Poorly performing forces in England and Wales are identified

The Police Standards Unit was set up by the Home Office unhappy about unacceptable differences in crime detection and clear-up rates among forces.

The establishment of the unit, in July 2001, was greeted by concern from police unions who feared greater centralised control from the Home Office.

An American police commissioner, Paul Evans, will take over the unit's top job, replacing Kevin Bond, who resigned in April 2003 after less than two years.

Mr Evans, who will be paid up to �132,250 (US$210,277) a year, oversaw a drop in violent crime to its lowest level in 30 years in his native town of Boston, Massachusetts.

Support

The unit's role is to identify poorly performing areas in forces and encourage ways to improve by using "best practice" found in better performing forces.

It works with forces to measure and compare performance, investigate the underlying causes of differences and share good practice, supporting those who need help.

The next unit chief will bring American success to the job

Eight months after it began, it had identified five areas of particular concern: Southwark, Stoke, Bradford, Bristol and Rhyl.

Since then another five areas - Mansfield, Salford, Easington, Hastings and Great Yarmouth - have been singled out.

These areas had high levels of crime and low levels of community confidence, prompting the PSU to focus on tackling high crime and anti-social behaviour and promoting community cohesion.

Drop in crime

Among projects supported by the unit's funding was the Tower project in Blackpool.

The project concentrated on persistent and prolific offenders, fast tracking them into drug treatment.

The project lead to a drop in crime volume, the PSU said.

Crime rates in Western Division Lancashire, which includes Blackpool, for the year ending April 2003, showed a reduction on the previous 12 months of 11% for overall crime, 34% for domestic burglary, 24% for vehicle crime and 27% for robbery.

International study

The unit not only compares policing among forces in England and Wales, but also with international police forces.

Information on crime levels, police resources, performance measurement systems and policing style is collected from forces in Europe, Australasia, North America and South East Asia.

While the differences between definitions of crimes and recording practices make absolute comparisons useless, the information can provide comparison at the basic level.

Any areas of success overseas are studied to see if they can be transferred to England and Wales.