Protective Services Review (PSR) Thematic Report
Get Smart: Planning to Protect
Early in 2008 the Minister for Policing asked HMIC for its view of the overall progress on the programme of work undertaken nationally as to whether forces are succeeding in closing the so called ‘protective service gap’. This involved an evidence-based desk top review of documentation supplied by forces.
The review showed that only half of the 43 forces in England and Wales had sufficiently detailed plans for improvement in major areas of policing, including organised crime and the investigation of complex murders. There was a wide variability in the quality and style of the plans. This means that the Government cannot rely on forces’ own identification of ‘high need’ protective service areas.
However, this deficiency in planning does not necessarily reflect the quality of delivery of these key services on the ground. The definitive answer as to whether the ‘protective services gap’ is being addressed can only be known if the plans have been implemented successfully.
The Police Service needs a clear national ‘planning language’ in critical areas of policing such as protective services, which frequently require a regional or national response. The report recommends focussed intervention in some forces to bring their planning up to standard, with greater collaboration and consistency across the police service as a whole.
Date: Wed Feb 04 10:00:00 GMT 2009
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