In any police force or organisation which is weighed down by bureaucracy and paperwork, then Benchpoint� is like a breath of fresh air � it is simple, quick, rigorous and highly effective.  In its simplest form, Benchpoint� is an online survey tool.  Use it to assess internal opinions, policy issues, public satisfaction, personnel confidence and much more.

In more complex configurations, it is an effective measurement and management tool.

It can collect data in response to questions from any number of locations, it can analyse and report the results in a clear yet detailed format with options to view comprehensive breakdowns of the data. Use Benchpoint to gain the views of officers and staff on any number of issues, so you could then utilise such valuable information to make improvements and perhaps highlight problem areas. 

Some examples could be views on new working practices or conditions, training needs and their effectiveness, personnel appraisals, crime frequency and solution rates, vehicle usage, and virtually any subject or question you like.  Benchpoint� would allow a Chief Constable, senior officers or staff to have real time reporting of what is happening on the ground, with virtually no administrative burden and no impact on daily police operations.

It can be customised to put almost any paper-based reporting or information gathering procedure online, use it securely on your intranet. Generally the cost of using Benchpoint� could soon be repaid in productivity savings. It reduces paperwork and filing, and can save both time and money in creating reports, and all with real-time feedback, access to information is almost instant.

There is no software to install or configure, no training and no IT overhead.  It can be customised to the precise requirements of any police force or organisation.

Benchpoint� Sample Case Study

Using internal and external measures to focus on police priorities

Benchpoint� has created a tool which helps prioritise police activities and which measures how effective they actually are. The tool imposes no administrative burden, and requires no training, no additional paperwork or IT configuration. It simultaneously asks police officers and the general public a series of �mirror image� questions, using local community websites for public response and the force�s internal computer network for police officers feedback.

The answers can be analysed and compared in great detail and show clearly what the publics concerns are, and the effectiveness of the police response, area by area.

The tool could be used at a local level, or at a unitary level, which would enable detailed comparisons to be made between different areas. The questions can be tailored and changed according to circumstances and any specific requirements. The real-time results can be used in decision making and for prioritisation. They also provide �live ammunition� for political lobbying, media relations and public engagements. The multi-lingual capability of Benchpoint� also enables racial minorities to be targeted if required, so no group is left out of the feedback process.

Local community websites and local �e-zines� are becoming more and more popular, and the growing use of the Internet means that electronic media research data is increasingly more reliable and more representative, plus much more cost effective, as it can save money almost straight away.

Benchpoint� emphasise that this tool can be adapted or customised to meet any situation where internal or external information needs to be collected, collated and analysed quickly. �It�s extremely flexible, and we would welcome discussions with police authorities on how we can use this technology to make life easier for them� said Richard Gaunt, Benchpoint� CEO.