Further Detail

The YSM dashboards continue to be a key analytical tool for informing the Diamond Group and YSM Champions Network.

A Use of Force dashboard has now been added to the YSM analytical tools along with crime, health & safety data and reporting trends in relation to assaults on officers and staff.

The Use of Force dashboard provides the functionality to analyse the most utilised tactics, impact factors, locations and hotspot days and times. (Graphics available in the PDF document).

The YSM Use of Force dashboard has been shared with colleagues within Learning, Training and Development (LTD) who utilise the dashboard to assess current Operational Safety Training techniques, ensuring the syllabus is current and addresses any identified trends through scenario-based training.

The YSM Health and Safety dashboard for police premises has been upgraded and now has the functionality to drill down further into areas within the custody environment. Although no comparative analysis can be carried out at this time, the data now allows Criminal Justice Service Department (CJSD), Health & Safety and YSM to identify emerging trends and/or training needs required for a safer working environment.

The current police officer and staff assault data shows an increase of 2.3% (85). Despite this noted increase assaults against officers and staff remain below the 5-year mean by 1.6%.

Assaults leading to injury have decreased by 2.4 percentage points compared to the previous year resulting in a further reduction of the 3-year mean by 5.9 percentage points.

Physiological Impact of assaults

Police Scotland is committed to ensuring officers and staff are supported and as part of YSM, APU analysts explored the psychological impact of assaults on officers and staff through a literature review of trauma and police, support that is in place through TRiM and the Employee Assistance Programme as well as benchmarking opportunities against other forces.

The literature review highlighted that PTSD is usually caused by a single traumatic event whilst complex PTSD involves several traumatising events on a long-term basis. It was said that during a police officer’s career they are likely to experience 400-600 traumatic events whilst the general population will experience 3-4 traumatic events.

Recommendations were contained within the report to ensure Police Scotland are in the best position to provide support to officers and staff who have experienced traumatic events.

The recommendations are being driven through the YSM Champions Network and LTD.

YSM remain an active participant within the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Op Hampshire peer knowledge sharing group, which involves all forces within England and Wales, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, British Transport Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The Op Hampshire Network is currently running a pilot where forces have been split into regions with Police Scotland placed in the North region alongside Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland constabulary.

The pilot is aiming for more bespoke meetings within regional areas with the aim of a more collaborative approach and sharing best practice.

Police Scotland is the chair for the North Region. Information gained from the regional meetings are relayed into the national quarterly meeting and the wider YSM network.