RCMP CAPRA Problem Solving Model

Introduction

This is a learning tool designed to increase your understanding of the RCMP Community Policing Problem Solving Model, CAPRA (C =Clients, A =Acquire/Analyse Information, P =Partnerships, R =Response, A =Assessment of Action taken). It is intended to promote discussion in small groups of employees, clients and partners of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. By following the discussion points below, you can learn more about community policing, and how its principles apply to how we work as an organization. Community policing is defined by the RCMP as problem solving in partnership with clients/communities to ensure continuous improvement in service delivery. You can share thoughts and ideas with the members of your group, and discuss how the RCMP can best work with communities to provide quality service.

This learning map is designed with open space to write down any ideas and suggestions. (Erasable, black, dry markers or sticky notes are ideal for this purpose.) The discussion points below will help you understand how a problem solving approach could help you to better resolve your work-related challenges.

Getting Started

The images on this map are an extension of the ideas presented in The Evolution of Policing in the RCMP map. The evolution map provides an insight into the necessity for changes to police service delivery. CAPRA is a model for providing quality service, protection, enforcement and prevention, in partnership with clients/communities within today's context.

The model emphasizes the importance of:

• developing and maintaining partnerships and trust within communities/the workforce to establish priorities for service delivery and preventive problem solving;
• understanding our clients' perspectives on work-related matters for establishing priorities and potential partnerships in service delivery; and
• encouraging ongoing feedback for continuous improvement.

CAPRA is a unique operational model in that it provides an opportunity for you to exercise any combination of service, protection, prevention and enforcement, whether a problem exists or a potential problem can be prevented. CAPRA is more than a problem solving model. It is designed to assist the police officer or other members of the work force to anticipate problems and to prevent problems from arising, where appropriate, in consultation with partners, as much as it is to resolve problems through multi-disciplinary, inter-agency and consultative processes. It applies to enforcement as much as it does to prevention. It applies to every aspect of police internal organizational service delivery. It is a method of service delivery that focuses on providing the best quality service by reflecting an understanding of clients' needs, demands and expectations and, where possible, using partnership approaches.

The objective of this discussion/exercise, then, is to provide you with practice in applying the model to:

• identifying existing or potential problems and related issues;
• acquiring and analysing pertinent information;
• enlisting appropriate partners for the situation at hand;
• generating and selecting responses (options); and
• continuously improving service delivery.

Group discussions are ideal for this purpose, because they give you the opportunity to build on other people's ideas. You'll see how CAPRA applies to a variety of work environments that involve challenges with:

• policy
• front-line work
• police management issues

For today, read the narrative information out loud (represented by the symbol). The questions that follow are intended to stimulate group discussions. On our own, we often come up with great ideas on how to solve our own problems, but group discussion of these issues will almost always result in a more manageable and effective solution. Some anticipated responses have been listed to assist you in stimulating discussion, if necessary. As the facilitator, estimate how much time you might spend on each section of the diagram before you start the session. It's a good idea to leave some time at the end of the session for discussion of findings, an assessment of the session and next steps (e.g., how to use this new information).

Before you start, remind group members that there are no right or wrong answers; some people may interpret the images and questions differently, given their backgrounds and working environments. Debate should be encouraged when appropriate.

SECTION ONE

C =Clients
The left side of the diagram shows an open faced building in which a meeting is being conducted. A consultative meeting is one method of getting to know your clients. There are different participants around the table, discussing and taking note of the issues that concern them.

The purpose of this meeting is to allow all participants to learn one another's point of view. It promotes a better understanding of what causes concern, for whom, and why. Through this process, participants can clearly define and prioritize their problems and concerns. The result is that proposed directions or solutions will better address all participants' concerns and thus be more likely to enlist their commitment to partnership approaches in this and future situations.

Who are direct clients? Indirect clients?

Direct clients are people with whom you come into contact on a daily basis in service delivery or in problem-solving situations and include individual citizens (suspects, victims, witnesses, concerned citizens, etc.) concerned citizen groups, internal clients (SEC, policy centres, regions, divisions, individual employees, etc.) and various agencies and departments.

Indirect clients are people with whom you do not necessarily come into direct contact, but who are affected by the outcome of your efforts. These indirect clients might include business communities (where, for example, a series of thefts have occurred); interest groups (e.g. women's groups, where, for example, a sexual assault has occurred); cultural groups (where, for example, discriminatory practices have occurred in the workplace); taxpayers (where, for example, expenditures exceed value added).

What are some other ways of "getting to know" your clients?

We should be continuously renewing our working relationships to ensure that the services we provide and the partnerships we establish are helping to ensure safe homes and communities and a productive working environment. By establishing trust within clients/communities, we gain access to information, which is essential to preventing and resolving crime-related or internal organizational problems. The better we know the capabilities of our partners, the more likely we are to quickly and effectively address situations that arise.

For example:

• How well do you actually know your clients?
• What are their needs, demands, expectations?
• What is the nature of your relationship with your clients?
• Who is affected by the work that you do?
• How do you suppose it would affect them?

Getting to know your clients promotes efficiency. You know what expectations you are facing, and can therefore more effectively address people's concerns. Such knowledge can also help you to more appropriately allocate resources. It gives you time to develop appropriate plans and strategies from a well informed perspective. Your commitment to finding a mutually agreed solution to a shared problem will serve both you and your client well.

SECTION TWO

A =Acquire/Analyse Information
The map provides examples of who to turn to for information -- people you work with, people who work in community police offices, the town hall, a banking institution, a restaurant, a school and citizens generally. Information collected as part of a community profiling process, or a work orientation session will be of value to you in future problem-solving situations.

What is the importance of acquiring and analysing information?

• to fully understand what the problem is, what the issues are, who is involved , where and when the situation occurred and how it might best be addressed - given your direct and indirect clients' perspectives;
• to identify competing interests (needs, demands and expectations);
• to put yourself in the best position to manage the competing interests in a manner that will ensure that all participants feel that the situation was handled fairly;
• to determine who your primary client should be, and
  to determine what your options are and what the best solution might be.

The more information you have and the better your analysis in terms of the clients' perspectives, the more likely you are to define the problem appropriately in terms of the clients' needs and arrive at a mutually agreed response or solution to a problem. Keep in mind that the information you acquire and analyse will also inform you of what's best for the clients, in terms of balancing their sometimes competing interests.

What competencies might you employ in order to understand and be able to use the information you have acquired, to better solve on-the-job problems?

• crime analysis
• leadership
• communication skills
• interpersonal skills
• time management skills
• research skills
• client orientation

Who/what are potential sources of information for analysis?

• police dog services
• hospitals
• CPIC/PIRS database
• libraries
• community task forces
• an experienced co-worker/expert

SECTION THREE

P =Partnerships
Developing and maintaining partnerships is the third element of this operational model. Partners are individuals or groups who can assist you in providing quality service. They may be internal or external to the RCMP or your unit within the RCMP. Partnerships, like friendships, are established, based on trust. People who feel that they have been fairly treated in the past will not hesitate to assist you in subsequent endeavours. In the interest of ensuring timely and quality responses, partnerships should be established before there is a problem and contingency plans should be established to address the most typical kinds of work-related situations that arise. Partnerships should result in mutual benefits.

Who are your partners in your work situation?

• colleagues
• specialized units
• experts
• witnesses
• community groups
• DSRRs

What competencies might you need to establish partnerships?

• integrity
• leadership
• effective communication
• interpersonal skills
• client orientation
• the ability to recognize shared interests
• respect for human dignity

How should you approach establishing partnerships?

• identify the potential roles of the partners in police/work-related matters
• identify shared interests and concerns
• prioritize your concerns
• establish the benefits of working together
• establish contingency plans or an action plan
• establish evaluation criteria to assess mutually agreed directions
• agree to provide continual feedback to ensure continuous improvement

You may wish to gather information that you feel may be relevant about the agency/person with whom you wish to partner. You may be able to do this from a pamphlet or from someone you know who works at the agency or with the individual. From here, you can arrange an informal meeting, whether it be by phone, or in person. The information you collect in advance of a meeting will likely give you insights on how to more effectively reach your common goals.

SECTION FOUR

R =Response
Once you have identified a potential or existing problem and related issues, understood who your clients are, determined, their needs and gathered and analysed relevant information from appropriate sources and partners, you should be ready to generate, with your partners, if appropriate, response options and select the best response in light of your primary clients' needs.

Here is a list and a brief explanation of types of responses available to you:

Service:

Products and assistance to clients (public, communities, individual citizens, directorates/divisions/regions, branches, units or individual employees). Referral of the public to partner agencies, assistance to employees through partners in support programs. Provision of information and training.

Protection:

Of the public interest, victims, or individuals or groups of employees affected by the problem (e.g., safety issues), in partnership with community agencies and experts, where appropriate.

Enforcement and Alternatives:

Enforcement will always be an important part of policing, as it is the mandate of the police to uphold the law. As statistics show, however, enforcement alone is not always the best response -- it does not always deter people from breaking the law, and doesn't address why the law was broken in the first place. Some problems, such as a general fear of crime or community disputes, do not lend themselves readily to enforcement. Law, policy and regulations enforcement apply in the work place as well (RCMP Act, Official Languages Act, Administration Manual, etc.).

Prevention:

Preventing the problem from occurring or from escalating by addressing contributing factors to the broad problem rather than specific incidents or manifestations of the issue. Prevention applies both within the organization and police service delivery.

Depending on your goals which can range from problem elimination or reduction; reduction of harm/impact; improvement of response and reallocation of responsibility, you can use any combination of these four types of responses.

There are a number of strategies you can use: providing information, education; establishing community preventative programs/inter-agency approaches to service delivery/community regulations; community mobilization; and use of alternatives to enforcement approaches to problem resolution. Focused attention to response options available may lead you to solutions different from those you might instinctively have chosen. Once you have selected an option, you may require additional information to implement it.

Why is it important to set goals and keep notes on actions taken?

• to select the best option to accomplish the goal
• to monitor the effectiveness of the option selected
• to select different options where appropriate to ensure that the goals are, in fact, met.

SECTION FIVE

A =Assessment of Action taken
On the map, all of the images that show communication between the police and the community, represent assessment and evaluation for continuous improvement. Similarly, communication among RCMP units, branches, directorates, divisions and regions is essential to continuous improvement. Continuous feedback helps to ensure that you are indeed delivering services that the community/your clients, need and want. Evaluation seeks to avoid the maintenance of 'stale' services, services which, as a result of constantly changing situations and demands, no longer add value.

What do you think are the key points of assessment?

• to establish agreed to criteria for evaluation that address value added and quality service
• to compare service delivered to internally and/or externally agreed to standards
• to ensure that clients are included in the feedback loop
• to assess performance and possible areas for improvement
  to identify trends and opportunities for prevention

Here are some tips to ensure that your assessment yields effective results.

• At the outset, determine appropriate time lines for evaluation, but be prepared to adapt them as required.
• Determine what method of assessment you might use -- self analysis; input from clients and communities; statistical analyses; examination of trends (before and after).
• When choosing your response, keep your goals in mind. Write them down and keep them realistic and simple.
• Take note of unexpected consequences of actions taken, both negative and positive.
• Note what worked particularly well and what did not and identify contributing factors. (This has implications for how you might respond in the future.)

SECTION SIX

Into the real world - how does it work?

At the core are a variety of clients. Their perspectives are essential to appropriate identification of problems and issues. Their concerns will impact on police priorities. They are sources of information that will influence the selection of effective response options. They are potential partners in service delivery. Finally, their feedback is essential to the continuous improvement of police service delivery. CAPRA then is a client-centred, community policing problem solving model which by design will lead to continuous learning and improvement.

CAPRA in action - police related situations

RCMP Learning Maps were produced by Community, Contract and Aboriginal Services of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police