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Assessment Processes for the Strategic Command Course (AP for the SCC) Overview

April 2018

Assessment Processes for the SCC: Overview

© College of Policing Limited (2018) Version 1.0 of 23

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Publication date: April 2018

© – College of Policing Limited (2018)

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Contents Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Strategic Command Course (SCC) ...................................................................................................... 4

Overview of the AP for the SCC Exercise Design Process ................................................................... 6

Context of the AP for the SCC Exercises ............................................................................................. 6

Competencies and Values Assessed ................................................................................................... 7

Application Form .................................................................................................................................. 8

Overview of the AP for the SCC Exercises........................................................................................... 8

AP for the SCC Days ......................................................................................................................... 11

Assessors .......................................................................................................................................... 11

Quality Assurance .............................................................................................................................. 12

Director and Co-Directors .................................................................................................................. 12

Rating Scales ..................................................................................................................................... 12

Decision Making ................................................................................................................................ 14

Results ............................................................................................................................................... 14

Feedback ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Information Sharing ............................................................................................................................ 15

Candidate Information Letter .............................................................................................................. 15

Appendix A ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Appendix B ........................................................................................................................................ 19

Appendix C ........................................................................................................................................ 20



Overview The College of Policing, in partnership with NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council), Police Scotland Executive Officers and other key stakeholders, are playing an active role in helping the police service deliver its People and Leadership strategies. This involves a range of activities to help identify and develop the future leaders of the Police Service.

The Assessment Processes for the Strategic Command Course (AP for the SCC) include:

Senior PNAC: For substantive Chief Superintendents or Superintendents who wish to attend the SCC and intend to go on to apply for Chief Officer level roles.

Senior Police Staff Assessment Process: For police staff at the equivalent grade of Chief Superintendent or Superintendent who wish to attend the SCC and go on to apply for Chief Officer level roles.

The AP for the SCC is designed to identify those who are capable of contributing to and benefitting from the SCC and being an effective chief officer. If you are successful at the AP for the SCC you secure a place on the Strategic Command Course (SCC). This course has been designed to develop the selected individuals to lead policing operations and organisations at chief officer level.

This document is intended to assist your preparation, to inform you as to what will happen at the AP for the SCC and to outline what will be required of you.

The AP for the SCC operates like an assessment centre; an assessment technique which employs multiple assessors and multiple assessment exercises in which you have opportunities to demonstrate the competencies and values deemed necessary for effective performance at chief officer level. When the final assessment is made, it is based on your performance over the whole of the AP for the SCC.

Strategic Command Course (SCC) The SCC’s overall aim is to develop senior leaders in law enforcement to lead policing operational

and organisations locally, regionally and nationally, at chief officer level. The course provides a

unique opportunity for senior police officers and staff and leaders from across the public sector to

engage in a demanding and stretching leadership development programme. You will greatly

benefit from the broad range of experience and perspectives shared by colleagues from within

policing nationally and internationally and from partner organisations.

The course is delivered through a combination of demanding strategic exercises, sessions led by

inspirational speakers and support through student driven learning across the cohort. The

inspirational speakers we use come from varied backgrounds internal and external to policing, who

bring valuable personal experiences of leadership at the strategic level and academic expertise to

help shape your development. Each element of the course is assessed, you will complete a range

of assignments and tasks designed to expand your thinking and support the translation of learning

back to the workplace.

The SCC is one part of the overall leadership development of chief officers. All graduates of the

course leave with a personal development plan to support your continuing professional

development.



Course Content

The course is delivered in two modules Operational and Organisational Leadership. The key themes of Personal Leadership and Strategic Partnerships are explored throughout both modules.

Dates

The SCC is provisionally planned to run from 14th January to 22nd March 2019. The SCC will start

at 13:00hrs each Monday and will finish at 12:30hrs on a Friday. Time will be split between

residential elements interspersed with assessed assignments and projects.

A briefing will be held on 26th November 2018. In addition an Introduction to Command Skills

briefing, for police staff and partners only, will be held on 27th November 2018.

Following the briefing, you will be allocated an executive coach who will work with you during the

programme. There will also be a requirement to complete some self-study in preparation for the

start of the programme.



The course is provisionally planned to be delivered in two residential (Monday to Friday) modules

at the College of Policing, Ryton. The first module ‘Operational Leadership’ will be delivered from

14th January – 8th February 2019. The second module ‘Organisational Leadership’ will be

delivered from the 25th February to the 21st March 2019, with the Gradation taking place on the

22nd March 2019.

Please note these are provisional dates only, plans will be confirmed by October 2018.

Police Officers from the UK also need to complete the Authorising Officer Course during the SCC

period, this will be arranged for you and dates will be provided with the course joining instructions.

Joining instructions will be sent shortly after the end of the AP for the SCC, please read these

carefully and complete all requests as quickly as possible and by the deadlines to ensure we have

everything in place for you at the start of the course.

Specific questions relating to the course should be directed to the SCC team via

[email protected]

Overview of the AP for the SCC Exercise Design Process The Psychologists within the College of Policing Senior Selection Team use a structured Exercise

Design Model to develop the exercises for the AP for the SCC.

The Exercise Design Model consists of a series of stages that each exercise goes through to result

in a group of exercises that are reliable, valid, relevant, realistic and fair to all candidates.

The design model starts with ‘horizon scanning’ and progresses through a series of subsequent

stages which include ‘Subject Matter Expert interviews and shadowing’, ‘Stakeholder Consultation’,

‘Exercise Writing’, ‘Exercise Consultation’, and a ‘Pilot’. Equality, Diversity and Human Rights

(EDHR) advisors are involved during the development of the AP for the SCC. During the design

process a range of senior police officers, police staff and key stakeholders from England, Northern

Ireland, Scotland and Wales are consulted about the content of the exercises, and the marking

guides, to ensure that the exercises are realistic and relevant to the target level.

Context of the AP for the SCC Exercises When the exercises used at the AP for the SCC are developed, the College of Policing are

conscious of differences across the policing landscape which mean that the environments and

contexts of different police forces and jurisdictions across the UK are divergent. For example, the

differences in accountability structures across the UK.

To ensure that the exercises are applicable to all candidates, chief officers from across different

jurisdictions and across a wide range of forces are involved in the development of the exercise

content and assessor marking guide. However, the reality is that finding a common context for the

exercises that fits everyone's exact experience is not possible.




Feedback from chief officers across a number of different forces, including Police Scotland and

PSNI was that in all of the exercises the content and issues that you are being asked to deal with

are very similar to issues you would be faced with in you day job as an ACC/Commander but that

the context or environment is sometimes different. That said, the chief officers did not feel that this

would be a disadvantage. It is important to note that whilst the context of the exercises may not

reflect the context in your current role (eg, the size of the force may be different), they are realistic

and could reflect the context in a role you may move to in the future.

You are encouraged to focus on the content of what you are being asked to deal with in each

exercise and think about where similar issues arise in a context you may be more familiar with, as

well as the behaviours and values you might display to effectively address this. The guidance that

assessors use is focused on the content of what you do and say rather than knowledge of the

environmental context.

An example to demonstrate equivalence and relevance of issues despite different terminology and

context would be the differences in accountability structures. The accountability structures in each

exercise are selected depending on what fits best with the context of the exercise material; this

could be for example; a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), a Police Authority or Policing

Board. It is important to note that in dealing with the tasks set in the exercise you are not required

to demonstrate an understanding of the specific workings of these, but instead recognise the role

of this person/group in holding the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the police

force.

Whilst references are made to organisations, functions or structures that vary between different

jurisdictions/forces within the exercises, you can use whatever language/terminology you feel most

comfortable with whilst in the exercises. Assessors have been made aware of this. For example,

‘Basic Command Units’ (BCUs) or ‘Divisions’; ‘Crown Prosecution Service’ (CPS), ‘Procurator

Fiscal’ or ‘Public Prosecution Service’ (PPS); and ‘arrested’ or ‘detained’. A glossary of definitions

of such terms has been collated for your reference (see Appendix A). Extracts of the glossary,

determined by which definitions are relevant to the context, will also be included in the materials

you receive during each exercise.

Competencies and Values Assessed To ascertain if you meet the standards expected for the SCC at the Assessment Processes you

will be assessed against the Competency and Values Framework (CVF) for Policing. Within the

CVF, each competency has three levels associated with it and at the assessment centre you will

be assessed against level three.



The competencies and values assessed are as follows:

In order to ensure you are able to perform at your best at the AP for the SCC and more broadly in

your policing career you are advised to use the CVF to prepare, alongside this overview document.

Application Form Your application form will be made available to your assessors at the AP for the SCC to help them to understand your career history, qualifications, experience, strengths and development needs. Assessors will only see your application form after all the assessments have taken place. They are used to assist them in producing your feedback report.

Overview of the AP for the SCC Exercises Using the CVF, a suite of exercises have been designed to assess your readiness to attend the

SCC and progression into chief officer (or equivalent) roles. The exercises are carefully designed

to reflect the responsibilities of chief officers and the types of skills needed to succeed on the SCC.

The exercise design process considers the priority areas for policing (Appendix B) determined

through the Stakeholder Consultation stage of the exercise design process. Police Officers will

take part in five exercises and Police Staff will take part in three exercises



The exercises are independently designed so that they measure a subset of the competencies and

values in the CVF and that performance on any one exercise alone cannot dictate your success in

the AP for the SCC. Consequently, it is important to try your best at every exercise as only when

taken together will a full picture of your capability be understood and your suitability for the SCC at

that particular moment in time be determined.

For all the exercises (except for Presentation & Interview), you are assigned a role as an

ACC/ACO set within a fictitious police force. General background information regarding the

fictitious police force is provided in Appendix C. Further information regarding your role and the

exercise setting will be provided in the candidate instructions in each exercise that you take part in.

In order to aid your preparation for the AP for the SCC the table below outlines which areas of the

CVF are assessed in each exercise at the AP for the SCC:

Chief Officer Briefing

(Police

Officer Only)

Management

Media

(Police Officer Only)

Partnership Presentation &

Interview

Values: Impartiality

Values: Integrity

(Officer & Staff: Presentation)

Values: Public Service

Values: Transparency

(Staff only: Interview)

Emotionally Aware

Take Ownership

(Officer & Staff: Interview)

Collaborative

(Officer only: Interview)

Deliver, Support & Inspire

(Officer & Staff: Presentation)

Analyse Critically

Innovative & Open-Minded



Chief Officer Briefing

You will be given a pack of information from which to prepare for a 40 minute meeting (20 minute briefing and 20 minute Q&A) with two service assessors playing the role of chief officers. You will prepare in the same room as other candidates. During the preparation period, you will be asked to produce a typed two page briefing document to act as a summary of what you intend to say during your briefing. You will have 1 hour 30 minutes to prepare and produce the briefing document. After this time your briefing will be printed, a copy will be given to your assessors and you will also receive a copy. You will then have a further 20 minutes to prepare specifically for the briefing with your assessors. You will only complete this exercise if you are a police officer.

Management

You will be provided with a set of documents to work through in order to complete a number of tasks. You will complete the written exercise at the same time as all the other candidates on your intake. You will have 2 hours 30 minutes to complete a typed response to the tasks set.

Media

You will be provided with a pack of information from which to prepare for a live television interview with a professional journalist. You will have 20 minutes to prepare for the interview in a room with another candidate. You will then be taken to the studio where you will be with the journalist for up to 10 minutes. You will be recorded for the whole time that you are in the studio. Your assessors will not be in the studio with you but will assess your recording at a later time in a pairing of one service and one external assessor. You will only complete this exercise if you are a police officer.

Partnership

You will be given a pack of information from which to prepare for a meeting with two individuals. The two individuals will be played by trained role actors. You will have 30 minutes to prepare in the same room as other candidates. You will then be taken to the meeting room where you will take part in the meeting for a maximum of 25 minutes. You will be assessed by one service and one external assessor who will be sat at the back of the room during the meeting.

Presentation & Interview

You will be given 30 minutes to prepare a presentation on a topic provided to you on the day. You will prepare in the same room as other candidates. The presentation topic is on a contemporary policing subject and is sufficiently generic so as to avoid requiring specialist knowledge. After the preparation time you will be taken to your assessors. You will have 10 minutes to deliver your presentation followed by a 10 minute Q&A about your presentation.

The interview will last for 24 minutes with four interview questions (approximately 6 minutes per question) across two competencies. A combination of competencies and values will be assessed across each exercise and will be combined to award a single exercise mark. The matrix overleaf shows the expected areas where competencies/values will be displayed, however you will be credited for demonstrating evidence of these competencies/values in any part of the exercise.



AP for the SCC Days The following information provides an overview of the AP for the SCC day by day.

Assessors Now you know what you’re assessed in, the key question is who is assessing you? Your assessors

are carefully trained by a group of Psychologists from the College of Policing before every intake of

candidates. This training incorporates training on the principles and skills associated with the

objective and fair assessment of others. Your assessors also receive training in the specific

exercises used in the AP for the SCC, get to practice their marking on the exercises and agree the

assessment standards for the exercises. This ensures that you receive a high quality experience

when attending the AP for the SCC that is fair, objective and accurate to ensure all candidates

receive equal opportunity and you can develop from the experience.

For every exercise you will be assessed by two trained assessors. Your assessor team is made up

of current serving officers (a reserve list of retired senior police officers is held to assist where

current serving officers may be unavailable in unforeseen circumstances) from forces throughout

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and people from outside of the police service that

have worked at a senior level within the public, private or third sectors.

Your team of assessors is allocated to your candidate group (usually up to 4 candidates), and they

will be trained across all of the exercises; each assessor pairing assesses you on half of the

exercises for your candidate group. That means when you attend the AP for the SCC you will be

assessed by four specific assessors across everything. They are jointly involved in the decision

making as to whether you are ready to attend the SCC. Additionally, irrespective of your specific

marks your assessor group will complete feedback reports for you in each exercise to aid your

personal development.

In addition to the assessors there will be a number of other individuals on site when you attend the

AP for the SCC. All of these individuals receive appropriate training in relation to the particular



tasks and responsibilities they have at the AP for the SCC (eg, journalists, role actors, exercise

coordinators, quality assurers and site coordinators).

Quality Assurance The most important aspect of every AP for the SCC is the accuracy and consistency of

assessment to ensure you are assessed fairly. To help achieve this, quality assurers review all

elements of the assessment to monitor standards and to support assessors, ensuring the

robustness of the process. You may see the quality assurers during your time at the assessment

centre site as they will observe the exercises to ensure everyone is carrying out their role in line

with their training. In addition, the overall management and administration of the AP for the SCC is

overseen by a delivery team.

Director and Co-Directors The role of the Directors is primarily one of quality assurance, to ensure common standards across

all candidate groups, but also to assess the process on behalf of the police service. The Service

Director is Chief Constable Mark Polin. The Service Co-Directors are Chief Constable Anthony

Bangham, Chief Constable Dee Collins, Chief Constable Craig Guilford, Chief Constable George

Hamilton, Chief Constable Gareth Morgan and Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney. The Directors

attend the assessment processes to observe the exercises and ensure assessment standards are

being applied appropriately, you may see them undertaking this role during your time on site.

Rating Scales Assessors will use the ORCE (Observe, Record, Classify & Evaluate) model of assessment, which

is a universally recognised and applied model for assessing. The model promotes objectivity and

fairness in assessment.

The assessors observe your performance and make a record of what you said and did; then they

classify this evidence against the competency or value related criteria for the relevant exercise.

Once assessors have done this they evaluate your performance in each competency or value area

using an A to D Competency Grade scale (see overleaf). Assessors then award an overall exercise

mark using a 1 – 6 Exercise Mark scale (see overleaf). Assessors initially decide upon grades and

exercise marks for your performances independently of one another and then collectively agree

final competency and value grades and an exercise mark for you for each exercise.

Competency Grade Scale

This scale requires assessors to evaluate both the quantity and quality (strength) of the evidence

provided when awarding grades.



A Substantial positive evidence of the competency/value observed with regard to the quality and quantity of the evidence, and few or no areas for development observed.

B Positive evidence of the competency/value observed and some areas for development but on balance more positive evidence with regard to the quality and quantity of the evidence.

C Some positive evidence of the competency/value observed but on balance more areas for development with regard to the quality and quantity of the evidence.

D Substantial areas for development identified and little or no positive evidence of the competency/value observed, with regard to the quality and quantity of the evidence.

Exercise Mark Scale

The Exercise Mark Scale is used to award you an overall exercise mark for the exercise. The two

statements at each point on the Exercise Mark Scale are intended to be considered together and

not as separate statements.

1

Very Effective Task Performance The candidate performed the task very effectively and almost entirely achieved the aims of the exercise. Performance on competencies/values was exclusively high grades (eg, mostly As with some Bs).

2

Effective Task Performance The candidate performed the task effectively and mostly achieved the aims of the exercise. Performance on the competencies/values was mostly high grades (eg, mostly Bs with some As, possible C).

3

Satisfactory Task Performance The candidate performed the task to a satisfactory standard and met some of the aims of the exercise although some elements were not satisfactory. On balance performance on competencies/values was more high grades than low grades (eg, mostly Bs with some Cs).

4

Just Below Satisfactory Task Performance The candidate performed the task to a below-satisfactory standard overall and did not quite meet the aims of the exercise, although there were some areas that were effectively handled. On balance performance on competencies/values was more low grades than high grades (eg, mostly Cs with some Bs).

5

Ineffective Task Performance The candidate performed the task largely ineffectively and did not meet the aims of the exercise, although there were some areas that were acceptable. Performance on the competencies/values was mostly low grades (eg, mostly Cs and Ds, possible B).

6

Very Ineffective Task Performance The candidate performed the task very ineffectively and did not meet the aims of the exercise, although there may have been some minor areas that were acceptable. Performance on the competencies/values was exclusively low grades (eg, mostly Ds with some Cs).



Decision Making Once all assessments of your performances have been completed (this is after you have left the

AP for the SCC) your performance is considered overall. This is done by collating all of the

performance evaluations from all exercises completed during the AP for the SCC. The ratings

obtained in the competency and values areas and exercises are considered by the four assessors

that assessed you. This process is not purely a mechanical summing of marks; it aims to include

all information available throughout all of the AP for the SCC, including performance on all

exercises and competencies/values. No exercise or competency/value area carries more weighting

than any other. You are not required to ‘pass’ any one exercise or competency/value area; you are

required to achieve ‘satisfactory’ or above in the majority of exercises, competencies and values.

You will not be competing against the other members of your group or intake, only against the set

standard for the exercise (ie, if everyone in your group meets the standard then you all ‘pass’).

There are no quotas, so it is possible for all candidates to obtain a place on the SCC if they are

successful.

If you have previously attended an AP for the SCC you are required to follow the whole process;

the assessors do not have access to any previous results or reports until after they have finalised

the marking for each exercise you have undertaken. At this stage this information is provided to

assist assessors in providing feedback and direction of possible future development you may

consider.

Results Whether you are successful or unsuccessful, the outcome of the AP for the SCC will be sent by e-

mail in the evening the day after you finish the AP for the SCC. Once all candidate e-mails have

been sent, other stakeholders including respective Chief Constables, Force HR Directors and SCC

staff are notified of the results of all candidates. These e-mails only contain information on whether

the candidates were successful or unsuccessful overall not exercise specific results.

Feedback You will receive a personalised written report on your performance at the AP for the SCC. This

includes detailed feedback on your strength and development areas in each of the exercises that

you undertake. This is produced by your assessing group. Once you have received your feedback

report you will be given the opportunity to have a telephone feedback session with one of your

service assessors to discuss your feedback report. Further information concerning the

arrangement of this will be confirmed after the assessment centre.



Information Sharing Whilst AP for the SCC feedback reports are owned by you, a summary of your overall performance

and consequential development needs, produced by your assessors, is provided to your Chief

Constable.

If you are successful, your application form, results and feedback will be made available to

members of the Strategic Command Course (SCC) team to assist with your progress through the

SCC. Previously the Application Form was also shared with the Senior Appointments Panel (SAP)

and it is possible that this information may also be passed on to similar relevant audiences in the

future, but only for the purpose of chief officer selection and where appropriate to do so.

Candidate Information Letter Further details on all aspects of the AP for the SCC will be provided to you in your final letter which

you will receive approximately four weeks prior to your attendance at the AP for the SCC.



Appendix A Glossary of terms

Some terms are referred to in this exercise that might have different titles or definitions across England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Below is a definition of what is meant by these in this exercise.

Child Sexual Exploitation

(CSE)

Sexual exploitation of children and young people under 18 involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or persons) receive ‘something’ (eg, food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts, money) as a result of them performing, and/or another or others performing on them, sexual activities.

Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)

Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were created following the Health and Social Care Act in 2012, and replaced Primary Care Trusts on 1 April 2013. CCGs are clinically-led statutory NHS bodies responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services for their local area. They are a strategic group charged with health.

In Wales and Scotland this would be similar to Health Boards. In Northern Ireland this would be similar to Health and Social Care Trusts.

Commissioning is about getting the best possible health outcomes for the local population, by assessing local needs, deciding priorities and strategies, and then buying services on behalf of the population from providers such as hospitals, clinics, community health bodies etc. CCGs are responsible for the health of their entire population, and are measured by how much they improve health outcomes.

Code of Ethics

Sets and defines the exemplary standards of behaviour for everyone who works in policing. It is used in the development of policies and procedures, making decisions and action planning within the police service.

For England and Wales, this is the College of Policing’s Code of Ethics. For serving PSNI Officers this is the PSNI Code of Ethics (2008) and for officers from Police Scotland is the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland.

Health and Social Care Act

2012

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 puts clinicians at the centre of commissioning, aims to free up providers to innovate, aims to empower patients and gives a new focus to public health.

Health and Wellbeing

Board

(HWB)

Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWB) were introduced as statutory committees of all upper-tier local authorities under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. HWB’s, which came fully into effect on 1 April 2013, are intended to; improve the health and wellbeing of the people in their area; reduce health inequalities; and promote the integration of services.

There is a minimum membership required for a health and wellbeing board: a local elected representative, a representative from the local Healthwatch, a representative from each local Clinical Commissioning Group, the local director of adult social services, the local director of children’s social services, the local director of public health and a representative nominated by the NHS Commissioning Board. From here, other interested stakeholders may also be invited to hold membership.

HWB’s are equivalent to Health and Social Care Partnership Joint Boards in Scotland, Part 9 Regional Partnership Boards, and Health and Social Care Boards



in Northern Ireland.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary

and Fire & Rescue

Services (HMICFRS)

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) has a statutory responsibility to independently assess the effectiveness of police forces and policing activity in England and Wales and fire and rescue services in England.

HMICFRS is independent of government, the police and fire and rescue authorities.

Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is the reformed police watchdog for England and Wales, previously known as the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The IOPC investigates the most serious and sensitive matters involving the police, including deaths and serious injuries as well as matters such as allegations of corruption. It also oversees the complaints system in England and Wales and sets the standards by which complaints should be handled by the police.

For Northern Ireland this is the Ombudsman and for Scotland this the Procurator Fiscal or Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC).

Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat

This Concordat is about how signatories can work together to deliver a high quality response when people – of all ages – with mental health problems urgently need help. Mental illness is a challenge which can affect all of us. When a person’s mental state leads to a crisis episode, this can be very difficult to manage for the person in crisis, for family and friends, and for the services that respond.

Most Similar Force (MSF)

and Most Similar Forces Group (MSG)

The performance and service delivery figures for Westshire Police are compared against a Group of Most Similar Forces (MSG). MSGs are determined by a range of demographic, socio-economic and geographical factors, strongly correlated with levels of recorded crime.

National LGBT Police Network

A representative body for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Police groups present in the 43 police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The network has received endorsement from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Police Federation, Unison, National Trans Police Association and Stonewall. It also works closely with GPA Scotland who operate under a separate jurisdiction.

PEEL Assessment

PEEL is an annual assessment of police forces in England and Wales conducted by HMICFRS. Forces are assessed on their effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy. They are judged as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate on these categories (or pillars) based on inspection findings, analysis and Her Majesty’s Inspectors’ (HMIs) professional judgment across the year.

The pillars each comprise three or four questions that focus on core areas of the work of the police. Judgements are also applied to these questions.

At the end of the PEEL year (in March), HMIs bring together all the judgements made throughout the year together with other findings and information to produce a rounded annual assessment of each force.

Police and Crime

Commissioner

The Police and Crime Commissioner is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account and ensuring that the best policing service possible is delivered. Whilst the Chief Constable retains independence regarding operational

https://policeconduct.gov.uk/



(PCC) policing decisions, the PCC is responsible for ensuring that resources are used efficiently and effectively. By issuing a Police and Crime Plan, the PCC sets the strategic direction of the service after listening to local people about their views of the police. The PCC also sets the police budget and raises a precept (police specific tax) on local council taxpayers. They can appoint and, where necessary, remove chief constables. The PCC is an elected position and the most recent round of elections took place in May 2016.

In Scotland this post would be similar to the Scottish Police Authority and in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, although the PCC exercises their powers alone.

Police and Crime Panel

(PCP)

The Police and Crime Panel is responsible for publicly scrutinising the actions and decisions of the Police and Crime Commissioner and holding him or her to account. The Panel should also act as a support for the Commissioner in carrying out his or her responsibilities.

Section 136

Section 136 is part of the Mental Health Act 1983, and means the police have the authority to take a person from a public place to a ‘place of safety’, either for their own protection or for the protection of others, so that their immediate needs can be properly assessed.



Appendix B Priority Areas 2018

1. Protecting vulnerable people from harm.

2. Tackling child sexual exploitation.

3. Countering terrorism.

4. Tackling sexual violence.

5. Tackling cybercrime.

6. Building, maintaining and expanding effective partnerships.

7. Upholding key policing principles, integrity and improving public confidence in policing.

8. Understanding and responding to increased demands.

9. Tackling serious organised crime.

10. Improving and expanding victim care.

11. Improving public confidence.

12. Increasing diversity and valuing difference.

13. Increasing the innovative use of technology.

14. Managing culture change.

15. Transforming and reforming services.



Appendix C Background – Westshire Police

The information under this section is a reproduction of the Westshire Police Background contained in the Candidate Information Pack. It is provided here for reference but there is no requirement for you to read this again.

WESTSHIRE POLICE

The county of Westshire

Westshire covers an area of 425 square miles with a population of around 2.1 million. Westshire County Council governs the area and this is supported by the city council of Sandford and two district authorities of Fenley and Longheath.

The city of Sandford has a population of 916,000, the city of Longheath has a population of 360,000 and and the city of Fenley has a population of 273,000. There are also two small towns, Olton and Carden.

Our Vision

Our vision is to protect people from harm. Our vision is aligned to the National Policing Vision

2025. This sets out our plan for policing over the next ten years and has been agreed by PCCs and

chief constables, as well as other policing bodies, such as non-Home Office forces, and sets out

why and how the police service needs to transform by 2025.

Our Values

We use the College of Policing’s Code of Ethics to affirm our commitment to delivering our services with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

Our key values:

Honesty and Integrity: we have an objective approach that is consistent and reflects the highest ethical standards.

Professionalism: we consistently demonstrate the highest standards of occupational practice and behaviour.

Protecting Communities

Westshire

Police



Fairness: we act impartially, treating all according to their needs. We treat all with dignity and value difference.

Respect: we show consideration and courtesy to our community and our colleagues and respect for our Force.

Our Strategic Objectives

Putting the public first – communicating with communities to build trust and confidence, increasing the visibility and accessibility of the police and ensuring victims are given a quality service.

Setting the example of honesty and integrity – acting in line with the Code of Ethics, ensuring powers are used proportionately and effectively and being accountable for our actions.

Protecting our communities from serious harm – reducing crime by tackling the causes and protecting the most vulnerable people in our community.

Improving our cost effectiveness – reducing costs to protect valued services and keeping officers on the street, spending now to save in the future.

Championing collaborative working – continue working with our partners to provide the public with a cohesive efficient response to their issues

Our Force

Our force headquarters are based in Sandford. There are three policing areas (Sandford, Fenley

and Longheath), divided into five Local Policing Units and 28 locally based Neighbourhood Teams

that continue to serve our communities and work in local partnerships. We work with other criminal

justice agencies and partners in the county to deliver the best possible service to the people of

Westshire. The force employs 2134 police officers, 140 police community support officers, 1,600

police staff and 256 members of the Special Constabulary. The Chief Constable of Westshire

Police is held to account for ensuring the best possible policing service delivery by the Westshire

Police and Crime Commission (PCC). Westshire Police shares its borders with Greater Strickfield

Police and North Needleside Constabulary.

We deal with around 1000 incidents every day. Of all incidents reported to us:

40% relate to public safety and welfare (eg, civil disputes, concerns for safety, insecure

premises)

27% relates to vulnerability (eg, missing persons, people who experience mental health

problems)

13% relate to anti-social behaviour

9% relate to crime (eg, sexual offences, theft, violence against the person, criminal

damage)

9% relate to transport (eg, road related offences, road traffic collisions)

2% relate to other incidents or queries

Regional Collaboration



Westshire Police, North Needleside Constabulary, and Greater Strickfield Police continue to

collaborate on a range of policing issues to deliver capacity and capability in specialist and

strategic areas of policing. Specific areas of collaboration include specialist operations, training and

firearms. The Eastern Regional Organised Crime Unit is a collaboration between all three forces

aimed at tackling serious and organised crime across the region and is supported by the NCA,

Border Force, CPS and HM Revenue and Customs.



Our Structure

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