A series of webinars delivered by internal and external officers, staff, and partners to upskill the workforce in problem-solving skills.
| Does it work? |
Untested – new or innovative
|
|---|---|
| Focus |
Prevention
Organisational
|
| Topic |
Leadership, development and learning
|
| Organisation | |
|
HMICFRS report
|
|
| Contact |
David Langston |
| Email address | |
| Region |
West Midlands
|
| Partners |
Police
Community safety partnership
Health services
Local authority
|
| Stage of practice |
The practice is implemented.
|
| Start date |
|
| Scale of initiative |
Local
|
| Target group |
Workforce
|
Aim
The aim of Tactical Thursday is to provide problem-solving webinars to improve the workforce’s knowledge of problem-solving techniques.
Intended outcome
The intended outcomes of tactical Thursdays are to:
- improve the workforce’s knowledge of problem-solving
- increase the use of the scanning, analysis, response, assessment (SARA) model
- embed a problem-solving culture within Warwickshire Police
- improve continued professional development (CPD) and networking opportunities
Description
Warwickshire Police identified a need to embed a problem-solving ethos across the workforce. The force initially developed a series of problem-solving training events as part of the webinar Wednesday programme. These webinars were hosted once a month on Microsoft Teams and were available to all officers and members of police staff. The force invited internal staff and external organisations to discuss a range of themes, such as how to use surveys and burglary prevention. The focus of the sessions was around how the theory of problem-solving could be embedded into investigations. The sessions were recorded and stored in a library which was located on the problem-solving hub page on the force’s intranet. Internal attendance for webinar Wednesday had diminished over time and the sessions were mainly attended by external partners.
In 2024, the webinars were rebranded to tactical Thursdays which are hosted on a bi-monthly basis on Microsoft Teams. The rebrand was due to the appointment of a new problem-solving tactical advisor who wanted to expand on the work of their predecessor by highlighting the range of tactics officers and staff are using to problem-solve.
The themes of tactical Thursdays are based on common issues within problem-solving plans and are also identified through feedback from officers and staff around what they would like to be covered. The sessions focus on improving the force’s responses to problem-solving and the sessions are aimed internally at front-line practitioners.
The first tactical Thursdays session focussed on joint working with the council and the use of civil interventions. This is because officers were not considering these options or using civil interventions widely as a problem-solving tactic. Additional topics will include vehicle relay devices/stop-search with a presentation from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
Tactical Thursdays are promoted internally via the news bulletin and Viva engage, and externally by email.
There is no cost involved for the planning or running of tactical Thursdays.
Overall impact
Feedback from the sessions has been overwhelmingly positive. A problem-solving culture is now more prevalent and embedded within the force.
Partners are approaching the problem-solving team for support which has led to more cohesive working relationships. The library has enabled the force to build on its repository of contacts and expertise, allowing the workforce to access ongoing support for their problem-solving plans.
The average number of attendees has been 35, with the most popular session being attended by 70 individuals.
Learning
Initially there was a challenge in obtaining buy-in from the officers and staff due to competing demands on their time. It is important to promote the webinars through force messaging, local senior leadership teams, and the problem-solving bulletin.
The webinars are recorded as the force recognised that officers and staff of the workforce may be unable to attend live sessions. For future sessions, the force is considering pre-recorded sessions to ensure the availability of speakers.