Evaluation of police and fire reform year 4: summary of evidence

Reform Aim 3: To strengthen the connection between services and communities, by creating a new formal relationship with each of the 32 local authorities, involving many more local councillors and better integrating with community planning partnerships.

Police Scotland

• The evidence relating to aim 3 is both internally (completed by Police Scotland) and externally focused (academic research and conducted by partners).
• Police Scotland (2018) have produced a digital strategy outlining the need for improved ICT which will contribute to improved communication with communities and the most vulnerable.
• Academic research has also been carried out by Murray (2018) examining 'Police reform and public confidence in Scottish policing: 2012 - 2015. An analysis of Scottish Social Attitudes survey data'. The analysis found that public confidence fell significantly between 2014 and 2015. Based on the survey data, Murray suggests this may be due to the perceived changes to on the ground police practice, including a perceived reduction in local police presence.
• The Scottish Community Safety Network (SCSN), Scottish Government and COSLA completed a report on 'community safety - the emerging landscape and future opportunities'. The report states that Community Safety Partnerships have reported an improvement in relationships over the last 18 months to 2 years with police officers having more autonomy and capacity to participate in local partnership delivery. It is also explained that Policing 2026 does make a clear commitment to partnership working and local policing, however, a perceived high turnover of local police officers (up to local commander level) can make relationship building and the long-term planning process difficult.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

• Evidence relating to aim 3 is externally focused and includes reports by Audit Scotland, HMFSI, and a community safety report by SCSN, Scottish Government and COSLA.
• The Audit Scotland report 'Scottish Fire and Rescue Service: An update' suggests that at a local level, work with partners and communities continues to be well received. However, it is stated that the impact of community safety and prevention works needs to be evaluated. At a national level, there is a continuing need for all emergency services, such as SFRS, Police Scotland Scottish Ambulance Service to work more effectively with national partners to make best use of public resources.
• Local inspections in the Highlands and Glasgow carried out by HMFSI outline that partnership working is well embedded and effective. An example is the pilot with NHS Highland regarding SFRS response to falls in the home. In the Highlands, it is highlighted that there is a 'positive team culture' within the LSO (Local Senior Officer) management team, with evidence of them collectively working together to improve local service delivery. In Glasgow the Prevention and Protection Manager is said to be delivering a very strategic partnership outcome approach that is shared with all of the LSO's Management Team.
• The SCSN, Scottish Government and COSLA report on 'community safety - the emerging landscape and future opportunities' examines SFRS' transformation vision and views partnership working as positive with firefighters leading programmes of work they previously would not have been involved in. In regards to scrutiny, the report also explains that there is an opportunity to further support discussions between COSLA, the SFRS Board, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and the SCSN around linking formal scrutiny to strategic planning.

Key point

• The reports published in 2018 suggest that both Police Scotland and SFRS are demonstrating a commitment to partnership working in order to deliver more joined up services at a time of budgetary pressures. Looking ahead the published evidence identifies future learning for Police Scotland around an ongoing need to improve communication with the local community, and for SFRS around evaluating the impact of community safety and prevention work.