Mission and Vision Statement

The main statutory responsibility on the GPA is to secure an efficient and effective police service for the area. This is, in effect, the Mission or overriding purpose.

There are a number of other key duties/responsibilities of Police Authorities, the main ones being:

  • holding the police budget and allocating resources
  • appointing the Chief Constable and senior police officers
  • consulting widely with local people about the policing of their area in particular on anti social behaviour
  • setting local policing priorities and targets for achievement
  • monitoring everything the police do and how well they perform against the targets set by the Authority
  • publishing policing plans and summaries which tell local people what they can expect from their police service and reports back at the end of each year
  • make sure local people get best value from their local police
  • overseeing complaints against the police and disciplining senior officers
  • administering a custody visitors scheme as an independent check on the welfare of detainees at police stations.

What is a mission statement?

A Mission Statement is a simple statement of purpose, understood by every member of the organisation. It should be clear and concise regarding clarity about the primary objective for which resources are used and programmes and plans developed. It is really a definition of 'why' the organisation / service currently exists. It provides direction it does not provide goals.

The Gwent Police Authority mission is therefore, "to secure an efficient and effective police service for Gwent."

What is a Vision Statement?

A Vision Statement expresses the destination of the organisation. As a vision for the future, it should give shape and direction to service development by painting an ideal picture, stating what the organisation aspires to become. It is intended to stretch the organisations' capabilities and image of itself. It should be a positive statement and can be supported by future goals and achievements, defining what will be pursued not how it will be achieved.

In addition, within the regulatory world we work in, organisations such as GPA are expected to have a clear statement of what it wishes to achieve and how it intends to get there. The current vision statement looks to the future, but perhaps lacks clarity on how that will be achieved.

Why have a Mission and Vision?

It is becoming apparent that even our most successful organisations are amazed at their own lack of agreement concerning their corporate vision. It seems that organisations and their members are not always aware that they are running in different directions. In part, they seem to have their vision (a desired end) confused with their goals and objectives (the means to get there).

It was agreed at the AGM of the Gwent Police Authority on 25th May 2007 that the GPA vision for Policing in Gwent will be:

Making Gwent a Safer Place

We aim to achieve this by;

  • increasing community confidence, trust and reassurance in policing in Gwent;
  • by engaging local communities to ensure their views are considered;
  • to monitor the performance of the Gwent force against agreed priorities and within given resources;
  • to ensure the force has effective leadership to meet the expectations of the communities in Gwent.

Updated 26th May 2009