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South Wales PEEL 2016

Efficiency

How efficient is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?

Last updated 03/11/2016
Good

South Wales Police has been assessed as good in respect of the efficiency with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. The force has an excellent understanding of demand and places it at the heart of how it operates, plans and works with partners to identify, predict and tackle demand, and how it deploys resources to meet demand. It has systems in place to understand its workforce gaps and capabilities, meaning it can match operational skills to demand in real-time, and for longer term planning and deployment of resources. The force’s investment plans should lead to greater efficiency and service improvement, but the force is currently showing a gap in its budget from 2017/18 onwards.

Os hoffech chi ddarllen hwn trwy’r Gymraeg (PDF document)

South Wales Police has an excellent understanding of its demand in all areas. Demand is at the heart of the force’s understanding of how it operates, how it plans and how it deploys. Senior officers understand their demand data and the effect that the different types of demand (e.g. internal, hidden, proactive) have on the force, its partners and the public.

The force is beginning to use its data to understand trends and to send officers in advance to meet anticipated demand. It works well with partners at a senior level to ensure collective responsibility for demand, and that misdirected demand is understood and avoided. The force uses its resources effectively to manage current demand and uses its understanding of demand to allocate resources accurately. It has systems in place to understand its workforce gaps and capabilities, which means that operational skills can be matched in real-time to demand and allows longer term planning and deployment of resources. The force also reviews the effect changes have on the service it provides.

The force has developed strong collaborations with other forces, private industry and local communities to deal with demand more efficiently. It is planning actively for demand in the future and takes account of public satisfaction in these plans. The force is planning to work with private sector partners on the proactive policing pilot to predict future demand in a more comprehensive and accurate way.

The force’s investment plans should lead to greater efficiency and service improvement. However, the force reports that by 2019/20 it potentially faces a budget gap of £10.2m for revenue and £17m for capital with low or no contingency and £9m general reserves.

Questions for Efficiency

1

How well does the force understand the current and likely future demand?

Outstanding

South Wales Police has an excellent understanding of current demand and a good developing picture of likely future demand. The force’s understanding of current demand is based on strong, real-time data, which includes data on internal, hidden and proactive demand. It is now beginning to use its data to understand trends and deploy resources in advance to meet anticipated demand. The force works well with partners at a senior level to ensure joint responsibility for making efficiencies, meeting demand, and understanding and avoiding misdirected demand. The force is looking to predict future demand in a more comprehensive and accurate way by working with the private sector on an important project called the proactive policing pilot.

2

How well does the force use its resources to manage current demand?

Good

South Wales Police uses its resources effectively to manage current demand and also uses its detailed understanding of demand to allocate resources. The force has systems in place to understand its workforce gaps and capabilities. It uses these to match operational skills in real-time to demand, and for longer term planning and deployment of resources. The force has developed effective collaborations with other forces and the private sector to deal with demand more efficiently. It has processes in place to ensure it reviews the impact of change on the service it provides.

3

How well is the force planning for demand in the future?

Good

South Wales Police is planning for future demand. It has prioritised areas to invest in and, in the case of IT, has investment plans that aim to achieve greater efficiency and service improvement. By 2019/20, the force faces a budget gap of £10.2m for revenue and £17m for capital with low or no contingency or capital reserves. It will need to continue focusing on value for money over the next four years to ensure it meets its budget requirement and maintains or improves operational effectiveness.

Areas for improvement

  • South Wales Police should ensure that workforce planning covers all areas of policing and that there is a clear rationale, based on evidence, to re-organise staff to meet current and likely future demand.