Gloucestershire PEEL 2017

Gloucestershire Constabulary has a good understanding of the demand for its services and is taking steps to enhance its understanding of the specific types of demand that are less likely to be reported. There are some good initiatives to reduce and prevent crime, particularly for those people who may be less able or confident to contact the police. The constabulary’s commercial partner has been commissioned to assist it in improving its understanding, so that officers and staff have the right skills and there are adequate resources available to meet the demand it might face in the future. The constabulary understands how demand is affected and demonstrates a good commitment to manage and prioritise this. It is working to filter demand more effectively, but not to the extent of suppressing it by, for instance avoiding calls into the control room or not recording some crimes. The constabulary has taken steps to strengthen how it ensures it achieves maximum benefits from its change projects and is encouraging the workforce to make suggestions and put forward ideas to improve services. However, it needs to demonstrate to the workforce that, following the engagement process, they will see results and that practice will change as a result of what they say.

Gloucestershire Constabulary uses and allocates its resources well to manage current demand. It has a sound knowledge of the capability of its workforce and much has been done to ensure that the right skills are available to meet demand. However, workforce development and deployment plans are not yet sufficiently developed to ensure the constabulary will be fully able to meet future requirements. The constabulary prioritises activity based on an understanding of current and future demand and it has a good understanding of the public’s expectations of its services. A major effort has been made to address previous areas for improvement that HMICFRS has noted regarding a lack of both a strategic and tactical analytical capability. The constabulary understands and is aware of the costs of various services and the importance of tracking these when making changes. It is able to demonstrate that its collaboration with other forces and organisations reduces cost and increases resilience and capacity. The constabulary is driving innovation and is willing to experiment with new ways of working. We found good examples where the constabulary has been successful in identifying potential new and innovative ways of working.

Gloucestershire Constabulary’s assessment of emerging and likely demand for its services is developing well and stands to leave the constabulary well-placed to assess future trends and how best to configure its resources in response to them. The constabulary also has the mechanisms in place to ensure that public expectations are considered. Since last year’s inspection, the constabulary has developed a clear understanding of how the benefits of investing in and using ICT affect its ability to meet current and likely future demand. The constabulary’s recruitment processes demonstrate that it is working towards having the appropriate skills it needs to meet current and projected current demand. It is in the process of completing an audit of its future leadership requirements but, though this is encouraging, it needs to be developed further to ensure that leaders have the appropriate skills to match future demand.

The constabulary has a good track record of meeting its required savings target. Its plans are built on sound planning assumptions and they are subject to regular scrutiny. The constabulary’s change programmes strike a good balance between IT technological innovations and a comprehensive analysis of current, future and hidden demand.