Police Performance Steering Group

The 2008 Policing Green Paper gave HMIC a lead role in monitoring and managing police performance across England and Wales. A central component of how it fulfils this role is the Police Performance Steering Group (PPSG).

What does the Police Performance Steering Group do?

The PPSG monitors police force performance, identifying those that are performing poorly and putting in place the necessary support and/or intervention if performance does not improve as quickly as the group thinks it should. PPSG members also discuss issues relating to national police performance.

Meetings take place quarterly and are chaired by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary.

Who attends PPSG meetings?

The PPSG is made up of representatives from HMIC; the Home Office; the Treasury; the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO); the Association of Police Authorities (APA); the National Policing Improvement Agency; the Audit Commission and the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit.

Others will also attend as required: for example, when a particular force is being discussed, a representative from its Regional Government Office might be invited. 

How does the PPSG decide what level of support and intervention is needed?

The PPSG examines the latest performance data for the 43 police forces in England and Wales. This shows the latest figures on how successfully each force is reducing and solving crimes, and is presented in a graphical format called ‘the Banding Analysis’.

The group also uses the professional judgement of HMIC, and other relevant inspections and reports, to assess if a force’s performance leads to an unacceptable risk for the public.

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, as chair of the group, uses this assessment to decide the amount of support and intervention needed if the force is to improve.

More information on how the Banding Analysis is constructed can be found on the Home Office website.

You can find more information on the support and intervention available, and a list of the forces receiving this support, on the ladder of support and intervention page.

What are the terms of reference for the PPSG?

View the Terms of Reference.