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Police review efficiency

01 January 1991

Police review efficiency
artdoc July=1991

A report by the Audit Commission entitled `Effective Policing
-Performance Review in Police Forces' argues that the police
service needs to be made more efficient. In order to monitor
its own effectiveness, the Commission recommends that police
adopt a `primary clear-up per officer' method of measuring
performance, based on those offences cleared by caution,
charge or summons.
The Home Office is criticised for not providing adequate
resources for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, and
some forces are accused of `manipulating statistics' in order
to show improvements in crime clear-up rates. For instance,
one force which appeared to have a high clear up rate was
found, on closer inspection, to rely too heavily on
interviewing people in prison. The Commission also recommends
more public opinion surveys as a useful source of information,
commenting that too often `Police authorities are often
passive receivers of information rather than leaders of
opinion or informed commentators'. (Independent 3.12.90;
Guardian 3.12.90; Times 3.12.90)

IRR Police-Media Bulletin no 66. Institute of Race Relations,
2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HS