Morale low in police service, finds survey (From Swindon Advertiser)

Morale low in police service, finds survey

5:19pm Thursday 2nd August 2012 in News

WILTSHIRE chief constable Patrick Geenty has vowed to listen to his staff after six out of ten officers said they had no confidence in the force.

And almost half said there was not enough manpower to get their job done properly.

A total of 1,496 people out of a staff of 2,500 answered a survey, conducted by private firm ORC International this year.

Mr Geenty said: “I think it’s important that we listen to what is being said and try to act on that.

“We are looking to ourselves to find out how we can improve our leadership skills and deal with some of the issues.”

Only 38 per cent of those surveyed believed chief officers were open and transparent in communications with staff. Just 37 per cent of respondents felt that the force acted on the feedback received from the public.

A total of 48 per cent of the police staff surveyed felt that poor performance was not managed effectively within the organisation, and 47 per cent believed that there were barriers to their progression within the force.

But 89 per cent liked the kind of work they were doing and 88 per cent said they were happy to go the extra mile when required.

Since the last survey in 2010, the biggest decline in satisfaction was for the response for the statement, “I am satisfied with my benefits package”, where the results were 20 per cent lower in this year’s survey.

There was also a 12 per cent decline in satisfaction given this year for the statement: “Morale is good where I work.”

In the 2012 results, there were 36 per cent of positive reactions to the morale section, while 23 per cent of respondents gave neutral responses and 40 per cent disagreed that morale in the force was good. The lowest levels of morale were reflected by responses within operational support, finance and logistics and local policing, at just 28 per cent, 29 per cent and 30 per cent positive answers respectively. The results also suggested that confidence in the leadership of the police was suffering, with the results falling 11 per cent below the external benchmark set by ORC International.

Mr Geenty said: “The staff went through some considerable upheaval while we were working to make the shift patterns more effective, and that was clearly fresh and ongoing when the survey was completed.

“The whole police service has been through a period of immense change. All public services have.

“We have all had to make significant budget cuts. We cannot stop serving the public, that is our job and the reason we are here, but we have had to make changes to the way we do that when affected by cuts.”

He said communication could be difficult for an operation the size of the Wiltshire Police, which has 2,500 staff, often in small, rural locations.

“The senior leadership of the force has been implementing a huge amount of change and some have had to make difficult and unpleasant decisions that have been unpopular,” he said.

“My style of leadership is about values and behaviours.

“We’re trying to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what we are trying to achieve.”

Kate Pain, chairman of the Police Federation in Wiltshire, said: “I believe that the cuts we have faced are significant and certain elements of the survey, including the low morale, directly relate to that fact.

“If you were working with five colleagues, and now there are just three because of redundancies, you’re going to feel the hit because the workload hasn’t changed.”

Mrs Pain, who was previously the Chippenham sector inspector, said police bosses were soon to meet about the bullying and discrimination issues highlighted in the report.

SURVEY ANSWERS:

• In the past 12 months, while working for Wiltshire Police, have you personally experienced bullying or harassment? 84 per cent no, 16 per cent yes.
• Did you report the incident(s)? 41 per cent yes, 59 per cent no.
• Were you satisfied with the way it was dealt with? 29 per cent yes, 71 per cent no.
• Do you believe the matter would have been dealt with effectively if you had chosen to report it? Six per cent yes, 94 per cent no.
• In the last 12 months, while working for Wiltshire Police, do you feel you have personally experienced discrimination? 89 per cent no, 11 per cent yes.
• Did you report the incident/s? 35 per cent yes, 65 per cent no.
• Were you satisfied with the way it was dealt with? Nine per cent yes, 91 per cent no.
• Do you believe the matter would have been dealt with effectively if you had chosen to report it? Six per cent yes, 94 per cent no.
• Almost one in six employees have experienced bullying or harassment in the last 12 months. Only 29 per cent who reported it were satisfied with the way it was dealt with.