Recording and monitoring of neighbourhood policing abstractions in Nottinghamshire

The intervention aims to develop a:

• process for neighbourhood policing officers to record any abstractions from their core role
• new analytical tool through Power BI to continually monitor and evaluate neighbourhood policing abstractions
• new force governance process to review abstractions at local and force level

The intended outcomes of the intervention are to:

• improve the identification and recording of neighbourhood abstractions
• enhance the data available to drive improvements across the organisation
• improve the opportunities for officers to deliver the core pillars of neighbourhood policing
• reduce the number of inappropriate abstractions

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Nottinghamshire PEEL assessment 2023 to 2025 identified that neighbourhood officers were being routinely abstracted from their core role. This meant that neighbourhood officers would often perform duties in the night-time economy or as a scene guard, diverting their focus from the three pillars of neighbourhood policing (targeted activity, community engagement and problem solving). This affected the delivery of the neighbourhood policing pillars and there was no process in place to record or evaluate abstractions.

Nottinghamshire Police worked with Nottingham-based web design company VISAV to implement a new abstraction recording system. VISAV already provided the neighbourhood alert system for Nottinghamshire Police and had developed the ability to record abstractions within their system.

A chief inspector worked with VISAV to tailor the recording and inputting process to the needs of the force. A Power BI developer within corporate development also worked with VISAV to build a dashboard capable of analysing the abstraction data held within the neighbourhood alert system. By using the existing neighbourhood alert system, it minimised costs and the need to develop a new platform for recording abstractions. This also reduced the need for information sharing governance to be implemented with a new service provider.

The data inputting process involves completing a form on the neighbourhood alert system. Officers and staff are able to use the app on their mobile devices, enabling them to record abstractions as soon as they occur. The form includes:

• reason for the abstraction
• their new duty
• duration of the new duty

Before the force-wide roll out, a neighbourhood policing team were identified to trial the new process. After the trial, further improvements were made to ensure the sufficient capturing of data. A video training guide for officers was also developed to provide guidance on how to record abstractions. A session within the neighbourhood continued professional development (CPD) days enable officers and staff to understand the reasons for recording abstractions. 

Governance structure

A strategic neighbourhood policing board has been introduced to review neighbourhood abstractions. The board meets monthly in-person and is attended by the:

• neighbourhood policing lead
• prevention hub
• chief inspector

Before the meeting, the previous month’s abstractions are reviewed at divisional level to ensure there are continual improvements to data quality. Any identified abstraction trends are then discussed and addressed during the meeting. 

Funding and resources

Governance for the project is provided by Nottinghamshire Police’s corporate services department. A project manager is responsible for the information management governance and the timescales for the initiative. The assistant chief constable for local policing was updated on a monthly basis and provided their approval for the force-wide launch of the initiative.

There was no additional funding required for the implementation of the abstraction recording system.

The intervention has allowed Nottinghamshire Police to fully capture and evaluate any abstractions taking place across neighbourhood policing.

The Power BI dashboard provides a snapshot of performance, which ensures that the force can identify if any divisions, neighbourhood policing districts, or teams are adversely affected by abstractions from their core role. The strategic neighbourhood board has evaluated abstractions to ensure that there is appropriate resourcing.  

This supports delivery of neighbourhood policing pillars and ensures that neighbourhood officers are focused on what matters to local communities.

There has been positive feedback from officers who have praised the process for being clear and can be undertaken while deployed.  

• It was beneficial to identify a single point of contact (SPOC) to work with the software provider (VISAV). This meant there was continuing communication which ensured changes to the system were implemented and evaluated.
• The role of the project manager was essential to ensure the project was delivered on time and to specification.
• By using the existing VISAV neighbourhood alert software, there were no additional costs to the organisation.
• Communication with the workforce is important to ensure that all neighbourhood officers clearly understand the reason for recording abstractions. Champions were identified within neighbourhood policing teams to offer guidance to wider team members.
• It was crucial to ensure that governance processes supported the introduction of abstraction recording across Nottinghamshire. The new strategic neighbourhood policing board provides a structure for the review of recorded abstractions. This is important for instilling the workforce with confidence that abstraction data can be used to make policy and procedural improvements.