11293 report 19 - CAIN - University of Ulster

management & personnelPolice Service reported 536 posts civilianised with a further 47 identified for attention in 2007-2008. As of 1 April 2007, there were 105 Station Enquiry Assistants (SEAs), with 18 of the SEAs(17%) considered to be agency workers/contract employees not selected based on a 50:50 basis.A follow up report revealed that 17 of the 18 agency workers were police officers who hadretired recently.It is noted that the Human Resources Planning Strategy 2005-2008, approved by the PolicingBoard in May of 2005, did not include a strategy or reference for implementing thisrecommendation to replace police officers assigned to the enquiry desk with SEAs. This omissionhas contributed to the limited progress for this recommendation. At the same The 2006-2009Policing Plan (approved by the Policing Board and Police Service) states that over the past numberof years substantial progress has been made with civilianisation resulting in police officers beingreturned to front-line duties. The oversight team has not been able to verify this progress.Remaining Issues(See also Recommendation 53).The Policing Board will need to assertively take hold of the entirecivilianisation issues, and make it an accountability issue. There are certainly challenges for thePolice Service, which we acknowledge; however, overall this recommendation has not beenprogressed with any enthusiasm.Recommendation 91: Review Police Support ServicesPatten Recommendation:91. The Policing Board and the police service should initiate a review of police support serviceswith a view to contracting out those services where this will enhance the efficientmanagement of resources. Consideration should be given to allowing ‘management buy-outs’of support services by police or civilian employees interested in continuing to provide thoseservices as a private sector company, and in such cases management buy-out contractorsshould be offered a secure contract for at least three years to enable them to establishthemselves before having to tender for renewal.Lead Responsibility: Policing Board/Chief ConstableRecommendation StatusCompliance with this recommendation has been achieved.HistoryTransportation for internal operations was outsourced effective 13 April 2003, releasing 14 policeofficers to return to front-line duties. Community Safety Branch transferred out responsibility forcross-community leisure activities. Other opportunities were reviewed but for the presentHuman Resources attention remains focused on the Links project with the objective ofrationalising police staff numbers and employment affiliations throughout the Police Service. Thepossibility of “management buyouts” of support services by police officers or police staff109