APACS (Assessment for Police and Community Safety) & Police Performance
APACS - Strategic Vision
The APACS indicator set for 2008/09 contains 36 Statutory Performance Indicators (SPIs). In addition, two indicators covering counter terrorism are also included in the overarching National Indicator Set (NIS). Seven more indicators have been delayed to allow further development through the year (2008).
The strategic vision and aims for APACS have been agreed between the Home Office and their delivery partners. The vision sets out the overall purpose of APACS and the strategic aims define the purpose and scope of APACS.
It is intended that APACS will give the Home Office and policing and community safety partners the capability to monitor and assess performance in policing and community safety by:
- geographic area (e.g local, regional, national);
- organisation (e.g police forces);
- partnership (e.g Crime and Drug Reduction Partnerships); and
- policy area (e.g Neighbourhood policing).
APACS covers key services delivered by the police working on their own or in partnership, intended to complement the performance management arrangements being developed by other partners (local authorities, Fire Service, National Offender Managment Service etc). It is intended that the resulting assessments and associated monitoring arrangements will be used to demonstrate performance to the public and, critically, to help partners deliver and improve performance against national and local priorities.
APACS - Aims
APACS aims to simplify existing Home Office performance frameworks and align clearly with external frameworks (e.g. criminal justice, local authorities / Local Area Agreements - LAAs, health and transport). It is intended to integrate with policy, delivery and support functions plus associated regimes related to good practice, inspection and audit (including future Comprehensive Area Assessments - CAAs).
APACS is aimed at promoting promoting a balanced regime of accountability, building on the roles – including any collaborative arrangements – of partners locally, regionally and nationally and will cover crime, drugs and policing issues 'comprehensively but in a way which reflects relative seriousness and which minimises data demands on partners'.
It is intended to make best use of available data and professional judgements in producing analysis and assessments which:
- reflect relevant PSAs and other strategic priorities, objectives and targets as well as performance against priorities for improvement selected locally;
- use data focused on results (outcomes) but with the capability to use data on inputs, processes or outputs; and
- monitor implementation of key operational strategies such as neighbourhood policing, alcohol misuse and drug enforcement.
and to communicate data and assessments in a timely manner and in a way which:
- promotes visibility, accountability and responsiveness of service providers;
- supports day-to-day management and which demonstrates service delivery to citizens, communities and opinion-formers; and
- show whether services are effective, equitable and provide value-for-money and whether they are perceived as such.
APACS - Guidance
The guidance of the Assessments of Policing and Community Safety (APACS) statutory performance indicators for 2008/9 has finally been published and is available via this link: Guidance on the Statutory Performance Indicators for Policing and Community Safety for 2008/09 priorities and assessing performance within APACS.
Other information for 2008/09: Local Priority Guidance for police authorities and police forces (subject to the APACS consultation) on setting local policing plan priorities and assessing performance within APACS.
Work will continue throughout 2008/9 to develop indicators that have been delayed, or that were represented by placeholders in the consultation, for possible introduction in 2009/10. Of the indicators included for 2008/9, many support the new Public Service Agreements and are included in the NIS. APACS was introduced in April 2008 and the first assessments will be published in 2009, reporting on financial year 2008-09.
The work of the Home Office APACS project team, over the coming months, will be to focus on the strategic development of APACS. These developments will include key issues relating to the monitoring of performance, the publication of assessments and links to the local government Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) and inspection. This work will take into consideration responses to the strategic consultation and also other related developments including Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s Review of Policing Final Report and the ongoing development of the CAA.
Further information about APACS is available at: http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/apacs and from Home Office~Police: Performance and Measurement.
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Further Links
The new look local performance framework for local authorities and their partners is live from April 2008. The Assessments of Policing and Community Safety (APACS) is the new assessment framework for the police working alone and in partnership. This publication explains how the two new performance frameworks for the police and local government will fit together and highlights some of the implications for those delivering at a local level.
Police performance management: practical guidance for police authorities
Practical guidance and good practice on police performance management - summary for Authority Members - part 1.
Police performance management: practical guidance for police authorities
Practical guidance and good practice on performance management - summary for Authority Members - part 2 .
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