Warwickshire Police

Introduction

1.1 Governance is about how the police ensure that they are doing the right thing, in the right way, for the right people, in a timely, inclusive, open and accountable manner. It comprises the systems, processes, culture and values by which the organisation is directed and controlled and through which it accounts to, engages with and protects our communities from harm.

1.2 This Code of Corporate Governance describes how Warwickshire Police discharges these responsibilities and particularly the statutory responsibility of the Chief Constable:

• The control, direction and delivery of operational policing services.

1.3 The CIPFA/SOLACE Framework, Delivering Good Governance in Local Government sets out six core principles on which effective governance should be built:

• Focusing on the purpose of the force and on outcomes for the community and creating and implementing a vision for the local area
• Working together to achieve a common purpose with clearly defined functions and roles
• Promoting values for the force and demonstrating the values of good governance through and high standards of conduct and behaviour
• Taking informed and transparent decisions which are subject to effective scrutiny and managing risk
• Developing the capacity and capability of officers and staff to be effective
• Engaging with local people and other stakeholders to ensure robust public accountability.

1.4 To achieve this, a framework has been formulated locally which ensures that these principles are integrated in the conduct of the force’s business.

1.5 The force can also demonstrate that the systems and processes in place are:

• Monitored for their effectiveness in practice
• Subject to scheduled review to ensure they remain up to date

The Code of Corporate Governance

2.1 The force has developed a Code of Corporate Governance, which incorporates the core good governance principles, develops these in a local context, and sets out the arrangements for reviewing their effectiveness.

2.2 The way in which each of the core principles is put into practice by the force is set out below:

2.2.1 The force aims to focus on its purpose and outcomes to create and implement a vision for the local area.

To achieve this, the force will:

• Assess the risks and focus on harm reduction, in line with the Force vision of “Protecting our communities together”
• Ensure that it constantly seeks to identify opportunities to be more effective and efficient through ways of working that best achieve our desired outcomes. This could include partnership and collaboration.
• Ensure that partnerships are underpinned by a common vision of their work that is understood and agreed by all parties
• Decide how the quality of service for users is to be measured and make sure that the information needed to review service quality effectively and regularly is available
• Ensure that the vision and priorities are developed through robust mechanisms underpinned by informed consultation, are a basis for corporate and service planning and link to local area or performance agreements
• Communicate the force’s activities and achievements, financial position and performance.

2.2.2 The force aims to ensure officers, staff and volunteers work together to achieve a common purpose with clearly defined functions and roles.

To achieve this, the force will:

• Set out a clear statement of the respective roles and responsibilities of the force and the Chief Officers individually and the force’s approach towards putting this into practice
• Outline the decision making process, bodies and their responsibilities
• Ensure effective communication between officers, staff, volunteers and Warwickshire Police Authority
• Ensure clarity of the legal status of partnerships and the roles and responsibilities of participants
• Define the individual and collective roles and responsibilities of those involved in force meetings.

2.2.3 The force aims to promote the values of the force and demonstrate the values of good governance through upholding high standards of conduct and behaviour.

To achieve this, the force will:

• Ensure that the force’s leadership sets a tone for the organisation by creating a climate of openness, support and respect
• Put in place arrangements to ensure that systems and processes are designed and maintained in conformity with appropriate ethical and legal standards
• Treat everyone fairly, with respect and dignity, maximising diversity and promoting equality of opportunity
• Ensure that standards of behaviour and personal conduct are defined, communicated and monitored by an appropriate force-level meeting
• Consistently challenge unacceptable behaviour and standards within a supportive environment
• Ensure that equalities issues are incorporated into planning, consultation and service delivery processes
• Ensure all officers, staff and volunteers take personal responsibility and ownership for delivering a quality service.

2.2.4 The force aims to take informed and transparent decisions that are subject to effective scrutiny and risk management arrangements.

To achieve this, the force will:

• Develop and maintain effective arrangements to challenge and scrutinise its performance and compliance with other requirements
• Ensure that effective, transparent and accessible arrangements are in place for resolving complaints and grievances
• Maintain open and effective mechanisms for documenting evidence for decision making
• Empower its people to make courageous decisions and learn from experience
• Maintain a risk-based internal audit and inspection programme and co-ordinate external audit activity
• Embed risk management into the culture of the organisation
• Embed equality impact assessment into the culture of the organisation.

2.2.5 The force aims to develop the capacity and capability of its people to be effective in their roles.

To achieve this, the force will:

• ssess the skills required by officers, staff and volunteers and make a commitment to develop those skills to enable roles to be carried out more effectively in order to maximise the level of protection provided to the community
• Ensure that all officers, staff and volunteers have the resources and support necessary to perform effectively in their roles
• Maintain effective arrangements for reviewing performance of the organisation as a whole and of individual members of staff and officers
• Recognise and reward good performance through the personal development review process.

2.2.6 The force aims to engage with local people and other stakeholders to ensure robust accountability.

To achieve this, the force will:

• Make clear to themselves, all staff, the community and stakeholders, what they are accountable for and to whom
• Ensure arrangements are in place to enable the force to engage with all sections of the community effectively. These arrangements must be capable of providing a service that is responsive to the needs and expectations of a diverse community, securing public trust and confidence in policing
• Put in place arrangements designed to encourage individuals from all sections of the community to engage with, contribute to and participate in the work of the force
• Publish annual plans and financial reports in a timely fashion
• Ensure that information about accessing our services reaches the whole community and is kept up to date.

Arrangements for Review of Governance

3.1 The force has put in place the following arrangements to review the effectiveness of the Code of Corporate Governance:

• Each year, the force will review governance arrangements to ensure compliance with this Code and will consider whether changes to the Code need to be made to reflect best practice and changing circumstances. The review will provide assurance that governance arrangements are adequate and operating effectively and will identify actions required to improve effective governance.
• The force will report annually on the outcome. In this task, the force will be assisted by reports and advice from the Police Authority, legal advisors, internal audit, external audit and HMIC and their staff.
• An annual governance statement will be prepared as an outcome of the review.
• An action plan with timed actions and clear monitoring and reporting requirements will be produced in relation to any areas of governance requiring further development. The action plan will be reviewed on a regular basis.