Supporting forces through the new policing performance system

This week, forces across England and Wales have been informed of their level under the new policing performance system. This marks a significant milestone in the government's programme of policing reform. 

The College of Policing is central to the new system, coordinating and delivering practical support to help forces understand the underlying causes of performance issues and supporting them to develop and deliver plans to address them.  

Our support for forces 

The policing performance system replaced the previous His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Scan and Engage monitoring arrangements. Each force is now assigned to one of four levels, reflecting its current performance position and the degree of support and intervention needed.

The support we can offer forces varies depending on their level. But our approach is the same across the board – collaborative, tailored and focused on helping forces deliver sustained, meaningful improvement.

Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the College of Policing, said:

Policing in England and Wales has outstanding examples of excellence and this new approach means we can spread that expertise right across the country. We're bringing together officers and staff from strong performing forces to share their knowledge and skills where it's needed most. This is a real opportunity for officers and staff to work with and learn from colleagues who have faced the same challenges as them to deliver a strong service for the public.

This is about lifting the whole of policing together. It's a groundbreaking moment for policing and a recognition that the talent and dedication needed to drive improvement already exists within our ranks."

All forces have access to our performance support toolkit. This toolkit brings together practical self-improvement guidance on:

• conducting root cause analyses 

For forces in more challenging positions, our support and intervention team works directly alongside them. We will help carry out a root cause analysis to understand what is driving performance concerns. From there, we work in partnership with the force to co-design a performance improvement plan that is grounded in evidence and tailored to their specific context. We will support the force to deliver against the plan by bringing together a team of experienced practitioners drawn from across policing, assembled specifically around the needs of that force. 

We also bring forces together to share effective practice and learn from one another through knowledge sharing events and structured peer support.

This work builds on several years of learning from our evidence-based performance improvement work and wider improvement activity across policing. Our ambition is a system where every force has the support it needs to deliver sustained improvement for the communities it serves.

Find out more

For enquiries about the support and intervention offer, contact perfomance@college.police.uk

Go to the performance support toolkit