Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Moderator

Good afternoon and welcome to our second chat today on Citizen Focus. The panel will introduce themselves and please tell us what your role is and your interest in Citizen Focus.

Clare Simon

I am Clare Simon, from HMIC, responsible for writing the criteria for the NP and CF inspections. I am also responsible for co-ordinating the inspections across England and Wales.

Jayne Pascoe

My name is Jayne Pascoe; I am the Citizen Focus Programme Manager for the National Police Improvement Agency in London with a role of scoping out the support that the NPIA can give to forces in respect of Citizen Focus.

Claire

My role is Head of Customer Service for Essex Police. I am interested in finding out more about what good citizen focussed policing look like, how we can improve, to share good templates and of course to find out more details about the inspection process.

Chadd2622

Hello all, anyone got a really good citizen focus action plan that I could have a look at?

Maz

In Stockton we have a Community Network panel that leads on this issue. Peter Sellar is the lead for this. My email is marilyn.davies@stockton.gov.uk .

Chadd2622

Maz, thanks for that.

Mike (Open Eye)

Most forces are getting bogged down with their Citizen Focus plans. There is a lot of confusion with Neighbourhood Policing plans and activities.

Mike (Open Eye)

Which aspect of Citizen Focus are you looking for plans on?

Chadd2622

Mike, we have a neighbourhood policing plan, and have come to Citizen Focus a bit late in the day, we were looking at NP, being the implementation arm of citizen focus, and the links between the plans made. Our Citizen Focus plan is a bit bare at present. Looking for a template as much as anything

Mike (Open Eye)

Devon and Cornwall have a PRINCE type project plan that they are using.

Chadd2622

Have you had sight of any templates yet- action plans that sort of thing?

Mike (Open Eye)

Suffolk (or maybe it was Norfolk) also had an advanced project template

Jayne Pascoe

Chad2622: Devon and Cornwall and now Dyfed Powys are using quite a comprehensive template for their action plan which I believe is based upon the template on the CD ROM that accompanies the Citizen Focus Good Practice Guide.

Chadd2622

Thanks, I think we have that one.

Dick from Essex

HMIC recently issued Specific Grading Criteria (SGC) for the Inspection of Developing Citizen Focused Policing and Neighbourhood Policing. Are these the full and final SGC?

Clare Simon

They were released just before Christmas. If you are unsure whether you have the correct version, please email me and I will ensure you have the correct version.

Clare Simon

Clare Simon’s email is clare.simon@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk .

Norfolk

RE: question from Essex, the SGC’s supplied are quite brief, is there anything more specific about what we will be inspected on?

Clare Simon

Norfolk - they are intentionally short. NP focuses on outcomes and CF looks at plans. Regional HMIC staff officers will liaise with forces to undertake the inspection. We won’t release anything further, but email me if you have a specific question, or would like to chat on the phone. 0207 0352014.

Norfolk

So for CF you are not looking at what we are doing, it’s more what we plan to do - is that correct? Likewise is NP checking progress and outcomes directly from our previous inspection?

Dick from Essex

I am the Head of Compliance and Review for Essex Police and I manage the co-ordination, logistics and response to HMIC Inspections. I have the full document but the SGC seem fairly narrow for what is a large and very important strategy that underpins policing. I am keen to see my force prepare properly and, like Norfolk, would like to know whether the SGA are now final and whether the inspections will be focused ONLY in this area.

Clare Simon

Dick - Essex, yes, these are final. They are unlike other business areas, so aren’t lists of requirements. I am happy to discuss if you want to call me. See my message to Norfolk.

Dick from Essex

Thanks Clare. Given that the SGC are short, is HMIC content to accept challenges should the inspection report cover areas that are not within the remit of the SGC? For example, we were told at the HMIC Liaison Officers’ Conference, which you attended, that HR was no longer to be the subject of an inspection, but that it would be a golden thread running through all future inspections. There is no reference to HR within the SGC, grateful for your advice on whether Inspectors will be looking beyond the SGC remit in this respect?

Clare Simon

Dick, Essex. Forces will be inspected on the criteria listed in the SGCs and not HR in its own right. I can assure you our intention is to give forces credit for what they are doing, rather than try to catch anyone out.

Dick from Essex

Thanks Clare. Grateful for your confirmation that the SGC sets the parameters for this inspection. Who would you identify as best practice in the country if we are modelling for the force in terms of Citizen Focus and Neighbourhood Policing?

Clare Simon

Dick, Essex. There is no short answer to this as some forces are performing extremely well in different aspects of CF. HMIC can tell you 6 forces were graded Excellent in the 2007 NP inspection, but this is now dated. The only recent CF assessment process is being undertaken by the NPIA. In short, contact me or Jayne Pascoe for NP and CF respectively. We can advise you on where to look.

Ed

Hello Clare. I have the latest SGCs, but I also saw the draft ones that were around before that and that were longer and more detailed. We are considering a self-assessment process in Force as preparation for the inspection & also as a benchmarking process, & I wondered if it was worth using those earlier, more detailed ones to inform that self-assessment. Is that a good idea or would it take us down a wrong track?

Clare Simon

Ed, I think you may be referring to notes of a meeting, which were published on the ACPO intranet by mistake in September. If this is the case, your time would not be well spent. Give me a call and I can advise you on preparation. 0207 035 2014.

BarrieCoLP

Barrie Stewart, City of London Police, CF Programme manager. Good Afternoon all. Under the ACPO CF Business model, I understand the original Visibility and wider Police Family has changed to Responsiveness. In light of the late change, can we presume that will not be the subject of the Inspection. /

Julie #1

My Name is Julie Mackenzie I work in the Community Safety Unit at Bury (Lancs) I am employed by the council but work very closely with the Police in Partnership working. All Government policies are directing public bodies into ‘localism’ policies & involvement of the local communities. Many queries that I come across is what kind of information will be public facing & at what level. I will be interested to follow the chat in this chat room to observe your views.

Jayne Pascoe

Julie#1, From a policing perspective there is currently a piece of work being led by the home office to identify what information in respect of local crime force share with their communities at the moment with a view to coming up with some sort of consistency. From a citizen focus perspective this should be dictated by the information requested by local communities.

Colrogers

Hello, Can I ask a non-strategic question. Many forces are implementing response and neighbourhood as separate policing applications. With this division of labour, how can the citizen focus approach actually be implemented without creating elitism between the two approaches? Response officers appear to think citizen focused as meaning ‘community policing’.

Moderator

Colrogers - Jayne Pascoe will address your question shortly but if other chatters want to share their thoughts whilst our panel of two frantically type, please do!

Jayne Pascoe

Colrogers, The approach that is advocated is that forces take a whole systems approach to the implementation of Citizen focus. Neighbourhood Policing is just one element in this. The service provided by response officers and how it is supported by and supports other areas of service delivery is a key factor in ensuring that overall service is seamless and focused on customer need.

Mike (Open Eye)

My name is Mike Alderson. I deliver the Strategic CF courses for the NPIA at Bramshill and in forces around the country. CF is essentially about cultural change. It is about to become a customer centric organisation. That applies to everyone in the force. This has a big implication for your training programmes though.

Colrogers

Hello again. Yes, I am involved in delivering CF to police officers at degree level and am aware of a strong cultural resistance to this type of approach. Anyone involved in implementing this approach is probably aware of this.

Matthew S

If CF is about a cultural change, is that change more about the response given to a particular incident, or more about strategic priorities?

Jayne Pascoe

Matthew S, The cultural change should not just inform strategic priorities but also be felt at the frontline in response to incidents. If strategy and policy is informed and shaped with the full involvement of those receiving policing services then the service as a whole and our response to incidents will be more appropriate to the needs and expectations of our ‘customers’.

Mike (Open Eye)

If a cultural change approach is taken to CF, then the divisions between response and community become irrelevant

Colrogers

From Colrogers. Cultural change must occur at all levels, including response to a particular incident and also strategic priorities. The work entitled two culture of policing highlights how policy makers can ignore the power of those implementing policy at the community level.

Matthew S

In a recent web chat, there was a view that criminal damage should be dealt by PCSOs, and it is often seen as a ‘community’ issue rather than a crime issue. I’m wondering whether, if CF works in changing culture, a more holistic approach will ensure, rather than the "2 tier" approach?

Clare Simon

Matthew, I think you are right. we need to move away from compartmentalising our service provision from a ‘who does what’ approach, to one where it doesn’t matter who does it, as long as it is timely and meets the citizen need. This is inspirational, but should be our aim. Perhaps the way in which forces have restructured to meet local need is a good example...

Matthew S

Some of this sounds a bit vague & jargon-based - what change is this going to deliver to those people who walk past the same graffiti, or other damage, every day?

Jayne Pascoe

Matthew S, What this will mean is that the individual will not have to walk past the same graffiti or other damage day after day, because they will have the confidence and the avenues to know how to get some thing done about it and we and / or the council will be responsive enough to recognise the impact that these signal crimes have communities and remove it.

Matthew S

Thanks, that’s exactly what I hoped it would mean. So it should mean resources - not just those of the police - going to the crimes and issues that matter most to the communities.

BarrieCoLP

Mike, In light of the depth and quality of your CF module within the SLDP are there any thoughts about running it as a stand alone so we can spread the word?

Mike (Open Eye)

FYI. The SLDP NPIA course has been ‘bought’ by a number of forces and is delivered by us for them (customised) in their force locations.

Mike (Open Eye)

Claire. How holistic will the inspections be? I am hearing a lot of chat from Forces anticipating that the focus will be on the NHP aspect of CF and that the wider (cultural and organisational) implications will not receive such focus.

Norfolk

Norfolk currently approaches this as separate applications. But as of April we will have a major restructure in the Force which will focus everything on neighbourhoods, we considered this the best way to focus attention on Citizen Focus/Neighbourhood Policing. We will be changing from a structure of 3 BCU’s to One - encompassing 7 Districts with Inspectors only responsible for 2-3 neighbourhoods each. AS neighbourhoods take on more routine investigation tasks which they don’t currently do, this should help to increase respect between response & NP.

Clare Simon

Mike (open eye). The two inspections are separate but being done at the same time to save the inspection burden on forces and to be more efficient. The difference between the two inspections is:

Clare Simon

NP - we will measure whether the 3 year NP programme has been landed and is fully delivered. Forces will need to satisfy us that NP in embedded and won’t unravel after April 2008.

Clare Simon

CF – this is the umbrella over all our policing activity. It is the WAY in which we deliver all our policing services. The role of the CF inspection is to undertake a short and focused look to see whether forces are STARTING to deliver their services with the citizen in mind.

Clare Simon

In the long run, this means re-engineering policing services to ensure the citizen journey is smooth through all dealings with forces and partners. For this inspection we are looking for evidence of ‘Green Shoots’ to show forces have stared this journey.

Clare Simon

To meet the standard, NP needs to be landed, and CF needs to have started.

Mike (Open Eye)

I have recently done a number of pieces of work with various forces on protective services. Every single collaboration group has ignored the CF dimension in their plans and has focused on efficiency and streamlining processes rather than offering a (more efficient and effective) customer focussed service. Will this aspect be picked up in the inspections?

Ed

Question to all re Citizen Focus: I’ve seen/heard of initiatives to improve customer service, but not yet any examples of local (i.e. below force level) service delivery structures/mechanisms being redesigned following local public consultation or feedback. Can anyone give examples of this?

Clare Simon

Mike (open eye). This is not in the SGCs as such, but, as in my response to Essex, we would be delighted to hear of good practice forces are undertaking. There is space for forces to do this. The emphasis is to look at what’s happening out there, and to identify gaps. The nature of collaboration could well be a gap, and, if evidenced could be featured in the thematic report.

Jeff

There is a clear commitment at the highest levels to drive forward a citizen centred approach to policing. However, from my experience a community oriented service continues to struggle to gain legitimacy within the current performance regime. What is planned to encourage this cultural shift? Are there any practical examples of how this is being achieved?

Jayne Pascoe

There are examples where re-engineering processes at the front end to more appropriately meet customer need has had a beneficial impact on force performance in terms of reducing wasted time through service recovery and in increasing staff morale.

Nick Jarrold

In Devon and Cornwall I am the CF co-ordinator...have been since January 2007. We have a small team of 4 working on CF now...one looks at Lean service principles to reduce demand to create time and space for more quality. One team member focuses on how we deal with ASB, leaving me to look at the cultural change aspects. So here is the question...I am trying to currently define the ‘customer experience’. Has anyone successfully done this yet? If so, what is it, and how did you define the experience?

Mike (Open Eye)

Hi Nick. Difficult to define the customer experience at an organisational level until the force has decided what it stands for (its brand values) and whether it is committed to delivering them. I am aware of a number of units that are considering the customer experience at that level.

Nick Jarrold

Mike, there is a growing acceptance that making people (our customers) safe, and making them feel safe should cover all aspects of every customer experience. This will be the ‘brand values’. Does anyone else have a defined set of brand values yet?

Jayne Pascoe

Nick Jarrold, I have been collating the types of branding that forces are using as part of the CF benchmarking. A list of those forces that have a brand and what these are is attached to the transcript. Other forces with brands who are not on the list can share their brands by sending them to me and I will collate and send out a more complete list for those forces who have not as yet agreed their branding - jayne.pascoe@acpo.pnn.police.uk.

Jayne Pascoe

The Cabinet Office has just published a document on Customer journey Mapping which it would be useful for forces to look at as it gives a toolkit for this process. There is also a piece of work being commissioned by the ACPO CF Business area looking at the customer journey. It is early days for this piece of work and it would be useful to know from forces whether tools for them to be able to map this journey themselves at a local and force level would be the way forward, as customer’s experiences may differ according to force processes and procedures.

Ed

Jayne Pascoe, I think tools for forces to map their own customer experiences would be very beneficial, but there would also be a lot of value in seeing a general report covering the generic experience for the police as a whole. I don’t know what others think about this.

Nick Jarrold

We want to understand and know our customers better...NHP is using the PACT process for consulting but does anyone else have any other ways of consulting with their customers (not just the ones who are victims)? As a region, the south west forces are thinking about collaboration....can anyone help with what they are doing?

Mike (Open Eye)

Nick. Northumbria have a clear set of values which they are using as part of their approach to CF.

Julie#1

Reply to Nick I: Here in Bury, the police beats are co-terminus with our Wards, and the Neighbourhood Police Teams are then co-terminus with our Townships. This is beneficial in many ways, data analysis etc & partnership working. To reply to your query. The Council frequently survey the local community through Citizen Panels & Focus Groups, as do the local PCT; and by working in partnership the Police are able to pose survey questions on community aspects which reach a true cross section of the local community - not just the victims. Is this the kind of collaboration you had in mind.

Nick Jarrold

Jayne Pascoe, what is the title of the Customer Journey mapping document? We are using Seddon’s Lean service approach but this may be even better?

Ed

Just did a quick Google search - I think this might be the Cabinet Office link. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/public_service_reform/delivery_council/workplan.aspx (see bottom of page).

Nick Jarrold

Julie...thanks for the ideas. We have just set up a regional CF Forum (5 forces from the south west) and we were considering collaborating to use a ‘techie type’ kiosk which we could put out at Doctor’s surgeries, libraries, schools etc to try to establish views of our customers on various issues. I was wandering if anyone else has tried that?

Moderator

Nick what do you mean by the kiosk? We are thinking about a video booth - is that the kind of thing?

Nick Jarrold

Not a video booth, but a pre-loaded survey on a subject of our choice ...maybe something like ‘ways to contact us’...so the customer completes the survey(pre-loaded) while they wait for their doctor’s appt for instance. It is a kiosk or post fitted to the ground, that can’t be nicked, whereby we get info about what our customers think would work best for them?

Moderator

It sounds like a good idea as you have a captive audience and quite a cross range of the local community. Has anyone tried other ways that they want to share?

Claire

Essex Police are currently trialling a stand -a - lone touch screen access point to measure customer satisfaction at one of our front counters as well as hand held PDA’s.

Norfolk

Julie - is the scoping of customers’ views a free text facility or a survey based thing on the kiosks? Norfolk has kiosks, promoting the work of the force, but does not seek feedback. I would be interested to discuss how you use yours.

Julie#1

Norfolk: The questions are scoped by the Police through the ‘Team Bury’ Partnership. There is limited availability (room) for a free text reply as the compilation of the results is intended for a year on year comparison to monitor performance.

Jayne Pascoe

I have a question for other forces logged on from Donna Lavender in Cambridgeshire: She would like to know what crime information is being shared with communities, in what format and how it is being circulated? She is looking for more innovative ideas than just public panels, web sites and emails.

Moderator

Safer Hastings Partnership tried a new way for local councillors to hear views of young people by holding an event based on ‘speed dating principles’ where they had a small amount of time with individuals before rotating. This seemed to work well to share local opinions for a hard to reach group.

Matthew S

On a different subject, I saw a very low-tech approach in New Zealand, where the walls of an empty shop were covered in flip-chart pages, each with a question, and loads of people dropped in to give their views. I guess it depends what you want to ask, how sensitive the results, and who you’re trying to reach.

Moderator

One of our previous chats examined community engagement so might be worth looking at - the link is http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/chat012.htm

Moderator

How does a Citizen Focus approach aim to incorporate existing groups such as Neighbourhood Watch that can feel pushed out? How do you overcome problems in redefining area boundaries?

Clare Simon

Chief Constable Frank Whitely from Herts has recently published a document on NHW, and working with HMIC to ensure it is inclusive within NP. The principle should be to ensure NP teams are engaging with all community groups - formal and informal - from NHW, Local Businesses, as well as clusters of new communities...

Jayne Pascoe

I think you are confusing Neighbourhood Policing with the wider issues of Citizen Focus. Citizen Focus is about an outside in approach to the way that services are designed and delivered. In order that this approach is as inclusive as possible, all avenues for encouraging participation and involvement in what we do should be explored. Existing groups such as neighbourhood watch are an ideal vehicle for involving people and seeking external perspectives on what we do.

Mike (Open Eye)

Claire. The SCG reflects the ACPO CF business area definition of CF and not the original Home Office definition. What was the thinking behind the change in approach?

Mike (Open Eye)

Home Office Definition: A way of working in which an in-depth understanding of the needs and expectations of individuals and local communities is routinely reflected in decision-making, service delivery and practice.

Mike (Open Eye)

SGC: To secure and maintain high levels of satisfaction and confidence through the consistent delivery of a first class policing service that meets the needs of individuals and of communities,

Clare Simon

Mike. The SGC definition relates to the Draft CF Work Programme, which is an NPIA production, due to be published imminently. It has been agreed by ACPO, APA, and the Home Office. HMIC thought it best to reflect the latest thinking......

Norfolk

Hi. Thinking back to the CF Inspection, we have been told that the sources which you have based SGC’s upon are the Citizen Focus Good Practice Guide and the QoSC. Does this include the second CF Good Practice Guide Improving Police Follow Up? Also is there guidance of how you are to judge compliance against the QoSC - given the enormity of the Commitment, and that there is no specific guidance to measure compliance?

Clare Simon

Norfolk. Having developed the SGCs, it would be fair to say we are looking to ensure forces are aware of service standards, such as the QSC. The SGCs state we will be looking to see whether forces are monitoring compliance with the QSC, rather than ensuring it is 100% complied with - which is not likely due to human error. The aim of the inspection is to ensure forces are listening to their communities and shaping their services in response. Stick to the SGCs and the principle of shaping service in response to users’ feedback, such as surveys and complaints.

Clare Simon

Thanks, all. I have to leave. Look forward to hearing from you all.....

BarrieCoLP

Have to go now, got a CF Strategic Meeting, Thanks

Moderator

Does anyone have further questions for Jayne Pascoe from NPIA? Alternatively Claire has said she will respond to any further questions in the follow up transcript which you will receive in approx. 2 weeks.

Nick Jarrold

Got to go now...great to chat. Thanks for all the ideas and comments.

Norfolk

We’re off too - thanks for the ideas and discussion!

Moderator

Thanks Nick. We’ll be wrapping up this session in 10 minutes so final questions please

Mike (Open Eye)

One of the biggest issues in CF is securing senior management buy in (ACPO level). Not just at the ‘it’s a good idea level’ but in a way that sees CF and satisfaction as key drivers of the business. Are there any CF seminars or workshops being planned that are targeted at ACPO. (That’s CF not NHP!).

Jayne Pascoe

Mike(Open Eye), CC Julie Spence as ACPO lead has picked up on this issue from feedback from the practitioners networking event in November and has written to all Chief Constables asking for their support. The NPIA and ACPO are running the first effective practice event in London around CF tomorrow and we will be planning more of these for the next financial year. An event targeted at ACPO level would be good - perhaps we can discuss further what this would include to get the most impact and best outcome to take this forward.

Mike (Open Eye)

It is interesting to see that forces are now starting to grapple with the detail and practicalities of CF (driven by the imminent arrival of HMIC perhaps) yet the philosophy, scope and implications are not yet well understood. Are there plans/is there any funding for an awareness raising campaign aimed at strategic leaders? They have to understand the before they can deliver on the how.

Mike (Open Eye)

Jayne Pascoe. I will call you later in the week to discuss this in more depth.

Mike (Open Eye)

Gotta go. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. Bye. Mike.

Julie#1

I have to go now. Good to chat to you all. Julie.

Jayne Pascoe

Thanks Mike. If anyone else wishes to discuss any of the issues raised further or has ideas about how to take any of the suggestions made forward, please contact me at: Jayne.pascoe@acpo.pnn.police.uk .

Moderator

Thanks everyone, you will receive the transcript shortly.