Performance Overview of Operation Jigsaw

Report: 10
Date: 9 December 2010
By: Assistant Commissioner Territorial Operations on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an overview of the activity conducted by Operation Jigsaw and the 32 Boroughs in relation to Registered Sex and Serious Violent Offenders.

A. Recommendation

That

1. Members consider and note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

MAPPA

1. MPA members have requested an overview of the activity conducted by Operations Jigsaw and Compass in the 32 Boroughs. Operation Compass will be subject of a separate report.

2. Sections 325 to 327 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 places a duty on the Responsible Authorities, who are Police, Probation and Prison Services, to risk assess and manage the risks posed by specified sexual and violent offenders in a way which best protects the public from serious harm. This is known as the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). MAPPA is also made up of ‘duty to co operate’ agencies (as defined under S.325 (6) Criminal Justice Act). This group normally consists of additional representatives from Local Housing Authorities/Registered Social Landlords, Health Authorities/Trusts, Social Services, Local Education Authorities, Job Centre Plus and Electronic monitoring service providers.

3. MAPPA offenders are managed by category and level. Registered Sexual Offenders (RSO’s) are Category 1 offenders, Violent Offenders who have received a sentence of at least 12 months detention or a hospital order and are supervised by the Probation Service are Category 2 offenders for the duration of their probation licence. A Category 3 offender is a person who is considered by the responsible authority to be a person who may cause serious harm to the public, has a previous conviction that indicates they are capable of causing serious harm and they do not meet the criteria to be a Category 1 or 2 offender.

There are three levels of management: for offenders:

Level 1 - ordinary agency management (usually single agency)

Level 2 - active multi agency management

Level 3 - active multi agency management requiring ongoing senior management supervision and use of specialist resources.

Table 1 – MAPPA offenders managed in the community in London as of 31/03/2010

ViSOR

4. ViSOR (Violent and Sexual Offender Register) is a national Multi-Agency IT application used by the police, probation, and prison services to assist in the management of MAPPA offenders, which is owned and maintained by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). However with the introduction of gangs, Registered Terrorist Offenders (RTOs), potentially dangerous persons (PDP’s) and offenders with a Violent Offender Order (VOO) also recorded on ViSOR the scope is expanding beyond MAPPA subjects.

5. ViSOR currently holds over 100,000 records of individuals nationally, over 9000 are owned by the MPS. This is made up of approximately 7000 live records and 2500 archived records. Archived records remain searchable until the nominal reaches their 99th birthday.

6. It is a requirement by the NPIA that each force has a central point of contact (CPC) for ViSOR. Within the MPS this currently is a band D member of civil staff from Central Jigsaw. The primary CPC role is to ensure ViSOR standards are maintained for all MPS owned records to prevent withdrawal of the MPS’s access to ViSOR. This post holder is a subject matter expert for ViSOR and consequently represents the MPS both nationally and regionally on ViSOR issues ensuring the MPS position is understood, also performing auditing and data collection roles.

Borough Jigsaw Teams

7. The 32 Boroughs in the MPS each has a Jigsaw Team which undertake the Police functions as a responsible authority for MAPPA. Borough Commanders have autonomy as to the resourcing of borough Jigsaw Teams and are accountable for ensuring their borough has sufficient, and appropriately trained staff and resources to comply with the MPS Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders that fall within MAPPA. There are currently approximately 132 police officers, who are Offender Managers and Jigsaw Team Sergeants and 19 police staff attached to the 32 Borough Jigsaw Teams.

8. Borough Jigsaw officers are responsible for day to day management of RSOs ensuring notification takes place upon conviction or release from sentence, conducting RSO home visits and any other pro-active police activity deemed necessary to manage the risk presented. They also instigate and collate information sharing within MAPPA, formulate risk assessments and risk management plans; trace, arrest and process RSO’s for breaches of Notification Requirements. Borough Jigsaw officers also have responsibility to make disclosures of RSOs previous offending to members of the public where appropriate, obtain and enforce Court Orders (e.g. Sexual Offending Prevention Orders (SOPOs), Foreign Travel Orders (FTOs) and Risk of Sexual Harm Orders (RoSHOs) and Notification Orders), ensure each RSO’s ViSOR record is up to-date and jointly manage Category 2 and 3 offenders in partnership with Probation/ Mental Health/ Youth Offending Teams through strategy meetings and joint visits.

Central Jigsaw

9. The Central Jigsaw Team currently sits in TP Crime and Customer Focus under Commander Rodhouse.

10. Central Jigsaw manage MPS policy on MAPPA / ViSOR and quality assure SOP compliance and offender management across the MPS. The unit also produce performance data to the London MAPPA Strategic Management Board (SMB), Borough crime managers and Area Commanders to highlight areas of risk and good practice but have no accountability for MPS resources or performance concerning MAPPA. The central team attend all Level 3 Meetings across the MPS to provide advice, expertise and consistency and attend the monthly MAPPA meetings at each of the 8 London prisons. This is because Jigsaw teams covering boroughs where prisons are located do not have ownership of offenders whilst they are in prison, this is the responsibility of the borough the offender would normally reside in.

11. Central Jigsaw obtain Notification Orders for UK nationals returning to the UK after conviction abroad for offences that if committed in the UK would render them subject to notification requirements. This is because it is usually unclear where such a person will reside in the UK. From 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 Central Jigsaw have deployed 61 times (predominantly to Heathrow) and have obtained 43 Notification Orders, 3 SOPO and FTOs, and conducted intelligence de-briefings in all cases.

12. Central Jigsaw represent the MPS at Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) meetings and ACPO sub groups on managing MAPPA offenders providing a London perspective which is unique due to the large volume of cases and the challenges and complexities of the MPS structure. Similarly Central Jigsaw represent the MPS at MAPPA SMB meetings and sub-groups.

Offender Management Performance Monitoring

13. MAPPA performance is monitored with regards the management of offenders by Central Jigsaw reviewing Ratios of Offender Managers to Offenders on boroughs, quantative and qualitative reviews of wanted/missing RSOs; ViSOR quality assurance and further offending by MAPPA offenders.

Ratio of Offender Managers to Offenders

14. A crucial factor determining whether Jigsaw Teams are able to complete their work effectively is the ratio of ‘Offender Managers’ to RSOs managed. An ‘Offender Manager’ is a Constable, within a Jigsaw Team, who is assigned the management of specific MAPPA offenders and their ViSOR records. Most will be RSOs (Category 1), which totalled 3705 on 31/03/2010, although a small, but significant number are ‘Other Dangerous Offenders’ (Category 3). Officers are also shown as ‘Partners’ to ViSOR records for ‘Violent Offenders’ (Category 2) who are being managed at Level 2 or 3.

15. The MPS SOP determines the minimum standards for many aspects of the management of MAPPA offenders and recommends a maximum capacity of 40 offenders for each Offender Manager to manage of which no more than ten should be high or very high risk. Central Jigsaw monitors these ratios monthly.

16. There is currently an average of 3.2 Offender Managers in each Jigsaw Team. This equates to an average of 43.4 ‘RSOs in the community’ for every Offender Manager. Central Jigsaw actively monitors any disparity in workloads; reports are sent to the borough Jigsaw’s SMT and explanation for rises in ratios sought. If the situation persists over a 3 month period Commander Crime and Customer Focus is informed to highlight the situation directly with the Borough’s SMT who are responsible for resourcing the teams.

Wanted/Missing RSOs

17. Monthly statistics are provided by Central Jigsaw to MPS Performance Information Bureau (PIB) and include the number of wanted/missing RSOs broken down into risk levels on a borough by borough basis, which is forwarded to Borough Commanders to take what action as they deem appropriate. Central Jigsaw conducts daily checks on new wanted/missing RSOs, reviewing enquiries and actions on ViSOR and ensuring compliance with current SOPs and that risk is managed with all necessary actions to locate and arrest offenders are being conducted In addition, a number of cases (approx.10% of the MPS total) are selected each month and subjected to in-depth scrutiny from when the offender was first circulated as wanted. This enables an independent review to ensure all appropriate actions have been conducted, good practice is disseminated and consistency is achieved, with specific issues being highlighted with the offender manager and an appropriate entry placed on the ViSOR record.

ViSOR Quality Assurance

18. All ViSOR users must adhere to NPIA ViSOR Standards. In order to comply with the ViSOR SOP and the MPS/NPIA System Operating Procedure (SyOPS), Central Jigsaw conducts quarterly quality assurance checks and monitors working practices to ensure consistency across the 32 borough Jigsaw Teams. Checks are carried out remotely on each of the boroughs and any compliance issues are identified to Central Jigsaw senior management to highlight to Borough DCIs. This has resulted in an improvement in record management across the majority of MPS boroughs.

19. In addition each Borough is visited yearly to check the quality of data held on ViSOR against the Sex Offender docket held for each RSO to ensure all information contained within it is entered onto the ViSOR record and is SOP compliant.

Serious Further Offending

20. If a MAPPA offender commits a serious further offence whilst they are being managed by MAPPA there are two types of review that can take place, a Police Internal Management Review (PIMR) or a MAPPA Serious Case Review (MSCR), which is conducted at the direction of MAPPA SMB.

21. A PIMR or MSCR reviews the management of the offender to identify whether police conducted all reasonable actions to reduce the risk of further offending, to establish any lessons to be learnt, or identify good practice.

22. PIMRs are currently conducted by the borough Jigsaw supervisor, to improve accountability and transparency it is proposed these will become peer reviews in the near future once Jigsaw SOP is signed off.

23. MSCRs are joint agency reviews with the police lead being a supervising officer from Central Jigsaw

External Partnerships and Internal Key Stakeholders

24. MAPPA is a multi agency response to managing offenders and strong working relationships have been formed with the other two responsible authorities, Probation and Prisons as well as the range of duty to co-operate agencies and the voluntary sector who are associated with supporting both victims and offenders.

25. A good example of this is the partnership work on UK Nationals convicted of sexual or serious violence offences abroad. Central Jigsaw receive intelligence of UK Nationals convicted of such offences abroad from Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Child Exploitation On Line Protection (CEOP) Centre and charities such as Prisoners Abroad. The unit ensure that offenders are met at UK point of entry (usually Heathrow) thus enabling intelligence to be obtained identifying where the offender intends to reside and details of their offending. If convicted of a specified sexual offence the offender’s DNA, Fingerprints and photograph will be obtained and a Notification Order sought. If convicted of a serious violence offence an application for a Violent Offender Order (VOO) will be considered. Meeting offenders on their return also provides an opportunity to assist them with their re-settlement in the UK through liaison with agencies such as ‘Prisoners Abroad’, ‘Circles of Support’ and ‘Heathrow Travelcare’. Last performance year to April 2010 Central Jigsaw made 61 deployments to Heathrow resulting in 43 Notification Orders, 3 SOPOs and Foreign Travel Orders (FTO’s) with the remaining 15 being subject to de-briefing enabling dissemination of intelligence.

26. Where an offender has no historical connection to London but has indicated a desire to stay in the London area, Hillingdon Council was being approached to accommodate them based purely because Heathrow Airport is on that borough. Central Jigsaw together with the National Offender Management Service has since developed a London Housing Protocol with London Councils so that now the responsibility is shared equally across London Boroughs. The protocol has obtained commitment from all housing partners and came into effect from June 2010, improving the process by which homeless sexual and serious violent offenders are housed.

27. Central Jigsaw have further worked with CEOP to deliver training regarding "Using the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to Protect Children from Harm". This course targets Public Protection officers, Probation and Legal Services nationally to enhance the practical application of the legislation.

28. The Ministry of Justice Public Protection & Mental Health Group (MoJPPMHG) have responsibility for authorising leave of persons detained in hospital under a Mental Health Order. Central Jigsaw together with the MoJPPMHG implemented a process in January 2010 pan London for all borough intelligence units to be notified when an offender subject to MAPPA is granted leave enabling risk management plans to be implemented.

Impacts of Key Developments

29. The MPS has its own Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders that fall within MAPPA, which is produced by Central Jigsaw. The SOP has been rewritten and full consultation with MAPPA partners has taken place and awaits publication (anticipated December 2010). This will lead to increased levels of supervision regarding wanted missing enquiries, management of Level 2 and 3 offenders, and improved intelligence recording of Category 2 Level 1 offenders.

30. MPS Anti-Violence Strategy has amongst it’s aims to reduce violent crime and to achieve this through strong close partnership working. The strategy also seeks to change the policing approach to one of being person centred intelligence led rather than crime type led. It is expected that the Anti-Violence Strategy and MAPPA will compliment and enhance each other.

31. Operation Jigsaw was subject to an MPA Audit (Systems Supporting Shared Services) in 2009. There are a number of recommendations that remain outstanding and most of these will need to wait until the conclusion of the TP Development programme.

32. A key development in MAPPA has been the F & THOMPSON ruling from the Supreme Court. In effect this stated that life registration for RSOs was incompatible with Human Rights Act 1988. Currently the Home Office are reviewing legislation and there is potential for a police led review of all RSOs subject to life registration after a yet to be determined fixed period. This could have significant resource implications. Central Jigsaw are engaged with various agencies in advising the Home Office review of legislation.

33. Criminal Justice & Immigration Act 2008 has created Violent Offender Orders which have automatic registration requirements that can be used to manage serious violent offenders, this has potential for increased resource implications but due to the low volume this has not materialised to date.

34. The uncertainty on the future of NPIA should not impact upon Operation Jigsaw as all NPIA functions in relation to MAPPA will have to continue and be managed by an equivalent national agency.

C. Other organisational and community implications

Equality and Diversity Impact

1. The work of MAPPA is committed to equal access to services for all groups, particularly in relation to race, gender, age, religious belief, sexuality, sexual orientation and disability. This means all actions undertaken or recommended by MAPPA, and all policies and procedures, will be based on assessments of risks and needs. They will not draw on stereotypical assumptions about groups that will be discriminatory in outcome. In undertaking its work, MAPPA will be sensitive and responsive to people’s differences and needs. It will integrate this understanding into the delivery of its function to ensure that nobody is disadvantaged as a result of his or her belonging to a specific social group.

2. MAPPA is explicitly referenced in its Diversity Plans; all staff actively engaged in MAPPA work are trained in diversity. MAPPA data is recorded in relation to race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability and sexual orientation - this is done on an individual case-by-case basis and staff actively consider if any issues arise. However, overall diversity data is not easily retrievable and patterns/themes are not easy to identify (see para.37). MAPPA offenders have access to interpreting and translation services; MAPPA information and leaflets are produced in languages appropriate to the local population and; Diversity issues are always considered when any offender is referred to a Multi-Agency Public Protection Panel (MAPP Panel), both in terms of impact on the offender and on the staff who manage them. This is recorded within the minutes.

3. Central Jigsaw have requested NPIA who own and manage ViSOR to make completion of diversity fields mandatory within ViSOR to capture data in relation to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended in 2005) and the Equality Act 2006, this has not occurred and consequently diversity data for MAPPA offenders is not easily retrievable or reliable.

Consideration of MET Forward

4. The report sits under the Met Specialist, public protection strand of Met Forward. It demonstrates the activities and partnership working that are carried out by Operation Jigsaw staff across the MPS in relation to registered sex offenders and serious violent offenders. This includes the day to day management of RSOs on Boroughs ensuring that the risk is effectively managed.

Financial Implications

5. The MPS currently have 800 ViSOR users, of which 150 are Jigsaw Team officers. NPIA are proposing new vetting levels so that all police ViSOR users must be vetted up to Management Vetting (MV) level. Advice is currently being sought on the cost implications for the MPS if this change was implemented. Any cost implications would need to subject to the normal MPS business planning process, including any resource implications of the review of legislation relating to Registered Sexual Offenders.

Legal Implications

6. There are no legal implications

Environmental Implications

7. There are no environmental implications

D. Background papers

None

D. Contact details

Report author: Detective Chief Inspector David Ainscough, Central Jigsaw, MPS

For information contact:

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

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