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 3 November 2011 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

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

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Fay Scott (Head of Equalities and Engagement)
• Natasha Plummer (Engagement and Partnerships Manager)
• Hamera Asfa Davey (Community Engagement and Neighbourhood Policing Officer)
• Michael Taylor (Committee Officer)

MPS officers

• Denise Milani (Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate)
• Kevin Hobson (Safer Neighbourhoods Central Team)

22. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

22.1 Apologies were received from Faith Boardman (MPA Member) and Kirsten Hearn (MPA Member).

23. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

23.1 There were no declarations of interest.

24. Minutes: Communities, Equalities and People Committee – 1 September 2011

(Agenda item 3)

24.1 The minutes were agreed as a correct record and all actions were completed.

25. Update from Head of Equalities and Engagement

(Agenda item 4)

25.1 A briefing note on Multi-Point Entry was circulated to members, and the proposals will be further considered by the MOPC and MPS management. The Race and Faith Monitoring Group has identified equality and diversity issues which will continue to be developed under the MOPC, such as ensuring that the concerns of disabled staff are addressed. Discussions are also being held with the MPS property services team to ensure equality of access to MPS buildings.

25.2 The MPA has established an MOPC Governance Board to consider how the MOPC will continue to oversee equalities issues, and it has been proposed that an MOPC ‘Ethics and Governance Committee’ be formed. It was emphasised that these are proposals only, and that the decision will be made by the future Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime. It is currently proposed that the MOPC will also have some ‘non-executive advisors’, although members noted that there have also been discussions about ‘non-executives’, which would hold a different status and would fit into the MOPC structure in a more formal way. A decision on this has yet to be made.

25.3 A decision has also yet to be made on how the MOPC will engage with the MPS and the Police and Crime Panel (PCP) which will be established by the GLA. Members noted that the purpose of the new legislation was to make the MOPC more transparent and accountable to the public, not to an elected body, such as the PCP. Members also noted that the PCP is currently proposing to receive numerous reports on issues which the MPA currently examines, and is unlikely to have the capacity to examine all of them in detail. Members expressed regret that the MPA had not sought their views on how the MOPC should be governed, and how learning from the MPA could be taken forward into the new organisation.

25.4 The MPS held its Diversity Excellence Awards on 31 October 2011, which was attended by senior MPS and MPA officers. The awards recognised business groups and boroughs that had evidenced good practice in the field of equality and diversity.

26. Governance of the Diversity and Equality Strategy

(Agenda item 5)

26.1 Denise Milani introduced the report and outlined the progress made to develop equality and diversity issues across the MPS. Further work will be conducted to address perceived disproportionality in staff discipline, fairness at work, stop and search and community engagement activities.

26.2 Members noted that Staff Support Associations (SSAs) can conduct community engagement, and enquired whether SSAs successfully liaise with community leaders. The MPS feels that SSAs generally engage well with communities, serving as a conduit for discussions between communities and the MPS. Some SSAs focus on providing support to MPS staff, rather than also engaging with the wider community. All SSAs have been requested to provide business plans of their proposed engagement work.

26.3 Members enquired whether the lack of diversity at senior ranks was detrimental to MPS engagement with SSAs. Rather than referring cases through an intermediary, the MPS has established a process for SSAs to raise concerns directly with the Management Board. Senior officers are also able to consult with SSAs on proposed policies before they are officially presented for consideration by management.

26.4 Members noted that during the August disturbances, the community leaders which the MPS approached to facilitate community engagement were unable to do so effectively, and enquired whether SSAs were consulted on suitable community contacts. The MPS does consult SSAs on community engagement matters, and the MPS is currently conducting a review of community engagement procedures.

26.5 In order to ensure that equality and diversity issues are given full consideration, all community engagement proposals are required to include an Equality Impact Assessment as a minimum standard. All equalities issues are also aligned to developments established in the context of the Commissioner’s priorities. Although there are many good examples of work being done to promote equalities, as showcased at the diversity excellence awards, the MPS will continue to promote and progress developments.

26.6 Members noted that whilst good practice on equality and diversity issues should be promoted across the MPS, there is still room for further development. Members recommended that the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD) be granted the capacity to inspect other business groups to ensure that they address equalities issues. Members requested that this recommendation be added to the CEP legacy report to Full Authority.

Action: MPA to add the DCFD recommendation to the CEP Legacy Report to Full Authority.

27. MPA update on community engagement commitment action plans

(Agenda item 6)

27.1 Hamera Asfa Davey introduced the report, which outlines MPA considerations for how community engagement will be conducted under the MOPC, which has yet to be decided. The last MPA community consultation programmes to have been conducted were the ‘have your say’ consultation, and consultation on the ‘Safer Neighbourhoods Panels and community engagement’. MPA units have worked together to coordinate community engagement activities, and learning from this will be recommended for use by the MOPC. Community engagement work conducted by the MPS will also be analysed in order to identify effective engagement work.

28. Safer Neighbourhoods Panels and community engagement

(Agenda item 7)

28.1 Hamera Asfa Davey introduced the report, which outlines the findings of the project examining Safer Neighbourhoods Panels (SNPs). It has been recommended that there needs to be consistency in the way that SNPs are conducted, such as by establishing minimum expectations and the involvement of identified core partners. However, it is recognised that different areas will have different problems to address, and that SNPs should be granted flexibility to decide how to manage their affairs.

28.2 In order to successfully engage with their communities, SNPs have a range of communications methods available, including face to face meetings, electronic newsletters and virtual panels. In particular, SNPs will need to adapt their approach to make meetings accessible to young people. The centrally produced SNP newsletters have proven to be universally unpopular, and it is recommended that Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) should produce newsletters for their own wards.

28.3 Members noted that local authority officers and councillors are not always part of SNPs, and that these will be key partners when addressing issues such as anti-social behaviour. It has been recommended that SNPs include partners that are specific to their areas, such as representatives from residential care homes, industrial estates and shopping centres. The difference between an SNP and a ward panel will also need to be promoted to the public.

28.4 Kevin Hobson outlined how SNPs are owned by the MPS, which also sets their policies, although there is a perception that SNPs are able to manage themselves and that SNTs report directly to the SNPs. The MPS has an expectation that SNPs will consult with local communities to identify the issues of concern to them, which will inform local policing priorities for the SNTs. The MPS does not actively promote SNPs, and defers responsibility for this to panel members. SNPs are also given autonomy to elect a chair and vice-chair, as well as to decide the length of service for panel members. Members recommended that governance rules be established for SNPs, outlining the minimum expectations.

28.5 Members noted that there is the option for the funding of SNPs to be controlled by the MPS or MOPC, in a similar way to how Community and Police Engagement Groups (CPEGs) are managed. In this way, the governance of SNPs can be managed and expectations enforced. In order to facilitate a consistent approach to the management of SNPs, the MPS is considering options to deliver training to SNP members.

28.6 Although SNPs are encouraged to focus on local issues, it is recognised that some concerns may be shared across multiple SNP boundaries, with each borough holding meetings between SNP chairs so that these issues can be discussed. Options for combining management of SNPs are being considered, although the concept of ‘natural neighbourhoods’ is not yet widely comprehended by the public.

28.7 SNPs are expected to continue to operate under the MOPC, and MOPC link officers will liaise with SNPs, CPEGs and borough commanders, in order to raise local concerns to the MOPC. The MOPC will have a least one public meeting a year in which SNPs may be discussed, and the GLA PCP will also be able to examine SNP issues.

Resolved: that

1. Members agree the recommendations outlined in section three of Appendix 1.

29. Communities, Equalities and People Committee legacy report

(Agenda item 8)

29.1 Natasha Plummer introduced the report, which provides an overview of the achievements of the Committee. All MPA Committees will be producing legacy reports, which will be presented at the final Full Authority meeting on 12 January 2011. A paper outlining details on the transition and recommendations for work-streams that the MOPC may wish to continue will also be presented.

29.2 The MPA is also conducting a ‘horizon scanning’ exercise, and developing a ‘performance dashboard’ in preparation for the transition to MOPC, which may identify additional items for inclusion in the CEP legacy report. Members requested that the report also include details of how disproportionality in the MPS is examined, such as through the DCFD. The report should also include recommendations for how the MOPC should conduct scrutiny of the MPS, and how good practice that can be taken from the MPA. Members requested that positive comments from the MPS, detailing where engagement with the MPA has been of benefit, also be included.

29.3 A draft report incorporating these additions will be circulated to members in early December, so that members can offer comments prior to presentation at the January 2012 Full Authority.

Action: MPA to incorporate members’ additions and circulate an updated legacy report in early December, for members comments.

Resolved: that

1. Members endorse the areas identified for continuation under the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC), and be given the opportunity to offer additional suggestions in December; and
2. Members agree to submit an updated report to Full Authority in January 2012 for ratification.

The meeting was closed at 3.45 pm

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