Industry views
16 Jan 2023

Front line review stocktake report: progress on key deliverables and next steps

The Home Office has recently issued its stocktake report on the front line review (FLR), which was published in July 2019.  

The FLR proposed 6 key measures to reduce inappropriate demand on the police, support their wellbeing and give them a stronger voice in decision making. The recommendations were: 

  • Frontline innovation 

  • Balancing operational demands and individual needs 

  • Management of external demand  

  • Management of internal demand  

  • Wellbeing, HMICFRS oversight 

  • Providing a national evaluation mechanism for wellbeing provision   

Frontline innovation 

The FLR identified a disconnect between frontline officers and senior decision makers, and a feeling that frontline officers did not have the ability to influence change and improvement. Therefore, the College of Policing (CoP) established a national capability in order to facilitate solutions with the front line and ingrain this process into policing, ensuring the experience and expertise of the frontline have a voice in solving the problems that impact them most.  

Therefore, the CoP has supported forces in establishing an innovation network, delivering innovation roadshows, ensuring local innovations can be shared nationally and develop knowledge sharing templates.  

Balancing operational demands and individual needs 

The FLR showed that front line officers did not have time for activities which have a positive impact on their wellbeing. Ensuring there is the right balance between meeting organisational demands and those of individual officers remains a key priority and a new workstream within the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) has been established to bring together the Home Office, CoP, HMICFRS and NPCC to accelerate innovations.  

Management of external demand 

Frontline officers expressed real frustrations regarding unnecessary demands on their time, particularly concerning mental health demands which partner agencies should be responsible for. In March 2021, the College produced a good practice document titled “demand management – safe and well checks and repeat callers.” This allowed forces to better manage cases that should not involve them, and further work is being done to share examples of mental health demand management.  

Management of internal demand 

Officers also expressed concern regarding lengthy bureaucratic processes which impact on efficiency and increase the demand on officers' time, including ineffective IT, disproportionate administration and difficulties sharing best practices.  

Action on this workstream is being led by individual forces and work to reduce the demand on officers time should be at the forefront of Chiefs priorities. A new workstream has been established within the NPWS to accelerate innovations which specifically address hindrance stressors and service improvement issues affecting the public. The programme is due to begin in January 2023 and run for 12 months. 

Wellbeing, HMICFRS oversight 

The requirement to better support the wellbeing of front line officers and staff was a central theme of the FLR evidence. HMICFRS’s most recent PEEL inspection framework (2021/22) has been reviewed and updated to enable a broader look at how the 43 police forces in England and Wales are considering wellbeing and inclusion. 

It remains the responsibility of Police and Crime Commissioners, Chief Constables and the wider policing sector to respond to HMICFRS findings and make continuous improvements to identify needs and support workforce wellbeing. 

Providing a national evaluation mechanism for wellbeing provision 

As mentioned above, effectively managing the impact on frontline mental health was a key aspect of the FLR evidence. Therefore, the National Police Wellbeing Survey was created as a tool to assess the current state of wellbeing and inclusion in policing. At the national level the evidence it provides enables the NPWS to effectively prioritise and target improvement activities in key areas and provide support to individual forces. 

If you have any direct experience in working with forces to implement measures to reduce inappropriate demand on the police and support officers wellbeing, please do contact [email protected].  

Robert Walker

Robert Walker

Head of Health & Social Care, techUK

 

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