Case example of the use of Six Sigma and Kaizen projects in policing services

Abstract

This paper aims to elaborate on the use of Six Sigma and Kaizen in policing services. Two case examples are discussed, followed by a review of the key implications obtained from the projects. In optimising the quality of policing services to the community, the police agencies in the UAE are faced with numerous challenges. This paper aims to provide further evidence of the use and applicability of Six Sigma and Kaizen in the policing field and to propose the direction for future studies. Based on the study results, it is proposed that the methodologies from Six Sigma and Kaizen are adopted in policing services to achieve an improvement in all aspects of their environment, including the process of service delivery, service effectiveness and efficiency, and the reduction of operational costs. This study is considered one of the few that have reported the use and benefits of these methods in policing services. Specifically, the findings have provided implications to the general arguments on the effectiveness of Six Sigma and Kaizen and their applicability in police agencies under the public sector, leading to further contributions which fill the research gap. Moreover, this study offers significant value for practitioners and managers in the organisations under the public sector to exert continuous improvement in the provision of services or products and organisational performance.

Keywords

Six Sigma Kaizen policing services Dubai Police

Introduction

The provision of quality policing services is an essential factor in assessing the effectiveness of public organisations. Recently, significant efforts have been made in public organisations to improve their services. In this case, the improvement needs to be made in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of the process of service delivery, including the reduction of redundancy and waste of the resources (García-Navarro et al., 2019). The improved quality of products and processes is one of the most imperative modern business strategies (Haerizadeh and Sunder 2019).

The development and implementation of effective improvement tools are fundamental in the long-term success of organisations (Gijo et al., 2014). This is the same case for organisations’ ability to deliver high-quality services at a low cost. Accordingly, Six Sigma and Kaizen are contemporary quality excellence approaches which facilitate organisations in achieving their objectives. According to Haerizadeh and Sunder (2019), Kaizen emphasises on swift processes of improvement through the elimination of waste and the enhancement of flow, while Six Sigma focuses on robust quality improvements by reducing process variation and defects.

The applications of Six Sigma and Kaizen have been proven effective in the manufacturing and service sectors (Pepper and Spedding, 2010). To be specific, it was proven in previous studies and various empirical papers and case studies that these methods are effective in the fields of information technology, education, hospitality, tourism, aviation, banking, healthcare, etc. However, limited and immature applications in the aforementioned fields still persist (Al-Aoma et al., 2017; Alsyouf et al., 2018; Small et al., 2017), particularly in policing services (Antony et al., 2019; Doss, 2014; Patyal and Maddulety, 2015). Furthermore, Antony et al. (2019) reported that the lack of exploration in the application of Six Sigma and Kaizen in policing services dates back many years. Although several studies indicated that these approaches and their benefits have been applied in policing (Antony et al., 2019; Barton, 2013), this implementation has only been performed by a few police agencies. Therefore, scholars have recently identified this matter as an important research area (Antony et al., 2019). In line with this thinking, this article presents a case example to highlight the applicability of Six Sigma and Kaizen in policing services towards the development of a quality excellence culture.

There has been less focus on the application of Six Sigma and Kaizen in the policing area in the academic field. This could be seen from the insignificant explorations on this matter (Antony et al., 2019; Barton, 2013), where most of them were conceptual contributions which only focused on the methods’ applicability in policing services and their adoption into individual services (Antony et al., 2019). Accordingly, this article elaborates on two case examples of the applications of Kaizen and Six Sigma, followed by an exploration of the benefits and improvements achieved within Dubai Police units. The importance of these methods in police agencies and the public sector in general will also be discussed.

Dubai Police overview

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federal government, leading to high level of authority to be placed under the emirates. The local police in every emirate possess the power to control everything inside it. Known as Dubai Police Head Quarters, Dubai Police is a police agency in the Emirate of Dubai. It is among the police agencies directed by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the vice president, prime minister of the UAE, and the ruler of Dubai. Established on 1 June 1956, the organisational structure consists of 21 general departments and 11 police stations, employing 24,000 in total (Abdulla et al., 2008; Busanad, 2016; Chu, 2017; EFQM, 2018). It covers an area of 4114 square kilometres and serves a population of 2.8 million individuals in the Emirate of Dubai.

The mission and vision of Dubai Police aims towards an improved quality of life as it operates with constitutional rights to implement laws and maintain the safety and security of the community and all residents of the country (Dubai Police, 2019). Besides setting high performance standards, it specifies highly defined descriptions of its duties, tasks and jurisdictions. Similar to all government entities in Dubai, Dubai Police is responsible for the provision of the optimum services for the community.

Dubai Police is seen as one of the most advanced agencies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region (Elnaghi et al., 2018) with remarkable improvement in its performance. However, this performance is yet to be satisfactory when the government’s ambitious plans and its past years’ results are taken into account. Therefore, the continuous implementation of methods to address the issues and conflicts in Dubai Police’s process of service delivery would enhance its organisational performance (Chaurasia et al., 2019).

The organisational performance of Dubai Police could be improved in terms of its service delivery processes. In this case, Six Sigma and Kaizen are the most popular methods used for continuous improvement of the organisation (Bhuiyan and Baghel, 2005; Elnathan et al., 1996; Galli, 2019; Luo et al., 2017; Prabhakar, 2017; Spector, 2006). These methods could improve the business processes of organisations, contributing to an enhanced organisational performance in various areas, such as the quality of product and service, business cost, cycle time, market penetration, customer satisfaction (Scott et al., 2009) and a sustained organisational competitive advantage (Antony et al., 2005; Da Silva et al., 2019; Larsson et al., 2017).

Literature Review

The public sector is a vital factor in a country’s economy (Rodgers and Antony, 2019). The government entities constitute the largest part of this sector. The provision of services to the community is the key role of the government (Ginanjar and Syah, 2019), and the services are mainly controlled and monitored by various principles which rely on efficiency and effectiveness. These elements are important due to the role of government entities in the country’s economy (Al Meqbaali and Kasim, 2018).

Efficiency and effectiveness have become the slogans, aligning with the managers’ aim to improve services while minimising resource consumption (Bayley, 1985; Matusiak et al., 2017; Seraphin, 2017). It was found in previous studies that the government entities make a substantial contribution of between 20% and 30% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in economically developed countries (Arundel, Bloch and Ferguson, 2019). The significant economic contribution resulted in a high-interest increase and gradual improvements in organisational performance and services (Arundel et al., 2015; Chen, 2018; Elias and Davis, 2018). However, the managers under the government entities are faced with the pressure of improving the services provided to the community.

The effectiveness of government services is not achievable due to the lack of effective mechanisms. Therefore, continuous improvement methods are applied by government entities for the improvement of their services and performance. Six Sigma and Kaizen are among the methods which are applicable in this case (Chaurasia et al., 2019). In fact, these methods have been widely used in manufacturing industries and government sectors in various countries, including the USA, UK, Sweden, South Africa, the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Finland, Canada and Australia (Antony et al., 2018; Antony et al., 2019; Ginanjar and Syah, 2019). However, based on the review by Rodgers and Antony (2019) on previous studies regarding the Lean Six Sigma used in the public sector from 2000 to 2017, it was found that the application of these tools was unstructured and sporadic. Additionally, the implementation of these methods in the government sectors in countries from the Middle East, specifically the United Arab Emirates, remains in its early stages.

In 2007, Six Sigma was adopted in the government sectors in the UAE by Dubai Police. However, the implementation of this tool was still limited and restricted in this year due to several management functions. This could be seen from the simple implementation of Six Sigma techniques and inadequate advanced analysis of its results. Notably, Kaizen’s implementation took place in 2016.

To improve service, fulfil the community’s needs, and create a link between efficiency of resources and external service (Antony et al., 2019), continuous adoption of improvement tools in police agencies is essential (Barton, 2013). However, the application of Six Sigma and Kaizen in the policing field is highly limited (Antony et al., 2019; Barton, 2013; Barton and Matthews, 2015, 2017), which could be inferred from gaps in previous literature on this matter (Antony et al., 2019). Specifically, limited examples were provided on the application of these methods in this field (Antony et al., 2019; Antony et al., 2018; Barton, 2013; Barton and Matthews, 2015, 2017). This could be seen from numerous publications which only focused on the application of Lean and Six Sigma in Scotland Police (Antony et al., 2016, 2019).

Meanwhile, Barton (2013) investigated the role of Six Sigma on improving services of five police agencies in the UK. As a result, immature implementation of Six Sigma on the agencies was found. This was in agreement with Doss’s (2014) finding, where the application of Six Sigma in several police agencies in the UK was found to be relatively recent. On the other hand, Richard and Kupferschmid (2011) focused on the application of Six Sigma in Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory. These studies notwithstanding, the depth of the field of investigation remains lacking (Patyal and Maddulety, 2015), including immature implementation of Six Sigma (Doss, 2014). Moreover, the only empirical study conducted on the relationship between Six Sigma and performance is that by Alosani and Yusoff (2018), which investigated the impacts of Six Sigma on the organisational performance of Dubai Police. Similarly, there was inadequate study regarding the implementation of Kaizen in police agencies (Antony et al., 2019). Specifically, based on Barton’s (2013) questions regarding Kaizen and its applicability in police processes, several short-term successful results were found. However, neither a full-scale adoption of Kaizen nor an application suitable to police functions were found. Overall, it could be concluded that the gap in the studies regarding the implementation of Six Sigma and Kaizen in police agencies was proven through these published works.

The case examples in this section have presented the range of the continuous improvement projects implemented by the departments and police stations under Dubai Police. The documents pertaining to these projects are archived in the General Department of Excellence and Pioneering. Prior permission to examine the documents was obtained from the respective departments.

Case examples of Six Sigma and Kaizen projects in Dubai Police

Based on a previous literature review, it was found that the implementation of Six Sigma and Kaizen in a variety of services under the public sector was discussed. However, only a few reports were made on case studies or empirical research (Antony et al., 2019; Barton, 2013). A case study was reported by Antony et al. (2019), who listed numerous examples of the Lean Six Sigma projects in Scotland Police. It was concluded that these methods were applicable in policing services, especially in improving the internal processes and providing quality services. This finding was in agreement with Barton (2013), who discussed the case studies of the use of Lean in several police agencies in the UK. It was found that Lean methods could be considered as the potential drivers of internal police improvements. This section aims to conduct a detailed review of several case examples, which were selected from the projects implemented in Dubai Police. Each of the case examples is summarised as follows:

Research background and problems

Methodologies used and improvement procedures

Project results

Implications of results

Case example 1: Secure baggage

Research background and problems

The aim of this project was to improve the process of summoning passengers in Dubai Airport Terminal 3 upon suspicion of possessing illegal or security-restricted items, such as batteries or liquids which exceed the permissible limit, among others in their bags. In this case, the bags are first detained by security personnel before the passenger is summoned to open the bags and then go through the necessary procedures. The duration of this process ranges from 2 to 24 hours.

The Kaizen project was implemented by the General Department of Airport Security in 2018. In defining the research problem, all parties involved in the project by the project team were passengers, police employees, airlines, security employees and airport management. As a result, the passengers were identified as the key parties of the project, while the remaining parties would contribute to positive and direct impacts on the key issue. In 2017, a total of 497,456 bags were transferred to the interrogation room, followed by a total of 248,728 passengers summoned to the interrogation room.

The issue which occurs when bags are detained and passengers are summoned for interrogation is that the passengers may miss their flights. In the case of unavailability of flight on the day of interrogation, hotel reservations and meals should be provided to them and their accompanying family members. The high cost of extended accommodation in the airport is another issue for the airlines. Additionally, as a result of a missed flight, passengers would experience high levels of discontent, leading to reduced satisfaction. Consequently, the airport’s reputation would be affected. Even if the flight could be delayed, another issue would arise whereby the airline may lose its credibility for the customers. Overall, these processes result in additional efforts, costs, and burdens among police and airline companies. Accordingly, Kaizen was identified as an appropriate method to address the aforementioned problems.

Methodologies used and improvement procedures

In conducting this project, the Kaizen method was chosen, with PDCA (plan, do, check, and act) as the main tool. Other tools involved in this project were project charter, voice of the customer analysis, value stream mapping, brainstorming, SIPOC diagram (supplier–input–process–output–customer), Pareto analysis process mapping, Gantt chart, cause-and-effect analysis, and standard operating procedures.

During the early phase of this project, three benchmarking visits were made to major international airports to review the best practices used in this case and to identify the similarities and differences between the related processes. This was followed by an analysis of the factors of the airports’ outstanding performance. At this stage, several points were put in place to implement the required improvements.

A number of meetings were organised with the respective partners from Public Prosecution, Emirates airlines, and Dubai National Air Transport Association (Dnata) to collect their suggestions for improvement in the related processes. Following that, a pilot study was performed to ensure the effectiveness of all steps. Finally, upon implementation of the new improvements, the results were calculated as follows.

Project results

The results of the project were measured after the majority of the improvements had been implemented. Significant results were obtained from the project in different aspects:

82% improvement rate was observed through the reduction in the number of summoned passengers from 124,364 to 5140 in 2018.

The duration for inspection was reduced from 2–24 hours to only 10–20 minutes.

Implications of results

One of the most significant implications of this project’s success is that other departments are motivated to implement the continuous improvement methods to improve the procedures and address the problems which may occur in their daily tasks.

Prior to this project, resistance to change was high between employees due to their scepticism about the effectiveness of Kaizen projects in improving processes. Previously, failure in implementing Kaizen projects and weak results possibly led to the lack of trust in these methods. Another implication from this project is that the selection of a proper Kaizen project is critical not only to achieve the desired results but also to enhance confidence in this method among departments and employees. As a result, successful implementation of future projects can be achieved.

Essentially, support and commitment from the top management are among the most important factors for a positive result. The involvement and support of the director of the department throughout this project were among the critical contributors to its success. This support played a significant role in addressing the barriers occurring in the project and facilitating data collection.

The success of this project developed awareness among the top management regarding the opportunities created through the application of Kaizen in the airport security environment. Improved customer service, reduced operational costs, and proper utilisation of resources are critical factors for the long-term sustainability of airport security.

Case example 2: Reducing the number of negative blood alcohol cases

Research background and problems

This project was conducted in the General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology (GDFSC). GDFSC is one of the main departments in Dubai Police, which consists of specialised laboratories that cover various fields including forensic biology and DNA, forensic chemistry, forensic toxicology, trace evidence, post-bomb and explosives, tool-marks and firearms, questioned documents, digital forensics and computer crime, voice analysis, forensic video and photography, fire and arson investigation, and fingerprinting.

Negative blood alcohol cases are among the key issues faced by this department. The impacts caused by this issue are as follows:

Innocent suspects being kept in custody until the release of the final testing results, which violates the suspect’s rights and freedom.

Loss of alcohol due to 15–20 mg/dl per hour of metabolism rate during a long waiting period before sample collection, resulting in a negative final result in blood tests.

High cost of negative samples tests due to the continuous yearly increase in the number of total cases.

Urgency from Dubai Police stations and prosecution for blood alcohol test results.

Waste of expert’s time and effort for negative cases tests.

Methodologies used and improvement procedures

In conducting this project, the Six Sigma method was implemented, with DMAIC (define, measure, analyse, improve, and control) as the main tool. Specifically, in the define phase, a project charter was utilised to identify the goal and scope of the project. The project scope aimed to reduce the percentage of negative blood cases by 20%. In the measure phase, the project team employed process mapping to illustrate the procedures of the alcohol test. Furthermore, the errors detected in the procedures were revised by the team, followed by the identification of the different types of error. In this phase, the data of negative alcohol cases during the last five years were collected, indicating the dramatic increase in the number of cases as a result of the increased total alcohol cases. This was followed by the analysis phase, where brainstorming, five whys, and Pareto analysis tools were used to determine the root causes of the increase in negative blood alcohol cases. The diagnosis of the causes was essential to propose the solutions to reduce the errors. To sustain the solutions, a new procedure, which was created and adopted in the control phase, was used in all cases. In this phase, a control chart was used to sustain the reduction of negative blood alcohol cases over a period and to determine when additional analysis was required. In the improve phase, solutions for case reduction were implemented. Specifically, to address the delays in the transfer of suspects to the laboratory location, the department provided breathalyser devices for use in police stations. Meanwhile, sustainability was the key factor in the control phase. A control chart was employed to ensure that the achieved results were sustainable and avoid reverting to the previous procedures.

Project results

The project results showed a decrease in the percentage of negative blood alcohol cases by 22.2% after the project was conducted, contributing to 57.7% cost reduction from 4436 AED in 2016 to 2560 AED in 2017. Another significant outcome of this project was the capability of the in-charge department to conduct all tests and public prosecutions within 24 hours.

Implications of results

Primarily focused on the requirements of customers and stakeholders, the Six Sigma project was linked to the success of the project according to its improvement and capability of meeting their requirements. It specifically focused on measurement, which at one point should be tied from higher-level processes to strategic objectives and customer satisfaction. The project created an interaction between the organisation and the capability function of the Department of Forensic Science and Criminology. This interaction took place to measure the processes, improve and align them with organisational expectations. Furthermore, Six Sigma reduced the number of negative blood alcohol cases. Addressing these cases has offered a positive contribution to the key performance indicators of the department. Significant reduction of the processes has been performed as well. It was also indicated that quality leaders in the department could challenge the status quo. Overall, the implementation of Six Sigma may be instrumental in the organisation’s efficiency.

Core benefits

There were hesitations among previous studies to mention the use of continuous improvement methods in this field of policing. However, the case examples and results achieved from the projects offer a positive angle on the continuous improvement methods as practical and effective approaches to improve policing processes.

These examples illustrate the use of Six Sigma and Kaizen as simple and economically effective methods, which could be alternatives to costly and ineffective methodologies.

Various departments within Dubai Police and several other organisations contributed to the execution of this project. With their assistance, team participation and communication between employees across various departments were improved. It also encourages the horizontal and vertical improvement in the processes, which could also become a stimulus for changes within the mindset of many employees and achievement of cultural change.

This project has also contributed to increased knowledge and understanding of the use of the Six Sigma and Kaizen methods among employees, pointing the way to further opportunities to execute more improvement projects in the future.

In a successful implementation of Six Sigma and Kaizen, merely applying what is learnt from training courses is not adequate. It requires cooperation, patience, flexibility, effort and planning. Based on the information obtained from these projects, the following are some of the takeaways from the successful implementation:

All related employees should be involved in the project.

The implementation of Six Sigma and Kaizen project requires patience, as the results of the projects may need time to appear.

Maximise value-added activities by defining customers’ needs.

Effective communication among the various teams is essential. Because this methodologies do not work in isolation, an appropriate flow of Information inside the organisation is of vital importance in achieving the Six Sigma and Kaizen objectives.

Achieving good results from projects encourages the establishment of a culture of continuous improvement that contributes to the elimination of waste, constantly prioritises quality, and improves work procedures.

Discussion

Although the examples presented in this article were only samples used to identify the role of Six Sigma and Kaizen in Dubai Police, they provided insights into the applicability of these methods in policing services.

Several challenges in the project were highlighted by the project teams, such as the immature implementation of projects, resistance to change, and weak improvement culture between some in-charge employees. Nevertheless, the most significant result obtained from these case examples was the clear evidence that Six Sigma and Kaizen could offer good results in Dubai Police.

Overall, it was agreed that Six Sigma and Kaizen are beneficial to organisations. However, there is a limited number of studies regarding the use of these methods in the policing field. This could be seen from the low number of published case studies and examples in this field, such as the work by Antony et al. (2019), Barton (2013), Ford (2007) and Doss (2014). It could be concluded that the gap in the studies regarding the implementation of Six Sigma and Kaizen in the police agencies was proven through these published works.

Conclusion and implications

Six Sigma and Kaizen are the most developed managerial methods in the manufacturing area and the services industry. It was indicated that Six Sigma and Kaizen could increase the quality of services through projects which positively reflect customer satisfaction. It could be seen from the case examples that the application of these methods has a positive influence on organisational performance. Furthermore, the implementation of these methods also have an impact on several key performance indicators, including the reduction of defect rates in processes, reduced waste, increased productivity, improved satisfaction of external customers, reduced number of complaints, and improved cross-functional teamwork. It was also indicated that the projects implemented through Six Sigma and Kaizen have contributed to innovation among the project team and employees in the departments, leading to the development of innovative processes.

The findings presented in this article could provide new insights into the applicability of Six Sigma for the improvement in policing services. Through the findings, significant value was offered for practitioners and managers in the organisations under the public sector to exert continuous improvement in the provision of services or products and organisational performance. Moreover, the Six Sigma and Kaizen methods could be adopted by all police agencies as an effective and efficient way of improving the processes. These methods positively reflect the enhancement of customer satisfaction, reduction of operational costs, and improvement in organisational performance.

Overall, the review of the current literature demonstrated that the use of these methods in police agencies remained in its early stage. This could be seen from the low number of evidences that reported their implementation in the field of policing. Therefore, this article aims to fill the research gap by proving the advantages of the use of the Six Sigma and Kaizen methods in the improvement of policing services. Moreover, the Six Sigma and Kaizen projects have illustrated a number of notable insights which would lead to an improved accumulated experience and continuous improvement culture among employees. These elements would encourage further implementation of continuous improvement methods as a way of enhancing policing services and solving existing problems in an efficient manner.

Nevertheless, numerous limitations were present in this study, which could be seen from how the case examples presented in this article were limited to Dubai Police only. Therefore, it is recommended that case examples are explored from different police agencies or public organisations, followed by discussion and comparison between the methods and the benefits and challenges faced in their use.

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Mohammed Saleh Alosani

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