How does the Chief Constable ensure that PSNI as a service can and will address the identified difficulties in recruiting the additional professional and technical skills which are critical to undertake and deliver on the PSNI Estates Vision and Transformation?
Although PSNI has recognised the need for additional skilled resources to supplement the existing multidisciplinary team within Estates Services Branch, a competitive market has contributed to a delay in delivering the desired uplift.
To address the identified recruitment issues, we are now progressing a number of strands.
Firstly, the Estates Services Branch is being fundamentally restructured to introduce more definitive career progression pathways for technical staff. The emphasis will not simply be on recruiting professionals but also on recruiting at more junior levels with the intention to ‘train and retain’ through to full professional qualified status.
The second strategy is to access some of the required expertise through the Property Management Contract. This contract is for our primary outsourced service provider of maintenance and is currently being re-procured. As part of updating the specification for services, PSNI has taken the opportunity to further develop the Asset Management arrangements and incorporate this into the Contract as an individual Service line. As a result, this will provide a means of accessing expertise in support of Estates Services staff.
Finally, we are also investigating whether it is possible to access skills from elsewhere in the wider public sector, including the Department of Health and Department of Finance.