11293 report 19 - CAIN - University of Ulster

within the scope of the Best Value and Continuous Improvement model. The Head of PSB is amember of the ACPO Advisory group on internal investigation issues, and the Northeast AdvisoryGroup of police forces. Policy development on a series of integrity issues such as gifts andgratuities, substance abuse and participation in political activities are included in PSBs annual workplan. The Police Service operates an independent telephone reporting option,“Safecall”, which isavailable to report potential wrongdoing by members of the organisation. It was the first of 22police services in the UK to provide this service.Recommendation 82: Ensuring High Ethical StandardsPatten Recommendation:82. Police management should use all the tools at its disposal, including when necessary theadministrative dismissal process, to ensure that high professional and ethical standards areconsistently met.Lead Responsibility: Chief Constable/Policing BoardRecommendation StatusCompliance with this recommendation has been achieved.HistoryProvision for administrative dismissal is contained in the Unsatisfactory Performance Regulations2000, and this option has been exercised by management. Incoming appraisal reports are screenedfor unsatisfactory performance and service reviews conducted as warranted.Recommendation 83:Tenure Policy on Police PostingsPatten Recommendation:83. There should be a tenure policy, so that officers do not have inordinately long postings in anyspecialist area of the police.Lead Responsibility: Chief Constable/Policing BoardRecommendation StatusCompliance with this recommendation has been achieved.HistoryThe Independent Commission noted during its review that some police officers had spent 10 oreven up to 20 years in one specialisation. It recommended that a tenure policy be developed, bothto avoid the development of cliques within the Police Service and to ensure that officers did notlose contact with the core function of community policing. A comprehensive draft tenure policyapplying to all police posts was endorsed in October of 2003 by the Policing Board and HMIC.This tenure policy was not disseminated by general order within the Police Service.104In the period following the release of the Independent Commission’s report, concerns abouttenure were eased by the impact of several events including the voluntary severance programme,the aggressive recruitment of new police officers, significant internal personnel movements related