Mission, vision and values

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The Mission Statement of the Federal Police is a charter expounding their mission, vision and values. It expresses the raison d’être of the Federal Police and describes what they do and for whom (the mission), the way they want to accomplish their tasks (the vision) and the individual characteristics or values each staff member has to have in order to give concrete expression to the mission and vision. Through a series of questions and answers (the encyclopedia), we will try to explain the reason for this (new) Mission Statement. A glossary will then explain the various concepts of the Mission Statement that may appear abstract at first sight.

Glossary

Mission statement : charter including the mission, vision and values of the Federal Police.

Mission : the mission expresses the raison d’être of the organization and describes what it does and for whom. The mission of the Federal Police is based on the law of 7th December 1998 organizing an integrated police service.

Vision : the vision specifies the way we want to carry out the mission and the role the organization wants to play in the future. The general guidelines, drawn up by the senior managers, through which the organization wants to evolve are essential : how do we want to be perceived on the long term and how do we want to achieve this goal ? The vision is an ambitious image of the future and requires the involvement of all staff members of the Federal Police, without regard to their level or rank.

Values : the values are individual characteristics any member of the Federal Police must have. They are fundamental conditions for the implementation of the mission and the vision. The values have to be appropriated and implemented.

MISSION

Integrated Police : the integrated police, structured on two levels, are made up of the Federal Police and the 196 police zones of the Local Police.

Authorities of the Federal Police : the Federal Police are under the supervision of the minister of Home Affairs and the minister of Justice. The missions of the administrative police are executed under the responsibility of the administrative authorities : the mayors, the province governors and the minister of Home Affairs. The missions of the judicial police are under the responsibility of the Public Prosecutor, the Federal Office of the Public Prosecutor, the College of Attorney General and the minister of Justice.

To contribute to security and quality of life in society : the police derive their legitimacy from the society. The pre-eminently starting point of the Octopus agreements of 23rd May 1998 was the principle according to which the police (federal and local level) first and foremost have to focus on the population. All activities eventually have to contribute to the security and the quality of life in society.

National and international context : the Federal Police carry out their missions on the Belgian territory. But the society becomes more and more complex and crime often goes beyond national borders. For that reason, the Federal Police direct their approach on a supralocal and cross-border level and cooperate with foreign police services and international partners such as Europol, Interpol,...

Specialized police missions : the specialized missions of administrative police concern law enforcement and, more precisely, respect of the laws and regulations, preventive intervention, protection of persons and goods and assistance to endangered persons. The specialized administrative police are also in charge of border controls, traffic police, railway police, waterway police, aeronautical police, dog support units and air support units. The specialized judicial police deal first and foremost with crimes and offences that, due to their complex nature, require specialized investigations and (proactive) inquiries.

Supralocal police missions : are missions that, because of their extent, organization or consequences, cross the borders of a zone, a district or country.

Support : the support missions can be of operational nature, for example reinforcing the strength of a local police zone by putting staff of the intervention corps or the general reserve at its disposal during a high-risk football match or engaging an observation team of the special units. They can also be of non-operational nature, for example installing a call centre working as a general point of contact for the human resources or by making studies about stress or motivation. Very often, the support missions contribute to the integrated working. For instance, in the operational field, the development of the General National Data Base and, in the non-operational field, the uniform recruitment, selection and training of police staff.
The National Security Plan 2008-2011 emphasizes the fact that support especially has to be adapted to the real and lawful needs of the beneficiaries, such as the local police services. That support is the subject of a detailed procedure and a consultation with the partners.

Integrated working : even if the Federal Police and the Local Police work autonomously, they also work in close cooperation with each other and are complementary. Together, they provide for the integrated police function. In order to emphasize this integrated nature :

Specialization : if specialized police missions are needed, the Federal Police will have priority over the Local Police to carry out those specialized missions.

Subsidiarity : all the missions are given to the corpses of the Local Police , except those who need the intervention of a specialized service of the Federal Police.

In synergy with the partners : in order to contribute to the security and the quality of life of the population, the Federal Police intervenes in agreement and in cooperation with the citizens, the various authorities, the Local Police services and the relevant institutions (Child Focus, Belgian National Railway Company,...).

VISION

An excellent police function : in order to carry out his/her missions, every staff member of the integrated police has to observe the principles of the community oriented policing, the information led policing and the optimal management (as well as an internal prevention and welfare policy) in order to strive for an excellent police function. Every trainee, policeman, both police officers and administrative and logistic staff, without regard to their level or rank, has to implement and apply these principles in his day-to-day work.

Community oriented policing : the community oriented policing reflects the attitude of the integrated police and defines their legitimacy within the society. This philosophy reflects their embedding in our society. The concept is based on five pillars :

Intelligence led policing : is the permanent concern of the integrated police for running the organization at strategic, tactical and operational levels, using information about insecurity, quality of life, criminality and police working (experience and skills). The five characteristics of the concept are :

:

Optimal management  : as far as optimal management is concerned, a major responsibility is taken on by the leaders, at all levels, of the different police services. The management is expected to assume leadership with guts” (1), with a sense of motivation, listening, responsibility, integrity and perseverance. Optimal management is the concern of everyone. It is synonymous with result-oriented work (2), transparency concerning the missions, competences, responsibilities and results (3), as well as willingness to improve continuously and on a long-term basis (4) and with professional co-operation.(5)

Implication : the staff, the fellow workers are the most important elements of our organization. Their involvement, commitment or devotion is a necessary condition to achieve quality work. This commitment is characterized by availability, solidarity and pride to belong to the Federal Police.

Motivation : : enthusiasm, satisfaction, the sense of initiative, the eagerness to learn, making yourself available,… Keeping the motivation of the fellow workers has to be the managers’ permanent concern. Giving feed-back about performances, diversified tasks and appreciation certainly contribute to satisfaction and motivation.

Competence : the pre-eminently tools within the Federal Police are workmanship, expertise, professional skills, specialization and experience of their staff members. In order maintain these competences at a good level, the Federal Police invest in training and the development of these competences. This is actually a strategic aim of the NSP 2008-2011, just like stimulating the commitment of the fellow workers.

Performance : pragmatism, efficiency and effectiveness are the key words here. Needless procedures and bureaucracy have to be avoided. A far as support is concerned, the Federal Police adapt their services as best as possible to the expectations of the interested parties such as the Local Police services.

Transparency : transparency is synonymous with openness towards the authorities and population, for example by means of the national security plan (NSP) which determines the approach, the priorities and the aims of the Federal Police every four years. The NSP is approved by the ministers of Home Affairs and Justice and is presented in the Parliament and to the population. The Federal Police frequently communicate about their approach and the results obtained (press releases, annual reports, ...) and is also accountable to their authorities.
Transparency also means openness towards the partners, such as the Local Police services. For example :  openness for co-operation by clearly formulating the support offer.  
Finally, transparency is also synonymous with openness towards the staff, by communicating clearly and openly about the human resources policy and organizing a smooth information flow to all staff members.

Dynamism : there is always a margin for evolution and flexibility ; the will to take action and to improve has to be present all the time. Moreover, in order to be efficient and to come up to the expectations, the Federal Police have to ensure a certain diversity in their offer, but without going to extremes. Coherence, cohesion and the unity of the complementary components (Local and Federal Police) may never neglected.

Innovation : the available technologies are evolving very quickly. For police services, it is essential to be innovative and to take advantage of the technological evolution in order to fight efficiently against insecurity. DNA analyses, GPS localization, facial recognition, ballistic analyses and digital speed check systems with automatic number plate recognition... are only a few striking examples of it.
Innovating and investing in new technologies and methods is also essential in the non-operational field to provide modern services (e.g. the automation of the knowledge and information spreading, e-office and e-learning, teleadministration). In this context, we have to take maximum advantage of the public/private and international co-operation possibilities (e.g. the exchange of high-tech equipment).
The pursuit of innovation and technological progress has to be well-balanced with regard to a sustainable and ecological management. Policemen must also get involved in this societal concern.

To be identified and recognized : identification starts obviously with the corporate identity and standards : the uniform, the logos, the striping,... But it goes beyond the pure visual identity. Everyone contributes to the image of the Federal Police. The image is the visible concrete translation of the vision and values of the Federal Police as well as their behavior. The attitude and behavior are the proper expression of the position and the role of the Federal Police in the integrated police landscape : a quality police service composed of specialized and motivated personnel that is convinced of its essential contribution to an integrated police service. This image reflects on each staff member of the Federal Police, belonging either to the operational or the administrative and logistic staff . The members of the Federal Police add their know-how, in their domain or specialization.

VALUES

The code of ethics  : the code of ethics of the police services became effective on the 30st May 2006. The code is in fact an enclosure of the royal decree of 10th May 2006 which defines the code of ethics of the police services. It contains 81 points. The « Exodus law » of 26th April 2002 regarding the essential elements of the statutes of the police services staff members provides for the formal obligation to draw up a code of ethics. The latter applies to all staff members of the Federal and Local Police, both the operational and the administrative and logistic staff members. The code aims at guaranteeing the good working of the police organization, at defining what a right police function should be and at expressing several other ethical aspects, such as professional incompatibilities, civil liability, signs of gratitude, etc.

First of all, the code of ethics is an individual tool, a guideline to stimulate the integration among the personnel of the appropriate and shared behavioral values and standards. It defines the framework, the rights and duties of the leaders and fellow workers.

Finally, the code of ethics contributes to transparency towards the population. It is also aimed at the citizens who have to know what they can expect and require from the police.

You will find more information on this topic in the section « Integrity and Code of Ethics » on www.hrpol.be

The values of the integrated police : the charter of the values of the integrated police is an integral part of point 3 of the code of ethics.

Integrity : the authorities and the population are entitled to rely on an honest and impartial police. Their mission essentially consists in enforcing the laws and regulations, paying particularly attention to the « all citizens are equal before the law » principle. It is obvious that policemen have to observe those laws and regulations. If not, there is a problem of credibility and trust : neither the citizens nor the authorities would accept that the police impose rules that they do not respect themselves, be it internal rules or laws. The fact that the police, as an institution disposing of the power monolopy, can use coercion under strict conditions stresses the importance of integrity (is it legitimate ? Is there another solution ? Is it proportional ?).

Respect : respect is a quite broad notion that refers to self respect, to respect towards others, authorities, equipment and to loyalty.

Open-mindedness  : that openness especially emphasizes the search for diversity, adaptability, critical and constructive mind, listening skills, transparency, team work, …

Flexibility : flexibility presupposes a strong capacity to adapt and to listen, to solve problems, to search for surplus value, to broaden the field of action, professionalism, creativity, …

Service spirit  : this value goes along with notions such as availability, efficiency, quality service, professionalism, problem solving, ...

Pride of belonging to the organization  : the pride of belonging to the Federal Police is characterized by solidarity, community spirit, pride, commitment, team spirit, cohesion, ...