Territorial Policing Development Programme (Human Resources and Equality Implications)

Report: 5
Date: 5 May 2011
By: Assistant Commissioner (AC) McPherson

Summary

This report provides members with an overview of the Human Resources and equality implications of the Territorial Policing (TP) Development Programme. It highlights the main areas of HR activity, progress to date and upcoming milestones. The report also provides detail on the approach to equality impact assessments, emerging issues, and recommended mitigating actions.

A. Recommendation

That Members note the information contained within this report

B. Supporting information

Context

1. The TP Development Programme vision is to develop and implement a more cost effective model for policing that will deliver excellent local services for people, who live, work in and visit London. The programme has been established to support the delivery of the strategic objectives for the MPS including confidence, safety and value for money. In order to deliver these outcomes the programme has prioritised benefits both to the people of London and the MPS against which its success will be judged, these include, improved policing services; increased efficiency and effectiveness; and reduced overall cost of TP delivery.

2. The TP Development Programme is one of the change programmes that forms the Service Improvement Plan (SIP), and is responsible for delivering a substantial proportion of the Service’s savings. An overview of the projects within the programme can be found at Appendix 1.

Proposed Change

3. Territorial Policing currently consists of a head quarter function (TPHQ); 32 boroughs; the Safer Transport Command; and Central Communications Command (CCC). All of these Borough/ Operational Command Units (B/OCUs) are intended to remain in place; however there will be an element of restructuring in all areas. The projects within the TP Development Programme will drive a significant degree of organisational change across TP, as well as having an impact on other areas of the organisation.

4. An overview of the extent of organisational change that TP is facing can be found below:

• Creation of new OCUs and restructuring of existing OCUs and functions
• Centralisation and relocation of some functions
• Reduction in the number of police officer and police staff posts in certain areas
• Changes to shift patterns and operating hours to better match resource to demand
• Service improvement through establishing more efficient business processes and better ways of working.
• Process improvements leading to a change in day to day activity for individuals, and adjustments to roles
• Changes of line management and adjustments to supervisory ratios

5. The current phase of the programme has centred around detailed, evidenced based design leading to approved, costed business cases which are subject to approval and ongoing consultation with recognised Staff Associations and Trade Unions.

6. This degree of change will have an impact on individuals of all ranks and bands, and may involve adjustments to roles and associated training requirements in some areas.

Programme HR Activity

7. In order to effectively manage the HR implications, the programme is working with the HR Organisational Development Team alongside the TP HR Business Partners and Strategic Human Resource Advisors (SHRAs). HR Directorate provides expert input at both a project and programme level to ensure that proposals are developed taking the necessary HR policies and processes into account from the outset. The programme also engages with other areas of HR including Workforce Deployment, Recruitment; and Employee Relations, this has enabled informed decision making in areas such as the reduced requirement for corporate promotion processes and the effective deployment of PCSOs. A summary of the key areas of programme HR activity can be found in Appendix 2. Key activity to address the varied workforce issues associated with the programme are; continual workforce consultation and communication, movement of officers and staff, selection processes when a reduction in officers and/or staff is necessary, management of staff leaving the MPS and ongoing assessment of equality implications.

Workforce Communication and Consultation Activity

8. The main HR activity to date relates to consultation and communication with and to officers and staff. As the programme moves into detailed implementation planning during the next few months, it will be possible to quantify exact numbers and type of role and roleholders affected.

9. It is recognised that the scale of planned organisational change across the business group is going to be very unsettling for our workforce and this is a key risk that has been identified from the outset of the programme. Every effort has been made to engage our officers and staff in the change process as the projects have developed over recent months, and this will continue throughout the duration of the programme. We are committed to providing regular updates on the strategic direction of the programme, and highlighting potential workforce implications as proposals continue to be refined.

10. A number of communications techniques have been adopted to engage our workforce at all levels including our Command Leaders who are considered to be a critical stakeholder in owning and driving the necessary change. In addition to a personal email from AC TP at the outset of the Programme; regular updates on the TP Development Programme intranet site; and ‘Ask TP’ online forum, all TP officers and staff have received a contextual letter from AC McPherson (via Command Leaders) detailing the functional areas of the business group that are being reviewed and why, and explaining how this is going to enable us to provide an improved and more efficient service for the people of London. AC TP has recently commenced a series of large-scale briefings aimed at middle managers to draw their attention to the business case for change and to engage them as leaders, this is intended to be an ongoing activity. The more advanced projects such as Crime and Customer Strategy (TPHQ Phase 1), and CRIB have also commenced staff briefings, which have received very positive feedback. All of this activity is fully aligned to and supplements the corporate budget updates and the Commissioners communications.

Managing the Displacement of Police Officers and Police Staff

11. The combined impact of the projects within the TP Development Programme has the potential to result in significant levels of police officer and police staff displacement over the coming financial years.

12. The requirements of the MPS Organisational Change Policy and associated SOPs are being followed to ensure fair and consistent treatment of our workforce during this significant period of organisational change. This includes the requirement to undertake an Equality Impact Assessment.

13. A number of measures have been implemented to collectively support the organisation in managing our resourcing levels responsibly during this period of organisational change.

14. Restrictions on external recruitment for police officer and police staff posts have been in place for some time. Police officer promotion processes have been slowed down and are being considered on a rank by rank basis at the appropriate point in time to establish the business need for the relevant rank. The HR Star Chamber is a vacancy management process that aims to ensure that there is a genuine business need for all advertised police staff vacancies and that they are filled in the appropriate manner, this must involve a thorough assessment of the individuals on the Police Staff Postings List (redeployment pool) prior to advertising.

15. A series of strategic workforce planning meetings have been established both within TP and corporately to ensure that we are utilising the resource available in the most effective way, this involves ensuring officer numbers are maintained across boroughs and OCUs, and a review of the number and location of our restricted officers against the fully operational; operational; and non operational posts available.

Selection Activity

16. As the TP Development Programme will involve a reduction in the number of officers and staff required to deliver some services, a preference/selection process will be used to identify those individuals who will be appointed into the roles available in the new organisational structure as appropriate. As a result, the selection process will also identify those officers and staff who will be displaced.

17. It is anticipated that the timescales for running the selection processes for different projects within the TP Development Programme will overlap, and that police officer and police staff processes will run concurrently. It is proposed that a top down cascade approach to selection be adopted in most areas in order to minimise the potential for displacement and fill the new structure in a managed way.

18. The TP Development Programme Selection Process was compiled by HR Directorate and has been approved by TP Development Programme Board. It and aims to:

• Minimise disruption to those police officers and members of police staff affected
• Provide maximum opportunity for best fit between individuals and roles available
• Provide a fair and transparent process
• Implement the new structure in a timely and effective manner
• Support service continuity during this period of organisational change

19. The MPS remains committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies wherever possible. However, it is recognised that police staff displacement may put some staff at risk of redundancy. t is therefore critical that we adopt fair and transparent processes with objective and standardised criteria in place to form the basis of all selection decisions across all of our projects. The detail of the selection process for police staff will be developed in consultation with the Trade Unions, and this is currently underway.

Early Departure of Police Staff Members

20. Voluntary redundancy is an established pre-redundancy measure used to minimise or prevent the need for compulsory departures. Phase One of the police staff early departure scheme was launched in November 2010 and was restricted to five identified groups. Of these groups the following three included TP staff, Traffic Wardens; Station Reception Officers (SROs); and the Police Staff Postings list (displaced staff). Although only one of these groups was directly linked to the TP Development Programme (SROs fall within the remit of the Public Contact project), the headcount reductions in these areas are contributing towards the business groups ability to close the budget gap.

21. Through the programme, TP has identified several further groups of police staff where headcount reductions will be required within the financial year in order to transition to our new service delivery models and achieve the required budget reductions in line with the Policing London Business Plan 2011-2014. These proposals are subject to ongoing consultation with recognised Trade Unions. It is proposed that this exercise commences in April 2011 with the start of formal consultation with the Trade Unions regarding our strategic intent for each of the identified groups.

22. Effective Trade Union engagement was achieved during our initial voluntary early departure exercise and we will look to maintain and build on this through the following forums:

• bi-monthly meetings between Management Board and the TUS
• the monthly Terms and Conditions Forum chaired by the HR Strategic Director of Employment Relations, Health & Well-being
• Fortnightly meetings with the TUS regarding ‘Phase 2’ early departure scheme chaired by HR Director of Organisational Development.
• local consultation meetings that are in place for each of the SIP projects

23. In terms of local consultation meetings, the programme has run a formal consultation forum with Staff Association and Trade Union representatives from May 2010. This meeting is scheduled to take place every 2-4 weeks and is chaired by the Programme Director. This has provided representatives with a clear understanding of the financial constraints that the business group is facing; the strategic objectives of the Programme, and provided an indication of the planned direction of travel for all of the projects. A more detailed presentation has been provided for the more advanced projects. The forum was consulted where changes have been implemented, for example the introduction of the 5 areas (plus Westminster) and the response shift pattern review. Staff Association and Trade Union representatives are invited to attend the individual project boards.

24. HR developed a comprehensive set of FAQs for the initial voluntary early departure exercise, these were tailored to the circumstances and needs of the specific groups of staff included. Work is underway to continue to build upon this work, using feedback to enhance the products for future exercises. HR also offered outplacement support to all of those individuals that accepted the voluntary terms, and this will continue with a view to providing as much support as possible for those members of staff leaving the organisation prematurely. Arrangements for events aimed at facilitating individuals in their search for external job opportunities, through the introduction to appropriate employers and/or employment agencies, are currently being developed to provide further support and facilitate a good take up of voluntary terms offered.

Approach to Equality Impact Assessments

25. The Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD) is working alongside the programme, with DCF Advisors identified for each of the projects. An appropriate approach to the development of Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) was agreed, at the TP Development Programme Board in January 2011. This provides a rigorous and comprehensive approach to ensuring that equality issues are considered and addressed through the development and delivery of the programme and its projects. The process supports the programme to achieve its vision by ensuring that opportunities for increasing confidence and satisfaction across all communities are identified and progressed and any adverse impacts on communities are identified and mitigated. Similarly, the EIA process will identify potential impacts (either positive or negative) on our workforce according to the protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act.

26. EIAs are being developed for each project within the programme and a programme level assessment is also being undertaken. This will consider the cumulative impact of the individual projects. Figure 1 describes how equality issues are to be built into the Phases of the TP Development Programme. The equality impact assessment is a dynamic process and the EIA is a living document that becomes more detailed over time as projects develop and more information becomes available such as the results from consultation work or more information about the officers and staff affected by the change.

Figure 1: Development of EIAs and the Project Lifecycle [follow link on thumbnail for larger version]

27. Brief Equality Statements are produced to supplement the vision / aims of each project at the outset of a project. These are high level statements of any significant equality risks for the project along with how the project may lead to positive equality outcomes. This will be based on existing information for example where concerns have been raised over the accessibility of services or where there is evidence of differential equality outcomes.

28. HR, Communications, and Diversity and Citizen Focus professionals have and will continue to work very closely together to support the project teams with specialist advice and guidance, and to support the officers and staff that are affected by the change proposals.

Initial Equality Assessment

29. Initial equalities impact assessments are conducted in parallel with the development and submission of the business case for each project. These go beyond the ‘initial screening tick box matrix’ required by the MPS EIA process and will identify potential impacts on both communities, service delivery issues and potential impacts on staff affected by the changes.

30. A standard template has been established to identify how each impact could be addressed or investigated further. These tend to fall into three broad categories:

• Issues that need to be explored further through consultation (either with communities or with staff affected by the change) that should take place during the delivery stage of the project
• Issues that need to be addressed as part of the implementation of the change, for example by being incorporated into staff training or within working practices
• Areas where positive equality outcomes can be achieved through the improvements in service delivery that are being delivered by ensuring that the new services are more responsive to individual’s needs. Similarly there may be issues where monitoring is required to ensure there is no degradation of service provision – for example in moving towards a centralised model of service delivery and away from local arrangements there are no unintended impacts on equality groups.

31. Any issues that identify significant potential cost or resource implications are explicitly reflected in the business case with details of how these issues will be explored further.

32. Where business cases include options that could lead to significantly different impacts across protected groups these will also be highlighted in the assessment but full assessments will not be undertaken on each option.

33. For some projects the impact of changes at a local (Borough) level will also need to be considered (e.g. changes to front counter provision, implementation of shift patterns). The project team and DCF Advisor will provide a framework that allows the local level EIAs to be undertaken (and feed up to inform the project / programme as necessary). Responsibility for conducting these assessments will rest with the Borough which will need to be responsible for managing local consultation arrangements. Support to boroughs will also be available through the DCFD delivery teams.

Full Assessment

34. As business cases are approved and projects move into implementation phases, the full equality impact assessment can be developed. As stated, this is a living document and will develop as the project progresses. In line with MPS policy the full assessment will capture the results from consultation, further research etc to describe any potential adverse impact across protected characteristic groups and any mitigating action that is being taken forward. It will also document how the change can led to positive outcomes. It will document where monitoring processes are required to assess impact post implementation.

35. In all cases EIAs need to be dynamic documents that are regularly updated as new issues are identified (e.g. through consultation) or action is taken to address or mitigate impacts. It is necessary to have an agreed baseline of affected staff and their profiles in order to progress beyond the initial screening stage of EIAs for each project. An initial assessment of the staff and staffing profiles affected by each of the change projects has been produced. This provides an early indication of the diversity profile of affected staff based on individual personal characteristics. Further work is required to validate and agree the in-scope staff for each project and cross match personal characteristics so that a meaningful equality analysis of the data can be undertaken.

Status of Project Level EIAs

36. In line with the agreed process described above initial assessments have been undertaken on the projects that are at business case stage, these are: Crime Recording and Investigation Bureau (CRIB), Crime and Customer Strategy, Custody Improvement, IBO/CCC, Duties Management and Intelligence. Full EIAs have been conducted for both Operation Hannah and Erin pilots being undertaken as part of the response project on Lambeth and Brent Boroughs.

37. A number of specific pieces of work are being conducted by DCFD to support the undertaking of EIAs across the programme, these include:

• Shift pattern changes - DCFD has developed a toolkit to support both individual projects within the Programme and Boroughs conduct EIAs as part of the changes to shift patterns. The toolkit gives guidance on the 9 protected characteristics and some key areas of work needed to inform the EIA.
• Other toolkits are also being developed to support projects in assessing impacts on both workforce and service delivery in order to develop their full EIAs.

38. HR and emerging equality implications of the TP Development Programme are set out in more detail in Appendix 2. These will not all apply to all of the projects within the programme, however it should be noted that all officers and staff within the business group may be affected by organisational change. This initial assessment is limited insofar as a significant number of projects have not yet had their business case approved and hence their impact cannot be fully assessed.

C. Other organisational and community implications

Equality and Diversity Impact

1. The approach being undertaken to equality impact assessments is documented within the main body of the report. A rigorous approach to ensuring that equality issues are considered at both project and programme level is in place. Regular reports on the programme levels impacts are presented to the Programme Board.

2. Some of the emerging HR and equality implications arising from the programme are described at Appendix 3. This also described the steps already being taken to mitigate the equality impacts identified to date.

Consideration of MET Forward

3. The TP Development Programme is cognisant of the Met Forward programmes, most notable: Met Streets (which is about the first duty of the police: securing the public realm for the law-abiding); Met Connect (how we will improve confidence and engagement); Met People (how we support, develop and lead our staff); Met Support (how we manage our finance, building, technology and processes); and Met Standards (how we will incentivise high standards, professionalism and cooperation).

Financial Implications

4. There are no additional financial implications arising from this report. The implications on both finance and workforce numbers are covered within individual business cases, and are included in the current agreed business plan for the MPS.

Legal Implications

5. There are no direct legal implications arising from this report which is submitted for information only.

6. The TP Development Programme aims to deliver an improved, efficient and effective police service within the constraints of a challenging budget.

7. There are legal implications arising from many elements of the TP Programme, most notably workforce related issues, which have been highlighted in the body of this report. DLS have been engaged with HR in relation to workforce matters and advice will continue to be provided in respect of specific recommendations.

88. Proposals under the TP Programme may also be subject to further reports being approved through the usual MPA/MPS Governance arrangements.

Environmental Implications

9. The projects that emerge from the Programme have the potential to increase environmental efficiency in a variety of ways. Environmental considerations will be taken into account during the design process (i.e. they are considered with the project business case and are used to inform the decision-making process notwithstanding the overriding importance of operational necessity), and wherever possible, preferred solutions incorporate measures to reduce:

• Energy use
• Transport emissions
• Water consumption
• Resource use
• Waste arisings

Risk Implications

10. The key strategic risks for the Programme remain those articulated in the report tabled at the 13th January SOP Committee. Since the TP budget is overwhelmingly staff-related, it is clear that TP cannot make the required savings without reducing overall numbers. This must be viewed as part of the wider reduction in budget across public services in order to make the most productive use of our operational assets. A critical issue in considering this approach is the imperative to maintain operational capability. The programme is currently analysing the detailed requirements for each function and the potential impact on staff and officers number. The longer term view is the need to deliver efficient and effective support services at the lowest unit cost in a model that is able to meet both customer and organisational need. The programme is establishing systems to monitor performance through this change process in order to ensure that is not effected and services suffer as a result.

D. Background papers

• None

E. Contact details

Report authors: Sharon McCabe and David Skelton

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1: Overview of the projects within the TP Development Programme

Public access (formally Front Counters)

Summary The aim of this project is to review how the public access our services including addressing service delivery through front counters and how this service could be improved.

Safer Neighbourhoods

Summary The aim of this project is to review the model and functionality of Safer Neighbourhood Teams in order to identify areas for improvement.

IBO/CCC

Summary The aim of the IBO/CCC project is to review the relationship between CCC and IBOs to remove duplication and deliver improved command and control.

Resource Management

Summary The aim of the project is to review the functionality and efficiency of the service provided by borough duties and events planning offices

Response

Summary This project is focussed on improved utilisation of response officers for fast-time response with a greater utilisation of appointments for non-emergency calls carried out by local policing teams.

Investigation

Summary This project is aiming to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness across investigative functions drawn from both TP and SCD.

Intelligence and Performance

Summary These are MPS led projects which TP will implement. Currently performance and intelligence are delivered in all 32 boroughs and at Headquarters levels. The projects will address the most efficient and effective delivery model for the MPS.

Crime Recording and Investigation Bureau (CRIB)

Summary The aim of this project is to develop a central Crime Recording Bureau which provides both economies of scale and significant performance improvements to the standard of service supplied to customers.

Criminal Justice: Custody / Detention

Summary The aim of this project is to better align supply and demand resulting in increased efficiency and improved service provision. This project will be aligned to change to criminal justice and Central Operations

Criminal Justice: Wanted Offender Management

Summary This project is currently reviewing options for an improved approach to the administration of wanted offenders.

Integrated Prosecution Services

Summary This project is currently producing a terms of reference to examine options for improving the criminal justice processes between MPS Criminal Justice Units and the CPS.

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Summary This project is examining the options for developing a partnership model for information regarding vulnerable people in order to prevent harm.

Appendix 2: Key Programme HR Activity

Appendix 3: Potential HR and Equality Implications

Overall Equality Impact and Proposed Actions / Recommendations

Disability

There is an awareness that a number of the roles that are proposed to be moved from borough to a centralised approach e.g. IBO; TIB; CMU, are currently occupied by restricted officers and that those with mobility restrictions may not be able to travel to the new locations. These officers will be more difficult to deploy into alternative roles due to the restrictions that are in place and the number of appropriate opportunities on borough.

The proposed selection process supported by the Programme Board highlights the importance of any selection / posting process assessing the operational requirements for the role and their suitability for officers on restricted duties. Each role within the proposed new TP service delivery model is being considered against the categories of Fully Operational; Operational; Non Operational, which will be taken into account.

It is recognised that centralisation and relocation of some functions will also cause difficulty for some police staff members and this will be considered at an individual level at the appropriate point.

It is important that a consistent approach is adopted to the posting of officers and staff with disabilities across the projects within the Programme and further development of the approach is underway.

Recommendations

• A detailed review of the officers and staff in-scope for each of the projects, considering any individual circumstances that may prevent them from undertaking certain roles in the new model
• Learning and good practice to be taken from other organisational change programmes
• Consider prioritising posting of restricted officers with a disability (that meet the selection criteria)
• HR to support with the corporate review of restricted officers and the Fully Operational; Operational; Non Operational roles available across all business groups
  
• Work with Staff Associations, Trade Unions and Staff Support Associations as appropriate
• Work with Occupational Health and other areas of HR to ensure an appropriate balance between operational needs and those of our officers and staff is met
• Ensure information on existing reasonable adjustments is known and available. Reasonable adjustments are appropriately considered and accommodated in selection / posting processes
• Projects and HR to ensure that effective communication mechanisms are in place for those individuals that are away from the workplace

Part-time and flexible working

A number of the projects within the programme will require officers and staff to move location and / or work alternative shift patterns. IBO / CCC and CRIB will both involve individuals being required to move from borough to a centralised arrangement possibly with shift patterns that have been designed to better match resource to demand. It is recognised that this is likely to have a greater impact women who are more likely to work part-time or have flexible working arrangements in place to support caring responsibilities. However this will also affect male officers and staff who have similar arrangements.

Recommendations

• Consider ways in which individuals needs and preferences can be captured in the selection / posting process, and accommodated where appropriate
• Develop an effective process for considering flexible working applications post selection activity. Existing arrangements will not automatically transfer to the new role and this must be clearly communicated to the officers and staff that are affected
• Projects to complete flexible working assessment for each of the roles within their proposed new structures to give officers and staff an indication of the roles that will not be suitable for certain types of flexible working arrangements for operational reasons

Early Departure of Police Staff Members

Phase One of the police staff early departures scheme was launched in November 2010 and was restricted to five identified groups. Several of these groups included TP staff, and the headcount reductions in these areas are contributing towards the business groups ability to close the budget gap. Through the programme, TP has identified several further groups of police staff where headcount reductions will be required within the financial year in order to transition into our new service delivery models and achieve the required budget reductions in line with the Policing London Business Plan 2011-2014.

There are a number of risks in relation to business continuity and the need to establish interim staffing arrangements in advance of formal selection into the roles available in the proposed new TP service delivery model. There is also a recognition that many of the affected staff will live and work locally and the way in which early departures are managed could have an impact on wider public confidence.

The implications are obviously dependant on the particular staff group, however early analysis suggests that there could be a greater impact on women, BME staff, and older staff.

Recommendations

• Learning and good practice to be taken from other organisational change programmes, specifically the Catering SIP where a support package was put in place to take into account the very specific needs of the affected group
• Projects and HR to ensure that effective communication mechanisms are in place for those individuals that are away from the workplace

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