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J Justine C Curran, T Temporary Chief Constable at Tayside Police, gave her full support to the efforts of one of the Force’s officers in raising funds for members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded in action. Community Police Officer Dougie Fisher, a Captain in the Territorial Army with 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, has previously served a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan as a Platoon Commander in 2007. Help for Heroes is a national charity that raises funds for Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel who have been wounded in the service of their country. Every possible penny is spent on making
grants that aim to provide practical, direct support to the wounded. The current focus is on creating a series of regional recovery houses, which will serve as the last stage of rehabilitation before a serviceman or woman returns to their unit or civilian life again. Constable Fisher has been undertaking street collections in Dundee city centre in his military uniform and will be seeking donations from fellow officers and members of staff within Tayside Police. A specially commissioned Police ‘Help For Heroes’ lapel badge, as well as wrist bands and stickers, are also available. Dougie met with Ms Curran, as well as Ian Mackintosh, Convener, Tayside Joint Police Board, Dundee Lord Provost John Letford, and Lord Lieutenant of Perth &
‘FUTSAL’ THE FUSS ABOUT A group of police officers based in Perth have returned from the World Police Futsal Tournament in Belgium with a trophy for eighth place, an award for having the best goalkeeper, and a special award for being the most entertaining team.
The event was attended by 106 teams from 35 different countries from as far afield as Brazil. Other Scottish participants were Central Scotland Police who entered a team in the Open Tournament and a ladies’ team from Fife who played in the Women’s tournament. Tayside entered the 35+ Silver Cup and played against teams from the Ukraine, Belgium, Slovakia, Italy, Romania and Turkey in the group stages. The team registered three wins, two defeats and a draw which resulted in Tayside eventually being placed fourth in the group and attaining qualification.
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Kinross Brigadier Mel Jamieson, who all commended him on his fundraising effort. Temporary Chief Constable Curran said, ‘‘Constable Fisher is to be applauded for raising funds for our service men and women. They are putting their lives on the line to secure a safer future for us all and the work of charities such as Help for Heroes goes a very long way to ensuring that our Armed Services personnel get the right support in their time of need.’’ Donations to Help for Heroes can also be made in the following ways – on the web via www.helpforheroes.org.uk or by cheque, made out to Help for Heroes and sent to Help for Heroes, Unit 6, Aspire Business Centre, Ordnance Road, Tidworth, Hants, SP9 7QD.
In the second round Tayside defeated Braga, Portugal to progress into the quarter final stages which is the furthest the team has ever reached. Unfortunately Tayside were drawn against Donetsk, Ukraine who had previously beaten Tayside in the group stages. Donetsk won comfortably and went on to be the eventual winners of the tournament. At the Champions Dinner Tayside were rewarded with their efforts on and off the field by being awarded three trophies. As a result of reaching the quarter finals Tayside were awarded the eighth place trophy in the tournament. Constable David Rice was awarded the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament for his spectacular efforts which greatly assisted the team in reaching the quarter finals. Tayside were also awarded the Most Entertaining Team award for their humorous conduct, friendliness to all participating nations and entertaining the spectators with bagpipes.
OPENING OF THE NEW FORCE CONTROL CENTRE • STRIKING THE BALANCE ON HEALTH AND SAFETY • HQ DIVISIONAL REORGANISATION • ALL STARS CHARITY FOOTBALL MATCH • NOMINATIONS NEEDED FOR BAWP ANNUAL AWARDS 2010
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OPENING OF THE NEW FORCE CONTROL CENTRE Tayside Police is delighted to announce the opening of a new Force Control Centre within Police Headquarters, Dundee and an additional non-emergency Contact Centre facility in Perth. Located within Force Headquarters, the new Control Centre provides a modern communications facility which will improve the effectiveness of response to calls for assistance from the public. The Control Centre has been built on time and on budget by local firm Forman Construction Limited. It represents an investment of £420,000 by the Tayside Joint Police Board. The opening of this facility enables control
room staff previously based in Perth to join colleagues in Dundee. In doing so this will improve the force’s ability to co-ordinate response across the force area and better cover peaks in demand. Incident teams are regularly called together to oversee incidents requiring a large scale specialist police response. Within the Control Centre a new Incident Command Suite will provide teams with access to the ‘state of the art’ communications technology, access to CCTV footage across Tayside, improved information gathering and briefing technologies.
Alongside the opening of the facilities in Dundee, a dedicated non-emergency Contact Centre will be introduced within Divisional Headquarters in Perth. In doing so the force will aim to provide a local response to nonemergency calls with additional support to deal with peaks in demand being provided from the Contact Centre in Dundee, and vice versa.
STRIKING THE BALANCE ON HEALTH AND SAFETY Judith Hackitt, Chair, Health and Safety Executive The tragic death of Constable Bill Barker has brought the issue of the safety of police officers into sharp focus. Reports indicate that PC Barker died while directing members of the public to safety and without the professionalism of the emergency services the recent flooding would have resulted in a far higher death toll. Individual officers must always be able to make a judgment in the circumstances about what must be done to prevent crime or protect the public. For senior officers however there is a balance to be struck between ensuring that officers can act dynamically and making sure that they are not put at senseless risk. Contrary to its treatment at the hands of the media, health and safety has brought real benefits for the police service. The widespread use of body armour vests was a health and safety-led initiative, as was the use of ear defenders during firearms training. These are small things which taken together, ensure real risks in the workplace are sensibly controlled. This is what real health and safety is about, not blocking operational decisions. However, as you know, the realities of operational policing require the management of complex, challenging situations. Not all risks are foreseeable, and decisions often have to be made in dangerous and fast-moving situations, often with limited information available. So, it is not surprising that there has been some uncertainty within the police service about what health and safety at work legislation means in terms of operational policing. Some senior officers have expressed concerns that their staff might be prevented from doing what they signed up for because of concerns about health and safety and possible subsequent prosecution. It is no secret that there have been
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a small number of prosecutions brought against police services which have inevitably attracted much interest and commentary. There have even been some calls for the ‘disapplication’ of parts of the Health and Safety at Work Act from the police service. But police staff deserve protection at work like everyone else. Forces across Great Britain need to protect staff, and control risks to the public – as far as is reasonably practicable – while performing their unique, indispensible role. This phrase – as far as is reasonably practicable – is at the heart of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Risks cannot, and should not, be eliminated from policing operations – whether to officers or members of the public. However, it is important that people are not put at unreasonable risk. Clearly, some actions that the police take to apprehend dangerous criminals might put individual officers or members of the public at a degree of risk. In these cases, however, the decision is justified because the benefit to society outweighs the risk. The challenge then is to build a common understanding of what reasonable practicability means in the context of the work of the police service, not to dis-apply the Act. To help address this, the HSE published a statement in October last year, in collaboration with police organisations, outlining shared principles - ‘Striking the balance between operational and health and safety duties in the Police Service’. The statement was developed jointly with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Police Federation, the National Policing Improvement Agency, the Association of Police Authorities, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Police Superintendents’ Association. The statement, endorsed by all these organisations, reflects the shared purpose that health and safety rules should not prevent
people from carrying out operational duties. The statement shows how the police can comply with health and safety duties without compromising operational work. We all recognise the dynamic situations in which decisions are made. Sometimes, information is not available or information relied upon at the time may subsequently turn out to be wrong. In such situations, where operational decisions are taken in good faith and have adverse consequences, it is not appropriate for others to later re-evaluate the choices made with the benefit of hindsight. HSE is currently working with ACPO and ACPOS to ensure that future operational guidance reflects this delicate balance. The principles of the policy statement will guide our work. We are working with the police to identify current guidance which supports the principles and to review and revise other guidance. We do not want to produce separate guidance on health and safety, but want to ensure that guidance reflects the principles of the statement. Working jointly with the police service, we will ensure that health and safety rules do not prevent police officers and staff from doing their jobs. This is a milestone in the development of the relationship between the police service and the HSE. It reflects our shared commitment to helping staff throughout the police service deal with risk in a common sense, responsible and proportionate way – taking necessary risks when the job demands it, whilst not being criticised for stepping away from an unreasonable risk where there is little to be gained. I hope you share my view that this is an important step for HSE and for the Police Service. The policy statement, entitled ‘Striking the balance between operational and health and safety duties in the Police Service’ can be downloaded here: www.hse.gov.uk/services/ police/duties.pdf
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HQ DIVISIONAL REORGANISATION To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Force there have been some changes made to the Divisional Structures within Headquarters. This has seen the transfers of departments from Operational Support Division to Headquarters Division and Crime Division. The divisional structures are described below. Headquarters Division Headed by Temporary Chief Superintendent Hamish Macpherson Professional Standards Department (PSD) Headed by Superintendent Willie Clark The Professional Standards Department examines and investigates complaints about the police and police staff, whether they are on or off duty, including Special Constables. The department seeks to identify learning points from enquiries and ensure action is taken to prevent repetition and bring about improvement. Complaints are normally broken down into two areas. Criminal complaints - allegations of any criminal act or omission by a police officer or member of police staff whilst on duty, are reported to the Area Procurator Fiscal. Where the complaint relates to an off duty incident these are reported to the District Procurator Fiscal who will deal with it in the same way as any other member of the public. Misconduct complaints - allegations of misconduct are progressed under the Police (Conduct) (Scotland) Regulations, 1996. For minor matters, these are dealt with by Divisional management, and for more serious matters these are reported to the Deputy Chief Constable. The Force has recently adopted random substance misuse testing for all its employees and the Substance Misuse Officer operates within PSD. Governance and Development Headed by Chief Inspector Lorna Robbie The Governance and Development Department comprises the following Units: Business Change and Improvement Unit:- responsible for the daily management of the change programme within the force under the auspices of the Force Programme Board. The unit is the single point of contact with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (Scotland) and Audit Scotland with regards all inspections and self assessments within the Force. Staff can also provide assistance on business benefits realisation and process mapping. Performance and Planning Unit:- reports on performance against Force and National Key Performance Indicators and implements and monitors force’s planning and governance framework. Staff also carry out public perception and customer satisfaction surveys. The department has recruited a Planning and Risk Co-ordinator to assist with planning and business risk across the force, including providing support to Divisions and Departments. I.C.T. Business and Project Support Unit (Previously Business Development):- acts as the single point of contact with the Scottish Police Services Authority with regards to all aspects of Information and Communications Technology (I.C.T.). The unit also oversees all national I.C.T. projects on behalf of the force and, under the direction of the Force Programme Board and IS/IT Management Group, prioritises all aspects of I.C.T. delivery within the Force. Force Projects Unit:- is responsible for the management and implementation of all major projects ongoing within the force. Currently the following projects sit within its remit, BVR of Operational Policing Implementation and Review of Protective Services, the new Headquarters F.C.C. project, Identify and Access Management project and the implementation of the National Command and Control application are also being managed Corporate Communications:- is responsible for corporate communications across the force and with the public and partner agencies. Two experienced media professionals liaise with local and national media on a daily basis. They also provide a 24/7 on call service, providing guidance and support to police officers and staff on all media issues. The force intranet and website provide a significant means of augmenting both
internal and external communications and two staff support this function. However, they rely heavily on Departments and Divisions providing them with up to date information. Operational Support Department Headed by Superintendent Rick Dunkerley The Operational Support Department is best described as force wide support in a range of activities involving specially trained and equipped staff. Operational firearms issues form a large part of this, including the Armed Response Vehicles and firearms training and also the co-ordination of all Commanders training. Emergency Planning has responsibility to plan for issues which affect the whole force such as counter terrorism, fuel disputes, as well as the range of larger scale pre planned events such as T in the Park and major golf championships. The HQ Licensing Unit provides strategic direction in respect of liquor and civic government licensing. In addition, the unit monitors and manages all aspects of firearms licensing. Headquarters Road Policing department manage and oversee all road policing issues across the force, co-ordinating force wide operations, collating force accident figures and also management of the Central Ticket Office. The Force’s Dog Section use general purpose police dogs to respond to incidents across Tayside. They are supplemented by a range of specialist dogs that are either explosives, drugs or cash trained. The dogs are great assets to assist in both day to day activity and on pre-planned operations. Specialist activities include co-ordinating the force public order and core search response. Wildlife Crime Officers in force are always available for advice in the arena of both wildlife and environmental crime. The Community Task Force is deployed across the force and members engage in a range of activities addressing community based problems. Force Control Centre (FCC) Superintendent Dave Tonks The FCC continues to provide a rapid and high quality response to public calls whilst at the same time maximising the support provided to operational officers. The focus is on improving the level of response to public calls at the first opportunity. Overall call response performance is at a high level at present with FCC staff answering 93% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and 90% of non-emergency calls within the 40 second targets. It is equally important that the FCC staff provide officers with the high level of support necessary to carry out their work. Recent improvements made in this area include: - The establishment of a new, single Force Control Centre, providing improved force-wide co-ordination of our response to incidents - A new larger and state of the art Command Suite, improving the coordination of the response to critical incidents. - In the near future the introduction of the VSA for FCC dispatching staff on 3 January will for the first time allow the number of staff available to mirror the demands for service made of the FCC. Headquarters Crime Headed by Detective Chief Superintendent Donald Archibald The new Headquarters Crime Department is responsible for the investigation and management of crime at a Force level. The Department comprises a Public Protection and Justice Unit, who provide support for Divisional Public Protection Units. They implement national campaigns and focus on child protection, adult protection, domestic abuse, and offender management. The Operations and Support Unit comprises community safety, major crime support, and operations. Staff within the unit are responsible for ensuring that there are preventative and enforcement measures in place to tackle the threats identified within the Force Control Strategy. Staff within the Headquarters Crime Department are also responsible for ensuring that the Force has the capacity and capability to respond when serious crime occurs and to proactively tackle those involved.
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ALL STARS CHARITY FOOTBALL MATCH A team of Tayside Police officers took on the Dundee United All Stars in a football match to raise funds for charity. Despite losing 8-2 to the professional side, the officers raised £140 for Dundee United’s skin cancer charity and £20 for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. Dave Bowman from Dundee United donated a set of football strips to Tayside Police and they have now been gifted to an orphanage and school in Sudan. Constable Pat Nolan, who organised the Tayside Police team, said, ‘‘We already plan to take on BBC Sport presenter Chick Young’s celebrity team sometime in the Spring, although this time I think we will ask Dave Bowman to join the Tayside Police team. All the money raised will once again go towards Dundee United’s Skin Cancer Charity.’’
Here are some of the captions that we received for the photograph that appeared in the last edition of Copperplate. “Firearms officers find Willie’s hidden stash of cheap biscuits.’’ Jim McInally, Professional Standards. “I knew I shouldn’t have had those beans for tea.’’ Anon For the next edition of Copperplate we’d like some suitable captions for this photograph of Superintendent Dave Tonks who appears to be entertaining the Convener of the Tayside Joint Police Board with his imaginary football. E-mail your caption suggestions to Sarah Craig or Damon Rhind in the Corporate Communications Department.
THE SINGING SCALES OF JUSTICE Tayside Police has launched a new choir! Rehearsals take place every Wednesday from 7pm9pm in the lecture theatre at Force Training Centre, Baluniefield. Chief Inspector Andrew Russel from Lothian and Borders Police has kindly agreed to direct the choir, assisted by Sergeant Laura Burns. Andrew set up Lothian and Borders Police Choir a year ago and is keen to share his experience. The choir is open to all serving police officers and police staff throughout the force area, with choir members choosing what songs they sing. So, do you have what it takes?! Why not come along and find out? Please e-mail your interest or any other questions, to laura.burns@ lbp.pnn.police.uk (currently on secondment from Tayside Police).
POPPY SCOTLAND PIN BADGES Between September and November 2009 pin badges were sold throughout the Force area by support staff and serving officers in aid of Poppy Scotland. These sales realised the sum of £1367 for the fund. Poppy Scotland is delighted with the outcome and wish to thank all who bought badges. www.tayside.police.uk
ae ar t fff magazine – whether youu ta Copperplate is a sta support staff, your a police officer or member of would like to hear opinions count. That is why we or suggestions that from you with any news, views ed in Copperplate. you would like to see publish contact Sarah If you have a story idea, please unications mm or Damon in the Corporate Co Department on; ) 596730 Telephone: Sarah (01382 e.pnn.police.uk E-Mail: sarah.craig@taysid ) 596731 Telephone: Damon (01382 side.pnn.police.uk E-Mail: damon.rhind.@tay
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