Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the meeting of the Equalities & Diversity Sub-committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 22 July 2010 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Cindy Butts
• Jennette Arnold
• Kirsten Hearn (chair)
• Clive Lawton

MPA officers

• Shirani Gunawardena (Policy Development Officer)
• Michael Wadham (Policy Development Officer)
• Thomas Foot (Committee Officer)

MPS Officers

• Ed Sherry
• John Wilson
• Denise Milani
• Shaun Kennedy
• Tony Eastaugh
• Victoria Michaelides
• Richard Currans
• Mahesh Nandha

Others in attendance

• Dick Williams (GLA)
• Runa Begum (London Refugee Voice)
• Fazil Kawani (London Refugee Council)
• Carol Yarde (Harrow Council)
• Rob Downey (GLA)
• Helen O’Brien (UK BA)
• Brian Waters (Enfield CPCG)

1. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

1.1 The Chair opened the meeting, outlining housekeeping and fire safety procedure.

1.2 Apologies were received from Anita Jakhu, Hugh Harris, Barbara Waters, Sharon Flannery, Doug Lewins, Arun Batra, Christine Yau, and Clair Cooke.

2. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

2.1 No declarations were made.

3. Minutes: Equality and Diversity Sub-committee 22 April 2010

(Agenda item 3)

3.1 MPA members noted that a number of actions from April’s meeting of the Sub Committee had received rather brief responses, particularly around the MPS Languages Service Programme. The MPS had informed the Sub Committee that they intended to work with the Director of the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate in order to build a strategy that would include community engagement and that DCFD advisors were assisting with the EIAs.

3.2 Members requested that an update report be received on the MPS languages programme at a later date. This report should include consultation with language service users, the EIA of the project and further information on staff as interpreters.

Action: Sub-Committee to receive MPS Languages Programme update.

Resolved that an MPA commissioning brief be dispatched to receive the update in December 2010.

4. MPS Service Delivery to New Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees

(Agenda item 4)

4.1 Tony Eastaugh introduced the report. He sought to emphasize the moral and professional obligation of the MPS to serve all communities, irrespective of their immigration, asylum, or cultural status. It is implicit upon the MPS to provide clear guidance regarding their service. The principles established by the MPS are: firstly, fairness and responsiveness; and secondly, community engagement.

4.2 The lead MPS officer responsible for the delivery of these two service goals is AC MacPherson – as both fall primarily under Territorial Policing (TP). Irrespective of people's background, confidence and satisfaction are key performance targets, particularly the reduction of the relatively static five percent confidence gap that exists between Black Minority Ethnic (BME) and White constituents. Tony Eastaugh highlighted three ways in which the MPS was addressing the gap: firstly, through tailoring policing to individuals and communities; secondly, managing the image of police through engagement; and thirdly, by developing customer services.

4.3 One key development in the delivery of these services is the on-going completion of the Equality Standard workbook. The book will highlight areas of weakness and best practice. Other initiatives have included 'Kickz', 'VOYAGE' (across ten boroughs), ensuring visible officers are representative of the diversity of each community, the Police Cadet Corp and rolling-out training regarding ‘vulnerability’ to first contact officers.

4.4 The MPS has conducted approximately '10,000 Volt' customer feedback session (computer based engagement process) and has found some of the responses, detailing the failure of MPS services, ‘difficult to hear’. The MPS remain committed to Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs), school-embedded officers, volunteer forces (which opens the door to hard to heard communities as these have a much higher BME uptake than other sections of the organisation), and citizen focus and juries.

4.5 Ed Sherry outlined the development of uniformed youth groups within London. This category encompasses: police and military cadets, faith-based groups such as Scouts, and others. These groups have been coordinating for a couple of years in order to engage new and emerging communities. Over the past six months a comprehensive campaign has revealed the extent to which such communities are seeking involvement. The MPS worked with a Nigerian church congregation in Peckham, setting up a Boys Brigade company in the church. Over 65 youths from this congregation alone are now involved and 45 adults involved as volunteers. The uniformed groups visited a church in Croydon and 25 adults volunteered to establish a scout group; in another case, 12 volunteered. These drives are now being rolled-out across London (by the GLA). YOU London have 18000 members aged between 14 and 18. 14% of these are from BME communities. New members from Somalian communities have asked to join in September. The cadet target is to have those identified as vulnerable to crime / social exclusion making up 25% of all members.

4.6 Victoria Michaelides delivered a short presentation regarding Afghan community engagement in Brent. She stated that engagement officers and SNTs were asked to contact voluntary organisations in October 2009 in order to coordinate a response to this emerging community and to ameliorate intra-community conflict. An ‘Afghan evening’ was organised with the NHS and other key partners in order to network and provide research into the community. The MPS have been working with the British Afghan Women’s Group (Enfield), and through Kicks, for instance, in order to engage Afghanis. An Afghan youth conference was organised and following on from this a number of Afghan immigrants have joined the Brent Youth Parliament. Six boroughs are represented at an Independent Advisory Group (IAG), and many have volunteered to assist the work of the MPS.

4.7 John Wilson noted that no presentation had been prepared for this meeting regarding the Roma or the Turkish/Kurdish communities.

4.8 PC Manesh Nandha updated the Sub Committee regarding Somalian communities in Harrow. The Somali Interagency Taskforce led by Harrow Council was established in order to hear and respond to the needs of the community following the murder of a Somali youth and concurrent council research into the multiple disadvantages faced by these communities. The Taskforce receives direct intelligence and presentations from partners including: the Council, the borough commander, Housing officers, Job Centre Plus, and education centres. The Harrow Association of Somali Voluntary Organisations (HASVO) has gone from strength to strength (attracting increased funding and distributing best practice to other borough groups), and the Taskforce has used this framework in order to deliver cultural awareness training, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) projects, a new arrivals welcome pack, and a Somali Youth Conference. The work of the group is subject to user-generated feedback, and the Taskforce is currently looking at rolling out learning to new groups that will be responsible for new and emerging communities e.g. Afghani.

4.9 The Chair suspended procedural standing order 2.7 in order to allow guests to ask questions of the MPS. Cindy Butts thanked MPS presenters before asking whether Community and Police Engagement Groups (CPEGs) are also involved it the engagement activities. Victoria Michaelides responded that they were engaged with, and that an IAG is coordinated within Brent. Similar arrangements operate in Harrow.

4.10 Clive Lawton echoed the thanks of other Sub Committee members, and conveyed his gratitude to the officers doing this work – proving that policing can make a difference in hard to reach communities. However, he expressed concern that the brief was to hear how policing is delivered to asylum seekers, refugees and new migrants and not just to receive examples of successful initiatives. He sought to understand what the experience of a new arrival to this country was when encountering police for the first time – are they ‘frisked for papers or offered a warm, friendly service?’ Tony Eastaugh responded that although he could not speak to societal responses to asylum seekers, he could reassure the Sub Committee that the MPS would offer the same customer service to people irrespective of their immigration status, and that they pride themselves on compassion at police stations.

4.11 Clive Lawton sought further clarification regarding the ‘difficult feedback’ received by the MPS. Tony Eastaugh stated that a challenge exists surrounding information - these communities need to understand that here the police rule by consent not force – as too often they fear, and will run from, police. When asked by the Sub Committee about practical examples, such as whether the MPS had published a booklet for new arrivals in multiple languages detailing the approach of policing in the UK, Tony Eastaugh responded that he was not sighted on this, but that he could report back on what the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) would be happy to distribute.

Action: MPS to consult with UKBA and report back on what materials are provided to new migrants regarding policing in the UK.

4.12 Carol Yarde mentioned that Harrow Council produce a new arrivals pack (that is in pictorial form), that could be shared with the MPS.

4.13 Kirsten Hearn requested to know if there was an MPS strategy regarding migrants beyond the Diversity and Equality Strategy document. Tony Eastaugh responded that the forthcoming Equality Standard handbooks will address the work of all 32 boroughs in order that best practice is picked up and shared. Denise Milani confirmed that she will oversee the delivery of the handbook – ensuring that best practice is rolled out to all communities. Jennette Arnold mentioned that the issue of London-wide coordination will be relevant to agenda item 5 and that the MPS is a delivery partner of the London Enriched strategy.

4.14 Fazil Kawani asked to know how the work of the Somali Interagency Taskforce in Harrow was impacting on other areas of London – considering that Somali communities face challenges in many boroughs. Tony Eastaugh agreed that the MPS should seek learning from the London Refugee Council regarding communication with new and emerging communities.

Action: MPS to liaise with London Refugee Council to identify learning and good practice from Somali Interagency Taskforce that can be shared with other boroughs.

4.15 Runa Begum asked to know how many community groups the police had been in correspondence with regarding asylum, migration, and refugees. Tony Eastaugh confirmed that as a borough commander he had contact with 171 groups, but that he was not sighted regarding broader numbers. However, the numbers are large and it is clear that the MPS expect borough commanders to understand the community they police. It is the responsibility of local authorities and police forces to ensure groups that lack resources can still be heard.

4.16 Jennette Arnold requested that the report to SOP Committee in September on MPS response to immigration crime and joint working with the UKBA should include further information regarding Operation Maxim and Operation Swale. Tony Eastaugh agreed. Denise Milani mentioned that Maxim looks at organized crime as part of the migrant experience.

Action: Minutes of this meeting to help inform the discussion at SOP.

Resolved that MPA commissioning brief will contain request for information on Maxim and Swale and that these minutes contribute to members briefings.

4.17 Jennette Arnold sought clarification regarding the meaning of ‘political contacts’ at paragraph 5 of the report and ‘commercially available data’ at paragraph 8. John Wilson confirmed that the former refers predominately to council leaders and the latter regards MOSAIC data – which maps demographics over a broad range of indicators. Following the current TP development review, the MPS will seek to contact people in accordance with how they wish to be contacted to ensure a tailored service, not just an audit trail – as was the case with the previously exclusive use of ‘snail mail’. Front services are also being looked at – BME access here is proportionately higher – and video courts are being rolled-out – new communities show an expectation for swift justice.

4.18 The MPS responded to a number of questions raised by Cindy Butts. Firstly, further to points raised regarding the lack of a coordinated central response to the problems thrown up by new and emerging communities – and the changes in victim and perpetrator profiles – it was confirmed that the MPS has confidence in the current ACPO and borough structure, that is producing the ‘sound work’ detailed at this meeting. Secondly, Ed Sherry rebutted the suggestion that the work of YOU is male-orientated – the scouts now accept girls – who already make up 25%; and the police cadets are roughly 50/50, for instance. In all the balance across groups is approximately 50/50. The MPS continued that they were working not only with uniformed groups but with other youth projects. The ‘Voyage’ project, for instance, included 7000 people from difficult to reach communities, and 300 have gone on to become community leaders.

4.19 Brian Mortimer asked to know how the MPS distinguish a refugee or asylum seeker from an illegal immigrant. Tony Eastaugh responded that this is done through self identification or if they are taken into custody. However, he stressed that it is the priority of the MPS to deliver a consistent customer service to all people - including those whose immigration status may be in doubt. Clive Lawton asked whether the MPS would report the immigration status to UKBA if someone had come to them as a victim of crime, even though this may discourage crime reporting amongst that community. Tony Eastaugh reiterated that the MPS should always be compassionate and professional (the crime investigation and the immigration status of the victim should be two separate issues) but that UKBA would have to be told. Members highlighted that this could expose immigrants and asylum seekers to increased levels of crime.

5. The London Strategic Migration Partnership Board

(Agenda item 5)

5.1 Dick Williams introduced a short report on the London Strategic Migration Partnership (LSMP) which was established in 2009, and is chaired by Richard Barnes of the GLA. The Partnership Board is consultative, seeking to raise issues and impacts of migration with UKBA. Regional stakeholders include the MPA. The LSMP is advised by the Migration and Refugee Panel, which meets more regularly and sends three representatives to each meeting of the LSMP.

5.2 The LSMP is currently seeking to implement the 2010-11 actions of London Enriched – which were agreed by all of the Board members (including the MPS and MPA). London Enriched is a three year strategy, which was launched in December. The strategy encompasses seven themes including: employment, language, children, safety, and development. Link bodies have been established to coordinate delivery. The community safety body will be established by Jennette Arnold.

5.3 Jennette Arnold thanked GLA and MPAofficers for the report. She went on to highlight that the LSMP was interacting with the MPA and the MPS on a number of levels, and it is important for the Sub Committee to be kept informed of what is being done. Given that the LSMP is the nearest thing to a pan-London strategy that is in existence, Jennette asked MPA members and the MPS to support it and ‘stick with it’. It is imperative for the link body to have access to an MPS officer that is more senior than the rank of commander – as they don’t stay for very long in one job position - and there should be a discussion with the Assistant Commissioner concerning the drafting of a standard operation procedure around this.

5.4 Further to the discussions regarding agenda item 4, Jennette Arnold asked that the Sub Committee should wait for responses from UKBA and the LSMP before seeing an MPS strategy for immigrants and asylum seekers regarding policing in the UK. Cindy Butts agreed that the MPA should not encourage the duplication of efforts, but that the issue must be addressed. Clive Lawton also agreed with this sentiment but cautioned that there was inherent value in the police themselves engaging with the public and devising a corporate strategy on this issue. Kirsten Hearn concluded that although she is very happy to note the excellent performance within some boroughs the Sub Committee must ensure that an even service is received across London.

Action: MPS to identify a senior lead to engage with the LSMP (through the Community Safety Link Body led by the MPA).

Action: MPS, subject to liaison with the LSMP, to identify how its corporate response to refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants is coordinated.

Resolved that Kirsten Hearn (Chair of EDSC) and Jennette (Community Safety Link Body Lead) will write to Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin

The meeting was closed at 3.45 pm.

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