The Bedfordshire Police Service was inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in the autumn. This is also known as a PEEL inspection.
The inspectors consider performance in nine areas of policing, and their report will be published in the next few weeks.
It will provide us with a professional assessment of the police service, its leadership and its impact. The Chief Constable will then use the findings and recommendations to drive further improvement across the police service.
In turn, this strengthens my ability to hold the Chief Constable to account. I will be reviewing progress reports on his post-inspection action plan as part of the wider governance arrangements in which I hold him to account.
Police performance matters to me as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), and it matters to the people living, working and visiting Bedfordshire.
I have the privilege of being the joint national PCC portfolio holder for police performance and relations with HMICFRS. This means that I am involved with the Home Office, HMICRS and others to drive performance, strengthen performance measurement, and use performance data to drive improvement.
I want the Bedfordshire Police Service to be amongst the best-performing services in the country.
This is critical to achieving my Police and Crime Plan and my missions. One of these missions is to secure a sustainable, excellent police service. Whilst having good grades from the HMICFRS is very important, these are not the only measures of excellence nor what always matters to the public.
I am clear that, above all, excellence in policing requires strong and growing public trust in the police service. I will be introducing opinion polling to test public confidence and take action to improve this.
Continous improvement
This will require cultural, behavioural, and governance changes to shape operational outcomes that must continuously improve.
It is also about how the public – every section of the public, has confidence in the legitimacy and effectiveness of the police, and in turn, for the police to be transparent as far as this is compatible with operational activities and accountability.
Excellence in policing, of course, requires the highest level of professional and ethical standards. It means addressing any failure to meet these standards through training, disciplinary action and, where necessary, dismissal.
There can be no compromise, and I am pleased that Bedfordshire police have a good record of dealing with officers and staff who fall short of adhering to the required standards. This is a sign of excellent, not weak, leadership and governance.
As Robert Peel, the former Prime Minister and founder of the modern police system, argued, good policing seeks and preserves public support, not by pandering to public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to law and the community, in complete independence of policy.
He further referred to police as citizens and citizens as police. Policing has to be by consent, to be effective and to be legitimate.
Policing relies on the police workforce to deliver services and relate to the public they serve. The workforce should reflect the diversity of the communities it serves, with the police regarded as an employer of choice and policing as a profession of choice in every one of our diverse communities.
As PCC, I expect the police service to be an exemplary employer and for all police officers and staff to be leaders in their own right. Innovation, experimentation and learning are critical to my vision of an excellent police service. Investment in police officers and police staff with good training is essential and a sign of excellence.
Using resources effectively and efficiently is important, as is securing value for money. Shortfalls in funding – and the police have been denied adequate resources for over a decade – can never be an excuse for poor performance,
As well as this, the police must be deployed equitably to meet needs and ensure fairness. Every community and every neighbourhood must have access to and benefit from good policing.
I have outlined the importance of working in partnership many times before, and this is especially true for partnerships between the police and other public services if we are to prevent and tackle crime and the causes of crime and address social inequality and unfairness. Prevention is essential to excellent policing.
My aim is for Bedfordshire Police to continue its journey towards excellence. I will hold the Chief Constable accountable for this, and in turn, I expect to be held accountable as PCC by the public.
This is a monthly guest column provided by
elected Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard (Labour).
It is published unedited and does
not reflect the views of the Bedford Independent.
