North Wales PEEL 2017

Although the force is good at understanding the importance of treating all the people it serves with fairness and respect, it nevertheless requires improvement in the way that it does this. Leaders have demonstrated a commitment to ensure officers and staff understand the need to work with impartiality, integrity and transparency in the best interests of the public. This message is embedded in the force’s values, through campaigns and training, and in the annual appraisal process, so that the extent of this understanding can be regularly tested and improved upon. Officers and staff understand the importance of good communication skills and how to use coercive powers fairly and respectfully.

However, HMICFRS found that some members of the workforce did not understand unconscious bias, although the need to avoid prejudicial and discriminatory practice was well understood. We also found the force’s IAG is not sufficiently representative of the communities it serves, which limits the effectiveness of its scrutiny. The force has a good understanding of the extent to which it is using coercive powers fairly and respectfully. However, the grounds for the use of stop and search powers are not well understood by all officers who apply them.

North Wales Police is good at ensuring that its workforce behaves ethically and lawfully. The force has strong leadership in relation to ethical decision making and sends clear messages to the workforce to ensure its members understand what is expected of them. The officers and staff we spoke to were positive about the ethical role-modelling by leaders within the force. Members of the workforce are able to raise ethical problems through an established referral system, and leaders are able to demonstrate that staff feel comfortable in using the system. Chief officers publish information relating to their own gifts and hospitality, business interests, pay and rewards. The force has made it easy for members of the public to complain by providing a range of options by which to do so, including via the internet. North Wales Police is good at providing complainants with the information they need to understand how their complaint is being progressed, and provides a satisfactory service throughout the complaints process. However, it needs to ensure that it maintains accurate records of communication with both the complainants and those who are subjects of complaints. HMICFRS found that officers and staff who investigate allegations of discrimination have the knowledge, skill and experience to apply the IPCC guidelines. The force has a good understanding of discrimination, and identifies, responds to and investigates allegations of discrimination well.

North Wales Police is good in the extent to which it treats its workforce fairly and with respect. The force has made good progress since 2015, by promoting more challenge, and by taking a greater interest in the wellbeing of the workforce. HMICFRS is pleased to see that the force’s commitment to existing initiatives like ‘Bend the boss’s ear’ has been maintained, while new initiatives such as ‘My Voice’ have been introduced. HMICFRS is pleased to see that the external counselling service to support staff, a previous area for improvement, has been re-established. North Wales Police clearly makes resolute and determined efforts to manage grievances effectively, to maintain open communication, and to identify opportunities for early resolution. However, HMICFRS considers that the force should be doing much more to attract, retain and promote BAME people within the organisation. HMICFRS is pleased to see the force has introduced a new annual appraisal process, another previous area for improvement, but leaders need to ensure that supervisors understand the new process. The force also needs to ensure that promotion is seen as fair, open and accessible during all stages of the application process. The selection process for vacant roles also needs to be made clearer.