Police Authority more "resilient" after dramatic year of change

TWELVE months on from a radical overhaul of almost every area of its business, Nottinghamshire Police Authority is celebrating a major turn-around in fortunes.

Crime in Nottinghamshire has fallen to lowest-ever levels, detections are up and both the force and Police Authority are continuing to improve performance - edging closer towards targets and closing the gap on the similar forces against whom they are compared.

This successful transformation has come about largely thanks to the leadership of former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Alan Given, who has directed a sweeping programme of change and reorganisation within the past 12 months.

In March last year, Nottinghamshire Police and Police Authority attracted unprecedented scrutiny and publicity after being subject to a Capability Review by an external team of senior advisors. The Review, which was highly critical of both organisations, outlined a series of priorities requiring urgent action including new Authority leadership, new Secretariat leadership and a cohesive chief officer team for the force as well as improved strategy, businesses processes, governance, and more effective partnership working with key bodies.

With a strong background of trouble-shooting and driving major improvement programs, Mr Given was appointed Change Manager in April 2010 to oversee the delivery of the recommendations.

At the time, he was achieving considerable success in his position as Chief Executive of the Nottingham City Crime and Drugs Partnership, a post he had held since April 2006. The role required him to establish effective partnership working in the city to deliver ambitious crime reductions targets that Nottingham's leadership demanded. By the time he left to take on his new role, crime had fallen in the City by 46.6% and record numbers of people had been placed in structured drug treatment. His desire to involve the communities of Nottingham City in change resulted in the development of his 'Weeks of Action' programme, which has been embraced by communities and delivered sustainable improvements.

His appointment as Change Manager, and later as Interim Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Police Authority, saw him tasked with orchestrating the programme of reform recommended by the Capability Review.

Under his leadership things happen; in the Police Authority, reorganisation has taken place with more effective structures, performance has dramatically improved and the Police Authority is now undertaking its scrutiny and governance role more successfully.

Between April and December last year, Nottinghamshire recorded the largest reduction in burglary, robbery and 'all crime' in England and Wales. The improvements have now placed the force above the national average and on the road to achieving its own stretching targets.

Meanwhile, all of the recommendations of the Capability Review have been implemented. A Police Authority Change Management Board, headed by Mr Given, was established to work with representatives from Nottinghamshire Police, local authorities and other partner organisations to deliver the dramatic changes required.

External advice and support was provided by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC), the Home Office, the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Association of Police Authorities (APA). The board has since been disbanded, with all objectives achieved, and as a result the level of scrutiny was lifted in November.

Mr Given would be the first to say that changes of this magnitude require the help of many and the election of a new Chair to the Police Authority made the delivery of changes in the Authority more acceptable and the arrival of three new members of the top team in the Police Service with similar views to himself meant that the necessary cultural changes in the Police Service were achievable.

Mr Given, who is credited with helping to transform Cambridgeshire Constabulary's performance when he served as the force's deputy chief constable between 2003 and 2004, and who was awarded the Queen's Police Medal while serving at the Met, said: "Nottinghamshire Police Authority has achieved remarkable progress in the past 12 months and is now firmly on the road to a brighter and better future with the robust changes that have been delivered.

"Through intensive day-to-day management and an ambitious programme of reorganisation, both the Force and Authority are now more resilient and able to meet the challenges posed by the current financial climate; in a better position to scrutinise internal working patterns, and to continue to deliver improved outcomes for the citizens of Nottinghamshire.

"Nottinghamshire's approach now reflects the same system of working which has achieved so much in the City and I fully expect that ethos to continue to deliver results in the long-term.

"Although more work needs to be done to drive the force and Authority further forward and to accomplish the kind of service the public rightly expects, the building blocks are now firmly in place to sustain continuing improvements."

Nottinghamshire's Deputy Chief Constable, Chris Eyre, has worked closely with Mr Given since he was appointed to the force in May 2010. He said: "Alan Given's focus and drive have been essential ingredients to the reformation of the relationship between the Police Authority and Nottinghamshire Police over the last twelve months. The challenging accountability he has brought to formal and informal interactions between the Authority and the Force, aligned with Alan's detailed knowledge of policing and police performance, have helped to promote and embed professional practice and ensure that we deliver better service to our communities."

Alan Given has a track record of delivering change and achieving improved performance with a motivational management style that demands his staff understand the real issues and are accountable for their personal and collective performance. He employs a relentless approach towards day-to-day intensive management, focussing upon the real issues, not just those on the surface. He was the obvious candidate to deal with problems previously faced by the Police Authority.

Mr Given leaves the Police Authority this month having achieved what he was asked to do. Chair of the Police Authority Jon Collins who, as Leader of Nottingham City Council, worked with Mr Given in his time at the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership said that he had done a 'great job'.

"Alan did a great job as Chief Executive of the Nottingham CDP and then helped to turn the Police Authority around and address the recommendations of the Capability Review," said Jon Collins.

"The Force's performance has improved significantly over the last year and the Police Authority is increasingly fit for purpose. All this is in no small part down to Alan's efforts. He will be very much missed and we wish him well."