MPA update on MPS Community Engagement action plan

Report: 4
Date: 13 June 2011
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This report is for information only and updates Members on the MPS community engagement action plan 2010 – 2013.

 A. Recommendation

That Members

B. Supporting information

1. The MPS presented their Community Engagement Commitment action plan at the May 2011 meeting of the Communities, Equalities and People Committee (CEP).

2. The MPS have aligned their actions to key statements in the joint commitment and have ensured that each statement can be linked back to the overall six key principles of: information; inclusion; preparation; integration; involve and feedback.

3. The action plan is wide ranging and includes key activities for all the various MPS business groups. It will be monitored by the MPS Confidence and Satisfaction Board. Quarterly meetings will also be held between the MPA community engagement champion and MPS officers to update the Authority on progress on the action plan.

4. Members have requested that the MPA and MPS action plans be compared alongside each other in order to determine joint working opportunities. This work has not yet to be completed, but an initial review of the two actions plans indicates that there is a good degree of alignment between the MPA and MPS community engagement action plans. Examples of this alignment include the following:

• The MPA and MPS are committed to ensuring that their external web sites have clear information on the work of MPA/MPS funded/supported community engagement groups (Community Police Engagement Groups – CPEGs – and Safer Neighbourhood Panels – SNP.) The two corporate websites will include information on how Londoners can become involved in or support the work of these groups.
• The MPA and MPS are keen to use available ward/borough data to improve the community engagement work of the community engagement groups. Both want to ensure that these groups better engage with the wider public. Therefore CPEGs will be provided with borough profile data. This will allow them to conduct a gap analysis and ensure their memberships better represent their borough profiles. Safer Neighbourhood Teams will also be using Mosaic data to develop bespoke engagement plans in order to reach and inform a diverse range of residents.
• The MPA and MPS are keen to ensure their community engagement groups are fit for purpose. Therefore the MPA will ensure CPEGs receive appropriate training so that they can undertake their community engagement roles effectively. The MPS will provide structured briefings to Safer Neighbourhood ward panel chairs on their roles in regards to engagement.
• The MPA and MPS will review how their community engagement groups are working. The MPA will conduct quarterly monitoring reviews of CPEG delivery against their service level agreements. The MPS will conduct rolling reviews of SN panels.
• Both the MPA and MPS have identified Community Engagement champions and have set up an action plan monitoring process.
• In order to continually improve how community engagement is being delivered, the MPA and the MPS will develop good practice guidance. The MPA will be developing a good practice tool kit for staff and the MPS will produce a range of ‘How to’ guides.
• Having recognised the key role played by social media the MPA and MPS are keen to explore how new media can be used to support current community engagement activities and develop new ways of working.
• Finally, in recognition that a key aspect of community engagement is letting Londoners know how their responses have made a difference, key sections of both action plans focus on how feedback will be provided to those who have taken part in activities.

5. As part of the Met Forward Community Engagement Standardisation project, and in support of developing the engagement model for the Mayor’s office for Policing and Crime (MOPC), which is expected to replace the Authority in October 2011, MPA officers have been mapping the community engagement work undertaken by Local Authorities (LA). The intention is to have a comprehensive list of all the various methodologies utilised by London’s boroughs. Having done so, it will be possible to determine which of the LA methodologies MOPC would be able to utilise and what additional community engagement work would need to be undertaken to ensure that the MOPC is being accountable to and informing the electorate on how she/he is progressing on her/his crime pledges. Once the mapping exercise has been completed this work will be shared with MPS colleagues and joint working opportunities will be identified. It will then be possible to update the MPS and MPA/MOPC community engagement action plans to take into account the joint working arrangements.

6. Whilst plans for MOPC engagement are still in development, the principles outlined within the joint MPA/MPS community engagement commitment will still remain relevant to the approaches adopted.

C. Other organisational and community implications

Equality and Diversity Impact

1. There are no direct equalities implications in regards to this report, however in moving forward into MOPC, the intention is to ensure community engagement activities are developed with the six key principles in mind: information; inclusion; preparation; integration; involve and feedback. The MOPC will need to consider how it can utilise a wide range of traditional and non-traditional community engagement methods so that all Londoners who are interested in becoming involved in community police engagement have the opportunity to do so.

 Consideration of Met Forward

2. Community engagement remains a key priority within Met Forward. It sits within the ‘Increasing confidence in policing’ strategic driver. Met Forward Two pledges include two that particularly pertain to community engagement: ‘to improve the quality of our community engagement with the public’ and to have ‘a better conversation with those we protect.’

 Financial Implications

3. There are no direct financial implications arising from this report.

 Legal Implications

4. There are no legal implications arising from this report.

 Environmental Implications

5. There are no environmental implications arising from this report.

 Risk Implications

6. There are no risk implications arising from this report

D. Background papers

None

E. Contact details

Report author: Hamera Asfa Davey, MPA

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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