Overseas secondments

Report: 4
Date: 12 March 2009
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This report gives an explanation of the exceptional travel cases under ‘Section 26’ of the Police Act 1996.

A. Recommendation

That Members note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

1. Section 26 of the Police Act 1996 prescribes the procedure to be followed when police officers are deployed to provide assistance overseas. It places a statutory obligation on a police authority to approve the provision for ‘advice and assistance’ to an international organisation outside the United Kingdom. This approval is then referred to the Home Office who grant the final authority under ‘Section 26 Police Act 1996’. This provides statutory confirmation that the relevant Officers will have all their rights and entitlements are protected.

2. It does not include deployment outside the UK where personnel are pursuing enquiries on behalf of the Commissioner.

3. The Section 26 authority required from the MPA as the ‘Police Authority’ has been delegated to SCD6 International Crime Coordination Team (ICCT) to approve Section 26 Police Act applications for onward transmission to the Home Office, with the exception of cases of full cost, sensitive cases

4. At Corporate Governance Committee on 22 September 2006 and at Coordination and Policing (CoP) on 5 October 2006 both committees resolved that:

1. The existing MPS process for managing overseas assistance deployment be noted;
2. Authority be delegated to the Commissioner via the MPS’s International Crime Coordination Unit to approve Section 26 Police Act applications for onward transmission to the Home Office, with the exception of cases of full cost, sensitive or contentious cases;
3. The MPA set a level of cost, currently £4,000, and approve arrangements to settle a protocol for handling exceptional cases;
4. Twice yearly reports to the Authority on all MPS overseas assistance deployments, under Section 26 Police Act 1996, be commissioned with monthly data.

5. As this is the first occasion on which this issue has been considered by this Committee it was felt it would be more helpful to circulate the data separately as a briefing paper and invite Detective Superintendent Janice McLean to talk briefly about her own experience and the value it provides to the Service and the individual.

C. Race and equality impact

The MPS Overseas Travel Policy and Standard Operating Procedures provides advice and instructions to all MPS personnel travelling abroad on MPS business. Its implementation ensures best use of public resources and promotes the effective use of police time. At the same time, it protects the welfare, professional reputation and integrity of members of the service engaged in duties overseas. This policy does not have any prejudicial effect on any community arising from the proposal, because it is applied equally to every member of the MPS and contractors working for the Service, irrespective of their ethnic or racial group. However all MPS staff are advised to contact Counter terrorism Command when deployed to politically sensitive countries.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications in relation to MPS full cost cases exceeding £4000 during this period. All full cost cases over £4000 were fully funded and were at nil cost to the MPS overseas travel budget.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Alan Johnson, HR Policy Officer, MPA

For information contact:

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

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