| Synopsis: |
Section 28 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires the Board to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions, and those of the Chief Constable, are exercised, having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The Board is required to prepare and publish a performance plan for each financial year, detailing how the continuous improvement arrangements are to be implemented. Under the Act, the Board must also prepare and publish a performance summary. This report from the C&AG, the second following the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, reviews the systems underpinning the plan and performance summary. It is not an audit of PSNI's performance. Key recommendations include: where quantitive targets are used, the Board and PSNI should seek to strike a balance between being realistic but also challenging in their aspirations for improvement; the new Policing Board and the PSNI have an opportunity to redefine the relationship between them.This should be based on the principles of openness and accountability; the Board and the police should seek to mainstream continuous improvement in the work of the PSNI, in particular through greater integration of continuous improvement work streams with other significant service delivery initiatives |