Completion of the three-year strategy plan

Report: 8
Date: 27 March 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

The MPA’s proposed three-year strategy plan (‘Towards the Safest City’) was submitted to the Home Secretary on 28 February. This paper updates members on the final stages in the strategy plan’s preparation, prior to issuing it on 31 March.

A. Recommendations

That the Authority notes the final stages in preparation of the three-year strategy plan

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The National Policing Plan (NPP) requires police authorities to issue a three-year strategy plan by 31 March. However, the MPA had to submit its proposed strategy plan (‘Towards the Safest City’) to the Home Secretary by 28 February to enable him to check its consistency with the NPP. Therefore, the Authority considered a draft at its meeting on 27 February.

2. Following members’ comments at that meeting, some minor text amendments were made before sending the draft to the Home Secretary the next day. The accompanying letter from Toby Harris requested a response by 18 March. To facilitate a quick response, the Home Office were provided with an analysis showing how and where all 51 imperatives in the NPP have been reflected in either the annual plan or the strategy plan. By doing so, it is expected that any changes required will be minimal. An oral update will be given at the meeting to inform members of the feedback received.

Next steps

3. In parallel with final refinements on targets in the annual policing and performance plan, similar amendments to the strategy plan have been made over the last three weeks. These amendments should not affect the issues being considered by the Home Secretary. The next steps for development of ‘Towards the Safest City’ are:

• Mid March: Feedback received from Home Secretary
• Mid–end March: Any changes requested by the Home Secretary incorporated into strategy plan
• 27 March: Full Authority confirms annual performance indicators and targets
• 28 March: Strategy plan updated with confirmed annual performance indicators and targets.
• 31 March: Strategy plan and annual policing plan issued by the Authority
• By 30 June: Summary strategy plan published in a reader friendly version

4. It is proposed to release and distribute a joint folder containing a summary of both the annual policing plan and the strategy plan. This will reinforce the link between the two documents, as well as minimising their distribution costs. At this stage, options are being worked up.

5. At the informal members’ awayday on 17 March, members agreed to take forward a body of work around the implications for costs, infrastructure, personnel, working culture and community expectations of potential significant growth over the next few years. While such activity is prefigured in this report (both as a key strategic initiative to ‘manage the growth in staff numbers’ and as part of goal 4 – ‘developing a professional and effective workforce’) the results of this work will much more fully inform the next iteration of the strategy plan to be issued at this time next year.

C. Equality and diversity implications

In developing ‘Towards the Safest City’, steps were taken to thread the diversity message throughout the document (e.g. some of the aims refer to diversity issues, as well as a summary of the diversity strategy itself appearing as an annex). An insert will be included in copies of the summary document being distributed to an external audience, offering a translation into Braille or audiotape and ethnic minority languages. Equality considerations will therefore also be addressed during the production and distribution of the strategy plan.

D. Financial implications

The cost of implementing the strategy plan will be assessed through costing the range of projects being set up to deliver the 2003/04 (and subsequent) annual plans. Financial choices will consider the direction set by the strategy plan when prioritising funding.

E. Background papers

• Development of three-year strategy plan (Full Authority 30 January 2003 – agenda item 12 (b) – MPA/03/12)
• Three-year strategy plan (Full Authority 27 February 2003 – agenda item 10 – MPA/03/15)

F. Contact details

Report authors: John Zlotnicki, Director MPS corporate planning group and Sarah Hedgcock, MPS corporate planning group

For more information contact:

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

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