Memorandum submitted by Hugh Orde, Chief
Constable, Police Service of Northern Ireland
INTRODUCTION
I would just like to commence by thanking you for
this opportunity to present evidence to the Committee on the functions
and effectiveness of the Northern Ireland Policing Board. As you
will be aware the Policing Board evolved from a principal recommendation
in the Report of the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern
Ireland—Patten Report. Its inception signalled a new beginning
for police accountability within the Province.PROGRESS
TOWARDS DEVELOPING
THE ROLE
OF THE
POLICING BOARD
The primary role of the Policing Board is to ensure
that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) delivers an
effective and efficient policing service, and one that secures
the trust and confidence of the community. The Chief Constable
also shares this aspiration and has no difficulty with the manner
in which the Board holds him to account for the performance of
the service in achieving this standard. In holding the Chief Constable
to account for both his own actions and indeed those of the wider
service, the Policing Board continues to do so in a manner that
does not impinge on, or interfere with, his right to take independent
policing decisions or exercise full operational responsibility
in the provision of an independent and impartial policing service.
To ensure greater accountability and service quality
at a local level, and in accordance with the requirements of the
Police (NI) Act 2000, the Policing Board introduced District Policing
Partnerships (DPPs) in March 2003. These independent bodies based
in Council areas give voice to community views on the service
we provide, as well as performing a useful monitoring role in
assessing local police performance against both local and service-wide
targets and objectives. The senior command team within PSNI continue
to recognise and welcome the benefit of these partnership arrangements
as they not only enable effective accountability and co-operation,
but also appropriately reflect the service's ethos and policing
style that is very much local based and community focussed. Many
local members have suffered substantial intimidation and threat
as a direct result of representing their communities on these
Boards. They deserve great credit for their resilience and determination.
The role of the Policing Board extends well beyond
an accountability function. In addition to holding the service
to account for its efficiency and effectiveness against predetermined
and agreed goals, the Board, is charged with the responsibility
of ensuring that sufficient resources, both human and financial,
are provided to PSNI so that it can deliver the standard of policing
service expected. To date, the Board has generally responded favourably
to the provision of such resources and to this end continues to
engage with the service in a realistic and business-like manner.
The PSNI/NIPB joint Human Resource Strategy should ensure that
there are sufficient resources available to deliver effective
policing, in keeping with the vision and style that the Independent
Report on Policing in Northern Ireland (Patten Report) envisaged.
The shared challenge is to make sure that officers and support
staff are deployed in a manner that best supports the delivery
of a frontline and effective service.
In February 2004 the Board approved the purchase
of a site to accommodate the provision of a new Police Training
College with a projected timescale for completion of Autunm 2007.
The presence of such a modern and fully equipped college will
undoubtedly enhance the quality of training delivered which, in
turn, will enhance the quality of service provided by officers
on the ground.
On a more general note, whilst the Chief Constable
has no reason to doubt that each and every Member of the Policing
Board has an interest in ensuring that PSNI provide an efficient,
equitable and effective service to the entire community within
Northern Ireland, he holds the view that engagements with the
Board could be even more constructive and meaningful if Members
representing political appointees could adopt a less partisan
approach when introducing or discussing matters of mutual interest
or concern. Patten clearly envisaged a police service that was
free from politics, however it is clear that we are still some
way off that position for the time being.
This bias often manifests itself in politically motivated
statements rather than questions being directed at the Chief Constable
and his senior colleagues, and the tendency to focus on political
rather than real or organisational issues. With the absence of
the Assembly and other political institutions, Members belonging
to political parties sometimes use their position within the Board
as an opportunity and platform to publicly promote their own political
aspirations, as opposed to examining and debating issues in an
independent and constructive manner.
It is important that a healthy tension exists between
the Policing Board and the senior command within PSNI, and this
largely reflects the current position. For both organisations
to function effectively it is vitally important that there continues
a sense of engagement rather than disengagement; of cooperation
rather than obstruction and that objectivity is retained in determining
all issues falling within our joint remit. As a greater knowledge,
awareness and understanding of policing has developed within the
Board and its Members, the quality and level of interaction has
increased constantly over time.
There have been a small number of instances where
sensitive information was discussed in either private sessions
with the Board under a clear understanding of confidentiality,
were shortly thereafter divulged to third parties, including members
of the press. Such indiscretions and inappropriate breaches of
trust are detrimental to the relationship. The existence of mutual
trust and confidentiality is paramount. This matter has been solved
by such information now being shared with small groups of the
Board as appropriate.PERFORMANCE
OF THE
POLICING BOARD
IN RESPECT
OF ITS
GENERAL FUNCTIONS
The general functions of the Northern Ireland Policing
Board are as set out in Section 3 of the Police (NI) Act 2000,
and are as follows: (i) To ensure that the police service is
efficient and effective, holding the Chief Constable to account
for all his actions and those of his staff;
The Board assesses the efficiency and effectiveness
of the service, as well as holding the Chief Constable and his
officers to account, through: (a) Public Meetings: The Board
is required to hold at least eight meetings in public in each
year, but in practice held 10 in 2003-04. At the meetings the
Chief Constable provides a report to the Board on key policing
issues and the Board in turn present questions on issues relating
to policing generally or our performance particularly. These meetings
allow the public to see the accountability mechanisms working
and are conducted in an open and transparent manner. Since his
appointment the Chief Constable has attended every one of these
sessions apart from one. (b) Board Committees: In addition
to the Policing Board monthly meetings, the majority of the Board's
work is carried out through seven committees. The committees monitor
the work of the PSNI in detail. Each committee has a particular
portfolio and responsibility as follows: Corporate Policy;Human
Resources;Audit and Best Value;Human Rights and Professional Standards;Finance
and General Purposes;Community Involvement Committee; andPress
and Public Relations.
Some concern exists as to the present structural
arrangements of the various committees, which are modelled more
on that of a local District Council rather than being aligned
to the current operational and departmental structure within PSNI.
It is the view of the Chief Constable that such a realignment
would not only significantly enhance the Board's ability to hold
the service to account, but would also generate clearer lines
of communication and understanding between both organisations.
The absence, for instance, of a committee responsible
for examining issues relating to Crime Operations Department,
or serious or organised crime generally, necessitates debate and
questions, on sometimes very sensitive issues, being aired at
monthly public meetings. Consequently, the service's responses
and ability to actively engage are often limited due to further
exposition being considered inappropriate and untimely. (c)Policing
Plan: The Board is responsible for issuing a Policing Plan for
Northern Ireland. The Plan shows how the PSNI intends to provide
a policing service to the community and one of the Board's key
roles is holding the PSNI to account for performance against the
plan. The Board monitors performance as follows: —Through
quarterly performance reports by the Chief Constable, —Assessment
of reports provided at its monthly meetings in public, —The
work of the Board's committees, —By asking questions
on specific issues, and —Through the work of the
District Policing Partnerships.
In order that matters of mutual interest or concern
receive due attention by both senior command within PSNI and Board
Members, it is vitally important that each body is well represented
when such occasions arise. Unfortunately, this is not always the
case with the Board, on occasions, being significantly under-represented
in contrast to the senior police delegation. (ii) To monitor
police effectiveness in tackling crime;
The Board's Policing Plan referred to at (iii) above
sets out objectives and targets to be achieved by the PSNI and
how the Board monitors performance across all areas, including
our effectiveness in tackling crime. The Board's Annual Review
and Report sets out the Board's assessment of police performance
during the previous financial year and, in respect of crime, the
last report clearly indicated those areas in which the service
exceeded or met targets and those areas where we underperformed.
The Chief Constable continues to welcome such comment and honest
feedback from the Board, who, in his view, meet this particular
responsibility with candour and efficiency.
The Board has consistently demonstrated a keen interest
in the evolution of Crime Operations Department, which is basically
an amalgam of the previous Criminal Investigation Department and
Special Branch. Over the past 12 months Members of the Board have
generated frequent enquiries and received regular updates on the
status of the service's response to critical reports such as Crompton,
Blakely and Stevens. Again this is important as such independent
scrutiny in this difficult area of policing reassures the public.
(iii) To monitor the performance of the police in carrying out
their general duties, in complying with the Human Rights Act 1998
and to assess the effectiveness of the Board's Code of Ethics;
The Human Rights and Professional Standards Committee
within the Board is responsible for monitoring the performance
of PSNI in complying with the Human Rights Act 1998 and for ensuring
that high ethical and professional standards are maintained.
In February 2003 the Policing Board published a new
Code of Ethics for PSNI that sets out the non-negotiable standards
of behaviour expected of members of the PSNI. The Code is based
on the European Convention on Human Rights. Since its publication,
the Board has developed a human rights monitoring framework, as
well as employing two Human Rights Advisers to assist in this
important area of mutual interest. Good progress has been made
in gathering the information required to make an informed and
valid assessment of the service's compliance with the Act. The
Board's first report on compliance with the Human Rights Act will
be published in 2005. An interim report on the Ardoyne Shopfronts
again showed just how accountable and transparent the PSNI is.
The Board's Community Involvement Committee monitors
reports emanating from the Custody Visitor Scheme, which was established
to ensure that the treatment of detainees in police custody is
fully commensurate with the provisions of the Police and Criminal
Evidence (NI) Order 1989, The Human Rights Act and the Code of
Ethics. (iv)To keep itself informed of trends and patterns
in police complaints, recruitment to the police service and the
extent to which membership of the police service is representative
of the community in Northern Ireland;
The Board recognizes the importance of ensuring that
any behaviour falling short of the high professional and ethical
standards expected of officers is dealt with appropriately, and
that any learning is disseminated throughout the service. The
Board examines and analyses internal disciplinary cases, officers
on suspension and compensation claims against the service. To
this end, the Board meets regularly with the Police Ombudsman's
Office and with Internal Investigations Branch within PSNI.
The Board's Human Resources Committee monitors the
work of PSNI's Human Resources Department. The Board monitors
trends and patterns in recruitment and promotes and supports efforts
to secure a more representative police service in Northern Ireland.
The Board recognises that if the PSNI is to be representative
of the community that it serves, a key component is a successful
recruitment programme that achieves the PSNI goal to appoint 540
officers annually on a basis 50% Catholic and 50% non-Catholic.
The Board has monitored the six recruitment competitions run by
PSNI's recruitment agency. The competitions have resulted in over
30,000 applications with almost 36% of applications coming from
Catholics and 37% from females. The Chief Constable shares the
Board's view that the appointment of independent Community Observers
has positively contributed to the integrity and independence of
the process.
In a similar vein, the Board's Human Resources Committee
monitors the progress of the civilian recruitment programme as
part of its overall Human Resources Planning Strategy. (v)
To assess the level ofpublic satisfaction with the performance
of the police and the District Policing Partnerships;
In 2003 the Policing Board carried out the largest
public consultation on policing; 60,000 households across Northern
Ireland, or one in 10 homes, received the Board's survey. In addition
to supporting the Board's work, this survey was designed to help
the District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) identify key issues
of community concern in each council area. The Board commissioned
a second survey in March 2004 which further examined community
perceptions of the performance and efficiency of not only PSNI,
but also of DPPs and the Policing Board itself. In addition to
the public consultation surveys alluded to, the Board canvasses
the opinions of key people within the community concerning the
efficiency and effectiveness of both the police service and the
local District Policing Partnership.
The findings from these surveys and other forms of
consultation help inform the debate when determining policing
priorities and formulating annual policing plans.THE
EFFICIENCY AND
EFFECTIVENESS OF
THE STRUCTURE,
ADMINISTRATION AND
EXPENDITURE OF
THE BOARD,
INCLUDING ITS
PERFORMANCE AGAINST
KEY INDICATORS
AND TARGETS
The Board and its committees are supported by a 60-strong
team of officials under the stewardship of a Chief Executive.
The staffing structure comprises a number of branches each headed
by a Director. The Chief Constable has no reason to question the
efficiency or effectiveness of these arrangements either in terms
of the support each directorate provides to the Board and its
committees, or in terms of the interaction with his own office
in particular or with the service in general. In the 2003-04 financial
year the cost of the Policing Board was £6.4 million of which
£2.4 million related to District Policing Partnership costs.November
2004
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