Comparative Study of Scottish Police Boards: Examining Governance and Accountability

1. Philip Etherson A comparative study of Scottish Police Boards (Police Board profiles) Philip Etherson Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and The Scottish Government

2. Introduction • Researcher • Philip Etherson (Strathclyde) • Supervisors • Mik Wisniewski (Strathclyde) • Prof. Nick Fyfe (Dundee & SIPR) • Dr. Karen Cooper (Scottish Government)

3. Police Governance • In Scotland the governance of the police is shared between 3 areas, • central government (Scottish ministers), • local government (Police Boards) and • chief constables. • Known as the tripartite system.

4. Policing policy is the responsibility of the Scottish ministers who are answerable to the Scottish Parliament • Chief Constables are solely responsible for the operational duties of police officers and civilian staff and are answerable to Scottish ministers and Police Boards.

5. The Police Boards in Scotland are the local government arm of police governance and their main functions include setting their force budget, appointing senior officers and looking to ensure best value and continuous improvement

6. Police Boards • Police Boards in Scotland comprise solely of locally elected councillors. • 34 members from 12 local authorities on Strathclyde Police Authority • 11 members from 1 local authority on the Dumfries and Galloway Police, Fire and Rescue Committee.

7. Number of Board Members • Dumfries and Galloway 11 (1 council area) • Northern 24 (4 council areas) • Strathclyde 34 (12 council areas) • Grampian 16 (3 council areas) • Fife 15 (1 council area) • Tayside 18 (3 council areas) • Lothian and Borders 18 (5 council areas) • Central Scotland 11 (3 council areas)

8. 8 Police Boards ? • Police Boards • Tayside, Central Scotland, Northern, Lothian and Borders, Grampian • Police Authorities • Strathclyde • Police Committees • Fife, Dumfries and Galloway

9. England & Wales • Police Authorities comprised of elected members and independent members. • In general 17 members 9 of whom are councillors and 8 are non-elected independent members.

10. Research Gap • There has been little research done on Police Boards. • 2003 Home Office study, Docking (2003), that there is little public knowledge of Police Boards. (Accountable?) • HMIC’S (2009) “Independent Review of Policing in Scotland”- concerns raised. (Governance?)

11. Research Aims

12. Examination of the interaction between Police Boards and their respective police services. • A look at the relationship between the Police Board’s and their community. • A study of the Police Board relationship with the Scottish Government and the way national and local policy affects policing. In particular, with regards to the Scottish Policing Performance Framework. Overview of Research Aims

13. Overview of Research Aims • A review of what the Police Authorities’ Conveners Forum contributes and how it plays a part in the way police authorities relate to each other. • The consideration of the production of a performance management framework for Police Boards.

14. Research methods A Comparative Case Study review of Scottish Police Boards • A comprehensive and rich literature review • Minutes of the Police Board meetings will be examined for content and comparative analysis • Police Board meetings will be attended to view the working function and content of the 8 Police Boards • Fieldwork will consist of questionnaires and interviews with board members and stakeholders

15. Outline of the research plan Timetable Year 1 (2008-9) • Oct – Dec. PGC in research methodology, Start of literature review • Jan – Mar. Developed methodology, study areas • Apr – Jun. developed and administered postal questionnaire to police board members in Scotland. Site visit of all 8 Police Boards completed. • Jul – Sept. Coding and initial analysis of questionnaire responses, Writing up of survey research and preparation of case-study fieldwork, Deliver Annual Report, Year 1 • Oct – Dec. Finalise methodological framework for year 2

16. Police Board Survey

17. 149 police Board Members identified and contact details obtained • Survey posted directly to members • 113 of 149 surveys returned • 75.8%

18. Police Board members survey response

19. In general members put forward by their political party on a party representative basis as per local provisions • No indication of any member put forward not being accepted • Overwhelmingly respondents indicated an interest in joining the Police Board (80.6%)

20. Scottish Police Board Members Political Party Representation

21. Gender of members • Less than 1/5th of members female (18.8%) • No female respondents under 35

22. Age range of members • ¼ of respondents over 65 • 70.8% of respondents over 55

23. Local knowledge • Overwhelmingly 95.4% resided in their Police Board area for greater than 10 years. • No one reported living outside their Police Board area or having lived there for less than 2 years • No respondent over 56 had lived in their area for less than ten years.

24. Respondent’s service as a councillor

26. Police Board sub committee’s

29. Experience of police work before joining the Police Board Experience of police workafterjoining the Police Board

30. 46.8% less than 2 hours per week • Rising to 56.7% on non consideration of unable to tell. • 17% of those under 35, more than 2 hours. • Just over 60% of those over 65.

31. Police Board sub-committees and greater than 2 hours Board work

32. Occupation other than as a councillor *Just under 1/2 another full or part time occupation, 1/3rd were in receipt of remuneration

33. Other occupations include • Store Manager • Farm Manager • Director of law centre • Voluntary worker • Social worker • Musician • MSP

34. Experience of members

35. Profile of the average Police Board member Male, At least 56 years of age, Have resided in the Board area for more than 10 years, Relatively inexperienced as a councillor and Police Board member,

36. Would have some experience of management, A member of at least 3 Local Authority committees or sub-committees as well as at least one non Local Authority committee or sub-committee, Have expressed an interest to join the Police Board, Spends less than 5 hours on Board duties per week.

37. Future Work

38. Future Work Interviews with key members of all 8 Police Boards. In-depth interviews with members of 3 Police Boards selected for comparative analysis. Interview stakeholders such as senior police officers and government officials who liaise with Police Boards.

39. Future work ‘Scottish Police Board Performance Management Framework’ that could be used by all 8 Scottish Police Boards. Consideration will be given to the use of cognitive mapping to provide a framework for guidance for Police Board decisions

40. Output and dissemination • - A final report and workshops detailing the key findings and implications from the research • - A non-technical summary produced for The Scottish Government at the end of the research project • - A comparative analysis of the performance of Police Boards • - A method for individual Boards to assess their own performance management and identify performance improvements • - Appropriate academic publications and presentations at both international and national conferences • - A PhD thesis

41. Bibliography • Docking, Maria (2003), Public Perceptions of police accountability and decision-making, Home Office Publications • HMIC’S. (2009), Independent review of policing in Scotland, A report for the Cabinet Secretary for Justice. Published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland. • The Scottish Government. (2009) Scotland’s People, Annual report, results from 2007/2008 Scottish Household Survey, Table 2.2, P.12 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/09/01114213/0 (last accessed 23/10/2009

42. Philip Etherson University of Strathclyde Graham Hills Building 40 George Street Glasgow 0141 548 4545 p.etherson@strath.ac.uk Thank You Any Questions