Police services, much like any other company, are often looking at ways to improve their performance and effectiveness. This is great, as we want police services to evolve and grow over time, just like the public they are protecting. As with any other company, there are targets to hit, budgets to stick to, and people to manage.
Often civilians view police forces as old school, never-changing groups, as this is how they are often portrayed on TV and in movies; like the 70s cop shows that never changed. However, police organizations are performing differently these days. If you are looking for tips on how to bring your police organization into the modern era, please read on and discover our six simple tips that will help you improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Upgrade Dispatch
The clearest and most obvious change in modern history is the development of technology. In police forces, specifically, gone are the days of manual dispatch and map reading because modern dispatching software can streamline the process to an impressive level. Cloud-based software mixed with in-house and in-vehicle workstations makes for superfast, super-effective dispatch. The dispatcher will be able to constantly update the location of the crime if needed, while the police driver follows live updates. Data can be pulled through from dispatch to the car in a matter of seconds. All of this makes for faster, more accurate, and safer dispatch driving.
Utilize Video
In the police force, there are standards to adhere to. These standards center around how we treat each other, the public, and criminals in our custody. For all of these things, video can be a great leveler. If your police are wearing body cams, if your cells have video and audio, and if all interviews and conversations with criminals are recorded, there is little room for error. Any errors made will be caught on video, leading to analysis and tips for improvement from senior cops. In this day and age, there’s no excuse for any police force to not be capturing every last bit of data possible, especially with security cams costing less than ever.
Report Incidents
On the subject of improvement, incident reporting is an absolute must for any public service. We’re all human, sometimes mistakes happen and that’s fine, as long as they are dealt with properly. There’s no room for “sweeping issues under the rug” in the police force. Any incidents must be properly reported and then analyzed through the system. Ensure you have officers assigned to incident reporting and management and make them a top priority job. Learning from our mistakes is key in this business.
Improve Culture And Job Satisfaction
One of the best and worst things about police forces can be the culture. Police are great, they look out for each other and always have each other’s backs. Police persons can also be demanding, feisty, and selfish in trying to further their careers. It’s tough to find a balance within the force.
You can help improve culture and balance by ensuring praise is laid on publicly for all improvements and great catches. This shows young cops what they are striving for, whilst improving job satisfaction for the ones receiving praise. It’s also advisable to promote from within and only promote those who deserve it on merit and merit alone. Avoid arguments by being a transparent and honest leader.
Streamline Public Contact
One of the most frustrating things about local police forces can be how hard they are to get hold of. In the old days a reception team would pass notes on to chiefs or detectives, but the demand for communication with the police grew ever greater. You should have proper phone software installed in your station if you don’t already. Logging calls waiting, adding notes to files, keeping tabs on who’s called when, and more are all crucial elements to good phone service.
Social Media Can Help
Alongside having a solid phone system – and good people to run it – you may also want to consider using more online communication. Social media is a great way to keep on top of the mood in your local community and communicate directly with citizens – especially the younger ones. We wouldn’t advise using social media as a crime-reporting hotline, but having someone monitor the police accounts all day is almost certainly going to pay dividends.
With these six simple tools, you can start to upgrade and streamline your police service. Providing better, more efficient service is essential to both you and the general public. It’s never too late to start modernizing!
