Superintendents Lukewarm On Report Cards

Wed, 17 March 2010 Courtesy of: Police Oracle

The launch of a scheme aimed at improving police accountability to the public has been given a cautious welcome by the Police Superintendents' Association.

The group said the introduction of the new report cards – which allow members of the public to go online and see how their local service is performing – was a step forward. But there were concerns that the initiative could be damaging if data was misleading or out-of-date.

Irene Curtis, the group's Vice-President Elect, said the information on the Mypolice.org website, launched by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), could help people better understand law enforcement.

“It is important to ensure that the information provided on the website is as up-to-date as possible and includes contextual detail”

The HMIC site tracks performance in three principal areas – local crime and policing, protection from serious harm and confidence and satisfaction.

Curtis added "As leaders in the Service, we are incredibly proud of the fantastic job our officers and staff are doing to improve people's lives in our communities and we hope this new initiative goes some way to communicate that message.

"It is important, however to ensure that the information provided on the website is as up-to-date as possible and includes contextual detail that helps the public understand the complexity of policing and the difficulty of comparing policing areas.

"Forces are working hard to improve the confidence of the public in policing and inaccurate or out-of-date information could undermine those efforts."

The launch of the report card scheme, which was raised in the Home Office's Protecting the Public: Supporting the Police to Succeed white paper, was welcomed by Policing, Crime and Counter-Terrorism Minister David Hanson.

He said "It follows the excellent work that police and their partners have achieved in reducing crime by 36 per cent since 1997, raising public confidence and ensuring that the risk of being a victim is at its lowest point ever."

To see more about the HMIC website please visit www.mypolice.org.uk, or www.hmic.gov.uk/mypolice