Audit Commission

Hampshire Police Authority is 'performing adequately', according to an independent new report released today by the Audit Commission and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

On a scale from one to four the joint inspection team assessed the Authority's performance as 'two', which represents adequate performance.

Inspectors found that Hampshire Police Authority is influential in developing high-profile projects aimed at providing a modern and efficient Constabulary. The Authority now needs to develop a comprehensive plan to pull together all the work it is doing to ensure that the Constabulary delivers greater efficiency and value for money. It is good at monitoring the Constabulary's performance and plans for improvement, and makes sure the Constabulary is well led. The Authority also understands the needs of communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and generally makes sure they are properly reflected in local policing. The Authority plays an important role in ensuring that the things that matter to the public are included as priorities in local policing plans - for example, anti-social use of motor vehicles and vehicle crime.

Hampshire Police Authority comprises 17 members (nine councillors and eight independent members), and is responsible for securing an efficient and effective police force for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and holding the Chief Constable to account.

The Audit Commission's Linda Krywald, spokesperson for the joint inspection team, said:

'Residents can be confident that their Police Authority provides good leadership and effective independent scrutiny of the Constabulary. With a tough financial climate ahead, the Authority is aware of the need to maximise value for money, while ensuring the Constabulary continues to provide the services local people need. It now needs to have a clear long-term plan to enable it to make the hard choices about policing priorities, funding and spending. The inspection shows that the Authority is well placed and motivated to meet this challenge over the next few years.'

Strengths include:

• The Authority's scrutiny of the Constabulary's performance is effective.
• It is committed to the Policing Pledge, which includes testing the quality of Neighbourhood Policing and the deployment of police community support officers.
• Its approach to appointing senior officers is good.
• It identifies what is important to the public and ensures that resources are in place to meet the community's needs.
• It effectively monitors complaints and promotes high standards of behaviour within the Constabulary and among its own membership.
• It influences the development of high-profile joint projects, such as the IT collaboration with Thames Valley Police Authority.

Areas for improvement include:

• The Authority needs to set a strategic direction within a challenging economic climate and work with the Constabulary to develop a long-term plan for policing in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to ensure the Constabulary continues to deliver good value for money.
• It needs to build on the commitment to consulting and engaging with the public, and be clearer with the public about how the information is used.
• The Authority should do more to demonstrate that policing services are equally accessible and are meeting the needs of all communities.
• It should continue to improve how it holds the Constabulary to account in the way it tackles terrorism, serious crime and other major challenges to public safety.

Following today's report Hampshire Police Authority will plan what it needs to do to improve its services to meet the changing needs of its communities.

Copies of the report are available from Hampshire Police Authority or from the Audit Commission website and the HMIC website (external link).

Notes to editors

1. Hampshire Police Authority is an independent body responsible for overseeing the Constabulary. It represents the community and, in partnership with the Chief Constable, ensures that an efficient and effective policing service is provided to the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
2. Police authority inspection provides a simple report in a straightforward way about how well each police authority is performing. It encourages police authorities to focus on continuous improvement and provides a robust independent challenge to stimulate positive change. Ultimately it is about working to improve the quality of services police authorities provide to local people.
3. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
4. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
5. As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for local people.
6. HMIC is an independent inspectorate, inspecting policing in the public interest and rigorously examines the effectiveness of police forces and authorities to tackle crime and terrorism, improve criminal justice and raise confidence. Further information about HMIC (external link)

For more information, or for an embargoed copy of the full report, contact Callum Collins at the Audit Commission on 0844 798 8844
or ca-collins@audit-commission.gov.uk