A service for the people
Creating a customer-friendly service and improving the experiences of victims and witnesses topped the Citizen Focus conference agenda
Customer service and improving the experiences of victims and witnesses were the key themes of the first national conference on Citizen Focused Policing, which was held in London on 12 January.
The event, organised by the Home Office Citizen Focus Team and Victims and Confidence Unit, attracted over 300 delegates representing police forces, police authorities, Local Criminal Justice Boards and key partners from Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and local authorities from across the UK.
Speakers
Emphasising the importance of a service that is designed with its users in mind and more responsive to the needs of all those who have contact with the police, keynote addresses were given by Home Office Ministers Hazel Blears and Baroness Scotland, ACPO President Chris Fox and Association of Police Authorities Chairman, Baroness Ruth Henig. It was chaired by Home Office Director of Policing Policy Stephen Rimmer.
Key speakers at the conference highlighted the importance of understanding the various ways that people experience contact with the police and the benefits that a consistent emphasis on customer service can bring across the board. They also drew on the experiences that a large hospital has had in placing the patient at the centre of the way that it designs and delivers its service.
Workshops
Delegates attended a wide range of workshops throughout the day on topics such as call handling, the Victims Code of Practice, marketing and communications and effective change management. Effective use of customer feedback is crucial to improving any service and delegates were able to hear the Head of Customer Insight at British Airways, Victoria Hodson, describe how important this feedback is to driving improvements in performance at the airline.
National Quality of Service Commitment
Of particular interest to delegates was the workshop on the National Quality of Service Commitment. Forces are currently working on their plans to outline how they intend to deliver the Commitment and Steve Finnigan, Deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, who leads on this issue for ACPO, outlined the work that has been done with forces so far.
The Commitment, jointly developed by ACPO and the Home Office, sets out the level of service that people can expect when they have contact with the police. As a result of implementing the Commitment standards it will be easier for the public to contact the police, the way that initial enquiries from the public are dealt with will be improved and victims will be kept better informed about the progress of their case. Standards will also cover the way people can expect to be treated by police staff and ensure that all forces have a proper system in place to monitor the quality of the service provided, and act on any feedback received from the public about their experience of contact. Guidance on the Commitment is scheduled to be issued to forces and authorities by the end of January.
Further information
Presentations made at the conference:
Mid Sussex District: Citizen-focused Policing Pilot (PowerPoint, 1.25MB; note the large file size) (pdf version, 490kb)
Merseyside: Marketing for Citizen Focus (PowerPoint, 2MB; note the large file size) (pdf version, 900kb)
Avon and Somerset: Customer Service (Powerpoint, 450kb) (pdf version, 290kb)
Contact for conference report is Det Supt Mike Alderson, Citizen Focus Team, email: mike.alderson@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
