Home Office Borough Command Unit fund 2009/10 – six monthly update

Report: 6
Date: 14 January 2010
By: Chief Executive

Summary

The Home Office Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund has been in operation, under the joint supervision of the MPA and MPS since May 2009. Since taking on the responsibility the MPA and MPS have worked closely to ensure that the BCU proposals for the expenditure of the allocated funds have been in accordance with the Home Office requirements. Although it was originally intended that this would be the last year of the fund, the Home Office announced in the autumn that there would be a continuation for a further one year (see Appendix 1).

A. Recommendation

1. That members note the content of the report;
2. That members receive a further report, detailing the spend and the work being undertaken to deliver the programme of activity at the March CEP.

B. Supporting information

Context

1. Members will be aware that a report was submitted to the CEP meeting of 16 July advising that the Home Office establish a policing project fund in 2003 which would make available a fixed sum of money to be spent by Borough Commanders, with the agreement of borough Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, on partnership activity.

2. At the time of submitting the report it was nationally understood that this funding stream, would come to an end on 31 March 2010. However, since then we have been advised by the Home Office that this fund will now be available for the financial year 2010-11 – see section 3 and Appendix 1 below for more information.

3. The fund has been intended to provide for BCUs to:

• help deliver crime and disorder reduction locally through supporting work with their other partners on Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships or Community Safety Partnerships (CDRP/CSPs) promote partnership working; for example in supporting the implementation of the recently introduced legislative requirements for partnerships and the introduction of the six Hallmarks of an Effective Partnership for CDRP/CSPs. This includes providing support for embedding intelligence-led business processes and training and developing staff.
• to assist in delivery of the objectives set out in the Government’s Public Service Agreements for 2008-11 with a particular focus on PSA 23 (Making Communities Safer) and PSA 25 (Reduce the harm caused by Alcohol and Drugs). These underpin the delivery of the Home Office crime strategy entitled “Cutting Crime a New Partnership” which identified a number of key areas for focus over the period 2008–11.
• In 2010-11 the fund will additionally and primarily need to demonstrate that it supports the borough’s work to increase the borough’s confidence in the police and the local authority services to reduce crime.

The Development and Implementation of the Programme 2009/10

4. Subsequent to the meeting of the CEP committee in July, the MPS and MPA met to finalise the development and guidance information for Borough Commanders and implemented the process. Each of the boroughs then drew up – often in consultation with the MPS/MPA team – their project plans and submitted those on corporate spreadsheet templates.

5. The quality control of these submissions was maintained by the MPS/MPA team. When the original submissions were submitted the team reviewed each one and sent back a number for further clarification. Some of the primary issues identified which required amendments were: lack of detail in proposals, no confirmation that there had been partnership agreement to the proposals and lack of information about how the proposals gelled with either local priorities or national indicators.

6. After the review those with a green light were able to immediately commence their activities and those with an ‘amber light’ were required to further work up their proposals. The majority of those that had to rework their proposals had done so and been given a green light by the end of October but there have been a couple of stragglers who finally submitted by the end of the second quarter.

7. It is proposed that a more detailed report identifying the actual spend to date and the delivery of the programme will be submitted to the CEP in March.

Process for 2010/11

8. As mentioned above, we were informed in the autumn that the fund’s life will be extended for a further 1 year (2010-11) and that a guidance would be issued by the Home Office for the new conditions for the financial year 2010-11.

9. It is proposed that in addition to the current requirements the fund must also be used – and the MPS will need to demonstrate this – for the purposes of improving community confidence in the police and crime reduction. The Home Office model for improving confidence is similar to that of the MPS but is apparently more detailed. The model is identified in Appendix 2 attached to this document.

10. In October the MPS organised for Borough Commanders and Borough Liaison staff a briefing on both the fund and its future. This was very well attended and the BCU fund presentations were given, including one from the Home Office which sought to explain the new confidence model. We now await a guidance document from the Home Office to enable the implementation of the new policy for 2010-11 to be implemented in an advised way.

C. Race and equality impact

National Indicators (NIs) Supporting Vulnerable People Community

1. As mentioned previously, the NIs that the fund aims to work upon are those which will be most beneficial to vulnerable members of the community.

2. Projects commissioned through the Borough Command Unit fund should:

• reduce crime in line with the national PSAs (23 and 25), including focusing on more serious violence (particularly involving the use of firearms and other weapons), serious acquisitive crime (particularly prolific and other priority offenders and substance misusing offenders), alcohol-related crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour
• increase public confidence in and satisfaction with the police through an emphasis on the quality of service provided to the public in line with PSA 24, work in partnership to deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive CJS for victims and the public
• work jointly to ensure that adequate capability and capacity exists across England and Wales to deliver effective policing to tackle serious and organised crime and to provide other protective services.
• Increase confidence in the police.

D. Financial implications

Late Start to Programme Leading Potentially to Accrual Spending

1. Because of the Home Office’s lateness in advising of the arrangements for the fund for 2009-10 and the need for BCUs to develop their plans during the current spending year, a number of the projects will not be completed until 2010-11.

2. This continues to be a Home Office funding stream which is jointly overseen by the MPA and the MPS. The Head of the Engagement and Partnerships Unit (EPU) will oversee this process on behalf of the MPA, which will be included within the current EPU work programme without additional cost. The fund levels will be pegged at the current level for the final year of the fund.

E. Legal implications

None given.

F. Background papers

• Letter from David Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office to local authority chief executives and the chairs of police authorities.

G. Contact details

Report author(s): Martin Davis, Head of Engagement and Partnerships MPA

For information contact:

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

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