The tasking and co-ordination of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams

Report: 9
Date: 22 February 2007
By: Assistant Commissioner Tim Godwin on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

The report highlights details of the tasking and co-ordination of safer neighbourhood teams and in particular provides the following information.

• Safer Neighbourhoods teams are trained to deliver a seven-stage model of policing. Using this model they will adopt a problem solving approach to tackle three to five neighbourhood issues at any one time.
• Work is documented and managed using problem solving documentation and by means of bespoke local tasking and co-ordination systems.
• Several partnership tasking and co-ordination structures have emerged that can be regarded as both regional and national best practice.
• Safer Neighbourhoods activity is also tracked at team, borough and pan-London levels using the EPIC performance management system.
• Current issues include the need to further develop problem-solving skills and to continue to develop best practice guidance for performance management and tasking and co-ordination systems that fit the local Borough context.

A. Recommendation

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

1. The business of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams: in order to achieve the outcomes of increasing satisfaction with local policing, increasing perceptions of safety and reducing concern about anti-social behaviour, Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNTs) have been designed and are trained to deliver a very specific Safer Neighbourhoods policing model. This model involves several distinct stages, which, collectively, identify the priorities of local people within any given neighbourhood and then ensure that these priorities are tackled effectively. This seven-stage process has been developed following national research within the National Reassurance Policing Programme – a programme in which the Metropolitan Police played a significant part. The stages of this model are as follows:

1. Research the local neighbourhood.
2. Engage with the local community.
3. Identify public preferences for action.
4. Investigate and analyse public preferences.
5. Identify priorities for action.
6. Plan and act.
7. Review.

2. Officers are first required to research their local community and build a neighbourhood profile. This profile should use all available demographic data coupled with local and community intelligence to identify the many different groups and communities that exist within a particular neighbourhood. These profiles should also provide an insight into key locations, events and trends within the neighbourhood. Using this profile, officers should engage with all sections of their neighbourhood – using whatever and whichever engagement tools are most appropriate. This may involve public meetings but may also involve attendance at local schools or community groups. Officers may also hold street briefings, conduct surveys or, where appropriate, meet individuals with a specific insight into community issues. Safer Neighbourhoods teams are also required to develop Key Individual Networks (KINs). These networks are composed of individuals across the neighbourhood who could be described as ‘spark plugs’ within that community i.e. they have significant insight and are well connected within the local neighbourhood.

3. The aim of this engagement is to identify the crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour issues that cause most concern to people in that neighbourhood. Once these issues have been identified, they should be subject to investigation and analysis in order to identify the substantive underlying problems that exist within the neighbourhood. This analysis should involve an examination of local issues in the context of existing intelligence, crime and incident data. This is the role of Safer Neighbourhoods analyst and researchers. However, once the substantive underlying problems have been identified, the priorities for the SNTs must be selected. It is at this stage that the role of the Neighbourhood Panel becomes critical.

4. Neighbourhood Panels should be provided with an insight into both the issues identified through consultation and the results of the subsequent analysis. Their role is then to select the priorities for action on behalf of the local SNT. They should then take on a scrutiny role by monitoring progress of action to deal with the priorities.

5. In order to tackle the priorities identified, Safer Neighbourhoods teams are trained in problem solving. The purpose of adopting a problem solving approach is to ensure that sustainable solutions to local issues are developed and that this is done in partnership with local people and relevant agencies.

6. Once the SNTs have dealt, either alone or in partnership, with the priorities, it is the task of the Neighbourhood Panel to review what has been done and confirm that the priority has been dealt with and that a new priority can be selected.

7. Management of work at ward level: the policing model provides the mechanism to identify local policing priorities and addressing these priorities is the primary business of SNTs. In principle, this process should ensure that the issues prioritised are not extremely short term or easily resolved but are the substantive problems affecting the local community. In order to tackle such problems, teams undertake a formal problem solving process. MPS problem solving is supported by means of a range of appropriate documentation and specialist support. This support usually takes the form of a local problem-solving advisor but additional central support is also available from the MPS Problem Solving Team.

8. SNTs document their work to tackle an individual problem by means of a Problem Solving Proforma (Form 302 – Appendix 1). This proforma requires officers to develop options to respond to the problem identified and then, subsequently, to evaluate the impact of the selected interventions upon the problem. Each SNT is also expected to develop a strategic profile of their neighbourhood. This profile will document the key issues affecting the neighbourhood along with problem solving activity that is currently in progress across the area. This profile (form 301 – Appendix 2) will therefore contain a list of the active and closed 302s relevant to a particular area. This profile will also document other significant operational activity that is taking or has taken place within the neighbourhood.

9. The SNT Sergeant has the principle responsibility in terms of supervising the various problem solving and operational initiatives taking place within the neighbourhood. SN Inspectors have an overview of work within between four and eight wards (depending upon local structures) and have the responsibility of ensuring that priorities are being addressed effectively. In addition, the Neighbourhood Panel should meet, ideally, every four-six weeks to monitor progress against priorities on behalf of the community.

10. Current issues at ward level: effective community engagement coupled with high impact problem solving are activities requiring high levels of skill supplemented by appropriate support and training. Officers attending Safer Neighbourhoods training are provided with an insight into both the seven-stage model and problem solving but, nevertheless, development of skills will take time. Advisory visits commonly find variations in levels of understanding and implementation within both these areas – often linked to the length of time for which teams, particularly the Sergeants, have been in post. In addition, effective problem solving places significant demands upon analytical capacity despite the supply of dedicated SN Analysts and researchers on each Borough Command Unit (BCU). The prioritisation of analytical capacity that must take place inevitably places additional demands on some teams. However, a critical factor affecting the operation of neighbourhood problem solving is the BCU and partnership context within which the SNT operates.

11. Management of Safer Neighbourhoods activity at BCU level: the genesis of the Safer Neighbourhoods Programme lay in a recognition that police were capable of achieving top down performance targets but that, historically, they have done so at the expense of maintaining effective community engagement and in tackling the range of issues that local people considered being most important. This ‘Neighbourhood Policing Re-invention Cycle’ was addressed through the allocation of additional resources (i.e. Safer Neighbourhoods Teams) with a specific remit to engage with the community and tackle those issues that were most important to the community. It is in this context that the seven stage policing model emerged as a ‘bottom-up policing process that commits itself to delivering against the bespoke policing priorities of local people within specific neighbourhoods rather than against ‘top down’ national, regional or even Borough level targets.

12. However, the last ten years have also seen the emergence of an increasing professionalism in the way in which police have managed operational resources in order to identify and tackle performance issues. A principle feature of this increasing professionalism has been the adoption of the National Intelligence Model (NIM) as a mechanism to ensure that a joined up process is employed to identify the correct operational priorities at BCU level and that resources are appropriately tasked to deal with these issues. The NIM has now been enshrined within National Codes of Practice that all police forces must adhere to.

13. A key feature of NIM at BCU level is the Tactical Tasking and Co-ordination Group (TTCG). This Group meets either weekly or bi-weekly in every BCU and its function is to identify BCU priorities and to deploy all available police resources to tackle the issues identified. In order to do this, the Borough Intelligence Units (BIUs) produce a tactical assessment based on available intelligence and performance information. This assessment is used by the chair of the meeting, (normally the Superintendent (Operations)), to set the priorities. All issues should be considered within this meeting but, in practice, the focus is generally upon performance against national or regionally set core crime targets.

14. The power of the TTCG is based upon the establishment of a process that centralises intelligence and decision-making onto a single BCU group. The weakness of the TTCG, in terms of Safer Neighbourhoods, is that this centralising process can, if not managed carefully, work against the devolved decision making implicit within the seven Stage model. In addition, a key principle of the NIM is that the Chair of the TTCG has authority over all BCU police resources and that all such resources should be used to tackle BCU priorities. Again, without careful management, this can lead to significant pressure on Safer Neighbourhoods teams to prioritise and tackle BCU performance issues (i.e. street crime) above local neighbourhood priorities.

15. This tension is being addressed through strong policy guidance, best practice advice and through the development of a performance management framework for Safer Neighbourhoods that can act as a counter-balance to the pressures of core crime. Through these mechanisms, significant progress is being made and the distinctive role of Safer Neighbourhoods is being re-enforced. However, Advisory Visit findings suggest that variations still remain over the extent to which BCUs prioritise neighbourhood problems against BCU performance issues. This has a direct impact on the allocation of work to SNTs and their subsequent work plans.

16. Best practice in London: The issues being encountered in London are replicated across England and Wales as all police forces attempt to balance neighbourhood against national agendas. Given this context it is also important to note that several London BCUs are engaged in work that is both regional and national best practice.

17. The optimum BCU level Tasking and Co-ordination structure for work by SNTs has three distinct functions. First and foremost it should monitor and ensure that effective neighbourhood level problem solving is taking place. Second, it should then ensure that cross (ward)-border issues and strategic themes are being identified and tackled (it is not uncommon to find that a significant percentage of wards on a BCU are tackling the same priority). Finally, and crucially, it should ensure that neighbourhood level work is co-ordinated with work to tackle other BCU issues. For example, it is not uncommon to find that SNTs operating in the vicinity of areas with high level of street crime are tackling issues associated with youth anti social behaviour (ASB) in nearby estates or retail areas. In such circumstances the optimum approach is to identify the links between the issues and to utilise the problem solving approach to youth ASB as one strand of the BCU strategy to tackle street crime.

18. Best practice in London usually involves the development of a separate SN Tasking group, chaired by a member of the BCU Senior Management Team, which looks in depth across work on the SNTs. The Chair of this group then attends the main BCU TTCG and is able to brief those present on the work of the teams, highlighting problem solving work that impacts on other key BCU themes. This process also enables the SN SMT representative to highlight emerging community issues that have a strategic resonance and to bid for additional resources to support critical activities. A good example of this approach takes place in Camden. This BCU has established a bi-weekly SN forum, chaired by the Superintendent (Partnerships). At this meeting the Superintendent checks that problem solving is progressing appropriately and then identifies and deals with any blockages that have emerged.

19. A second feature of BCU level tasking and co-ordination for SN is the increased level of partnership involvement. Many BCUs have developed Partnership Tasking Groups, often known as Joint Action Groups or ‘JAGs’. Given the focus on partnership problem solving, several BCUs have used the JAG as the primary meeting at which to manage and co-ordinate SN activity. A good example of this occurs in Enfield. The meeting in Enfield is known as “Street Action for Enfield” or “SAFE”. This meeting manages all problem solving on the BCU – with a ward-by-ward focus on activity being driven by SNTs. The meeting is co-chaired by the Superintendent (Partnerships) and by an Assistant Director from the Local Authority. The meeting is bi-weekly – on alternate weeks from the BCU TTCG. The Superintendent and the SN Senior Management Team (SMT) lead also attend the BCU TTCG to ensure close co-ordination between the work of SNTs and other operational activity. The SAFE meeting was short-listed for the 2006 Local Government Association Awards.

20. Neighbourhood management and SNTs: given the increasing focus on the development of neighbourhood management structures, SNTs have become increasingly involved in sub-BCU structures that also provide a mechanism to monitor and drive SNT activity. As with partnership BCU arrangements, such structures enable barriers to neighbourhood problem solving to be unblocked promptly and efficiently. Several such structures exist across London including Civic-watch in Westminster, the ‘Multi-Agency Geographic Panels in Islington’ (or ‘MAGPI’) and the Southwark “ACTION” groups.

21. Current issues at BCU level: as indicated by the range of examples outlined above, neighbourhood work plans are co-ordinated within a range of different structures. The importance of ensuring partnership engagement coupled with the different approaches of partners to community safety means that different systems have evolved across BCUs in London. However, irrespective of the particular structures adopted within an individual Borough, Advisory visits focus on ensuring that the structures in place are able to deliver the core functions of monitoring work within neighbourhoods, co-ordinating action to tackle cross-border and strategic problems and, finally, ensuring effective co-ordination with other operational activity.

22. Performance monitoring arrangements (EPIC): performance of all SNTs is also monitored by means of ‘EPIC’ (Enforcement, Prevention, Intelligence and Communication’) is an automated system that collates information on levels of team activity in each stage of the seven stage-policing model (Appendix 3 figures for the year to date). EPIC also sets out the three to five community priorities that neighbourhood panels are expected to be tackling at any one time and then identifies the number of interventions by police, partners and the public that are being put in place to deal with each identified priority.

23. The EPIC system enables data to be gathered regarding the nature of community priorities across the MPS but also enables comparisons of performance over time and between BCUs. EPIC also needs activity to be tracked on a team-by-team basis. Each month, Performance Information Bureau (PIB) produce reports by BCU and by ward that support Borough-based performance management of SNTs.

24. Data collection through EPIC is currently being reviewed to ensure that it remains a simple, effective system that gathers information to support the performance management at neighbourhood, BCU and MPS levels.

25. Advisory visits: in addition to quantitative performance management, advisory visits by the MPS Central SN team focus on the quality and functionality of BCU performance management, quality assurance and tasking and co-ordination systems. Visits to date have highlighted that this remains a challenging area for SNTs. Neighbourhoods are at different stages in development and BCUs are also working to integrate SNTs within broader, partnership arrangements. There is a variable understanding of the seven-stage model and its practical application amongst SN officers themselves. Advisory visits are part of a support framework that the MPS has put in place to ensure that all those involved in Safer Neighbourhoods are able to continually learn and improve.

26. Future developments: the current Safer Neighbourhoods Organisational Control Strategy (January – March 2007) contains a work stream that focuses on further improving the best practice guidance on performance management and the tasking and co-ordination of SNTs.

C. Race and equality impact

1. Effective use of the seven-stage model is a key tool to ensure that all sections of SNT neighbourhoods are able to voice their concerns and see these concerns dealt with. Ensuring that minimum standards are maintained is critical, as is ensuring that this highly skilled work is supported and that continuous development and improvement takes place. Co-ordination of activity at BCU level to ensure that the issues of non-geographic communities are dealt with in an effective way is an important area of development – and one in which several boroughs are making significant developments.

D. Financial implications

1. Whilst the human resources required for problem solving at a neighbourhood level are in place by virtue of the funding allocated to the Safer Neighbourhoods Programme, nevertheless the delivery of problem solving solutions inevitably generates additional resource demands. Very often these demands do not require revenue funding for additional staff time, but do require small sums to purchase crime prevention equipment or similar items. Best value is also often obtained through support provided to external community or voluntary groups.

2. The financial implications of problem solving require consideration at BCU level of mechanisms by which SNTs should be supported either through the allocation of funds from existing community safety budgets or through bids to appropriate funding bodies.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: A/ Ch Supt Martin Stevens, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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