‘Bad organisation’ hinders police

Press, 26 July 1989, Page 8

‘Bad organisation’ hinders police

By

PATTRICK SMELLIE

in Wellington Poor organisation is stopping the police force fulfilling its role as well as. it could, the AuditorGeneral, Mr Brian Tyler, said yesterday. Planning was under way to improve police goals and objectives, and financial and criminal information systems. "Nevertheless, the police has much more to do to be in a position to accurately assess for itself whether it is operating effectively, efficiently, and economically,” said Mr Tyler. The comments, con-

tained in his report on the Public Accounts, came after the announcement last month of cuts in police numbers caused by financial constraints being placed on the department. “The present shortcomings in crime analysis inhibit the police from making enough use of such information for crime prevention, for effective patrolling, and by the Criminal Investigation Branch,” the report said. “Because of unsatisfactory goal-setting and performance measurement, police managers at all levels cannot adequately be held to account.”

Newly devised corporate plans were a step in the right direction, but still lacked precision. “Until better statements of goals and objectives are put in place, other necessary improvements to the police’s ability to identify and measure performance cannot be completed satisfactorily.” Mr Tyler told a press conference yesterday that he was very pleased with action now taking place to rectify these problems. The report also found that the 1986 sale of the Liquid Fuels Trust Board had been illegal, and that the transaction had gone

ahead even though officials knew there was conflicting legal advice about it. Though no action would now be taken, this highlighted a general problem with the accountability of quangos, Mr Tyler said. The report also identified problems in areas such as the overpayment of Family Support and the difficulty of retrieving overpayments, the poor management of the Maintenance Trust Account of the Social Welfare Department and Education Department payroll problems.