL 2017

Even without the demand and value for money review, which is still to report its findings, the force has developed a good understanding of its current and less reported demand through its strategic threat and risk assessment process. The force works successfully with other agencies to uncover hidden demand in fraud and internet-based crime.

The benefits the current change programmes are designed to achieve have not been realised fully because the change programmes are not completed yet. Although the force has processes in place to address this, and we found wide understanding of these processes, it must replicate them for previous change programmes.

The force is taking steps to have a more systematic approach to identifying inefficient activity; its introduction of a new IT system will support this even further. The ‘innovate’ programme and the structures the force has put in place for listening to workforce suggestions and making changes as a result are very positive, and are taken seriously by leaders. This has led to innovative practice across force directorates.

Until the full skills audit of its workforce is completed (at the time of inspection, this was due in October 2017) City of London Police cannot fully understand or plan for the gaps in its capability. However, the force is developing an understanding of its workforce’s leadership skills and gaps. The force has an effective process to identify its priorities, but it needs to complete the work to understand what reducing and investing mean for the services it provides, to ensure the force is being as agile as it can be with the available resources. The force works with other agencies to manage demand, but it recognises that it needs to develop this further.

The force’s understanding of what technology can offer policing and criminals, and its plans to meet those challenges, are outstanding. The force has very positive practices to understand what its public wants from the police, and has used this effectively to plan for the future. The technology which the force has developed with an IT contractor to make the processing of fraud reports more efficient is a very positive step. Once implemented, it should make the national policing response to fraud and internet-based crime much more effective.

The force works well with local agencies but it could do more to explore further opportunities with other agencies to manage demand in the future. It should implement its draft talent management strategy and communicate it to the workforce, but we recognise the work done by the force to bring in new skills using external recruitment. The force’s demand and value for money review was still in progress at the time of our inspection, and although the force will need to review and implement changes as a result of this we recognise the significant work completed since last year. We found realistic planning, savings and investment by the force with the plans built on sound assumptions which should enable the force to achieve its vision ‘to deliver an exceptional policing service’.