ACPO Criminal Records Office

Policing

NOT MANY DESK jobs come with the prospect of helping bring international drug smugglers to justice. But when three defendants accused of importing cocaine from Bazil and Ghana into Britain refused to enter pleas before their trial, despite much evidence, it was staff at the Acpo (Association of Chief Police Officers) Criminal Records Office who filled the breach.
From their base near Fareham in Hampshire, employees in the exchange of criminal records department were able to access foreign criminal registers and link the accused smugglers to previous drugs cases in five other European countries. Faced with this evidence all three pleaded guilty, saving the enormous expense of a trial expected to last 10 to 12 weeks. This case is just one of many the office has helped with. In the past two years it has contributed to 570 murder investigations, 88 attempted murders, 564 rape cases, 227 sexual offences against young people and 362 other sexual offences. Quite an achievement for an organisation only founded in 2006 by four people in a portable office. Its other tasks include supplying data on UK offenders to officers within Britain and in the rest of the world and fingerprints are being added to the records held. The bureau department, meanwhile — where most people work — supplies police certificates for people applying for residency visas to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and America. These vouch for the applicant's good character or disclose any UK criminal history they have. The office charges a fee for the service and uses the revenue to help fund its other departments.
A youthful, entrepreneurial atmosphere permeates the bright, modern offices. Staff say they love working here, giving the highest score of any small organisation at 80% positive. The boss, Detective Superintendent Gary Linton, comes in for plenty of praise. Employees have a great deal of faith in him (85%, another top score) and find him inspirational (77%). At 74%, no other organisation scored higher for having senior managers who listen rather than just tell people what to do, winning it our special award for leadership.
Susan Ashburn, a manager, says: "It's always changing because we're such a young unit. People are growing, getting promotions. We have a say in what we do and how we do things. You're never going to be bored."
Staff give sparkling scores across all eight factors in the employee survey; not only are they the least stressed in the public sector (86%), they are the most excited about where the organisation is going (78%) and the best led both by those at the top (whose leadership scored 79% overall) and line managers (75%).
www.acpo.police.uk/acro