Target to Recruit 20,000 Police Officers Too Low

Officials from the Home Office, College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) have said the target to recruit 20,000 police officers is too low because the figure does not take into account current officers who will be retiring or will leave the service in the same time period. Instead, they say the target should be closer to 50,000.

In addition to the target not being high enough, current figures suggest that only one in ten candidates who apply to join the police are successful, meaning to reach the target of 50,000 officers, nearly 500,000 people would need to apply.

Source: BBC News

Statistical reporting on progress with the recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales

The Home Office has published an explanatory note to clarify the starting figure for which the recruitment of an additional 20,000 officers will be measured against. Also it is looking to publish regular official statistics on progress in the recruitment campaign. Planned releases will provide information on the recruitment process and will include force level breakdowns.

The information note can be read in full here.

Source: Gov.uk

Deloitte Policing 4.0 – How 20,000 officers can transform UK policing

Deloitte have published a report which considers how the announcement of a target to recruit 20,000 officers can transform UK policing.

The research presented in the report was compiled through conducting interviews, workshops, data/statistics reviews and a literature review.

The report can be read in full here.

Source: Deloitte

Stop and Search ‘Section 60’ pilot: Equality Impact Assessments

The Home Office has published the Stop and Search ‘Section 60’ pilot: Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs). The EIAs gives the context, objectives and adverse impact mitigation of the relaxation of the Section 60 Stop and Search Powers, compared to current powers.

The purpose of the EIA is to assess the potential impact of proposed changes to S60 powers on people with protected characteristics. These proposed changes entail reducing the required level of certainty that an incident will occur from ‘will take place’ to ‘may take place’ and, lowering the rank of an authorising officer from superintendent or above to ‘senior officer’. These changes would bring the policy in line with the pre-Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme (BUSSS) legislation.

The EIA states that if s60 powers were relaxed, there is an increased risk of magnifying any residual levels of discrimination in the use of this power. However, it also states that there is no evidence to indicate whether disparity rates would increase or decrease.   

The EIA can be read in full here.

Source: Gov.uk

Rape Monitoring Group Dashboard Publication

HMICFRS have published the Rape Monitoring Group (RMG), a multi-agency group in England and Wales, dashboard which contains data from 44 different force areas in England and Wales. The data shows how cases of rape are dealt with at all stages of the criminal justice process.

Key facts include an increase in recording of rape. However there has been a fall in cases continuing to conviction. However, there are a number of factors that could affect these statistics. These include, victims not wanting to take cases forward, advice from the CPS, or a change in the classification of the offence; or a change in the classification of the counting rules.

Source: HMICFRS

Deloitte Tech Trends 2019

Technology can help make government more effective by protecting and maintaining infrastructure, creating more personalised and secure citizen interactions, or automating tasks so workers can focus on more value‑added jobs. As leaders work to reshape their organisations and realise these possibilities, they rely on fresh, relevant insights. This perspective provides a UK Government and Public Services lens on Deloitte’s Technology Trends 2019: Beyond the digital frontier.

We touch on the macro forces at play and how real power emerges when they combine. Finding the jobs new technologies can do is a first‑level challenge. Finding ways to integrate them into a new operational paradigm is the next‑level challenge that’s now unfolding.

Public sector organisations can and do learn from each other. They can draw lessons from their counterparts in the private sector and from other nations. Each organisation is on a path toward greater digital adoption, but they’re at different places on that journey. What do they have in common? A commitment to mission‑driven service. Through real‑world examples and sector‑specific examinations of new technology capabilities, this perspective should help leaders throughout the public sector sharpen their view of how new tools fit into this mandate.

Source: Deloitte

The full report can be found here.

World Economic Forum – Global Risks Report

The Global Risks Report 2019 is published against a backdrop of worrying geopolitical and geo-economic tensions. If unresolved, these tensions will hinder the world’s ability to deal with a growing range of collective challenges, from the mounting evidence of environmental degradation to the increasing disruptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The report presents the results of our latest Global Risks Perception Survey, in which nearly 1,000 decision-makers from the public sector, private sector, academia and civil society assess the risks facing the world. Nine out of 10 respondents expect worsening economic and political confrontations between major powers this year. Over a ten-year horizon, extreme weather and climate-change policy failures are seen as the gravest threats.

This year’s report includes another series of “what-if” Future Shocks that examine quantum computing, weather manipulation, monetary populism, emotionally responsive artificial intelligence and other potential risks. The theme of emotions is also addressed in a chapter on the human causes and effects of global risks; the chapter calls for greater action around rising levels of psychological strain across the world

Source: World Economic Forum

Theft Offences: assessing the impact of the definitive guideline

The Sentencing Council has completed an assessment of the impact of the Theft Offences Definitive Guideline. The guideline, which came into force in February 2016, includes six guidelines for sentencing theft offences:

• general theft
• theft from a shop or stall
• handling stolen goods
• going equipped for theft or burglary
• abstracting electricity
• making off without payment.

The assessment found that there have been changes in sentencing practice since the guideline came into force but for most offences analysed there is no clear-cut evidence that the guideline caused these effects. The Council has decided to continue to monitor the trend over time before deciding on whether or not to revisit the guideline.

Women and the Criminal Justice System 2017

The Ministry of Justice has produced its biennial report on the combined perspective on the typical experience of males and females who come into contact with the Criminal Justice System. 

The report is supported a summary infographic and a number of statistics tables, including representation by sex among victims, suspects, defendants, offenders and practitioners within the CJS. 

Source: GOV.UK

IOPC Findings of Police Handling of Complaints

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) recently issued findings in a report that, despite an overall drop in the number of complaints against the police, the way that such complaints are handled varies wildly between forces with some choosing formal investigations and others using the less formal ‘local resolution’ process.  The IOPC reports these discrepancies as symptoms of an overly complex complaints system and welcomes simplifying changes that are due to come into effect next year, which will include more clarity over the definition and categorisation of allegations.  IOPC also aims to ensure the capture and logging of less serious complaints that are dealt with informally in order to clearly identify complaints at all levels.

Director General Michael Lockwood said that he hopes these changes “promote a culture across policing which is more consistent and transparent” adding that “What’s more important than the overall numbers is how complaints are viewed by the forces themselves.  They offer forces a great opportunity to learn from and address any common concerns that their local communities express.  Done properly, this can be really positive for police and community relations”.