Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the meeting of the Communities, Equalities and People Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 11 March 2010 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, Westminster, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Cindy Butts (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Victoria Borwick
• Valerie Brasse
• Kirsten Hearn
• Clive Lawton.

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Natasha Plummer (Engagement and Partnerships Manager)
• Hamera Asfa Davey

MPS officers

• Steve Bloomfield
• Martin Tiplady
• George Clarke
• Anthea Richards
• Darren Williams
• David Skelton
• Adrian Hanstock.

50. Apologies for absence

50.1 Apologies for absence were received from AC McPherson and DAC Owens.

51. Declarations of interests

51.1 There were none.

52. Minutes and action sheet: Communities, Equalities and People Committee.

[Agenda item 3]

52.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2010 were approved and signed as a correct record.

53. MPS Recruitment Targets.

[Agenda item 4]

53.1 The committee was informed that the report outlined recruitment targets for the next 6 months, provided targets for BME communities and key MPS workforce groups, including police officer and special constables, and anticipated outcomes for 2009/10.

53.2 Since March 1999 there has been considerable growth in the numbers of BME and female officers within the service, female officer numbers have increased from 15.2% to 23.1% and BME Recruitment is showing good signs of progress, but is yet to meet the 17.1% target.

53.3 Members thanked the MPS for the report and discussed a number of issues arising from it. Members noted that the new targets for BME and female officers were lower than those achieved in previous years and questioned the rationale for this. Members asked whether the trend for more officers to work beyond 30 years service was having an impact on the number of opportunities for BME officers to progress within the Service. Members highlighted the Specials recruitment target of 2488, which they considered extremely challenging and questioned whether it was achievable over the coming year. Members also noted the differential success in recruiting BME officers to the special constabulary as compared to the regular service and suggested that this might be due to the fact that the motivations would be very different.

53.4 The MPS advised that although the targets were lower than had previously been achieved, they would be challenging, but realistic and achievable, with the aspiration still to achieve BME and female representation of 10% of the workforce. In response to a question as to why the MPS couldn’t just limit recruitment to the target groups, the MPS advised that as well as being illegal, it would be unfair to those candidates from a variety of backgrounds already working their way through the recruitment process, which had to be included in the overall recruitment target. In addition, the MPS informed the committee that the proposed targets compared very well with those forces in the MPS’ most similar forces grouping.

53.5 A Member asked about the MPS’ 5-10year strategic plan for the cadets’ programme. The MPS advised that the cadet programme, which is open to 16-18 year olds, now has 2000 members, 600 cadets having been recruited in 7 months and that the MPS hope to raise the total figure to 4000. There is increasing diversity amongst MPS cadets and the programme is now open to a wider range of young people than ever before, particularly now that those with minor previous involvement with criminality are no longer restricted.

Action: MPS to provide a briefing note on the attrition rates and career profiles across the Service.

Resolved that -

The following proposed targets for 2010/11 be accepted:

1. 700 Police recruits (20.0% BME, 35.0% female) resulting in a strength of 33,129 (9.6% BME, 23.8% female)
2. 681 Police Community Support Officers (25.4% BME, 35.7% female) resulting in strength of 4,716 (28.3% BME, 34.3% female)
3. 2,488 Special constables (31.5% BME, 35.0% female) resulting in strength of 5,330 (31.3% BME, 31.8% female).

54. Draft MPA and MPS Community Engagement Commitment 2010 – 2013

[Agenda item 5]

54.1 Officers advised that the document was a first draft and that feedback would be welcome. Members discussed the draft document and made a number of observations, including the need for greater clarity on the actual strategy and for a member discussion on the future of Community and Police Engagement Groups, which should be decided before the engagement commitment is agreed. Members also raised questions about the financial implications and asked that officers explore opportunities to achieve economies of scale and greater value for money.

Action: MPA Officers to facilitate a member meeting to further discuss the matters raised and to inform the development of the community engagement commitment.

Resolved that -

1. that Members note the content of this report and provide feedback on the draft commitment
2. at Members agree the final strategy should come back to the May 2010 meeting of the Communities Equalities and People Committee for approval

55. Satisfaction Gap between white and BME victims of crime

[Agenda item 6]

55.1The MPS introduced the report, highlighting that the satisfaction gap has been reduced from 9% to 8.9% over the last year. The data also shows that satisfaction rates are lower amongst younger victims of crime. A member added that although this paper had already been reported to the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee, it had been presented to this committee because of the overarching issues.

55.2 Members discussed the report and a number of issues were raised, including a question as to the reasons why those from BME communities seemed to be more likely to call 999, than go into a police station. In addition, a member suggested that perhaps the MPS should also be looking at disparities in customer satisfaction between those from different socio-economic backgrounds, which might in some way correlate with the BME and non-BME satisfaction rates.

55.3 The MPS advised that they did not have any definitive data to explain why those from BME communities seemed to prefer to call 999, but suggested it could be due to concerns about the level of service received at the front desk and with known concerns affecting community confidence overall, such as the failure to keep victims adequately updated on case progression. The MPS also informed the committee that the satisfaction measure would no longer be based on the satisfaction gap between BME and non-BME customers and would in future focus on overall satisfaction with the service received.

Action: MPS to provide a briefing note on the proposals for moving away from measuring the satisfaction gap.

Resolved that –

Members note the content of this report and progress being made to narrow the satisfaction gap between white and BME victims of crime.

56. Implementation of the MPS Policing Pledge

[Agenda item 7]

56.1 The MPS informed the committee that performance against the pledge is improving and a delivery group, on which the Authority is also represented, has been established to drive performance internally. The MPS advised that the police report card (measured quarterly) would reflect past performance, rather than the current position, and that it did not adequately reflect performance against the policing pledge, which is a sub-domain of the report card. The MPS stated that there was still progress to be made, but results from an early borough inspection on delivery against the pledge were good.

56.2 A member highlighted that the data showed that there was a one in seven chance that the appointment would not be met. The MPS advised the committee that this could be due to many reasons including, the person being visited not being at home or unable to answer the door, but that it would not normally be due to failure to attend on the part of the MPS. The committee suggested that more research should be done on this matter, as there might be issues with people answering the door, or members of the public with disabilities and such issues would need to be understood and addressed.

56.3 Members noted the report and advised that while performance matters should be considered by the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee, this committee and its sub-committees should also have a role in the oversight of this important area in terms of the quality of service and barriers to effective delivery.

Action: MPS to provide a briefing note exploring the reasons why appointments with victims might not be kept.

Resolved that –

The report be noted.

57. Home Office Borough Command Unit Fund – Mid-year report 2009/10

[Agenda item 8]

57.1 The MPS advised that this is the second year in which the MPA has had responsibility for the management of the BCU fund of £7.8 million. The management processes have been established and will proceed more or less as for the 2009/10 financial year. The MPS highlighted that there would be an underspend this year, which was due to the late release by the Home Office of the 2009/10 budget, and that the Home Office had agreed could be carried forward into the 2010/11 financial year.

57.2 Members noted the report and sought clarity on how the process was used to identify and disseminate good practice. In response to this point, the MPS advised that there was not currently a formalised process for doing so and that this would be explored further with MPA officers.

Action: MPA and MPS officers to conduct further work on identifying good practice for wider dissemination.

Resolved that –

1. Members are requested to note the contents of this report, in respect of the 2009/10 financial and operational performance of MPS boroughs against the Home Office Basic Command Unit Fund.
2. That members endorse the suggestion that Boroughs complete an Equality Impact Assessment of their BCU spend plans.

58. Review of MPS implementation of Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007

[Agenda item 9]

58.1 The MPS advised that the intention was to develop and roll out the guidance, which had been developed in collaboration with survivors and support groups, across the service.

58.2 A general discussion took place and members noted that it would be useful to see more information on the training provided to officers regarding forced marriages. Questions were also asked about the recording of faith and ethnicity data. Members also suggested that it would be useful for the MPS to gather data on the use of Forced Marriage Protection Orders with regard to how many do not succeed, what other powers might be brought into play and how well the partnership structures support the process.

58.3 The MPS advised that they intend to provide specialist training on dealing with forced marriages utilising the help and support of survivors and victims. In terms of ensuring compliance with the requirements for the recording of ethnicity and faith data, the MPS advised that the initial approach would be to use persuasion and encouragement to ensure data was correctly recorded, but ultimately it would be possible to add mandatory fields to the database to ensure compliance. The MPS advised that FMPOs cost other agencies approximately £500 each, but further data would have to be gathered from the Ministry of Justice. The MPS further advised that child protection laws are used, but not as widely as they could and should be, but that this is a learning and development issue for all agencies in terms of the new legislation, so things should improve over time.

Resolved that –

The report be noted.

59. Reports from the Sub Committees and updates on the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board and the Hate Crime Forum

[Agenda item 10]

Resolved that –

The report be noted.

End of meeting: 4:45pm

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