Significance of an Effective Risk Management Strategy in the Police Department - Research Proposal Example

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN POLICE AGENCIES; A CASE OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) Abstract This study examines the practice of risk management within the UAE police department. The paper acknowledges the fact that risk management within police agencies has been a challenging aspect essentially due to the high exposure to risk encountered by the police and the changing nature of risks. The paper therefore identifies a key challenge in risk management, which entails the adoption of an effective risk management strategy. The study therefore aims at examine what constitutes an effective risk management strategy through the methodology of a comparative study of an expert country. The comparative study is expected to result in attaining the key objective of the study, which is to investigate the effectiveness of risk management strategies in the police department in UAE and provide useful recommendations that can improve risk management. . Table of Contents Abstract 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Problem statement 3 Objectives of the study 5 Importance of the Study 5 Literature Review 6 Significance of an Effective Risk Management strategy in the Police Department 7 Risk Management in UAE Police 9 Methodology 11 A Comparative Study with expert country 12 Risk management in the United Kingdom Police 12 Chapters Outline 13 Works Cited 14 Introduction Risks are rampant in any organization but in the context of law enforcement agencies such as the police, risks are more predominant. In offering protection to the citizens and concurrently working to avert criminal activities, risk is an occurrence that takes place on a day-to-day basis within the police department. Consequently, risk management is an essential practice. In the previous years, the process of risk management has greatly been revolutionized from being a technical tool that is insurance based to a comprehensive policy- oriented managerial approach (Archbold, p 31). Many organizations have implemented risk management due to a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons include; evading the increasing dangers of litigation, lower the risk of physical harm to themselves and their clients and offering excellent services to their clients. Risk managers in the police department also face similar circumstances; as a result, risk management is the logical approach of dealing with possible threats and liabilities that exist within the police department. Problem statement Due to the distinctive nature of activities undertaken by the UAE police, the standard approaches of risk management which include; risk transfer, risk avoidance , risk assumption and a combination of the strategies, are not always effective. For instance, risk management managers can apply the standard approach of a hierarchy of controls that starts with risk avoidance, modification of workstations, managerial controls, the use of training and employee protection apparatus. All these steps can assist in effectively controlling the exposure to risks. Regrettably, risk managers in the police department do not possess the luxuries of adopting the most effective approach of risk management. For instance, although certain risk management standards may be effective, nevertheless, the environment of work is normally not under the control entity. Police officers sometimes have to carry out operations in dark and dangerous alleys, in areas with fast moving traffic or in highly dangerous environments. Due to such scenarios, risk management in the police department must profoundly depend on the physical agility and decision making of the officer in order to evade risk. Such situations present intricacies in the risk management process. The police work in an environment that is unpredictable due to the dynamic working environment. Frequently when working in dangerous circumstances, the police are obligated to come up with slit second decision without proper consultation from more experienced manager. Also, the changing social conditions and social fabrics that are taking place in the UAE require the adoption of effective risk management strategies. For instance, demographic changes are taking place faster in the UAE as opposed to anywhere else in the globe (Lori, p324). Due to the unique challenges that exist in the police department, adopting the most effective risk management strategies has been a challenge for the police departments across the world (Archbold, p33). The UAE is also not an exception. There is therefore need to examine the effectiveness of the risk management strategies adopted by the UAE police department. Objectives of the study Currently, studies do not exist that investigate the effectiveness of risk management strategies in the police department in the UAE. The objective of this study is therefore to examine the risk management approaches adopted by the UAE police departments. The study will also investigate the use of risk management approaches in some the UAE police departments. The study will also evaluate the challenges associated with the adoption of the risk management strategies as well as the implication of the strategies on the liability of police from the viewpoint of the police and the risk managers Other objectives that will direct the study include; i) To investigate the main areas of risk that exists in the UAE police department ii) Explore the effectiveness of the risk management strategies adopted by the UAE police iii) Examine risk management strategies in other nations in comparison to those adopted by the UAE. iv) To provide useful recommendations on the adoption of the most effective approaches of risk management in the police department. Importance of the Study The study is significant in providing solutions to the problems associated to risk management in the police department. The UAE Ministry of Interior has over the years taken an active role in developing preventative policy strategies such as community policing, individual identification polices and extensive surveillance network (Lori, p315). What is evident is that the issue of adoption of an effective risk management strategy in police departments has not been covered in a comprehensive way. Consequently, this study will assist to push this particular agenda to the Ministry of interior. Also, the study will provide workable recommendations on the most effective approach of risk management in the police department. This will assist in improving the risk management practices of various police departments across the UAE. Literature Review Risk management entails the procedure used to identify and deal with probable risks and liabilities that can led to loss (Billingsley, p155). The concept of risk management become a significant tool in research and policy at the end of the twentieth century. Today the practice is implemented both in the management of public and private sector organizations. Determinations to initiate policies of risk management have been instigated by the attributes of economic life and the tendency of increased risk which has been influenced by increased technological progress both with the business environment and within police organizations (Achim, p1672). Organizations adopt different strategies for risk management depending on the nature of work, the goals of the organization and the management style (Archbold, p31).Nevertheless, there are five fundamental steps used by organizations in the process of risk management. The steps include; risk identification, exploring the methods of handling the risk, selecting the appropriate response, implementing the selected risk management approach and continuous evaluation of the risk treatment approach (Archbold, p31). Achim (p1672) discloses that the police have the most high-risk jobs as compared to other professions. This is because police officers are exposed to a wide range of risks which differ according to the task being handled, this may include performing tasks such as traffic duties, arresting perpetrators, dealing with disturbances, terrorism , guarding prisoners and transporting offers. Such activities are bound to be subjected to various types of risks. Consequently, it is essential to adopt effective risk management approaches within the police department. Significance of an Effective Risk Management strategy in the Police Department According to Kennedy, (p 151) organizations with effective risk management approaches are able to demonstrate strong leadership and also integrate risk management in their operations, structure and organization. Hall (p1) therefore proposes that it is essential for law enforcement agencies to adopt risk management approaches that are proactive in reacting to circumstances of risk and those that have the potential to resolve the risks that take place on a day-to-day basis. The failure to use effective risk management approaches can result to numerous challenges such as destruction of property, raising the cost of insurance premiums and inflicting harm to the employees. Greene (p7) highlights that police administration and risk managers must decide on the effective strategies that can be used to manage risks in their organizations. Greene (p7) proposes four key strategies to selected from which include risk avoidance, transference, mitigation and acceptance. The avoidance strategy attempts to prevent or avert the exploitation of vulnerability by a threat agent or a threat. The objective of transference is to shift the risk to another entity or organization such as an insurance company, internet provider or a third party. Mitigation on the other hand is grounded on reducing the potential impact that is caused by exploitation of vulnerability through preparation and planning. Acceptance entails doing something concerning the vulnerability by simply accommodating the outcome of exploitation (Greene, p7). Paton (p220) takes note of the fact that when adopting risk management approaches, not only must the interventions be grounded on the culture of the organization but also on the procedures and it must be capable of responding to diversity and the changing operation environment. The approach should prepare officers to deal with future events in a manner that builds their resilience and adaptive capabilities. Kennedy (p153) highlights that the adoption of effective risk management strategies should assist the police department to move away from the reactive to the proactive type of policing strategies. Such an approach works towards the application of the right decisions when a risk occurs. By moving away to passive surveillance to the adoption of active risk management, the police can easily work towards crime reduction and prevention. Kennedy (p153) also proposes that a more rigorous approach of risk management is also essential in improving the existing police practices. Effective risk management should also contribute towards sharing information across agencies, between the private and public sectors in order for law enforcement official to react to the existing risks. This can be facilitated by the use of interagency reporting approaches for instance suspicious activity report (SARs) which are used to monitor illegal activities. The fundamental premise behind sharing information across agencies is to identify and prevent potential threats before they attain their level of fruition. Nevertheless, in order to effectively stop the threat, good information is required in order to feed the intelligence process. Consequently, law enforcement agencies should use a wide range sources in order to get valuable information that can assist in to identify and combat potential risks (Kennedy, p 151). Risk Management in UAE Police Since the 1990s, the UAE Ministry of interior has been working with security agencies in order to come up with strategies of risk management essentially with the demographic changes that have been taking place in the region (Nori, p315). Various police departments a have developed their risk management in order to deal with the increasing risks that face the region. According to the Abu Dhabi Safety and Security Planning Manual (2013), experience and best practice indicate that the region faces different types of risks that differ from one another. For instance, security and safety risk differ from one place to another and the solutions that can work to resolve these risks in one place cannot work in another place. There is therefore need to put into consideration local situations when adopting risk management strategies. Nearly every activity conducted by the UAE police involves some level of risk. The risk is exhibited towards the employees of the Ministry of interior, the people they serve, the local and state government that is concerned with the administration of the agency. Additionally, financial implications of the risks cannot be ignored. Furthermore, there is a candid concern in the police department to deal with risks such as death and bodily injuries. According to the Abu Dhabi Safety and Security Planning Manual (2013), every element of risk in police department can be managed through the use of an effective risk management model. Risk management in the UAE is basically defined in terms of the culture, the structure and the processes that are geared towards effective management of adverse effects and potential opportunities (Security Risk Management, 2006). The manual of principles adopted in risks management in the UAE is based on the viewpoint that the highest risk should be tackled first as the soonest intervention. The approach is also based on the idea that the bigger the effect on reducing the risk, the lower the impact on cost and design quality. Habitually, such an approach requires compromise, which has to be precisely identified, understood and then recorded. The degree of risk also influences the degree of compromise with reference to specific security and safety requirements (Abu Dhabi Safety and Security Planning Manual 2013). Risk management in police departments such as the Abu Dhabi police department is mainly attained through the use of a security and safety specialist who continuously updates the treatment and assessment plan as the design and the plan unfolds. It is the function of the safety and security specialist to ascertain that the process of risk management is followed and the requirements are attained. The security and safety specialist also takes proprietorship of the security of regular risk identification and management (Abu Dhabi Safety and Security Planning Manual 2013). The risk management strategy in UAE police is also tailored towards meeting the requirements of the stakeholders. Key security and safety decisions openly relate to lowering the consequence or likelihood of the risk. In addition, any sharing, transferring and acceptance of risk is precisely articulated. UAE police also undertake risk monitoring in order to enhance easy response to the changing business environment. According to the Abu Dhabi Safety and Security Planning Manual (2013), many of the risk management activities end up in the monitoring and review step, yet risk management is a continuous process that should be renewed at all times. Methodology The study will adopt a comparative study approach in order to examine the effectiveness of the risk management strategies within the UAE police department. The comparative study will be conducted using case studies of various police departments in the selected country. On that basis, the study has deliberated on other potential methods such as documentary analysis, surveys, interviews and questionnaires use. In conducting this study, the use of interviews despite having the benefit of giving room for more probing and asking of questions, the approach was discredited because it would need more resources and time and to conduct. This may actually not be possible under the circumstances of this study. The use of questionnaire on the other hand has been perceived to be less accurate at times essentially in its population representation, since in many occurrences some respondents usually fail to return the filled questionnaire making the research to be biased. Thus, it may lead to the creation of doubt concerning the precision of the data. The study adopted the use of the case study since it permits the collection of information from a wide range of sources. Furthermore, the collected information can then be analyzed easily using a multi-dimensional point of view on this particular topic. The case study method is also a well-acknowledged method that can be used to analyze and represent real risk management practices in various police departments. In order to identify the most suitable risk management strategy the case study approach was also considered as more beneficial. The study will examine case studies of risk management practices in the police department within the United Kingdom and compare them with the United Arab Emirates . A Comparative Study with expert country Risk management in the United Kingdom Police Most police departments in the United Kingdom have devised comprehensive risk management strategies. However, risk management for the police department is an aspect that is implemented even from at the national level. The National Policing Improvement Agency has for instance come up with a comprehensive risk management policy that is to be used by various police departments. The policy consist of an in depth definition of risks and the process of risk management (The National Policing Improvement Agency, p7). Additionally, the policy provides recommendations for best practice in the area of risk management. Police departments in the United Kingdom are required to adapt to the guidelines of the National Policing Improvement Agency. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has also developed a decision making model that can be used in risk management within the United Kingdom Police agencies. The model was developed by the National Risk coordination Group and the Ethics portfolio. Ever since the development of the model, the police service in the United Kingdom has improved its decision making capabilities essentially when dealing with risk and implementing the process of risk management The study will therefore examine a case study of some of the Police departments in the United Kingdom in order to examine the risk management strategy and the effectiveness of the approaches adopted. The findings will then be as compared to the risk management approach adopted by one of the police departments in the UAE. Chapters Outline i) Chapter One Introduction and Background of the study Problems statement ii) Chapter Two – Literature Review Analysis of literature on risk management and the significance of risk management iii) Chapter Three – Methodology The use comparative analysis of risk management in the United Kingdom Police department Works Cited Abu Dhabi Safety and Security Planning Manual. Safety and Security Manual . 2013. Archbold, Carol. Managing the bottom line: risk management in policing. An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management. 28( 1), 2005, pp. 30-48 Achim, Adrian Constantin. Risk Management Issues in Policing: From Safety Risks faced, by Law Enforcement Agents to Occupational Health. Procedia Economics and Finance 15 ( 2014 ) 1671 – 1676. Billingsley Roger. Covert Human Intelligence Sources: The 'Unlovely' Face of Police Work. Waterside Press, 2009, p155. Greene Jack. The Encyclopedia of Police Science, Taylor & Francis, 2007. Hall, Dave .Risk Management Challenges in Law Enforcement . Public Entity Risk Institute. 2014. Lori, Noora. National Security and the Management of Migrant Labor: A Case Study of the United Arab Emirates. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal. 20(3-4).2011. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), The National Decision Model, Retrieved From Read More