Performance management: challenges and opportunities within the BCU structure

As the National Policing Plan for 2004-2007 makes clear there is a continuing commitment on the part of Government to improving police performance. Within the Plan the use by Home Office of Public Service Agreements commits that department to ‘improving the performance of all police forces, including significantly reducing the gap between the best and the worst performing forces’ [National Plan 2003:2.5] It is also clear that performance regimes will continue to be closely monitored and measured. As is again stated within the Plan performance needs to be measured and compared ‘consistently both between similar forces and Basic Command Units, to support the development of best practice’ [National Plan 2003:2.5].