Community and race relations training for MPA members and staff

Report: 6
Date: 19 December 2000
By: Clerk

Summary

MPA members recognise the importance of CRR training both for the MPS and the MPA. This paper sets out a number of proposals to raise awareness amongst MPA members and staff.

A. Supporting information

1. At its meeting on 28 July 2000, Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) members discussed their training needs. There was unanimous agreement that some form of diversity training was necessary for both MPA members and support staff. This would provide an insight into the training currently being delivered to MPS police officers and front line civil staff.

2. The acting Clerk was asked to discuss the arrangements with staff from the MPS training and development directorate. MPA officers and MPS Personnel Department staff recognised that many MPA members already had a significant level of knowledge and understanding of diversity and Community and Race Relations (CRR) issues. They therefore decided to recommend a ‘systems’ approach to training for MPA members and support staff, which is a best practice model for ensuring that training is coherent and meets the needs of the organisation and the individual. In the MPS, this is undertaken in a number of phases.

3. Phase 1 is conducted by P10 (Policy and Training Liaison) Branch and consists of:

• identifying the performance required;
• identifying the current performance;
• identifying the performance gap; and
• identifying possible solutions.

4. Further phases are:

• designing training (if required);
• delivering training; and
• evaluating training.

5. The process for completing Phase 1, is a tailored 'job specific' questionnaire to the targeted group seeking information on:

• the importance of an area of knowledge to their role and
• their current level of knowledge and experience.

6. Responses are collated and are followed up by interviews with a sample from the target group. P10 Branch are then able to determine the 'performance gap' and hence the areas on which the training needs to focus.

7. Members will want to discuss these proposals before the work is taken forward. A brief summary of the areas which might be covered, and which are covered in CRR training to police officers and front line civil staff, is given at Appendix 1.

8. Members also have a strategic interest in the delivery of the borough based CRR workshop programme by Ionann and other contractors. Members may wish to attend all or part of one of the workshops, e.g. the behavioural change elements of the two day programme, to gain a better understanding of the relationship between local communities and the police service and to observe how this training is delivered. A further report will be produced for this Committee covering the responsibilities of the MPA for the Ionann contract.

B. Recommendations

1. That the process outlined at paragraph 3 of this report is carried out for MPA members and staff in January 2001 to identify their needs, with a view to delivering the training as soon as possible thereafter.
2. That a further report is produced covering the responsibilities of the MPA for the contracts to deliver the borough based CRR workshop programme.
3. That the MPA monitors the MPS implementation of the HMIC recommendations on CRR training.

C. Financial implications

Members will, where appropriate, be entitled to claim reasonable expenses.

D. Review arrangements

None.

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 above or to the Clerk to the Police Authority at the address indicated on the agenda.

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Alan Johnson.

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1: CRR training - summary of course content

• Conceptual framework
  Including - increasing trust and confidence in minority communities; Lawrence report; legislation; police powers, Service policies, reasons for monitoring ethnicity.
• Diversity and discrimination
  Including - positive benefits of diversity; beliefs, practices and traditions of the main cultures in London; prejudice and direct, indirect and institutional discriminatory practices; responses of minority groups to oppression; disproportionality.
• Communities
  Including - Associations; channels of communications; inter/multi agency partnerships; consultation; minimising anxiety; community tensions and disputes; reporting crime and anti-social behaviour, complaints procedure.
• Cross cultural communication
  Including - overcoming barriers to communication; translation and interpreting services.
• Policing racial incidents
  Including - meaning of a racial incident; racially aggravated offences; Reasons for non- reporting; operational procedures; victimisation, victim-centred investigations and bereavement.
• Discretion and decision-making
  Including - meaning; limits fairness; reasonable suspicion; stop and search issues.
• Employment practices
  Including - personnel procedures; equal opportunities; part-time working, career breaks etc., positive action; need for objective criteria for promotions etc,. grievance procedure.
• Improving own knowledge and practice
  Including - learning styles; values and attitudes; recent developments in technology, approaches to working etc.
• Improving the knowledge and practices of others
  Including - communication techniques; challenging discriminatory behaviour; managing conflict.

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