Thames Valley PEEL 2017

Thames Valley Police has an outstanding understanding of demand for its services based on systematic analysis of a wide range of information, including data from partner agencies such as the ambulance and fire and rescue services. The force has used ICT-based demand mapping technology along with staff focus groups to develop a sophisticated understanding of demand in most of its activity. It is committed to understanding demand that may be hidden and is making good use of innovative technologies, such as social networking and its own bespoke demand and vulnerability matrix using police and partnership data, to identify and deal with hidden demand. We found that the importance of identifying and dealing with hidden demand was understood by officers and staff at all levels.

The force has strong governance processes in place to ensure that it is efficient. It takes steps to prevent demand being suppressed and staff in the control room provide a prompt service to members of the public who contact the police by phone. The grading and response to incidents is well supervised. The force should continue to monitor the implementation of the new operating model to make sure that its understanding of demand remains up-to-date. It has robust processes to ensure that it tracks and realises the benefits from change.

The leadership of the force is committed to seeking out ideas and receiving feedback from the workforce. However, not everyone we spoke with felt their views would be valued so the force should ensure that it continues to involve all personnel in the changes it makes.

Thames Valley Police is outstanding in how well it uses its resources. The force understands the current skills of its workforce and leaders, and what it will need in the future. The personal development review process is used well and the force maintains one overall database that details the skills of each member of the workforce. The force also conducted an operational skills audit to ensure the workforce has the right skills to operate within the new policing model. It develops the skills of its own personnel to meet its needs, but recognises that it needs to recruit externally for certain specialist skills, such as IT and tackling cyber-crime.

The force takes a systematic approach to how it prioritises its activities and uses resources that is based on the chief constable’s annual delivery plan. The plan is in line with the PCC’s priorities and demonstrates how the force has taken local and national needs into account as well as changing public expectations.

Priority-based budgeting and the force’s analysis of demand have given the force an understanding of the costs of each function. We have seen how the force uses that knowledge to shift resources to areas of greater need. We were particularly impressed by the robust approach the force took to assessing the effect of any change programme and return on investment. Each proposal is assessed against the chief constable’s delivery plan and proposed benefits are identified and tracked.

The force is involved in a wide range of collaborative work with other organisations, including other forces, ambulance and fire and rescue services, mental health services, social services and the probation service, to keep the public safe and to work more efficiently. It carefully assesses collaborative opportunities and makes its decisions on a case-by-case basis. Leaders in Thames Valley Police seek out new approaches to working more efficiently. For example, the force used external consultants to support its demand analysis and then purchased the software required and trained its own staff so that it can continue with this work.

Thames Valley Police is good in how it plans for the future. Some elements of its approach are outstanding. The force has a comprehensive understanding of most demand. Its investment in demand analysis software means that it is able to identify and analyse trends in demand and it has a good understanding of most aspects of likely future demand. It has used the PCC’s consultation with the public as well as feedback from partner agencies and its own professional judgment to identify how public expectations are changing, although it could do more to make sure that it gathers a wider range of views. The force is making changes to how the public can contact and exchange information with the force online; this demonstrates how it is investing in IT infrastructure to save money, make better use of technology and provide a service that meets the changing expectations of the public.

The force has good processes in place to develop its leaders and has reshaped its leadership training to incorporate the standards contained in the College of Policing’s competency and values framework. It provides a good range of development opportunities and is leading the national work on the development of apprenticeships within policing, which will help identify more career pathways.

The force has displayed innovation, embracing and investing in technology to provide policing more efficiently and to ensure a better service to the public, such as its creation of a demand and vulnerability module. The force’s plans for the future are sound and built on good planning assumptions. It uses external expertise such as financial and specialist IT consultancies to provide additional challenge, scrutiny and expertise for its saving plans. It continues to invest in its infrastructure, particularly its estate, IT and communications equipment, to help achieve savings and improve its service over the next four years.