Greater Manchester PEEL 2017
Efficiency
How efficient is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?
How well does the force understand demand?
Greater Manchester Police has a comprehensive understanding of the demand for its services, including the type of demand which is more complex and less likely to be reported to the police, which is enriched by the inclusion of partner agency information. The force generally assesses well the level of threat, harm, risk and vulnerability, which allows the appropriate prioritisation of calls for service. However, it needs to improve the consistency with which it identifies incidents as being suitable for resolution without deployment. The force has good systems in place to understand and monitor the consequences of change, although it could do more to promote innovation from its workforce.
Areas for improvement
- The force should ensure consistency in the application of the local resolution officer function and all incidents assigned for resolution without dispatch should be subject to a structured assessment of threat, risk, harm and vulnerability.
How well does the force use its resources?
Greater Manchester Police has a good understanding of the skills, capabilities and behaviours it needs within its workforce, both now and in the future, which are identified in the force’s target operating model. However, it needs to do more to fully understand the skills and capabilities that it has now to help it to identify and fill any gaps. The force has a better understanding of the skills and capabilities of its leaders and provides them with good development opportunities.
The force has systems in place to prioritise different demand at both the strategic and operational level and uses investment to good effect. It has a strong commitment to working collaboratively, particularly with other public sector partners in Greater Manchester and it understands the benefits of these arrangements. The force looks proactively for new opportunities to improve its services.
Areas for improvement
- The force should undertake appropriate activities to fully understand its workforce’s capabilities, in order to identify any gaps and put plans in place to address them. This will enable the force to be confident in its ability to be efficient in meeting current and likely future demand.
How well is the force planning for demand in the future?
Greater Manchester Police has a good understanding of likely changes in future demand, which it has developed in conjunction with academic analysis of historic demand. It also understands the threats and opportunities posed by advances in technology and is responding by changing the way it operates. The force continues to collaborate extensively with the public sector in pursuit of closer public service integration. It has a good understanding of the skills it needs in its workforce to prepare for the future. However, it needs to do more to identify and develop the talent it has, including through effective succession planning. The force has started to recruit externally and will take advantage of Police Now and Direct Entry at inspector and superintendent levels. Its plans for the future are based on sound and prudent assumptions, and its finance and savings requirements, although difficult, are achievable.
Areas for improvement
- The force should use the proposed skills and capabilities audit of its workforce to inform and review its approach to succession planning.
- The force should consider a wider range of sources for the identification of talent.