Report Summary
HMICFRS recently published an annual assessment of policing in England and Wales, with this report noting findings and recommendations relevant to Scotland, as well as an outline of related oversight provided by the Authority.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The report concludes by noting that policing has a considerable population of dedicated staff and volunteers who are committed to serving the public, but that there is a limited window to repair public confidence.
There are three recommendations made:
1. reviewing legislation to make HMICFRS’s remit of inspection clearer and clarifying its power to inspect policing functions delivered by police and crime commissioners;
2. re-establishing the role of the inspectors of constabulary in selecting and appointing police chief officers; and
3. new research into the deterrent value of stop and search and the causes of disproportionality in its use.
Whilst the remit of the report is limited to English and Welsh police, many areas raised in the report are also applicable to policing in Scotland. However there are also some areas where Scotland already has in place measures which reflect suggestions for improvement such as the Authority involving HMICS as an independent advisor in all senior officer recruitment processes.
