Annual Report

Futures and BCU

FUTURES AND BCU LIAISON BUSINESS AREA

The Futures Business Area was established in April 2008 following the Review of the Association completed at that time. The Review recognised that the Association would benefit from having a Business Area that was able to provide a cross cutting function that contributed to the overall development of the service with particular emphasis on the longer-term future. In addition, the Futures Business Area would be able to consider the longer-term administrative, financial and constitutional issues facing the Association.

The BCU Liaison Business Area was established in 2005 in recognition of the increasingly important command role undertaken by our members in delivering locally focussed policing and the need to ensure proper and constructive liaison at the policy making level with the Home Office, ACPO, HMIC, NPIA and other key stakeholders. At this time, the post of Vice President of the PSAEW became full time with a key responsibility being that of BCU liaison.

The trend identified in previous years of the reduction in the number of BCUs continues, showing a fall from the peak of 350 to 250 (2007) and a further reduction to 214 (2008). The Association will continue to maintain an accurate understanding of the national picture in relation to BCUs across all 43 Home Office forces in England & Wales.

The former BCU Business Area was incorporated into the new Citizen Focus Business Area and the Vice President continues to have national oversight of this area of business.  The main areas of activity undertaken throughout the year are as follows:

• Ongoing dialogue with Home Office, Police Minister and Shadow Police Minister

• Engagement with HMIC:  Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s Independent Review of Policing; Government Green Paper;  BCU structures review; Front Line Supervision Review; Performance Management; Joint HMIC/HMIP stakeholders Board for police custody inspections

• Membership of the Home Office PACE Review Board

• Liaison with Policy Think Tanks, in relation to policing focussed research. (Policy Exchange, IPPR, Reform, Civitas)

• Submission of oral evidence to the Centre for Social Justice review of the criminal justice system

• Consultation with and continued liaison with NPIA work streams including WFM, Equality Standard and submission to the  National Improvement Strategy for Policing (NISP)

• Membership of ACPO Futures Business Area

• Engagement with  Harvard University ( Member survey re  CDRPs)

• Monitoring and implementing  the 19 recommendations of the  PSAEW Review 2008

• Development of  PSAEW Group membership of  Chartered Management Institute

Derek Barnett

Chief Superintendent

Vice President