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This policy sets the standards that enables the management of all incidents reported to, and dealt with, by Dyfed-Powys Police (DPP). The Force has a duty to respond appropriately to all incidents, with the Force Communications Centre (FCC) having the responsibility to manage this response, balancing the availability of resources with public needs and expectations.
This policy provides staff involved in contact and incident management with the standards that allows them to make appropriate decisions with regard to the level of response provided to the public, in order to meet demand. It also fundamentally ensures that all incidents reported to DPP are dealt with correctly to facilitate the provision of an efficient and effective police service.
DPP aim to achieve this by ensuring:
The prioritising of all incidents and crimes reported to Dyfed Powys Police is of critical importance to ensure the most urgent receive police attendance quickly utilising the most appropriate resources available.
Prioritising incidents allows the FCC to manage its demand so that all reported incidents receive the most appropriate and timely intervention and resolution available.
The majority of incidents reported to DPP are received via the FCC. Incidents that are reported to officers on patrol or direct to Police Stations must be notified to the FCC via the officer’s airwave terminal or member of staff receiving the report as soon as practicably possible and before their duty on that day ends.
This policy applies (but not limited) to: All categories of Dyfed-Powys Police employees, whether full-time, part-time, permanent, fixed term, temporary (including agency staff, associates and contractors) or seconded staff. Any employee involved in response policing must have due regard to the contents of this policy.
All crimes and incidents reported to DPP must be recorded on the Force command and control system (STORM) and categorised in accordance with the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), Home Office Counting Rules for Recorded Crime (HOCR) and the National Standards for Incident Recording (NSIR). The grading of incidents must be in accordance with this policy. Other internal and external policies may have influence over the decision making of the FCC Operator taking the report, such as:
Internal
External
All incidents are given an initial grading by the trained individual taking the report in line with this policy. Target attendance times vary between police forces and are predicated on a rural or urban classification for the Force. Dyfed Powys Police is classed as a rural force and apply the following nationally agreed target times:
The available incident gradings are:
THRIVES
FCC Operators determine the incident response based on their training, knowledge, experience, the application of professional discretion, consideration of the Force Values and Mission, and the College of Policing’s Code of Ethics.
To gather and accurately assess relevant information a FCC Operator must refer to the National Decision Making (NDM) and THRIVES models.
The NDM model has five stages which are as listed below:
This is a cyclical model which structures the application of professional discretion. Within the assessment phase Contact Handlers must use the THRIVES model.
THRIVES is a risk management tool which considers seven elements to assist in identifying the appropriate response grade based on the needs of the caller and the circumstances of the incident. All incidents are subject to the application of THRIVES.
The THRIVES components are: Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability, Engagement and Safeguarding.
All incidents recorded on STORM will be given one of the four grades in 4.1 to indicate the appropriate level of response required. All incidents (except for those given an ‘immediate’ response grading) require the recording of a rationale for the selection of response grade in accordance with THRIVES. Incidents which are given an ‘immediate’ response grading where there is an obvious Threat, Harm or Risk do not require a rationale.
Where new information comes to light, the urgency of the incident may increase or decrease, and, in accordance with a re-THRIVES, the incident response will be changed. Any incident which goes down in grade (e.g., immediate to priority) made within the FCC must be authorised by a FIM or FCC Supervisor. A re-grade to a higher response grade (e.g., priority to immediate) does not require any authorisation. The rationale for any subsequent change to the level of response must be recorded in full at the time it is made.
THRIVES Quality Assurance process
Within the FCC, requests for service are monitored by FCC Supervisors and Force Incident Managers (FIMs) to quality assure the application of THRIVES. Live incidents of all grades are continually monitored and assessed for correct grading.
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
It is the responsibility of the FCC to manage the initial response to reported incidents and FCC Operators will task the nearest and most appropriate police resource to attend. Depending on the type of incident, the most appropriate resource may not be the nearest resource. FCC Operators, supported by the on duty FCC Supervisor and/or FIM, will determine and deploy the most appropriate resource.
All decisions, rationale and updates made throughout the life of the incident will be recorded on the STORM incident log by the FCC Operator or attending officer.
Primacy for the deployment of resources in relation to Incident Management rests with the FIM. It is anticipated that deployment will be managed in conjunction with local supervision but in the event of a dispute over deployment to a particular incident the FIM (or his agent e.g., FCC Supervisor) will direct attendance.
The grading of incidents is subject to a rigorous quality assurance and audit program within the FCC. FCC Operators undergo comprehensive initial training and frequent refresher training to build and maintain knowledge and skills. Constant internal reviews ensure FCC Operators provide a high standard of service to the communities of Dyfed Powys Police, including the appropriate grading of incidents using the NDM and THRIVES models.
This policy is subject to ongoing monitoring through operational implementation within the FCC and the wider response policing team.
Formal review of the contents of this policy is the responsibility of the FCC. Review of this policy is undertaken annually. Any such review considers:
Queries relating to this policy may be directed to the FCC in the first instance as the policy owner.
CODE OF ETHICS CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
This policy has been drafted in accordance with the Code of Ethics and has been reviewed on the basis of its content and the supporting evidence and it is deemed compliant with that Code and the principles underpinning it.
HUMAN RIGHTS ACT CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
This policy has been drafted in accordance with the Human Rights Act and has been reviewed on the basis of its content and the supporting evidence and it is deemed compliant with that Act and the principles underpinning it.
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010 sets out the protected characteristics that qualify for protection under the Act as follows: Age; Disability; Gender Reassignment; Marriage and Civil Partnership; Pregnancy and Maternity; Race; Religion or Belief; Sex; Sexual Orientation.
The public sector equality duty places a proactive legal requirement on public bodies to have regard, in the exercise of their functions, to the need to:
The equality duty applies to all protected characteristics with the exception of Marriage and Civil Partnership, to which only the duty to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination applies.
Carrying out an equality impact assessment involves systematically assessing the likely or actual effects of policies on people in respect of all the protected characteristics set out above. An equality impact assessment should be carried out on any policy that is relevant to the public sector equality duty.
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT COMPLETED: September 2024