Reports from sub-committees

Report: 11
Date: 10 September 2009
By: Chief Executive

1. At each meeting of the Committee members will receive a report from its sub-committees that have meet in recent weeks.

1.1 The report provides members with details of the key items considered at each of the Sub-Committees. (Copies of reports considered by the sub-committee’s are available on request from the Committee Section)

2. Equality & Diversity sub-committee 5 June 2009

2.1 The following members were in attendance Kirsten Hearn (Chair) and Clive Lawton. As the meeting was inquortae the Committee is asked to endorse the following decisions/recommendations

2.2 Progress Report on the MPS Older People (Engagement) Strategy

2.3 The sub-committee was advised that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Older People’s Strategy had been formulated to cater for the needs of older people in line with the MPS Equalities Scheme key objectives, the Mayor of London’s older people’s strategy; Appreciating Our Seniors, the strategic outcomes and objectives of the Policing London Business Plan 2009/12 and delivering the MPS Policing Pledge.

2.4 The report set out the progress of the MPS Older People (Engagement) Strategy 2009 - 2012 with its focus on what the MPS intended to do over the next three years to reduce crime, the fear of crime and make London a safer place for older people. The sub-committee noted that the MPS strategy was designed to reflect the factors that were “real” to the older people living in London, and focused on the following areas:

• engaging with the community
• delivery of services
• how older people are dealt with within the organisation
• effective governance

2.5 Following a discussion in which members of the public were invited to take part, the Chair thanked all concerned for their contribution to the debate and summarised the following key points:

• Care had to be taken with the language used, and labelling individuals as vulnerable.
• the MPS adopt a social model of delivering service equally to all the community.
• the need for more engagement with older people was recognised.
• the intergenerational work within schools to be developed further
• and more publicised more widely
• the use of the terminology for describing older people to be defined and used consistently.
• the strategy should support the recommendations from the GLA hosted conference on older people and crime.

2.6 The sub-committee noted that the MPS Diversity Strategy would be approved in September 2009. The Older Peoples Strategy would be developed to reflect and support that strategy.

3. Specials and Volunteers

3.1 The sub-committee noted that the Metropolitan Police Service had three significant groups of volunteers that support the delivery of policing services to Londoners. Those groups are the Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC), the Met Volunteer Programme (MVP) and the Volunteer Police Cadets (VPC). The sub-committee was asked to note the different status and profiles of the groups

3.2 It was noted that the MPS was working with other agencies including the Black Police Association and the Princes Trust to indentify more leaders. Although not classed as employees, best practice with regard to diversity was followed

3.3 It was noted that the MPS usual diversity monitoring process was not applied to special or the volunteers and was not include in the MPS employment data base. The sub-committee agreed that the diversity information should be collected. It was essential that when the data is collected that it was used effectively and that it is not reduced to a simple tick box exercise.

3.4 Recommendation

3.5 The Committee is asked to note the report and endorse the collection of diversity monitoring information as it relates to the Metropolitan Special Constabulary and Met Volunteer Programme.

4. Equality Standard for the Police Service

4.1 The report provided an overview on work undertaken by the MPS to develop an equality performance framework, showing its transition from adoption of the Equality Standard for local government (ESlg) and genesis through to the MPS’s involvement in the development and trail of the Equality Standard for the Police Service (ESPS). The National Police Improvement Agency had signed off the standard on Wednesday 29 July 2009.

4.2 The challenge facing the MPS was to ensure that the standard was not seen as additional work, but built on something that is already being done. It was noted that the language used throughout the standard was designed to support this aim.

4.3 A comment was made that some police officers were not aware of the most appropriate language to use when to describing or addressing individuals; this was not a matter of political correctness but one of professional conduct.

4.4 It was suggested that the progress made with the implementation of the standard should be part of the Commissioner's regular report to the full authority meeting.

5.0 Recommendation

5.1 The Committee is asked to note the report and agree that the Commissioner should be asked to update the authority on the implementation of the equality standard as part of his regular report to the full authority meeting.

6. Update on the activities of the MPA Hate Crime Forum (HCF)

6.1 The HCF had its first meeting of its new membership on 29 July 2009. Its membership consists of: GALOP, UK Disabled Peoples Council, the Community Security Trust, City and Hackney Mind, London Councils, MPS Violent Crime Directorate, The Monitoring Group, Muslim Safety Forum, London Criminal Justice Board and the London Gypsy and Travellers Unit.

6.2 It was agreed that there will be a renewed focus on the MPS response to hate crime and its work with victims and perpetrators but there was recognition that the HCF must also continue its work with local councils as part of its scrutiny process.

6.3 The role of the new HCF is to:

• Review how the MPS manages hate crime
• Monitor MPS data in terms of the type of information provided
• Ensure the MPS has mechanisms, strategies and structures in place to address hate crime
• Scrutinise MPS data more closely to ensure that it mirrors what actually happens on the ground
• Encourage the MPS to address gaps in their knowledge to the Hate Crime Forum.

6.4 It was decided that a small working Sub Group be established to explore a work plan of activity to take place over the coming year. A number of specific areas were discussed identified as well as the overarching focus of its work. These are:

• Victim Satisfaction
• Third Party reporting
• Perpetrator profiling
• Schools and Young people
• Local Authority performance and
• Hate crime across equality strands with the addition strand of gender identity

The work plan is currently being established with these areas in mind.

6.5 The Hate Crime Coordinators Group will continue to provide information on borough wide issues since this will support intelligence gathering from all boroughs.

6.6 The next meeting of the HCF will take place on 29 September.

6.7 Recommendation: to note the report

7. Domestic and Sexual Violence Board 28 July 2009

7.1 The MPA Domestic and Sexual Violence Board has met once since the last CEP Committee meeting, for its annual thematic meeting in July. This year, the themes were domestic and sexual violence and older people, and sexual abuse of disabled people. This year, for the first time, the DSVB heard presentations from external experts in addition to receiving a report from the MPS.

7.2 The DSVB invited Action on Elder Abuse, a member of the MPS Disability Advisory Group, and Voice UK. The presentations were welcomed by the board, as well as raising awareness on the specific subjects and informing the discussion that followed. The MPS reports highlighted their new strategic operation policy with regards to adults at risk, a forthcoming strategy on elder abuse, and the launch of the new sexual offences investigation command, SCD2.

7.3 At the next meeting the DSVB will receive reports from Merton and Wandsworth, and a verbal update on SCD2.

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