HMIC Inspection Methodologies
Baseline Assessment Methodologies
On 14 June 2004, HMIC published baseline assessment reports for all 43 English and Welsh forces, offering a high level diagnostic statement.
An Introduction to the Process (2005)
On 27 October 2005, HMIC published baseline assessment reports for all 43 English and Welsh forces, offering a high level diagnostic statement of each force’s relative strengths and weaknesses.
The baseline provides a point against which progresscan be measured and an early warning of performance deterioration. It is designed as a self-assessment process, with the degree of validation/reality checking undertaken by HMIC increasingly dependent on a force’s performance and the rigour of its internal assessment. In other words, better performers with good internal inspection regimes will see less of HMIC.
It is important to recognise that baseline assessment is not an inspection; rather it helps HMIC focus its inspection effort where it is most needed. A formal inspection may still be necessary where there is evidence of systemic under-performance and poor leadership, within the context ofthe Police Reform Act 2002.
For the first time, HMIC used an explicit grading process, with four bands of achievement:
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Excellent
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Good
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Fair and
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Poor
This was the subject of much discussion with ACPO and the APA during 2003 and a mature consensus was reached that, while there is a downside to grading, it is a necessary development that could also deliver significant benefits in driving up police performance. In total, 16 activities were graded and the subsequent analysis identified national themes – for example, strengths in professional standards and the management of critical incidents but weaknesses in call handling and level 2 criminality – and relative force performance.
On Tackling Level 2 Criminality, HMIC is currently in dialogue with NCIS, NCS and ACPO to secure agreement on definition, current status and work to improve performance in this vital area. HMIC recognises that the grading of level 2 criminality in the first set of baseline reports was unsatisfactory, and for this reason the reconfigured reports will not grade this area, pending the completion of the work with NCIS et al. With call handling, there is already work in progress on both the technological aspects of call handling and citizen focus/quality of service issues.
HMIC will begin a thematic review of call handling in October 2004, mapping its contribution into existing strands of work to add value.
