Lothian and Borders Police  and Police Board
Best Value Audit and Inspection

Prepared for the Accounts Commission and Scottish ministers
December 2011
The Accounts Commission
The Accounts Commission is a statutory, independent body which, through the audit process, requests local authorities in Scotland to achieve the highest standards of financial stewardship and the economic, efficient and effective use of their resources. The Commission has four main responsibilities:
•	securing the external audit, including the audit of Best Value and Community Planning
•	following up issues of concern identified through the audit, to ensure satisfactory resolutions
•	carrying out national performance studies to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government
•	issuing an annual direction to local authorities which sets out the range of performance information they are required to publish.
The Commission secures the audit of 32 councils and 45 joint boards and committees (including police and fire and rescue services).
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland
HMICS operates independently of police forces, police authorities and the Scottish Government and exists to monitor and improve the police service in Scotland. HMICS does this on behalf of the Scottish public by:
•	monitoring, through self-assessment and inspection, how effectively the police service in Scotland is fulfilling its purpose and managing risk
•	supporting improvement by identifying good practice, making recommendations and sharing our findings in order to achieve better outcomes for Scotland’s communities
•	providing advice to Scottish ministers, police authority and joint board members and police forces and services.
Even though HMICS is independent of the Scottish Government, ministers can call upon the Inspectorate to undertake particular pieces of work.
Audit Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000 under the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission. Together they ensure that the Scottish Government and public sector bodies in Scotland are held to account for the proper, efficient and effective use of public funds.

Commission findings
1. This audit and inspection report, on the performance by a police authority and force of their statutory duties on Best Value And Community Planning, has been produced jointly by the Controller of Audit and Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland. The Accounts Commission accepts the report from the Controller of Audit on the Lothian and Borders Police Board. In accordance with the Commission’s statutory responsibilities, these findings relate only to the Best Value audit of the board. 
2. The Commission finds that the board performs generally well and works effectively with the force and with partner organisations in providing policing services to communities in the Lothian and Borders area. The board convener provides strong leadership and the board demonstrates a commitment to improvement and good self-awareness of where it needs to improve further. This has helped the board to put the essential elements of best value in place and provides a sound basis for further development. The board is clear on where it can make further improvements, and a new updated Improvement Plan will help articulate this.
3. The board needs to build on the steps it has taken to secure a more consistent and shared understanding across board members of their roles and responsibilities. This is particularly important for the board in developing the vision and strategy of the force, and in holding the chief constable to account for force performance. The board can also improve the way it scrutinises the force by reviewing the performance information that it considers and by assuring itself that the structures in place for scrutiny are fit for purpose. To help them fulfil their scrutiny role, board members need good quality training and development.
4. The Commission notes that the support in place for the board has been instrumental in helping the board secure improvement. The board should assure itself that this support has sufficient capacity and capability to help it take further forward its improvement agenda and in doing so demonstrate an effective use of its resources.
5. The Commission acknowledges the challenges which the board and board members face, with possible changes in the composition of the board following the local government elections in May 2012 and the ongoing deliberations around police reform in Scotland. It is crucial however, that the board maintains its commitment to improvement and continues to work effectively in partnership with the force in this period of transition.
6. As part of this commitment, the board should assess the risks associated with the demands placed on board members in coming months, not only current members in the lead-up to the local government elections, but also any newly elected members following those elections.
7. The Commission gratefully acknowledges the co-operation and assistance provided to the joint audit and inspection team by the elected members of Lothian and Borders Police Board, the chief constable and officers of Lothian and Borders Police, and other officials and community planning partners.
8. The Commission welcomes the continued joint approach with Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland on these police audit and inspection reports, and the significant contribution that this is having to stimulating more effective and streamlined scrutiny and to driving commitment to securing best value.

HM Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland findings
1. As Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland, I hold a statutory responsibility to inspect both Lothian and Borders Police and Lothian and Borders Police Authority. I concur with the Accounts Commission findings on the Best Value and Community Planning performance of Lothian and Borders Police Authority and offer the following comment on the performance of Lothian and Borders Police.
2. My overall assessment of Lothian and Borders Police is that it is performing well and that the force demonstrates many of the elements of best value. The force executive have developed a distinctive and long-term strategy towards tackling the root causes of crime through effective community policing and local partnerships. They have maintained police numbers while at the same time embarking on a significant change programme to manage a reduction in the police budget. Overall crime rates continue to fall and the force has strengthened its approach to public consultation and engagement through its Community Commitment.
3. As with all organisations, there is scope for continuous improvement. In particular, I would highlight that:
•	there is room to improve the understanding of the strategy at all levels of the organisation
•	the board and force should work together to develop performance systems that might better reflect how well it is performing against the priorities
•	the force should support the partnership effort in some areas through better sharing of information and dissemination of best practice from other parts of the force
•	having taken steps to improve its approach to managing equalities and diversity, the force now needs to evaluate the impact of these changes on the management of critical incidents and diversity training
•	although overall performance is good and crime continues to fall, there is scope for the force to reduce the occurrence of serious crimes of violence and to improve crime detection and service user satisfaction.
4. I look forward to receiving a plan from Lothian and Borders Police and Lothian and Borders Police Authority which addresses the improvement agenda set out in this joint audit and inspection report.
5. I also wish to acknowledge my gratitude for the co-operation and assistance afforded to the joint audit and inspection team by the chief constable, officers and staff of Lothian and Borders Police, the convener and elected members of Lothian and Borders Police Authority, The City of Edinburgh Council chief executive and staff providing support to the police authority and other officials and community planning partners.
6. The joint audit and inspection approach adopted in the preparation of this report continues to develop and is contributing towards a more effective scrutiny regime that demonstrates our commitment to achieving best value in Scottish policing.

Introduction
This joint report is made by the Controller of Audit to the Accounts Commission under section 102(1) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) under section 33 of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967.
The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 introduced new statutory duties relating to Best Value and Community Planning. Its provisions apply to local authorities, including police authorities, and require specifically that: 
•	councils and police authorities secure best value (defined as achieving continuous improvement in the performance of functions)
•	police authorities and chief constables participate in the community planning process.
The Act also amended the audit arrangements set out in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to cover Best Value and gave powers to the Accounts Commission to examine Best Value in police authorities. HMICS has a statutory duty under section 33 of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 to inspect police forces and common police services, and to report to ministers on their state and efficiency. The 2003 Act extends this to include provision for HMICS to inquire into and report to Scottish ministers on whether a local authority is carrying out its functions both as a police authority and in relation to a number of matters including Best Value.
The 2003 Act is supported by more detailed statutory guidance on Best Value and Community Planning, and a series of advisory notes on specific topics such as elected member leadership. This guidance is designed to be descriptive rather than prescriptive, defining the goals that organisations should aim for but allowing them local discretion on the methods and routes they use. The Scottish Government has issued further guidance for police authorities and forces. This guidance includes Justice Department Circular 11/2003 Best Value Guidance and Guidance for Members of Police Authorities and Joint Boards (June 2007).
The scope of Best Value and Community Planning is broad and the guidance and statute indicate that a successful police authority will:
•	work in tandem with the chief constable to develop a clear set of priorities that respond to the needs of the community in both the short and longer term
•	be organised to support the delivery of these priorities 
•	meet, and clearly demonstrate that it is meeting, the community’s needs
•	operate in a way that drives continuous improvement in all its activities.
Similarly, a successful police force will:
•	work with its partners and the police authority/police authorities to develop a clear set of priorities that respond to the needs of the community in both the short and longer term 
•	be organised to deliver these priorities
•	meet, and clearly demonstrate that it is meeting, the community’s needs
•	operate in a way that drives continuous improvement in all its activities.
The key objectives of this joint audit and inspection were to:
•	assess the extent to which Lothian and Borders Police Force and Board are meeting their duties under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 and complying with Scottish Government guidance
•	agree planned improvements with the local authorities, force and the board, to be reviewed by external auditors and HMICS on an ongoing basis.
As Best Value and Community Planning encompass a wide variety of activities, it is not realistic to audit or inspect everything in depth. For this reason we planned our detailed work in two ways:
•	We considered all four of the force’s territorial divisions in more detail to ensure the audit and inspection took account of the different contexts and policing demands across the force area.
•	We selected certain aspects of the force’s and board’s performance for detailed investigation. We used a wide range of sources, including the force and board’s own assessment of their performance, reports issued following external audit and inspections and the Scottish Policing Performance Framework (SPPF) to assess risks and scope our work to inform this selection. 
Our joint report reflects this proportionate approach, with detailed commentary in some areas and more limited coverage in others. Our main audit and inspection work was conducted in June 2011. The report includes a corporate assessment of the board and the force, while the performance assessment covers only the force.
We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and assistance provided to the team by Councillor Iain Whyte, Convener of Lothian and Borders Police Board; David Strang, Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police; and all other elected members and staff involved. We are also grateful to the representatives of the five councils and the community planning partners who participated in the audit and inspection.
The tripartite arrangements and police authorities’ leadership role
The force is governed through a tripartite arrangement between the chief constable, the police board and Scottish ministers. As the force covers more than one local authority area, the board comprises members from the five constituent councils. Scottish ministers have responsibility for national policy on law and order as well as the power to regulate on various policing matters including pay and conditions. The police board is responsible for setting the police budget, holding the chief constable to account and ensuring that best value is achieved. The chief constable is responsible for the operational aspects of policing within the force area.
The effect of these arrangements is that the board and the chief constable, although they have different roles, must work in tandem to achieve best value. In this report, we only make judgements on the board and force, but all parties to the arrangement, including the Scottish ministers, have responsibility for the overall performance of the police service.
Constituent councils are responsible for appointing the members of the police board and for allocating funding. The board is a separate legal entity and councils have no separate residual responsibilities beyond appointing members and funding.
The existing guidance for policing (Circular 11/2003 and Guidance to Members, June 2007), sets out expectations of the board. More details can be found at Appendix 1 of this report.

Summary
Overall conclusions
1. Lothian and Borders Police Board (the board) and Lothian and Borders Police Force (the force) show a strong commitment to working together to secure community well-being through a clear focus on crime prevention and public protection. They have established widespread stakeholder support for this strategy through effective partnership working at local level, engagement with community groups and the public. Overall, force performance is good, but there is scope for further improvement in some key areas.
2. The board is improving its approach to Best Value. The convener demonstrates a strong commitment to his role and has a clear knowledge and understanding of strategic issues facing the force and the police service more widely in Scotland. Board members too have a good understanding of policing matters and priorities in their local areas and their views and priorities fit well with the focus on community policing. The board now needs to build on the work it has started, to develop a more consistent and shared understanding of board members’ roles and responsibilities, particularly in relation to developing policing priorities in partnership with the chief constable and in relation to scrutinising force performance.
3. The board receives good information on force performance and the board’s arrangements for oversight of the force’s finances are effective. However, in practice, scrutiny of the force is inconsistent. The board’s approach to scrutinising other aspects of resource management, including property and human resources, is under-developed. The board also needs to provide stronger challenge in relation to the force’s performance and the force’s improvement programme, and to improve scrutiny of the force’s progress against its longer-term objective of creating community well-being. 
4. The board demonstrates a strong commitment to improvement and good self-awareness of where it needs to improve, which is reflected in its comprehensive Best Value improvement plan. The board now needs to consider and agree how it will maintain focus and direction in its improvement agenda, in the context of likely changes in policing structures in Scotland.
5. There is strong ownership of the force’s partnership and outcome-based policing philosophy at senior level within the force and among partners, but it is not universally understood by all staff. The force is in the process of developing measures against which delivery of this community well-being agenda can be assessed. The force is aware that it needs to strengthen the connection between the force’s vision, performance management and internal governance arrangements to better demonstrate that it is effectively directing resources towards its strategic priorities.
6. The force has a well-developed approach to community policing which is highly regarded by key stakeholders and partners. Its comprehensive community policing model and effective local partnership working has enabled the force to deliver well-tailored policing solutions across the five council areas served by the force. The force’s model of devolved autonomy to divisional command teams is being challenged by the reduction in the force budget, which has necessarily required a  more corporate style of decision-making relating to staffing and financial management. This has created a period of flux that is to be managed by the Transforming the Service (TTS) programme until such times as the future policing model for Scotland is delivered. 
7. The force demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement. The TTS change programme has been successful in enabling the force to reduce its budget and has delivered and identified some important structural changes to be made, the full impact of which is yet to be evaluated. The force has clear plans in place to deliver a balanced budget for 2011/12 and is developing a comprehensive approach to the anticipated longer-term financial challenges.
8. The force continues to demonstrate improved outcomes for its communities with year-on-year reductions in crime and disorder. The force delivered a 7.2 per cent reduction in overall crime in 2010/11. There are some areas for improvement, including serious crimes of violence which have risen, and crime detection and service user satisfaction rates which have remained relatively static in Lothian and Borders.
9. The force’s senior management demonstrate clear leadership of equality and diversity, gaining national recognition. The response to a recent high-profile case demonstrates the force’s willingness to challenge itself, to learn and to make improvements to the policing of diverse communities during critical incidents.

Part 1. Context
The local context
10. Lothian and Borders Police Board and force oversee and deliver policing across five council areas, ie City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and Scottish Borders. The overall area extends to 6,456 square kilometres and includes about 950,000 people, around 18 per cent of the Scottish population. The Scottish Borders is the largest area and it is also the most rural, with around a quarter categorised as remote rural. While the area overall has less than ten per cent of the most deprived areas in Scotland, where deprivation exists, around two-thirds of it is concentrated in the Edinburgh area. This contrasting geography and diversity brings with it competing priorities and demands on policing.
11. There are unique challenges in policing Scotland’s capital. The Scottish Parliament, government offices and consulates, a major international airport and headquarters buildings for financial institutions are all located in and around the city. Edinburgh is also a focal point for public demonstrations and is a major visitor attraction throughout the year, with particularly high visitor numbers during summer festivals and over the year-end festive period. Both The City of Edinburgh Council and the force attract additional funding from the Scottish Government to reflect these unique challenges including, for example, security considerations at royal events and visits by other dignitaries. 
Lothian and Borders Police Board
12. Lothian and Borders Police Board’s main roles are to ensure the force is properly resourced and to hold the chief constable to account for policing of the force area. The board consists of 18 elected members: nine from The City of Edinburgh, three from West Lothian, and two from each of the other three councils: East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders. Membership of the board was determined by the constituent councils following the local government elections in 2007; the next local government elections will be in May 2012.
13. The board is responsible for a revenue policing budget of approximately £170 million. It is funded 51 per cent through specific grant funding from the Scottish Government and 49 per cent  through agreed contributions from constituent local authorities (Exhibit 1). Expenditure per resident on police services in Lothian and Borders in 2010/11 was £194.90, the second highest in Scotland (the highest being £200.70 in Dumfries and Galloway).1 
14. The City of Edinburgh Council provides committee and other administrative support to the board. The chief executive of The City of Edinburgh Council is the clerk to the board and attends all relevant meetings. More recently, The City of Edinburgh Council has provided a staff resource, equivalent to about one full-time member of staff, to support the board’s scrutiny activity and the development of the board’s approach to Best Value. 
15. The board meets five times a year, on an approximately eight-week cycle. Members also serve on the following committees, all of which report to the board:
•	Audit and Scrutiny Committee: to ensure sound financial procedures; review and scrutinise the force’s strategic and service planning process; monitor Best Value reviews; and review and scrutinise performance and resource use by the force.
•	Complaints Sub-Committee: to consider reports and other information relating generally to complaints against police officers; and consider complaints or allegations of misconduct against senior police officers.
•	Appointments and Remuneration Committee: to appoint and select chief police officers and agree levels of increments and bonuses for senior officers.
•	Police Staff Appeals Committee: to consider staff grievances and appeals against disciplinary action.
16. The board also operates three other groups which, while not formal committees, make important contributions to board business: 
•	Policy and Best Value Working Group: to ensure that best value is achieved for the board; and to discuss the development of policy and make recommendations to the chief constable.
•	Police Liaison Group: to provide a forum for informal consultation between the board and the police staff associations of the force.
•	Joint Consultative Group: to provide a means of consultation between the board and the staff of the force.
Lothian and Borders Police
17. Lothian and Borders Police Force covers five local authority areas and is staffed with around 3,000 police officers and around 1,200 police staff. The territorial policing divisions and specialist headquarters divisions, including Crime Division and Operational Support Division, are largely autonomous strategic business units. The Force Executive sits over the divisions and follows a traditional structure, with a chief constable, deputy chief constable and two assistant chief constables. The most senior police staff member is the director of resources. The majority of divisions and departments also follow traditional lines, each headed by a chief superintendent or police staff equivalent.
18. The territorial divisions are arranged as in Exhibit 2:
•	 A-Division – The City of Edinburgh
•	 E-Division – East Lothian and Midlothian
•	 F-Division – West Lothian
•	 G-Division – Scottish Borders.
19. The City of Edinburgh Division has the highest levels of demand, including disorder, serious crime and capital city responsibilities. Due to its demography and in comparison with the other territorial divisions, the City of Edinburgh is separated into three operational command areas; Central Edinburgh, Western Edinburgh and Eastern Edinburgh. Last year saw the introduction of Safer Neighbourhood Teams across Edinburgh contributing to significant reductions in vandalism and theft by domestic housebreaking. The Division’s Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) continued to successfully tackle crime relating to drugs, money-laundering and firearms. The SOCU has now been absorbed within the Crime Division to rationalise crime and intelligence resources and provide the same level of service across the entire force.
20. By contrast, Scottish Borders is the largest area, greater than the other divisions put together, presenting unique rural policing challenges. As well as reducing crime, public reassurance is a high priority for the division. Community police numbers have been increased and their Safer Communities Team is now located alongside local authority staff to impact on antisocial behaviour, road casualties, protecting vulnerable persons and reducing harm caused by alcohol and drugs. 
21. East Lothian and Midlothian form one territorial policing division meaning that the senior management team are working to deliver policing services within two separate community planning frameworks. There is a strong partnership ethos across both East Lothian and Midlothian which has been used to good effect to reduce crime, tackle under-aged drinking and to engage with schools on the issues of antisocial behaviour, alcohol and drugs. 
22. West Lothian Division is also distinctive because of the unique co-location of the police within the West Lothian Civic Centre. Closer partnership working and joint tasking has been a success, leading to significant reduction in crime, vandalism and youth disorder. Also of note is the way the division has engaged with partners to reduce domestic violence and hate crime. 
23. The force aspires to deliver community well-being over the long term, by tackling the root causes of crime and disorder and protecting vulnerable communities through strong partnerships and locally focused community policing. In response to the police service in Scotland experiencing significant reductions in overall budget, Lothian and Borders Police set up a force-wide project Transforming the Service (TTS) to proactively manage reductions in staff, together with structural and procedural changes. 
1	Scottish Police Performance Framework.

Part 2. Corporate assessment
Vision and strategic direction
Lothian and Borders Police Board
The board endorses the force’s vision and strategic direction for policing in the Lothian and Borders area. While it is improving the way it works together with the force to develop the vision and to identify policing priorities, board members need to develop a more consistent and shared understanding about their role in this process.
24. Lothian and Borders Police Board endorses the force’s strategic plan and its priorities. However, it recognises the need to engage more actively in the process, as part of its responsibility to work in tandem with the force to achieve best value and to ensure the strategic plan reflects the board’s understanding of the policing needs of local people and communities.
25. The board is taking steps to address this and has, for example, held strategy seminars and allocated more time at board meetings to discuss strategic policing matters. This is a positive development which reflects the board’s strong commitment to improving how it works and how it works with the force to deliver policing for the Lothian and Borders area.
26. However, to maximise the effectiveness of this approach in practice, there needs to be a more consistent and shared understanding across board members about what this aspect of their role requires. Board member experience and understanding varies and some members reported that they are unsure about the boundaries between the role of the board and the force in relation to policing strategy. 
Lothian and Borders Police
The chief constable’s philosophy of prevention underpins a distinctive and long-term vision for policing in Lothian and Borders. The strategic direction is based on consultation with, and reflects the views of, local people and is well supported by the police board, stakeholders, partners and senior managers within the force. There remains a risk in that the strategy is not yet universally understood by operational officers and staff.
27. The force aims to create community well-being through preventing crime, responding to and investigating incidents and protecting communities, particularly the most vulnerable. The underlying philosophy of the chief constable is expressed in the 2011–14 strategic plan as follows: ‘By tackling the social issues at the root of crime, we can break the cycle of offending and improve the quality of life for your community as a whole.’ This is a distinctive long-term vision that ,together with partner agencies, seeks to deliver safety, security, protection and confidence in communities. Strong relationships with stakeholders and partners underpin the long-term vision and strategic direction. All local authority chief executives, police board members, senior police managers and partners we spoke to were unanimous in their active support of the overarching vision and strategic intent.
28. There is strong ownership and a good understanding of the chief constable’s policing philosophy among superintending ranks and senior police staff managers, with less of an understanding at middle management and the front line, particularly those not directly involved in community policing and partnership working. 
29. The ‘Blue Diamond’ corporate planning framework (Exhibit 3) encapsulates the philosophy of the force and its overarching approach, which is to deliver national priorities locally and community priorities through local partnership policing. 
30. The force has effective arrangements in place for delivering national priorities in local communities. At the same time, an effective community engagement strategy and public consultations mean that the strategy and vision are informed by the views of local people. In order to ensure national priorities are delivered consistently throughout the force each national priority has a nominated senior police officer to ‘champion’ the force’s response to ensure a strategic focus and leadership across the organisation in addition to their divisional responsibilities. 
31. In the context of a force making clear progress on an ambitious strategic journey, there is a risk to be managed, where some staff have a poor understanding of the force’s priorities and their role in delivering them. The force would argue that policing is about ‘managing ambiguity’ and that it is the role of local managers to provide clarity about local priorities. While that may be appropriate, the inspection team found clear examples of managers, officers and staff having failed to gain that clarity. The force needs to continue to develop the understanding of the vision and strategy at all levels of the organisation, as well as the leadership role of supervisors and managers in clarifying and delivering priorities at the front line.
32. The vision, policing philosophy and overall strategic approach of the force is good. However, the force recognises that there is still work to do to develop performance and resource management systems that better reflect and support the delivery of strategy, priorities and objectives. 
Governance and accountability
Lothian and Borders Police Board
Governance is generally sound, with the convener providing strong and effective leadership. The board needs to build on the work it has started to develop members’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities; more focused training and development is needed to help build members’ confidence and capacity. There is scope for stronger scrutiny of force performance and the force’s improvement programme. 
33. The convener demonstrates strong commitment to his role and has a clear knowledge and understanding of the strategic issues facing the board and the force. He is widely respected by other board members and senior officers in the force and by key stakeholders, including the constituent councils. He is also actively involved in policing matters at a national level through his chairmanship of the Scottish Police Authorities Conveners’ Forum, which reinforces his standing and credibility.
34. The board recently sought to clarify its remit and debated members’ roles and responsibilities. This has helped to develop members’ knowledge and understanding. The board now needs to continue this work and build on it to strengthen its approach in key areas including:
•	contributing to and endorsing the policing strategy for the area
•	scrutinising force performance and force improvement activities
•	participating in local partnership organisations, including members’ responsibilities to the constituent councils that appoint them.
35. Many members reported that they would have welcomed more training and development following their appointment in 2007. While the board has arranged seminars for members and has recently introduced a training directory which includes input from the force, it acknowledges the need for further improvements to its arrangements for member training and development. 
36. The absence of induction training in 2007 is significant in view of the high number of new members appointed to the current board at that time; only five of the 18 members before the 2007 election remained on the board after the election. A formal induction process is now in place and this has been applied recently in the case of two new members. The board needs to assess the effectiveness of these new arrangements, prior to the local government elections in 2012, to ensure that members receive sufficient training to allow them properly to understand and carry out their duties at a time of significant change to Scotland’s policing. More generally, the board needs regularly to assess training needs and to ensure an ongoing training programme for members which is relevant, effective and takes account of resource and budget constraints.
37. Clerking and administrative support has been provided for a number of years by The City of Edinburgh Council. The council also administers, on the board’s behalf, its Custody Visiting Scheme and its Lay Diversity Adviser Scheme. These processes work well and contribute to good governance. 
38. In recent years, the level of officer support from The City of Edinburgh Council has increased to include support for the board’s best value agenda. This involves professional policy advice and analytical support and, in total, equates to about one full-time officer. Members recognise and welcome the added value from this support but offered different views on whether it was sufficient. This suggests a need for further discussion at the board so it can satisfy itself that the level of support is of the right type, amount and quality. The discussion should take place in the context of the board’s improvement plans, the need to strengthen scrutiny and against the backdrop of reducing budgets.
39. The remit of the Audit Committee, which is chaired by a board member from a political party different from that of the board convener, was expanded in November 2010 to include a scrutiny function and to take on some responsibilities of the Policy and Best Value Working Group. While members support the ability of the Working Group to scrutinise more sensitive areas of police policy and activity, the respective roles of the Committee and Group are unclear. There is also a risk that the new expanded role of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee may mean that it does not have sufficient time available to cover fully its two distinct functions of audit and scrutiny.
40. Faced with reducing budgets and increasing demands and, more recently, the likelihood of restructuring of police services nationally, it is important that the board provides effective oversight and challenge of the force’s change and improvement agenda. Exhibit 4 sets out the specific scrutiny areas currently covered by board members. A ‘champion’ member approach was introduced in 2007 in which board members were given individual responsibility for overseeing specific aspects of the force’s activities, ranging from specific operational divisions through to corporate areas such as finance. 
41. This has worked well in some cases and has equipped members with knowledge and understanding of these aspects and has helped to develop constructive working relationships. However, the effectiveness of the approach varies. Some areas, such as finance, currently have no members allocated to them. Some members reported that they were unsure of what was expected of them in these roles, including the arrangements for drawing issues arising to the attention of the board. In some cases, members informed us that they did not consider the ‘champion’ areas as a priority compared with other aspects of their work.
42. A similar lead member approach was taken in relation to the force’s TTS strategic change programme. While this aspect of the lead member role has improved members’ understanding of the force’s change plans, it has not translated into consistent and stronger scrutiny at board and committee meetings. As a member of the programme board, the convener has the opportunity to challenge the force’s plans and progress. Reports are also made by the chief constable to board meetings. However, board scrutiny of TTS needs to be stronger.
43. Overall, to ensure more consistent and stronger scrutiny, members need to build greater confidence in this aspect of the role through better training and a clearer understanding of what is required of them. In particular, the board needs to strengthen its approach to scrutiny of force performance and the force’s improvement activities. The next phase of TTS provides an opportunity for the board to build on its arrangements and to ensure they are clear, effective and practicable and take account of the time which members have available.
44. The Complaints Sub-Committee provides good oversight of complaints or allegations about the conduct of police officers. It meets regularly, and every second meeting includes a ‘dip sampling’ process, in which the committee reviews a number of randomly selected closed complaint files. This allows members to gain a good level of assurance about the rigour and effectiveness of the force’s complaint handling. 
Lothian and Borders Police
The force maintains an effective working relationship with the police board and responds positively to scrutiny and challenge. The force is developing its approach to continuous improvement through its strategic change programme, TTS. The force communicates decision-making in an open and transparent way across the organisation. The force has a systematic approach to managing risk, but internal governance structures need to be implemented to support the force.
45. The force demonstrates a commitment to Best Value, including the use of self-assessment and the production of a Best Value improvement plan. The Best Value framework has been adopted as the agenda structure at executive and board level meetings which are often attended and supported by the convener. The force also benefits from non-executive support and lay advisers both of whom add value to the governance of the force by way of external assurance, guidance and wider experience and perspectives. Relationships with the police board, lay advisers and non-executive directors are appropriate, challenging and valued by the force.
46. The principles of continuous improvement, efficiency and effectiveness are well embedded in the TTS programme and are a central consideration in each of the programme workstreams. TTS includes the convener and vice-conveners as members of the Governance Board. In addition, a member of the force Executive leads on each strand of the programme, ensuring there is strong oversight of the work and responsibility at executive and board level. In addition to these clear lines of accountability, the TTS communication strategy stands out as an example of how change and decision-making can be communicated in an open, transparent and inclusive way across a large geographic area and through multiple media. 
47. The force devolves a great deal of responsibility and decision-making to divisions which have traditionally been managed as autonomous strategic business units. TTS has involved a more centralised and cross-cutting approach which, while it has diluted the autonomy of individual divisions, has enabled the force to address the immediate financial challenges it faced in 2010/11. The extent to which TTS will enable the force to meet medium-term financial challenges and to maintain service levels through structural change is to be fully reviewed by the force. However, in the short term, the force has proactively positioned itself to deal with any future decision on policing structures in Scotland, by making necessary reductions to the workforce and changes to the way  it operates.
48. The force has a systematic approach to managing risk, but recognises there is room for improvement. Internal governance structures are currently being revised and centralised into a new review and coordination function entitled Business Assurance. The intended function of Business Assurance is to work with, and provide support to, senior management teams and to report on issues of compliance, audit, inspection and efficiency and effectiveness. In the context of the prevailing leadership ethos of autonomy and devolved responsibility, how the relationship between the Business Assurance section and the divisions will be managed is unclear at this time. 
49. The force shows some good progress in developing the scrutiny, management and handling of complaints against police.2 The deputy chief constable leads on behalf of the chief constable in answering detailed questions from the police board in relation to complaints and conduct matters. The Professional Standards Department has implemented new practices that have cut bureaucracy, reduced investigation times and improved the resolution of issues for members of the public more speedily. Within the management of complaints there is informal identification and dissemination of good practice and learning. There is an opportunity here to formalise the management of organisational learning as a means to furthering continuous improvement across the force. 
Community engagement
Lothian and Borders Police Board
Board members have a good understanding of policing matters and priorities in their local areas. There is scope for the board to share the learning from existing good practice across the board area. 
50. Board members demonstrate a good understanding of policing-related issues in their area and what local people most expect from the police. There is also evidence of strong working relationships between board members and their local commanders and other local senior and frontline police officers. There is scope for the board to make more effective use of feedback from community engagement to inform its contribution to strategy development and its scrutiny of force performance. Currently this type of activity is limited to reporting the force’s formal customer survey at a force-wide level. 
51. The board recognises the need to develop its role in overseeing the force’s community engagement activities. There is an outstanding (and overdue) commitment in its Best Value improvement plan for the board to examine more closely how community engagement and partnership working is used by the force to improve its targeting of resources and deliver better outcomes. This is particularly important in view of the wide variation in approaches employed by the force in its territorial divisions and the opportunity this offers to share the learning from innovative and effective community engagement. 
Lothian and Borders Police
Community engagement is an area of strength for Lothian and Borders Police. The force approach to community policing is widely regarded and supported by key stakeholders and partners. The force operates a comprehensive community policing model and engagement strategy, tailored to the particular needs of each local authority area. 
52. The inspection team consistently found evidence of excellent working relationships between local command teams, neighbourhood policing teams and local authority partners. The  force has a comprehensive community policing model and engagement strategy, tailored to the particular needs of each local authority area. In 2010, the force launched its Community Commitment initiative to improve public consultation and engagement in setting local policing priorities. There is clear evidence of community planning structures and processes improving with a greater focus on listening to local communities, for example through citizen panels, when shaping and delivering against single outcome agreements (SOAs).
53. Local authority chief executives and councillors unanimously support the force’s approach and are keen to continue funding community officers because of the tangible benefits to entire communities in terms of reduced crime and disorder. Similarly, the force has maintained its commitment to community policing despite budgetary constraint elsewhere and this remains a high priority area for this force. There remains a risk to this commitment across the force, with potential consequences to the success of community policing in Lothian and Borders, should either local authority or police budgets be reduced further and the force should plan contingencies to help mitigate against any such eventuality. 
54. There is a strategic challenge in managing community policing within a highly autonomous and devolved police structure. The force has made significant investment in understanding the needs of different communities through engagement and analysis as evident in the production of detailed ward and community profiles. How the local delivery of community policing is connected to the strategic management of performance is less clear. The force is actively reviewing how it will manage the delivery of community policing priorities at force, divisional and neighbourhood levels. In general, police involvement in community planning arrangements, including the design and delivery of SOAs, were found to be of a high standard, with strong local authority involvement at tactical and practitioner level. In some instances SOA targets could be more challenging and locally focused. 
55. The force employs a range of methods to inform the community about its services and performance. Accessibility to information has recently been much improved by the implementation of a new website. The website allows members of the public to identify their local community policing teams and to obtain crime information relevant to their communities through a postcode search facility.
Partnership working and community leadership
Lothian and Borders Police Board
The board acknowledges the need to develop further its approach to partnership working. It needs to develop further its links with local partnerships, ensure greater consistency in its participation in partnerships and improve its oversight and scrutiny of force partnership working.
56. The board recognises the need to strengthen its approach to partnership working, and is taking steps to develop its links with local community planning partnerships (CPPs) and constituent councils. This includes considering reports on community planning activity in specific council areas and meetings involving the convener, the chief constable, community planning partnerships and council leaders. The board also produces newsletters for use by board members to support members’ on-going dialogue with their local CPPs. 
57. However, there is scope to develop these arrangements. In particular, the board does not consider performance information on relevant aspects of CPPs’ SOAs or local community safety strategies. There is also limited evidence of the board critically examining and learning from different approaches to partnership working across the five constituent community planning partnership areas. In view of the force’s drive for flexibility in local partnership working to meet local needs, the board also needs to ensure better oversight of the force’s activities and ensure that good practice is shared across its area.
58. Links between the board and local community planning and community safety structures are inconsistent. The board is taking steps to review, strengthen and develop its approach and arrangements. A coordinated and systematic approach offers the potential for more effective community safety partnership working which would further enhance board members’ understanding of the policing needs and response in local communities.
Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian and Borders Police works effectively with a range of strategic and tactical partners with a view to enhancing community well-being. The force actively collaborates with other partners to achieve efficiencies and improved outcomes. There are some examples of good practice in this area, with some room to improve further the sharing of information and good practice among partners. 
59. Within the force leadership ethos, partnership working is key to delivering community well-being. At a strategic level Edinburgh Lothian Borders Executive Group (ELBEG), comprising the chief executives of each of the local authorities, meets to provide collective leadership across the policing area. 
60. The inspection team found evidence of excellent and effective partnership working across the force, but also some weaknesses. The most successful partnerships were characterised by strong relationships between police and partners, good information-sharing arrangements, dedicated analytical support and a clear impact on crime and disorder. Exhibit 5 shows a good example in the Midlothian Community Safety Team. Other partnerships were found to be less effective. There were a number of instances where partnership working was hampered because of a lack of analyst support or from access to partner information. Senior police managers articulated how some partnerships would benefit from better information sharing and use of analytical assets.
61. The Delphinus Group and Operation Focus were both highlighted in the Scottish Police Awards 2010 for excellence in partnership working. Operation Delphinus was commended for being the first partnership of its kind in Scotland to recognise that national security initiatives can be effectively delivered through a multi-agency approach involving key partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Operation Focus was also highly commended for taking a partnership approach to tackle the illegal supply of drugs in West Lothian. A six-month intelligence exercise not only led to 63 people being arrested, but was supported by a sophisticated community reassurance response, involving NHS Lothian, West Lothian Council, West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service and a number of voluntary groups.
62. Also of particular note in Lothian and Borders is Operation Amethyst, delivering a high-quality multi-agency public protection service. Public protection arrangements in force are very good, with a well-informed and joined-up approach to effective multi-agency operations. Amethyst was referred to by managers when citing how other areas of policing might benefit from a multi-agency case conference approach, for example in the management of violent offenders. 
63. It is not clear how the force routinely reviews and evaluates the impact and effectiveness of partnership working. Neither is there clarity about how resources are committed to partnerships to ensure the right skills mix, including access to appropriate analytical skills. The force has the potential to enhance partnership working and build on existing excellence, by strategically managing the resources and performance of partnerships, collaborating further on the sharing and analysing of information and evaluating and disseminating best practice across the partnerships.
Performance management and improvement
Lothian and Borders Police Board
The board’s Best Value improvement plan demonstrates a good self-awareness about what it needs to do to improve and develop. The board receives good-quality information on force performance but gaps exist. The board needs to be more consistent in scrutinising the force’s performance and its progress towards longer-term objectives. 
64. The board’s Best Value improvement plan sets out what it needs to do to improve and develop. The plan was adopted in August 2010, based on a self-assessment exercise carried out earlier that year. It provides a focus for improvement and development and has helped to support an increase in the pace of change. 
65. The plan (summarised in Exhibit 6, overleaf) demonstrates good self-awareness but there is scope for clearer objectives, targets and timescales. The plan is nearing the end of its term. Most of its objectives have been achieved and action is planned in other areas. The board now needs to consider what it needs to do to maintain momentum, in the context of likely changes in policing structures in Scotland. One comprehensive action plan covering all areas of development and including improvement points from this audit and inspection will help maintain focus and direction.
66. The quality of performance information presented by the force to the board is good but there is scope to develop this further. Current information is based on indicators from the Scottish Policing Performance Framework (SPPF). The board considers a ‘dashboard’ of selected key performance information and an accompanying summary report, while the Audit and Scrutiny Committee considers a more detailed report. However, there are some gaps which, if filled, would give the board a fuller overall picture of performance and better support performance scrutiny. For example:
•	there may be scope for a more systematic, comparative performance analysis to compare and contrast force performance over time. There may be opportunities further to extend this approach to compare and contrast with other police forces
•	customer opinion information is considered on a formal basis by the board only at force level, without a breakdown of information on a divisional basis
•	there is limited cost-related information. The Best Value improvement plan includes a commitment to explore the police objective analysis model of information reporting, which supports consistent recording and analysis of expenditure.
67. Board members question and challenge senior police officers on the information provided by the force. They are supported in this by briefings and analysis provided by The City of Edinburgh Council support officers. However, in some cases, the level of debate and detailed questioning is inconsistent and can often focus on specific observations from individual members about performance in their divisional areas, rather than force performance overall. Some members’ lack of clarity about the respective roles of the full board, its committees and working groups also contributes to inconsistency in scrutiny. Some members can be unclear about what is appropriate to raise in each forum and can lack confidence to contribute. Debate and detailed questioning can also be limited by the amount of business to be covered at board meetings. 
68. The vision for policing adopted by the board and force centres on community well-being through prevention and protection and involves outcomes which are by their nature longer term. The board needs to ensure its scrutiny activity focuses on both the force’s progress towards those long-term objectives and the force’s current performance in delivering police services, including the force’s performance in improving user satisfaction and crime detection rates and reducing crimes of violence.
Lothian and Borders Police
The force provides balanced performance and improvement reports to the board. The force performance management framework is being developed to demonstrate a clearer focus on prevention outcomes and to support the creation of community well-being through partnership working. Currently there are gaps in the way performance is managed at force, division and neighbourhood levels. The force recognises the need to develop a comprehensive performance management system that better integrates service planning and delivery of its policing philosophy and intended strategic outcomes. 
69. The force performance management framework, the Performance Activity Monitoring (PAM) process, was originally designed to manage strategic and tactical performance. The Strategic PAM meetings were held every three or six months and were forward looking, with the aim of identifying future challenges and needs for each division. The Tactical PAM dealt with individual divisional performance, how tactical plans and initiatives were progressing and how the Executive could better support the division.
70. The PAM process was regarded by many managers as ‘passive’, not driving local activity and containing gaps, for example the absence of effective performance metrics relating to specialist divisions.
71. During the inspection period the PAM process was subject to an internal review by the force. Senior managers commented that a new approach needs to reflect what the force is seeking to deliver at neighbourhood, partnership, divisional, force and national levels. Although responsibility for community priorities clearly sits with divisional commanders, there is room to improve the link between performance management and intelligence at all levels of the force. 
72. There is a general desire across the force to become more focused on outcomes in any new performance management framework. The force has developed a strong sense of outcomes and what success looks like in terms of prevention, safety, security and reassurance. It now needs to develop internal systems that better reflect, support and drive activity to deliver the strategic intent and thus to better demonstrate improved outcomes. 
73. In the meantime, the force continues to provide balanced performance and improvement reports to the board. Moreover, senior management teams engage positively with local authority partners in the performance management of SOAs at the local level. 
Use of resources
Lothian and Borders Police Board
The board has good arrangements for overseeing force finances but scrutiny of other aspects of strategic resource management such as property assets and human resources, is underdeveloped.
74. The board’s arrangements for oversight of force financial planning are effective. It approved a three-year budget in January 2011, through a process involving council leaders, council heads of finance and board members. Further improvement and development of the board’s role in overseeing the force’s finances will need to take account of the force’s proposals under the next phase of TTS or its successor.
75. The board approved the force’s corporate asset management plan in June 2010, and considered an update report in June 2011. This is an important area of activity for the force as it considers further service improvements and savings. The board needs to be more aware of the force’s estate strategy and provide stronger scrutiny and challenge of the potential impact on its communities and on policing services.
76. The board has an Appointment and Remuneration Committee which appoints and selects chief police officers and agrees levels of increments and bonuses for senior officers. However, its oversight of wider force people management issues is limited. In June 2011, the board noted its interest in the force’s human resource strategy 2011–14. This sits alongside the TTS programme, but in common with other aspects of that programme, the role of the board in shaping the strategy is unclear. In view of the impact of TTS on the shape of the workforce, and the implications of this on operations, it is important that the board provides stronger scrutiny and challenge.
77. The board’s external auditors review the governance arrangements and main financial systems. Their overall conclusion was that the board has adequate systems of internal control in its oversight of force resources. The auditors state that a number of actions to improve systems are being implemented by managers in the force. For example, consideration is being given to providing more information to members on project phasing and potential slippage in the capital investment programme. Steps are also being taken to develop a comprehensive fixed asset register. 
Lothian and Borders Police
Through TTS the force continues to identify opportunities to reduce cost and improve effectiveness. The force has maintained police officer numbers and reduced police staff and needs to continue to manage these competing challenges to achieve a balanced workforce and a clearer link between priorities and resources.
78. Under the Scottish Government’s Efficient Government Programme, Lothian and Borders Police was required between 2008/09 and 2010/11, to achieve cash-releasing efficiency savings of six per cent of the 2007/08 budget. Savings were retained by the force and reinvested. Exhibit 7 highlights the force’s performance over the last three financial years. The target in 2010/11 was met, partly through the efficiency savings programme and latterly by the TTS programme which delivered a further £1.75 million savings in the financial period. 
79. The reduction in the force’s  budget for 2011/12 incorporated a 2.6 per cent reduction in Government Grant and a 3.1 per cent reduction in council requisitions. The overall net reduction of 2.8 per cent will be met from 107 members of staff who successfully applied for voluntary redundancy, reduced overtime, reduced running costs, savings delivered in staff terms and conditions and the release of £1.8 million from reserves. As the voluntary redundancy programme take effect, together with the range of efficiencies and improvements identified, the 2011/12 financial position will need to be closely monitored to ensure delivery with a minimal impact on service. 
80. TTS was set up to identify and deliver value in terms of efficiencies and effectiveness and to that extent can demonstrate some success. The introduction of the Major Incident Team is a good example of the force’s planning to make significant savings and producing the potential for greater capacity and capability in the management of serious crime. The force is planning to cope with current levels of demand with 65 fewer staff. This includes the absorption of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), introduced to deal with serious and organised crime in Edinburgh, and now centralised within the Crime Division to cover Edinburgh and across the rest of the force. The extent to which that aspiration is achieved should be fully evaluated in due course, as should the impact in terms of cost and effectiveness in coping with crime in the Edinburgh Division with fewer CID resources.
81. The TTS ‘Responding to Demand’ stream is a good example of the force looking for more effective ways of working. Focusing on the management of the force Communications Centre, the force identified a number of critical areas for improvement. These include developing an appointment system to deal with the majority of non-urgent calls; a proportionate enquiry policy to reduce unnecessary work, including the removal of the need for enquiries following damage only accidents; improved use of airwave technology; and low-level crimes being recorded and finalised at the time of reporting.
82. TTS has proved to be a robust and effective change methodology, including managing the personal impact on staff and morale. People plans and a highly effective communication strategy went some way to including and preparing the workforce for some very difficult decisions around reducing posts and staff numbers. Overall, the voluntary redundancy process was managed well with union and staff association involvement at all stages of the process. As the impact of the TTS change programme takes effect in 2011/12 the force will need to continue to manage the competing challenges of a reducing budget, reduced police staff numbers and maintaining police officer numbers, towards achieving a balanced workforce.
83. Prior to TTS, the force conducted a programme of evaluations under a Resource Allocation and Deployment Review. During the TTS process, a more centralised Resource Oversight Group has been set up to manage staff reductions and redeployments. However, the link between priorities and resource allocation in the force remains unclear. This is a complex area and there is a need to ensure a link between the TTS work and the historic basis for resource allocation in Lothian and Borders Police. The force should seek to ensure a comprehensive oversight and collective understanding as to how resources and demand are matched across the organisation and to strategic priorities. 
84. Senior managers commented that current division resource levels are based on historic convention rather than need. The inspection team noted that one of the principal priorities in the force HR strategy for 2011/12 is ‘To support the reallocation of resources across the force based on demand and priority, in accordance with the specific requirements in terms of achieving the force strategic objectives and priorities.’
85. The force is investing in a Quad Force Project involving Central Scotland Police, Fife Constabulary, Tayside Police and Lothian and Borders Police, which is exploring ways of collaborating and sharing operational and support services. The working party is chaired by the deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police and the force is taking the lead in developing cross-force collaboration on firearms and roads policing. The aim is to secure efficiencies through better deployment of police and police staff across the four forces, as well as cashable savings. The force believes this work is complementary to moving towards any new structure for policing in Scotland.
86. Lothian and Borders Police currently has the lowest ratio of special constables to regular constables in Scotland. This is equivalent to one special for 17 constables (ie,177 special constables), compared to the national average of one special to 11 officers (equivalent to 272 special constables for Lothian and Borders). Within Lothian and Borders Police the generic default role of a special constable is to align to a response team for an area. From research it was found that other Scottish forces utilise special constables in a different manner, utilising their local knowledge and life skills as an effective and efficient alternative deployment of their special constables. A working group has been set up to look at the role of special constables. The role profile of special constables has been changed and standard operating procedures introduced to improve the deployment of officers to response and community incidents. An evaluation of this is work-in-progress will be provided to the police board in January 2012.
87. Since 2004, the force has had sight of five reviews and two scrutiny reports addressing consistent issues relating to its analysts. The latest report under TTS presents the force with the opportunity to rationalise supervisory structures for analysts, benefit from interoperability and to improve further the overall intelligence effort. 
Equalities
Lothian and Borders Police Board
The board is taking action to improve its engagement in equalities issues, but has not yet done enough. The Lay Diversity Adviser Scheme is effective, but its effectiveness may be at risk due to demand pressures.
88. The board recognises that there is scope for better strategic oversight of equalities issues. The Best Value improvement plan has a limited number of high-level actions in place to this end, including the requirement on the force to report on its equality activity. The board is also committed to producing an annual strategic report on equalities. However, the board needs to clarify what strategic oversight means in practice. 
89. Currently, both the equalities information considered by the board and member awareness of the board’s equalities responsibilities is limited. Overall, there is scope for increased ownership of the equalities and diversity agenda. This is an example of an area where training and development is needed. 
90. The board has a Lay Diversity Adviser Scheme, which is used by both the board and force. Lay advisers report annually to the board on engagement with diverse communities, and on how the force manages hate crime and critical incidents. In 2010, the board agreed to increase the number of advisers from 12 to 16 to meet increasing workload associated with, for example more demanding professional standards and testing equality impact assessments. 
91. The lay adviser scheme is a useful asset but there are risks that this resource could be overstretched and lose its effectiveness, particularly as it is seen as a resource for both board and force. Work is needed to establish a clear and shared understanding of its role, and how demand for its services will be managed and planned for the future.
Lothian and Borders Police
The force demonstrates strong leadership and good practice in the management of equality and diversity. An outcome approach to the measurement of equality and diversity has recently been adopted, but it is early days in this regard. 
92. Diversity was found to be well embedded in operational policing, with police managers citing the use of equality-impact assessments and engagement with lay advisers as business as usual. The lay adviser role has been extended to include input on policy, practice, critical incidents, scrutiny of hate crime and advice on diversity issues. Lay advisers remain independent and report to the board. They continue to be a valued asset to the force.
93. The force’s senior management demonstrate clear leadership of equality and diversity, gaining national recognition. 
94. The Force Diversity Seminar in 2010 included a cross-section of the force, lay advisers and the board in helping to shape the force’s diversity priorities. The executive are visibly engaged with equalities with the chief constable personally chairing the force Diversity and Equality Strategy Group and the deputy chief constable assuming national lead for Diversity and Equality in Scotland and the force Diversity and Equality Reference Group. Each division has a diversity champion at superintendent and police staff equivalent. The force has been recognised as the top performing public sector diversity champion in Scotland by Stonewall.
95. The force recently recognised and publicly apologised for a series of failings during a high-profile case. These included a lack of relevant training of the senior investigation team and a failure to take account of individual perceptions that the incident was racially motivated. The force response to the issues arising from the case demonstrates the force’s willingness to challenge itself, to learn and to make improvements to the policing of diverse communities during critical incidents. 
96. The force is moving towards an outcome focused approach to the measurement of equality and diversity together with an updated diversity and equality action plan that reflects the provisions of The Equality Act 2010. The force is currently undertaking internal and external consultation with a view to determining equality priorities and each division has identified diversity outcomes and measures in conjunction with local communities and partners. While it is too early to determine the success of this approach, the force will ensure a corporate overview of equality and diversity is maintained through its strategy and reference groups.
97. Diversity training in the past has been highly regarded within the force, but now that some officers last received their training six years ago, there is perhaps a need to revisit and refresh diversity training in the force, incorporating recent changes in legislation, good practice and organisational learning. The force has recognised the gap and the deputy chief constable is leading a national project team to address the issue.
98. The force has had limited success in recruiting officers from black and minority ethnic groups, although it has better success in recent years in increasing the proportion of female officers. The financial cutbacks, voluntary redundancy programme under TTS and police officer recruitment freeze in 2010 collectively had the potential to have a disproportionate impact on female staff members, but the force staff profile has not suffered significantly. However, police staff absence rates have increased slightly and the force should consider closely monitoring and managing the issue as the full impact of change and reform continues to be felt.
Sustainability
Lothian and Borders Police Board
The board does not have a systematic approach to sustainability, but it has recognised that it needs to do so.
99. The board’s consideration of sustainability has been very limited, but the convener has recognised this by requesting information from the force on how to establish sustainable practices across force activities. The chief constable has subsequently set out how the force would develop a more strategic approach to sustainability. This is largely based on environmental sustainability rather than a wider definition encompassing, for example, financial or social sustainability. Nevertheless, increased board involvement in sustainability issues is evident from it considering reports on carbon management and sustainable procurement.
100. There is scope for the board and force working together to think about longer-term aspects of policing in Lothian and Borders. This can be taken forward as the board and force develop a more collaborative approach to strategic planning and priority-setting.
Lothian and Borders Police
There has been good recent progress made in the force developing its approach to sustainability, particularly in relation to carbon management and sustainable procurement.
101. The force has taken steps to promote sustainability policies and practices that demonstrate some evidence of good practice. The force is committed to the UK Climate Change Programme by acting to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases as evidenced by the introduction of energy efficient boilers across the force; the setting up of a contract to purchase renewable energy through the Scottish Government; and the introduction of bio-diesel fuel cars to replace petrol-driven vehicles. 
102. A sustainable travel policy is also in place to reduce unnecessary travel, including the introduction of and use of video-conferencing facilities available at force headquarters. 
103. The force is attempting to rationalise the management of waste by reducing the amount disposed of and, where possible, recycling. This includes a waste segregation scheme introduced at force headquarters and where non-food waste across the force is sent for recycling and food waste is sent for recycling as compost.

2	The inspection team did not examine individual cases, which fall within the remit of the Police Complaints Commissioner Scotland, but have made some general observations about performance in this area. In this regard, a report of an audit of all eight police authorities in Scotland was published by the Commissioner in March 2011: Holding to Account: an audit of police board and authority capabilities.

Part 3. Lothian and Borders Police performance assessment

Performance outcomes
The force continues to demonstrate improved outcomes for its communities with year-on-year reductions in crime and disorder. The force delivered a 7.2 per cent reduction in overall crime in 2010/11. There are some areas for improvement, including an increase in serious crimes of violence and crime detection and service user satisfaction rates which have remained static in Lothian and Borders.
Recorded and detected crime
104. The force performed well against force and national priorities for 2010/11 including Drug and Alcohol Misuse, Terrorism, Antisocial Behaviour, Serious Organised Crime, Public Protection, and Citizen Focus and Reassurance. 
105. Specifically, the force achieved an eight per cent reduction in groups 1 to 4 crime, which is 4,572 fewer crimes. The previous four years has seen the ratio of crimes per 10,000 population fall from 644 in 2007/08 to 531 in 2010/11 (Exhibit 8).
106. In 2010/11, the force detected 33 per cent of all crimes recorded in the groups 1 to 4 crime categories which was no change from the previous year. Force performance in detection of crimes has been generally consistent over recent years. When compared to other Scottish forces, the force has the second lowest detection rate of the eight Scottish forces. In general, forces like Lothian and Borders that include larger city areas face greater challenges in detecting crime. Overall, an eight per cent reduction in group 1-4 crime while maintaining the detection rate is good performance. However, there is still room to improve detections to effect a positive direction of travel within force performance.
107. Crimes of violence (group 1) in 2010/11 increased by 267 crimes from the previous year. This represents a seven per cent increase on the average of the previous three years. As a consequence, the force’s level of violent crime per 10,000 population was the second highest in Scotland, at 21.6 per 10,000 population. The increase in violent crime is not dissimilar to the trend seen in most other Scottish forces. However, within group 1 and 2 crimes there is a concern about the increase in the most serious crimes of violence including a doubling in the number of murders recorded, increases in serious assaults and robberies of 15 per cent and five per cent respectively and an increase in the number of rapes by 32 from the previous year. 
108. The detection rate for crimes of violence went up during 2010/11, from 62 per cent to 67 per cent. While this represents an eight percentage point rise on the previous three-year average recorded by the force, it remains below the Scotland-wide detection rate of 72 per cent. The force’s detection rate for murder alone was 95 per cent.
109. For crimes of indecency (group 2) the force recorded a reduction of 157 crimes on the previous year and a six per cent reduction when compared with the previous three-year average. Its rate of crime per 10,000 population for this category is lower than that for Scotland as a whole, at 11.1 and  12.6 respectively.
110. The detection rate for crimes of indecency was slightly down on the previous year, from 68 per cent to 66 per cent. This is virtually identical to the Scotland-wide detection rate of just under 66 per cent. The 2010/11 detection rate for rape was below that achieved in the previous year, down from 61 per cent to 55 per cent. 
111. There were 1,283 fewer crimes of dishonesty (group 3) in 2010/11 than in the previous year. This three per cent year-on-year reduction is matched by a seven per cent fall on the previous three-year average. The main drivers behind the fall was a drop in thefts by housebreaking (dwelling), which saw 101 fewer crimes recorded in 2010/11, and in thefts and attempted thefts by opening lock-fast place with intent, which was down by 15 per cent over the same period. Fraud, in contrast, rose by 11 per cent, but a change in the national counting rules for fraud may well have had an impact in the number of crimes recorded.
112. The force has been successful in reducing levels of vandalism, fire-raising (group 4), with numbers down by 3,398 crimes. This is a reduction of 26 per cent on the three-year average and brings its rate per population down to 153 per 10,000 population, lower than the 158.7 for Scotland as a whole. Contributing to this overall reduction is a 19 per cent year-on-year fall in vandalism, which is equivalent to 3,066 fewer vandalisms. 
113. The overall detection rate for group 4 crimes fell in 2010/11 by 2.6 percentage points, from  25 per cent in 2009/10 to 22 per cent. This is lower than both the force’s previous three-year average detection rate of 25 per cent and the Scotland-wide detection rate of 25 per cent. The force’s detection rate for vandalism alone fell from 24 per cent in 2009/10 to 21 per cent in 2010/11.
114. Group 5 crimes include drugs and other crimes, a large proportion of which come to the attention of forces through proactive policing methods. This year the force saw a reduction in these crimes, from 10,422 in 2009/10 to 10,298. However, the method for recording these crimes was changed nationally in September 2010 and this may provide some explanation for the decrease in the number of crimes recorded. At 109.7 crimes the force’s rate per 10,000 population is lower than the 130.1 for Scotland as a whole.
115. The force experienced a fairly sizeable reduction in miscellaneous offences (group 6), with numbers in 2010/11 down 15.2 per cent on the force’s previous three-year average and equivalent to 2,489 fewer offences. 
116. This year also saw a reduction in group 7 road traffic offences of almost 10,000, from 62,350 in 2009/10 to 52,083. 
Violence
117. The force saw violent crime rise by 15 per cent between 2009/10 and 2010/11. The rise was driven by increases in murder, attempted murder, serious assault, robbery and threats and extortion. While we acknowledge a corresponding improvement in the detection rate – from 62 per cent to 67 per cent – such an increase in violent crime nevertheless poses a challenge to the force and is in contrast to the reductions or minor increases exhibited by the other forces in Scotland. The aggregate figure for Scotland as a whole shows an increase of 217 violent crimes, whereas Lothian and Borders Police alone shows an increase of 267 crimes.
118. This increase in violent crime was found in almost all of the force’s divisions, each of which was taking action to tackle the problem through divisional tactical tasking and coordinating meetings. We also found some good examples of partnership initiatives, such as the Edinburgh Violence Reduction Project, although we were concerned that the recent loss of an analyst post for this project may have a negative impact on its ability in the long term to identify trends and solutions. While there is a violence reduction strategy in place and evidence of action by divisions to address the increase in violent crime, there is some concern around the absence of a coordinated, force-wide approach to tackling violent crime. For example, the force might benefit from corporate level management of violent offenders.
Antisocial behaviour
119. The force identified antisocial behaviour as one of its priorities in 2010/11, supported by its overarching strategic commitment of ‘Creating Community Well-being’. In 2010/11, it recorded 9,237 antisocial behaviour community crimes and offences, which represented a reduction of 24 per cent on the previous year compared to a Scotland-wide decrease of 19 per cent over the same time period. The force attained a detection rate for this category of 91 per cent, which was slightly down on the previous year but remained slightly higher than the Scotland-wide detection rate of 89.9 per cent.
120. The force recorded 58 fewer racist incidents and 41 fewer racially motivated crimes and offences in 2010/11. This was a greater reduction than found across Scotland. The force detected 62.3 per cent of racist crimes which was down from 68 per cent in the previous year. This was lower than the Scotland-wide detection rate of 66 per cent.
Service user satisfaction
121. The force has placed community well-being at the heart of its policing philosophy and has promoted a commitment to working with local communities and delivering a citizen-focused policing service. The satisfaction with this is found in public satisfaction surveys carried out by all forces and reported via the Scottish Policing Performance Framework. Due to differences in survey methodology, comparisons between forces have to be treated with caution. However, while differing survey standards preclude the opportunity for any valid comparison, the force should continue to make efforts to continuously improve in this important area of performance. 
122. Exhibit 10 shows the levels of user satisfaction with the overall way Lothian and Borders Police dealt with matters between 2007/08 and 2010/11. The figures indicate that the force’s performance has declined or remained static over this time. The 2010/11 overall satisfaction figure for Lothian and Borders Police is 75 per cent.
Call handling
123. Performance on call handling has been consistently high for the force when compared to other forces in Scotland. The force’s Communications Centre near Edinburgh has robust processes that have ensured calls from members of the public are answered promptly and dealt with to a high standard. It has in place a detailed performance culture that ensure performance is monitored and measured for the centre as a whole, as well as examining the performance of individual members of staff. 
124. During 2010/11, the force received 656,731 non-emergency calls and 115,602 999 emergency calls. The force’s ratio of 999 calls per 10,000 population was 1,231, higher than the Scotland-wide figure of 1,185 per 10,000 population and the second highest of the eight Scottish police forces.
125. The proportion of 999 calls answered within ten seconds was 96.1 per cent in 2010/11, which was higher than the Scotland-wide statistic of 94.7 per cent (Exhibit 11). Similarly the percentage of calls responded within the force’s target time was 95.6 per cent which was the highest performance of those forces who provided returns.
126. In relation to non-emergency calls, the proportion of these calls answered within 40 seconds was 98 per cent which was significantly higher than the Scotland-wide performance of 90.2 per cent. Again, the force was, by some distance, the highest performing force in Scotland in this category.
127. While the force performed well in relation to call handling, force performance in actually attending the most urgent category of calls was 87 per cent, falling short of the national target of 90 per cent of calls attended with ten minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes for rural areas.
Complaints about the police
128. In 2010/11, the force recorded nine complaints per 10,000 population which is slightly higher than the Scotland-wide figure of 8.2 per 10,000 population. The actual number of complaints received during 2010/11 was down 6.2 per cent compared to the previous year.
129. The number of complaints about quality of service recorded by the force decreased by 32.4 per cent during this year which was 46 fewer complaints than the previous year. This reduction was in line with performance in other forces in Scotland and with the Scotland-wide performance which was 11.9 per cent down on the previous year.
Conclusion
130. Overall, the force is delivering a good level of service to the communities within Lothian and Borders, most notably in a year-by-year reduction in crime and call handling. However, there are areas where performance improvement has not been achieved in recent years, particularly when compared to other Scottish forces where there is evidence of consistent improvement. These include the detection of crime and user-satisfaction levels. 

Part 4. Improvement recommendations

131. Continuous improvement in public services and local governance are central to the Best Value and Community Planning policy framework. In striving to achieve the highest possible standards of service, members of the board must focus on key policy objectives and the needs of service users and communities. This requires a culture where areas in need of improvement are identified and openly discussed and in which service performance is constructively challenged.
132. Lothian and Borders Police Board and Force are aware of the key areas where improvements are needed and are addressing them. The board and force should work together and take shared responsibility in order to deliver Best Value to their local communities. The table below sets out the key areas where the board and the force need to improve.
133. In common with other police authorities and forces, Lothian and Borders Police Board and Force will need to review the recent announcements about planned changes in policing in Scotland and develop plans to ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements, while maintaining service quality and delivering service improvements.

Improvement agenda
Joint improvements
1. In view of the long-term objective of community well-being through crime prevention and protection, the board and the force should work together to develop clear measures against which progress can be assessed and assurance provided to the public and other stakeholders that the strategy is working.
2. The board and force need to review the scope and their use of the Lay Diversity Adviser Scheme to establish a clear and shared understanding of its role. 
Lothian and Borders Police Board
1. The board should review its approach to scrutiny and, in particular, should:
•	develop a more consistent approach to scrutiny of the force’s management of resources
•	provide stronger challenge in relation to the force’s performance and explore how fuller information of performance might better support performance scrutiny
•	provide stronger challenge in relation to the force’s improvement programme
•	improve scrutiny of the force’s progress against its longer-term objective of community well-being.
2. The board should strengthen its arrangements for member training and development. This should focus on building a clearer and consistent understanding across all members of their roles and responsibilities generally, and with the specific aim of improving member confidence in contributing to the development of policing priorities and scrutiny of force performance. Recent improvements to induction arrangements should be tested prior to the local government elections in May 2012.
3. The board should review its approach to equalities and sustainability to ensure further progress in meeting its Best Value responsibilities. 
4. The board should consider and agree how it will maintain focus and direction in its Best Value improvement agenda, in the context of likely changes in policing structures in Scotland. This should include identifying the scope for sharing the learning from existing good practice across the board area.
5. The board should review the level of support it receives from The City of Edinburgh Council and satisfy itself that it is of the right type, amount and quality in the context of the board’s requirements and at a time of decreasing budgets. 
Lothian and Borders Police
1. The force should continue to develop clarity and understanding of the vision, strategy and priorities at all levels of the organisation. 
2. The force should develop performance systems that better reflect the delivery of intended strategic outcomes and clearly demonstrate the link between priorities and resources. 
3. The force should build on existing excellence in partnership working, by collaborating further on the sharing of information and the evaluation and dissemination of best practice across the partnerships.
4. The force should continue to improve its approach to managing equalities and diversity, in particular, to evaluate recent improvements made to the management of critical incidents and diversity training.
5. The force should take further steps to reduce the occurrence of serious crimes of violence and improve crime detection and service user satisfaction.

Appendix 1.
Expectations of police authorities

The Scottish Government has issued two main sources of guidance on the role of elected members and police authorities:
•	Circular 11/2003, Implementing Best Value in the Scottish Police Service, issued in December 2003.
•	Guidance to Members, issued in June 2007.
Taken together, these two documents set out six main areas of activity for police authorities and their members:
•	Police authorities need to pursue Best Value in tandem with chief constables who are responsible for police operations in their force. Members of the police authorities should take joint responsibility for the overarching plan to achieve Best Value and other duties in the force, and work with the chief constable to ensure that it is carried out effectively.
•	Best Value requires elected members and senior managers to develop a vision of how Best Value will contribute to the corporate goals of the authorities, inform the direction of services and be communicated to staff.
•	Police authorities are expected to demonstrate responsiveness to the needs of the public and other stakeholders. Plans, priorities and actions should be informed by an understanding of those needs. Police authorities may make clear publicly how they engage and work with chief constables, delivering and reporting on Best Value. They have a particular role to play in ensuring effective public consultation on aspects of policing.
•	It is a matter for each authority to determine how it fulfils these roles. However, one option might be for the police authorities to contribute to and endorse the chief constable’s annual plan.
•	Members of the police authorities should be able to demonstrate that they are making the best use of public resources and demonstrate an approach to review that is rigorous, robust and covers all aspects of their work.
•	Police authorities need to make sure that the force collects and reports good-quality performance data to them. Police authorities should analyse the data and any accompanying commentary. They may then want to investigate further by asking questions of the chief constable as part of a continuous discussion and review of force performance.