HMIC report "Winning Consent" - recommendations relating to consultation and diversity

Report: 8
Date: 28 July 2000
By: Clerk

Summary

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) undertook an inspection of MPS community and race relations and its murder investigation procedures as a result of the Macpherson Report into the death of Stephen Lawrence. This report presents HMIC’s recommendations from its report, Policing London "Winning Consent", for Members’ action.

A. Supporting information

Background

1. In February 1999, the Home Secretary presented to Parliament the report by Sir William Macpherson into matters arising from the death of Stephen Lawrence. The report made 70 recommendations relating to issues affecting the Metropolitan Police Service, the police service as a whole and other institutions. Recommendation 4 of the Report required Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to carry out an inspection of the strategies, policies and practices of the MPS in relation to both murder investigation and community and race relations.

Policing London "Winning Consent"

2. HMIC carried out the inspection and produced a report, Policing London “Winning Consent”, which contained 41 recommendations.

3. A full list of the recommendations is contained in Appendix 1. The list below presents a summary of the HMIC recommendations pertaining to the Consultation, Diversity and Outreach Committee:

• feedback from consultation needs to input better into strategy planning processes (Recommendation 1)
• a corporate approach to internal consultation needs to be taken in relation to minority ethnic and lesbian and gay staff (Recommendation 2)
• a review of the aspects of Lay Advisory work be carried out (Recommendations 3, 27 and 28)
• complete on-going consultation projects (Recommendation 4)
• the effectiveness of Drug Action Teams be analysed (Recommendation 5)
• local partnerships be developed under a corporate framework to address local problems and quality of life issues (Recommendation 6)
• disproportionality issues be reviewed independently (Recommendations 8 and 29)
• stop and search performance indicators be discontinued (Recommendation 9)
• community/race relations, diversity and recruitment training be developed further (Recommendations 10 to 20)

4. The remaining recommendations deal more specifically with recruitment and employment issues and murder investigation. The training, recruitment and employment issues will be covered in a report to the Human Resources Committee.

5. Members have already been provided with a copy of the response to the report by the MPS and the Home Secretary. In summary, the MPS have accepted all but one of the 41 recommendations in the report. The various reviews requested in the recommendations have commenced. At this stage the CDO Committee is asked to note the recommendations listed in paragraph 3. HMIC will be carrying out a follow up inspection in October on the extent to which the MPS has implemented the 41 recommendations. Members will be briefed on the progress made in implementing the recommendations prior to the inspection.

6. HMIC will be looking to members of the MPA to take part in the follow-up exercise. If any CDO Committee members wish to be involved, they should make this known through the Secretariat.

7. A separate report on the HMIC general programme of inspections will be discussed at the Authority meeting on 28th July 2000.

B. Recommendations

1. That the recommendations relevant to the CDO Committee’s work arising from the HMIC report, Policing London “Winning Consent” be noted.
2. That it be noted a follow-up inspection on progress in implementing “Winning Consent” is planned for October, and that there will be scope for involvement by interested members.

C. Financial implications

None specific to this report.

D. Review arrangements

A follow up HMIC Inspection on progress in implementing "Winning Consent" will be conducted between October 2000 and January 2001. A progress report will be presented to Committee prior to the HMIC inspection.

E. Background papers

The following is a statutory list of background papers (under the Local Government Act 1972 S.100 D) which disclose facts or matters on which the report is based and which have been relied on to a material extent in preparing this report. They are available on request to either the contact officer listed below or to the Clerk to the Police Authority at the address indicated on the agenda.

• Policing London 'Winning Consent' - Report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, 2000
• Commissioner’s response to Policing London "Winning Consent"
• Home Secretary’s response to Commissioner’s response

F. Contact details

The authors of this report are Julia Smith and Jude Sequeira.

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1: HMIC Policing London "Winning Consent" - recommendations

1. MPS should develop a mechanism whereby feedback from all consultative processes is fed into the Strategic Co-ordination Unit to inform the organization’s strategic planning processes. (Chapter 2 Para 2.12)

2. MPS reviews all internal consultation to ensure a corporate approach is taken regarding support for and advice from all minority ethnic and lesbian and gay staff. (Chapter 2 paragraph 2.21)

3. The 'Pan London' roll-out of the Lay Advisory process should only be undertaken when a full evaluation of the current Lay Advisory Group to the Racial and Violent Crime Task Force has been conducted. (Chapter 2 paragraph 2.34)

4. The ongoing consultation projects should be completed to plan. (Chapter 2 paragraph 2.41)

5. CO23 analyses, with Borough commanders and their partners, the apparent inactivity and inability to deliver results, at operational level, of Drug Action Teams in certain parts of London. (Chapter 2 paragraph 2.60)

6. CO20 researches and develops a corporate problem solving framework which should be implemented at Borough level to solve local problems and address quality of life issues. This framework must have a clear partnership dimension with effective monitoring and evaluation processes. (Chapter 2 paragraph 2.64)

7. MPS reviews the policy directive regarding minimum standards of investigation by Community Safety Units (Chapter 3 paragraph 3.19)

8. Independent research be commissioned to examine the contentious issues of disproportionality. (Chapter 3 paragraph 3.51)

9. (strongly recommends) Operational officers and every supervisor are made personally aware that stop and search activity is no longer a personal or team performance indicator. (Chapter 3 paragraph 3.56)

10. Work is undertaken to reconcile custody records with CRIS records of disposals so that certainty can prevail in this important area of discretionary decision making. (Chapter 3 paragraph 3.64)

11. MPS develops a single database so that details of those who have received community and race relations training can be recorded and maintained. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.46)

12. MPS reviews the strategic management arrangements for the planning and delivery of all CRR and diversity training so that they reflect the policy specified in the MPS Human Resources Strategy. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.53)

13. MPS develops a CRR training strategy (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.54)

14. MPS develops an evaluation strategy which is capable of measuring the effectiveness of all CRR training. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.58)

15. MPS puts in place policies, systems and procedures to ensure that all training being delivered by external contractors is effectively co-ordinated, monitored and delivered to a common minimum standard set by the MPS. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.60)

16. MPS revisits the process of training needs analysis for the planned two day CRR awareness training to ensure that the training currently being delivered will address the gap in performance identified by the MPS. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.61)

17. MPS reviews the planned roll-out of the CRR awareness training to ensure that sufficient resources are available to deliver the training within the published timescale. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.63)

18. MPS reviews all CRR trainers’ courses to ensure that they are being delivered to a common minimum standard and meet the identified performance need. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.66)

19. MPS reviews the staffing level of the Diversity Training Support Unit to ensure this unit has the capability to support effectively all training within the MPS. (Chapter 4 paragraph 4.70)

20. The training of recruit interviewers be reviewed to ensure a consistent competency level across the whole of the MPS. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.15)

21. The Positive Action Team, as an interim measure, provides recruitment information packs at the front counter in all Metropolitan police stations. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.17)

22. MPS revisits its career management policy in order to simplify its application and minimize the negative effects that it is currently having on the morale of uniform officers. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.28)

23. MPS conducts a review of the grievance procedure to make it more effective and user-friendly, for both management and staff at all levels. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.29)

24. The mentoring scheme for minority ethnic officers with 0-5 years service should be overseen by the local Borough commander or departmental head. Also any career development plans should be agreed and jointly signed off by the officer’s own line manager. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.34)

25. The promotion from the rank of superintendent to chief superintendent be carried out centrally by way of an assessment centre process based upon an agreed competency profile. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.45)

26. The corporate expertise, knowledge and initiatives to develop recruitment, retention and progression issues should continue to be driven by the MPS Positive Action Team, but that actual ownership should belong at Borough and departmental level. (Chapter 5 paragraph 5.51)

27. That to ensure openness, transparency and accountability the MPS should develop the use of lay advisors in its inspection processes. (This recommendation should be considered after the completion of the evaluation of the Lay Advisory Group processes as referred to in Recommendation 3) (Chapter 6 paragraph 6.31)

28. In light of Best Value principles, the MPS should develop corporate guidance regarding the costing of individual inspections. (Chapter 6 paragraph 6.32)

29. MPS continues to develop and use the process of Fairness Health Checks to address issues of disproportionality regarding all areas of service delivery. (Chapter 6 paragraph 6.37)

30. That, because murder is the most serious of violent crimes, its thorough investigation is a fundamental police duty and should be recognized explicitly as a priority in the planning processes of the Metropolitan Police Service. (Chapter 11 paragraph11.6)

31. Service level agreements for the Area Major Investigation Units be standardised across the MPS. (Chapter 11 paragraph 11.27)

32. Her Majesty’s Inspector recommends that the Metropolitan Police Service carries out a strategic review of its use of forensic science. This should take into account; • the principles recommended in the ACPO Murder Manual • guidance set out in Using Forensic Science Effectively • the merits of dedicated teams being allocated to AMIPs • clarification of line management and the deployment of the different types of forensic examiner including the CSCs • the need for clear ownership of the resulting strategy at chief officer level (Chapter 12 paragraph 12.38)

33. MPS considers carefully the maximum caseload it requires an SIO to manage, having regard to varying complexity of cases. This is as much in the interests of the welfare of the officer as it is in the interests of quality of service to the public. (Chapter 12 paragraph 12.45)

34. MPS trains selected members of its uniformed branch to a common minimum standard in respect of house-to-house enquiries. Such trained staff should be made available to SIOs in murder investigations. (Chapter 12 paragraph 12.52)

35. MPS reviews its approach to staffing levels within the MIRs so that multi-roles carried out by one individual can be eliminated. In addition, the low staffing levels must be addressed so that the HOLMES system can be used to its full potential. (Chapter 12 paragraph 12.76)

36. MPS reconsiders its policy regarding the allocation of 'divisional murder’ investigations to the Area Major Investigation Pools. (Chapter 12 paragraph 12.90)

37. An up-to-date AMIP manual be prepared and distributed without delay. (Chapter 12 paragraph 12.105)

38. In relation to the murder review process Her Majesty’s Inspector recommends that:

• reviews should be individually commissioned by a chief officer in line with ACPO guidelines. This will ensure that each review is sensitive to, and focused on, the circumstances of each murder case
• Forensic Science Service specialists should normally be included in a murder review team
• consideration should be given, in appropriate circumstances, to appointing a review team from outside the MPS in line with ACPO guidelines and Special Notice 6/99 (Chapter 13 paragraph 13.15)

39. MPS develops the role of its chief officers within murder investigations in accordance with forthcoming ACPO guidelines. He further recommends that steps are taken to more clearly define chains of command and accountability for murder investigation. (Chapter 15 paragraph 15.8)

40. A structure for formal liaison be established between the Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service as a matter of urgency. In respect of disclosure issues the MPS must take account of the need for this role to be undertaken by a trained officer. (Chapter 15 paragraph 15.11)

41. MPS takes positive steps to recruit senior detective officers from outside forces. Furthermore, it would benefit both the MPS and the police service if a system for the temporary posting of outside detectives to the MPS was introduced. (Chapter 15 paragraph 15.20)

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