Northern Ireland Policing Board Best Value Performance Plan For 2006 07

The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which their functions and those of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are exercised, with particular focus on economy, efficiency and effectiveness. This is the fourth NAO report on the audit of the current best value performance plan. The Policing Board and PSNI have made significant progress in implementing the recommendations of past inspections by NAO and HM Inspector of Constabulary. The proposed performance indicators and standards for 2006-07 are reasonable, but could be improved. Some previous indicators have been dropped, and an explanation would help transparency. The methodology used to select the Best Value Reviews is thorough but again the decision-making process is not clear. The report also recommends improvements in the reporting of performance against standards, particularly where standards have not been achieved.

This is the Comptroller and Auditor General's fifth report on the Northern Ireland Policing Board's performance plans. The 28 performance targets for 2007-08 are reasonable and have clear deadlines for achievement, though nine could have been improved with a clear volume or percentage for improvement rather than an unspecified increase or decrease over the previous year. Some performance targets have been dropped since the previous plan, and some explanation would have been useful. The Policing Board's monitoring of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appears appropriately designed. But again, some explanation for targets not achieved would be helpful. The continued use of the best value approach to gaining continuous improvement is questioned, in the light of the move away from this in England and Wales. The Board and PSNI should consider emerging alternative approaches.

The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which their functions and those of the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are exercised, with particular focus on economy, efficiency and effectiveness. This NAO report represents part of the Comptroller and Auditor General's function to audit the Best Value Performance Plan, setting out any actions and recommendations for the consideration of Parliament, Members of the Policing Board and the Chief Constable. A number of findings and recommendations are as follows: both the Policing Board and the PSNI can improve how they present what they do, and where quality improvements have taken place to the general public; that the Board and the PSNI have significantly improved the quality of their performance indicators and standards for 2005-06 period; that the Best Value philosophy should be further embedded in the both the Board and PSNI, so that key issues for improvement maybe more effectively identified; that internal PSNI reviews should embody a stronger "Competition" criteria, when carrying out assessments; the PSNI should ensure that when they implement their new information systems strategy, that a consistent business process analysis is set in place, along with a frequent updating of any programme plans, and that any business changes and benefits are clearly identified.

This is the Comptroller and Auditor General's sixth report on the Northern Ireland Policing Board's performance plans. The 30 performance targets for 2008-09 are reasonable and have clear deadlines for achievement, though 16 do not have a clear volume or percentage for improvement. Some performance targets have been dropped since the previous plan, but again no explanation has been given. The Policing Board's assessment of its own and the Chief Constable's performance is reasonable, though 11 targets are reported as not achieved with no narrative to explain the reasons why. The Board and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have decided not to continue with the Best Value methodology in support of their continuous improvement arrangements, but no new approach is yet in place. The Board completed post implementation reviews of three of the four Best Value reviews from 200-06 and 2006-07: this highlighted that whilst implemented recommendations have delivered improvements there were 94 (28 per cent) of the 194 recommendations not implemented as at March 2008.The PSNI have developed a database which is intended to track the progress towards the implementation of recommendations for improvement from external oversight bodies.

The extraordinary transformation of policing in Northern Ireland presented through the eyes of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.