West Yorkshire PEEL 2016

West Yorkshire Police has a good understanding of its current demand along with a developing understanding of its likely future demand. The force has undertaken a comprehensive review of its current demand. It has reviewed hidden demand and identified the demand which has the potential to cause the most risk to the community. It has launched a new force shift system to match resources with demand. The force has also reviewed its ability to protect vulnerable people and has increased its capability and capacity to meet that demand. The force has some innovative projects to reduce demand and get the most out of the productivity of its staff. The force has made a good start and is developing how it predicts its future demand. Working with both police and partner data to map what community and ward profiles will look like in years to come, the force has looked at how, along with its partners, it can influence future demand and improve its services to meet it.

West Yorkshire Police makes good use of its resources to manage current demand. The force has set clear priorities for the delivery of its services, set against the police and crime plan. The force identifies changes in public expectations from survey data, which means it can understand and respond appropriately to expectations from local communities. The force has increased its efficiency through changes it has made, such as the use of mobile data terminals by operational officers and staff so they can remain visible within the community for longer. In addition, the force has reviewed all aspects of the organisation to drive efficiencies through a robust change-management business model. This identifies and tracks the savings made and the efficiency produced, to make best use of the workforce. The force has identified its workforce gaps and has plans in place to tackle those gaps with the recruitment of new police officers and police staff with the right skills to undertake the roles. The force has established working practices in collaboration with other police forces which have delivered considerable savings to the force and is developing collaborations with other partners and blue light services. West Yorkshire Police understands the benefits of change; it has a dedicated change programme team which ensures that change plans are clear about expected benefits and that plans stay on track.

West Yorkshire Police is good at identifying and prioritising areas to invest in for the future. The force has a change programme which considers the priorities for future investment and identifies the business benefits of changes. These are then presented to chief officers and the PCC to consider for approval. The force has made considerable investment in its IT infrastructure and delivery of mobile data technology. This supports its operating model, along with future investments to analyse mobile data to support crime prediction and patrol plans for its staff to improve crime prevention and reduce demand. This means the force can use its investments to reduce crime and keep communities safe. The force benchmarks its plans, consults external companies and undertakes competitive market testing to ensure it has robust financial processes in place. All investment decisions are subject to both internal and external robust scrutiny. The force planning has predicted its resource needs for officers over several years through the force staffing blueprint, and identified gaps are being addressed through considered recruitment. The force has rigorous financial control, which has seen the force underspend for the current financial year. This financial prudency has enabled the force to maintain control over its finances, meet the spending review challenges and plan its investments for future efficiencies.