Humberside Police: A Learning Organization
Humberside Police has had its fair share of policing issues. These included concerns underperformance. However, Humberside Police has shown its ability to transform such weaknesses into strengths. That is why, in 2010, Humberside Police were named the winners of the prestigious National Training Awards. This and other exhibition of initiative shows that Humberside Police is a true dynamic learning organization.
Established in 1974, Humberside Police was formed from a series of mergers with nearby police forces at or near the former county of Humberside. A descendant of the Hull City Police and several other police forces, Humberside Police presently covers a sizeable area. Its area of responsibility currently extends to North-East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, and the city of Kingston-upon-Hull. In policing this area, its command is divided into four Basic Command Units (BCUs) comprised of community officers embedded in each. It is able to draw strength from 2,032 constables, 1,847 police staff, 321 Police Community Support Officers and 341 special constables. Humberside Police also calls upon its fleet of police vehicles to carry out its tasks. All these resources combine to transform the Humberside Police into a capable police force.
In recent years, Humberside Police has seen alarming reports of underperformance among its ranks, from which it has shown tremendous resiliency and initiative. One of these issues came about in 2005 when Humberside Police was labelled as one of the “worst police forces” in the United Kingdom. In response to this, Humberside Police effected major changes which improved its ranking in 2007. Its performance has steadily improved following this and in 2009, the force was ranked one of the top eight police departments in the country.
Humberside Police is the holder of national awards for police forces. Chief among these is the National Training Awards which the force won in 2010. This award underscored the excellence in training and learning implemented by Humberside Police. Additionally, Humberside Police has been the recipient of the highest National Energy Efficiency Awards for using economical fuel in most of its police vehicles.
Humberside Police is a fine example of an institution that is quick to adapt to situations calling for improvement, a true dynamic learning organization.
