How the Constabulary Demonstrates Accountability to the Stakeholders Interested in Its Performance - Case Study Example

Performance Management Student’s Name Course: Tutor’s Name: Date: Introduction In contemporary times, organisations in the private and public sectors are faced with the ever increasing expectations from stakeholders, who often demand exceptional delivery of products and services, good return on investment, as well as the upholding of good practice. Notably, government organisations are now more than ever expected to be accountable to the taxpayers, who also double as the service consumers. In a bid to provide the public with exceptional services, government organisations have embraced performance management, which is touted as one of the ideal ways of enhancing their performance and hence validating their continued use of taxpayers’ monies. This essay will evaluate performance management in the Lancashire Constabulary with the view to identifying performance management practices therein. The essay will start by identifying how the Constabulary applies performance management practices. The essay will also review how the Constabulary demonstrates accountability to the national government and other stakeholders interested its performance. Finally, the essay will determine whether indeed the Lancashire Constabulary demonstrates good practice in performance management. The meaning of good practice Although theorists agree that there cannot be a single definition for the term ‘good practice’ in any industry, they also agree that there are trends in performance management, which can constitute good practice (Sharp et al., 2006). Hence, good practice is a generic term that describes a combination of trends, which are perceived by the both internal and external stakeholders of the organisation as desirable, professional and qualitative. Sharp et al. (2006) for example define good practice in public organisations as a combination of active leadership, good data management practices, ownership of the management system and responsibility in handling organisational and cultural change. In the Lancashire Constabulary context, good practice is defined as the combination of clear objectives, an evaluation criterion, an exit strategy, proper resources, and focusing on the community (Lancashire Constabulary, 2001). The Constabulary’s good practice criteria is founded on the belief that good service delivery by the law enforcement officers is only possible if the police department has clear objectives; has a criteria for evaluating if indeed the identified objectives were attained within a set period; whether the police department has an effective exit strategy; and whether the department is able to work closely with the communities it serves (Lancashire Constabulary, 2001). The link between good practice and how the Constabulary applies performance management is undeniable; first, good practice is the benchmark that the constabulary uses to gauge its performance on identified objectives. In 1998 for example, the Constabulary identified Problem Oriented Policing (POP) as the best practice that would help law enforcement officers unearth the main causes of crime, road carnage, and public disorder (Lancashire Constabulary, 2001). Through engaging with the public, the Constabulary aimed to attain sustainable solutions to persisting societal problems that persisted in the law and order sector. Closely related to the public engagement concept was the 2004 Police and Communities Together (PACT) initiative, which was introduced for purposes of enjoining communities and the police together in keeping neighbourhoods and social places safe (Lancashire Constabulary, 2011). The PACT initiative is grounded in the National Intelligence Model (NIM), which is identified as a business process “dependent on a clear framework of analysis of information and intelligence [hence] allowing a problem solving approach to law enforcement and crime prevention techniques” (Home Office, 2005). Performance Management at Lancashire Constabulary To start off the PACT initiative, senior officers at the Constabulary lay the groundwork, which involved the issuance of a “PACT-pack” to every officer involved in the initiative. The pack contained key objectives, milestones and messages of the PACT project. Officers were oriented about the project through intense training, and awareness of the project was created throughout other department in order to create support for the project (Lancashire Constabulary, 2011). Through such activities, the constabulary formalised its engagement with the community, hence enabling the officers’ work with the communities to be recorded and measured in an apparent performance management undertaking. As de Bruijn (2002) notes, performance measurement records are essential if at all an organisation will evaluate its performance management. To enhance the PACT concept, community members were encouraged to know the nominated officers serving in their area. Additionally, the officers would make themselves easily accessible by members of the communities who would want to engage them personally (Lancashire Constabulary, 2011). According to Lee and Pearson(2011), the police departments in England and Wales introduced a clear set of objectives and also started using sophisticated “accounting and review processes” in a bid to run the police force in a business-like manner and hence deliver results to all stakeholders involved (Lee & Pearson, 2011, p. 4). Within the police force, managers and supervisors were appointed and given the responsibility of ensuring that the force was focused on service delivery processes that had earlier been identified as being critical to enhanced performance. According to Lee and Pearson (2011), the Lancashire Constabulary scored impressively in all performance indicators, which include enhanced security, reduced criminal activities, the number of arrests made in relation to crimes committed, decreased anti-social behaviours in communities, and enhanced confidence among communities regarding the police force. Regardless of such impressive performance, Lee and Pearson (2011) indicate that the Lancashire Constabulary was mainly meeting its obligation in relation to performance indicators provided by the government; however, to effectively meet the demands, expectations and needs in the communities that the constabulary served, there was a great need for the performance to go beyond what the government had identified as acceptable police performance (Lee & Pearson, 2011). To enhance its performance therefore, the Constabulary has had to engage with different stakeholders who include the locals, the business community, the local councils, and the Lancashire members of parliament. By engaging with stakeholders, the Constabulary understands their needs and expectations, and is hence able create objectives and priorities in key areas. Noting that performance measurement is essential if an organisation is to determine its effectiveness as pointed out by de Bruijn (2002), the Constabulary is subject to different audits and inspections, which include: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC); internal audits whose reports are published annually; annual external audits; “Police Use of Resources Evaluation” (PURE), which assesses the Constabulary’s ability to manage finances, govern the business and manage resources; “police authority in inspection”; and the “good governance self-assessment survey” (Doherty et al., 2010, p. 11-12). The overall crime rates have significantly decreased over the years hence meaning that the public is now enjoying safer environments in Lancashire than was the case before. Since the introduction of the PACT initiative for example, there was a 34 percent reduction in all crimes from 2004 to 2011. Serious acquisitive crimes also declined by 51 percent in the same period, while criminal damage declined by 50 percent. Anti-social behaviours on the other hand, shrunk by a 35 percent margin (Lee and Pearson, 2011). If the relative crime reduction rates were to be used as one of the measurement tools to determine the effectiveness of performance management in the Lancashire Constabulary, then one would no doubt conclude that the management has been reasonably effective. As Bruijn (2002) observes however, much as a public organisation does its bit to ensure effectiveness, the level of success depends on the service consumer’s willingness to help such an organisation. In the Lancashire Constabulary’s case, the success of performance management is pegged on the organisation, as well as other stakeholders who include the public, the business community, councils and local policy makers (Lee & Pearson, 2011). Lancashire Constabulary’s demonstration of Accountability Accountability is no doubt an essential component of effective performance management. In the Lancashire Constabulary, it was agreed that every officer (form the very senior officers in the management team to PCSOs and CBMs) would be accountable to the communities they served (Lee & Pearson, 2011). As noted elsewhere in this paper, community members were encouraged to know who their nominated officer was, and the nominated officers were in turn required to be easily accessible to members of the public. Such were some of the ways that the Lancashire Constabulary applied to enhance accountability in the force. Financial accountability is also at the core of performance management in Lancashire Constabulary. Taking the PACT initiative as an exemplar, the Constabulary achieved all the milestones involved without additional funding from either the communities involved or the government. According to Lee and Pearson (2011) however, the Constabulary used posters that were funded by a private corporate citizen to a tune of £ 1,000. Another aspect of how the Lancashire Constabulary enhances accountability towards members of the public and other stakeholders can be seen in the monthly neighbourhood meeting it arranges. In the meetings, Lee and Pearson (2011 p. 12) state that residents and community members “meet with their CBM/PCSO at a PACT meeting to identify their policing priorities,” while evaluating progress on earlier priorities. The Constabulary also uses the local press to report the progress made on priority areas, hence ensuring that locals are privy to all activities undertaken by the police on key priority areas. Notably, the use of the media as a reporting mechanism also enhances accountability since it exposes the Constabulary to media criticism as well as public debates instigated through the same media channels. Overall, there are four distinct types of assets that the Constabulary has at its disposal, and with which it has a responsibility of accountability to the public and other stakeholders. These are: Knowledge assets (these include procedural documents, codes of practice, databases and professional knowledge that the constabulary has and uses for service delivery); system assets (these include products that enable officer to collect, record, store, link, analyse and use information); source assets (these are the main resources from which the officers get intelligence related to crimes. They include communities, neighbourhoods and individuals); and people assets (these relate to the officers who need to occupy specific posts and perform specific functions if at all the police force is to deliver good services to the public) (Home Office, 2005). In other words, the Lancashire Constabulary’s accountability does not just end with proving that it used the budgetary allocations well; it also extends to the Constabulary’s use of the knowledge, systems, people, and source assets that it has. To enhance accountability, the Constabulary publishes reports regarding its performance in key areas, audited annual accounts, and “strategies relating to consultation, communication and marketing to ensure that the authority reaches out effectively to the people and communities of Lancashire” (Lancashire Police Authority, 2009). Groups and stakeholders interested in accountability The Lancashire Constabulary identified its main stakeholders as the local people who also serve as the consumers of the services it provides. Apart from being the service consumers, the local people are also interested in the Constabulary’s accountability since it is funded using their taxes (Doherty, Carruthers-Watt & Finnigan, 2010). Other stakeholders interested in the Constabulary’s accountability processes include partner agencies, the business community and the central and local government (Doherty et al., 2010). The latter category consists of members of parliaments representing Lancashire and local councils. In addition to being service recipients, all the identified stakeholders also invest in the constabulary either directly or indirectly (Doherty et al., 2010). Additionally, it is in their interest that the Constabulary becomes accountable and efficient since such assures them of getting superior services. Does the Lancashire Constabulary demonstrate what is meant by good practice? The term ‘good practice’ is extensively used in the different reports authored or published by the Lancashire Constabulary. However, it is worth noting that the reports do not explicitly identify the specific activities they have undertaken, and which qualify to be classified as ‘good practice’. Despite this however, and having defined good practice as a generic term that describes a combination of trends, which are perceived by the both internal and external stakeholders of the organisation as desirable, this essay identifies the development of an e-card as one of the ways that the constabulary has demonstrated good practice. According to Mind (2010, p.8), the e-card is a “unique emergency information card, which aims to assist people with disabilities to communicate with police and other emergency services.” The e-card is meant to inform the police officers that the holders of such cards require more understanding, patience and equal service provision based on their physical or mental challenges. Accordingly, police officers are able to handle holders of the e-card with due consideration whether as offenders, victims or witnesses. Other areas in which the Lancashire Constabulary has demonstrated good practice include engaging locals and other stakeholders in a bid to enhance accountability (Doherty et al., 2010). By engaging with its stakeholders, the constabulary initiates dialogue, hence raising awareness regarding its activities, milestones and achievements. Through such engagement, the Constabulary is also able to get feedback from the service recipients and other stakeholders. Through the feedback, the Constabulary is able to identify where its performance needs improvement. The fact that the Lancashire Constabulary has “clear responsibilities and arrangements for accountability” as indicated by Doherty et al. (2010, p. 14) could also be interpreted as another demonstration of good practice. Through such arrangements, the Constabulary is not only accountable to its stakeholders, but also goes beyond the call of duty to ensure that there is continuous progress in the manner that policing services are delivered to the public. In addition to the aforementioned, the Lancashire Constabulary takes informed and transparent decisions, which according to Doherty et al. (2010, p. 15) are “subject to effective scrutiny and risk management.” Such decisions could also be the Constabulary’s demonstration of good practice. Others include the Constabulary’s adoption of ethical governance framework (Doherty et al., 2010, p. 16); workforce planning; formation of the strategic resourcing group which link the human and financial resources in the constabulary; and the development of the People Development Plan, which enhances learning and development among police officers for purposes of improving service delivery (Doherty et al., 2010, p. 17). Conclusion Performance management is without doubt a continuous undertaking in both public and private organisations. As has been proven in this essay, the Lancashire Constabulary is no different and as a public organisation mandated to provide efficient services to the public; it has not only had to be accountable to the public by proving that its services to the public are worth the taxpayer’s investment, but also that it had embraced “good practice” in the delivery of the same services. Notably, the service recipients have an insatiable appetite for better provisions and this means that the constabulary has had to work in partnership with all stakeholders in order to understand their needs, fears, preferences and expectations. Seeing that performance measurement is essential in legitimising performance as suggested by Bruijn (2002), the Constabulary has several performance measurement tools, which could only mean that it is willing to prove itself being worthy of the public investment channelled to it. If the reduction in crime rates in Lancashire Constabulary is anything to go by, one can claim that the performance management therein has been fairly effective. References De Bruijn, J A 2002, Managing performance in the Public sector, Routledge, New York. Doherty, M T, Carruthers-Watt, M & Finnigan, S 2010, ‘Annual Governance Statement 2009/10’, Lancashire Police Authority and Lancashire Constabulary Appendix A, pp. 1-18, viewed 12 January 2012, Home Office 2005, ‘National intelligence model,’ National Centre for Policing Excellence (Centrex), pp. 1-14. Lancashire Constabulary 2001, ‘Improving P.O.P. initiatives in Lancashire,’ Lancashire Constabulary, Northern Division, England, pp. 1-11. Lancashire Police Authority 2009, ‘Code of corporate governance 2008-2011,’ Annual Governance Statement, pp. 1-8. Lee, J & Pearson, G 2011, ‘PACT- Police and communities together,’ Lancashire Constabulary, pp. 1-28. Mind 2010, ‘Police and mental health: how to get it right locally’, Mind, viewed 12 January 2012, < http://www.mind.org.uk/assets/0000/8587/Police_Guide.pdf> Sharp, C, Jones, J, & Smith, A M 2006, An evaluation of the Citistat Model of performance management and its applicability to the Scottish public sector, Edinburg, Scottish Executive Social Research. Read More