SPSA welcomes Audit Scotland report
In response to a report published by Audit Scotland last week, the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) has stated that it will continue to work closely with chief police officers in Scotland in its efforts to deliver savings on national support services.
In response to a report published by Audit Scotland last week, the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) has stated that it will continue to work closely with chief police officers in Scotland in its efforts to deliver savings on national support services.
The report analysed the SPSAs performance and marked out areas for improvement. In particular it evaluated how the SPSA was set up, what it has delivered so far and also its capacity to meet future challenges. It noted that the SPSA had made improvements despite the challenges it had and continues, to face.
Audit Scotland states that the SPSA had a number of difficulties to overcome in its first years concerning governance arrangements, in particular the relationship between SPSA and SCDEA and the role of the chief constables and convenors on the SPSA board.
Tensions existed between national and local priorities and how SPSA should prioritise its work between its different customers.
Senior staff changes, both at board level and within the senior management team presented yet another obstacle and the transfer of forensics and information and communications technologies (ICT) services from individual forces, were also of concern, in particular a perception of poorer service delivery since the transfer.
The report into the SPSA acknowledges that since 2007 the SPSA has met and exceeded all the efficiency savings expected of it. The amount of savings currently stands at £5.3 million.
There is potential for even more savings, however, if the SPSA and its customers work together.
It has also made progress in improving the quality, productivity and efficiency of many of its frontline services to policing, such as criminal justice, training and forensics.
However, it was found that the SPSA was unable to meet all the ICT needs of its customers and that it was difficult for it, along with the police and other criminal justice bodies, to agree on national service delivery priorities together.
The report recommends that the SPSA be invited to become a full member of the Scottish Policing Board. It should also engage more effectively with customers and provide clear and precise information on the progress costs and expected timescales for the service being delivered, particularly ICT services.
SPSA chief executive Andrea Quinn said: The SPSA has now delivered tangible benefits in terms of savings, and real improvements in quality and productivity for Scottish policing. In some areas like ICT we accept that there is more to do, and we are embarking on a programme to change that for the better.
I hope that Audit Scotlands balanced recognition of our successes, as well as our continuing challenges, will be a watershed in the way we are perceived. It will support the practical steps we are now taking to grow the relationship we have with our customers.
Above all I welcome the message in todays report that by working together with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and the forces we can exploit the potential of the SPSA model further for Scottish policing.
In a period when savings have never been more needed, thats a powerful incentive for us all.
The SPSA was set up in 2007 after a police-led review of structures recommended consolidating common services.