HMIC report - MPS inspection 2002/03

Report: 8
Date: 24 April 2003
By: Clerk

Summary

This report summarises the conclusions and recommendations of a full inspection of the MPS undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in September 2002. The statutory process for responding to HMIC’s published report is also set out.

A. Recommendations

That

1. The Commissioner be invited to submit comments on HMIC’s report by 31 May 2003 (with particular reference to HMIC’s recommendations and conclusions plus implications for equalities, diversity and finances).
2. The Commissioner be invited to include in his submission a plan setting out actions taken / to be taken, by whom and over what period to address HMIC’s recommendations and conclusions.
3. The MPA receives a report at its meeting on 26 June 2003 setting out (a) the Commissioner’s comments and plan; (b) proposed MPA comments on HMIC’s report; and (c) any comments the MPA wishes to make on the comments submitted by the Commissioner.

B. Supporting information

1. An inspection of the MPS, conducted under powers within the Police Act 1996, took place between 2 and 13 September 2002. It was led by HMI Sir Ronnie Flanagan, assisted by HMI Ms Kate Flannery and Mr Mike Franklin, a non-police Assistant Inspector of Constabulary. The work was one of the most comprehensive inspections of the MPS to-date.

2. HMI published the inspection report on 10 April 2002. Hardcopies have previously been circulated to members and for ease of reference the executive summary is attached at Appendix 1. HMI makes seven recommendations (attached at Appendix 2) and identifies five areas of good and potential good practice (attached at Appendix 3). HMI, at various points within the report, also draws other conclusions concerning the MPS.

3. Overall, Her Majesty’s Inspector considers that ‘the MPS continues to provide an efficient and effective service to the communities it serves.’ HMI is mindful of the complexities of policing London and the need to balance international, national, capital city and local policing responsibilities. He pays tribute to ‘the ability of the MPS to provide a high-quality policing service under the most demanding of circumstances.’

4. Work is ongoing within the MPA and MPS to summarise key elements of the report. As can be seen in Appendix 1, HMIC was impressed by, or supportive of, many aspects of the MPS including:

• the recruitment of an unprecedented number of police officers;
• the considerable improvement in morale (since the last inspection) with evidence of robust and visible leadership;
• a ‘world class’ response to the events on 11 September 2001 and the results of the Safer Streets initiative;
• the continuing commitment to diversity issues and the robust approach taken to tackling hate crime;
• the structures used to manage budget savings and to co-ordinate growth;
• the clarity of vision and strategic direction in relation to professional standards and the reduction/detection of corrupt practice;
• the desire to be an intelligence-led organisation;
• the foundations put in place and strategic direction for technology support;
• the introduction of a more co-ordinated approach to policy development.

5. At the same time HMIC highlights other areas where he believes there is scope for improvement including:

• devolving managerial and financial decision-making still further to empower local commanders;
• ensuring appropriate resources are available for homicide investigation;
• meeting targets set for the representation of ethnic minority officers;
• human resource management plus the capacity needed to develop and deploy large numbers of new staff;
• developing and aligning financial and strategic planning (including continued work to avoid any future budget deficit);
• delivering a robust yet streamlined process for performance management;
• developing a corporate demand management strategy;
• speeding up the process for resolving complaints to minimise negative impact on officers and to improve public confidence;
• ensuring benefits from the regime of audit inspection and review.

Next steps

6. The statutory procedure for responding to HMIC’s report is set out in the Police Act 1996. The MPA must:

• invite the Commissioner to submit comments on the published report to the authority before such date as it may specify;
• prepare comments on the published report and arrange for (a) those comments, (b) any comments submitted by the Commissioner and (c) any response which the MPA has to the comments submitted by the Commissioner to be published in such manner as appears to the authority to be appropriate;
• send a copy of its published response to the Secretary of State.

C. Equality and diversity implications

As noted above these will be clarified the subsequent report to the MPA.

D. Financial implications

As noted above these will be clarified the subsequent report to the MPA.

E. Background papers

HMIC 2002/03 Inspection of the MPS (obtainable from www.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic/hmic.htm)

F. Contact details

Report author: Derrick Norton, Head of Review, MPA.

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

2002/2003 inspection report

Executive Summary

The Inspection of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) took place between 2 - 13 September 2002. It was conducted by Sir Ronnie Flanagan, GBE, MA, a Regional Inspector and former Chief Constable. He was assisted by Her Majesty's Inspector Ms Kate Flannery and Mr Mike Franklin, a non-police Assistant Inspector of Constabulary. The Inspection incorporated full force, basic command unit (BCU) and Best Value Review (BVR) processes. It is one of the most comprehensive Inspections of the MPS to date.

The MPS is the largest and most complex police organisation in England and Wales. It is made up of 32 borough-based operational command units (BOCUs), sharing coterminous boundaries with the London boroughs. In addition to providing local policing services for those who live, work and visit the capital, it discharges a range of international, national and capital city policing functions, for instance in relation to counter-terrorism. Its size, contribution to service delivery, organisational and operational complexity make it a unique police organisation. This makes comparison with other forces difficult, but not impossible.

Her Majesty's Inspector was impressed by attempts to introduce a more corporate and co-ordinated approach to policy development and project management. Strategic committees have been established to direct and co-ordinate the development of strategy, policy and projects. There is a comprehensive regime of inspection and review, although there are opportunities to improve the focus and outcomes from this activity.

When conducting an Inspection, Her Majesty's Inspector is always anxious to establish the strategic direction set and the framework that exists to support organisational development and change. The last Inspection noted a major weakness in terms of the lack of a medium-term corporate strategy for the Service. While progress has been made in developing a strategic framework to support longer-term planning, a corporate strategy has yet to be produced. There is a requirement to further develop and align financial and strategic planning processes and to produce a strategic/corporate plan. Indeed, the production of a 3-year strategic plan will be a statutory requirement for all police authorities from April 2003.

The focus on police performance is unrelenting and whilst there have been improvements since the last Inspection, in particular, attempts to extend a corporate performance management framework to all business groups, there is still some way to go to deliver a robust yet streamlined Service-wide approach. Her Majesty's Inspector therefore recommends a review of performance monitoring and management across the Service.

The last major restructuring of the NOS took place in April 2000. This involved the dissolution of the area structure and a move to borough-based policing. This was a bold move, but one entirely consistent with the desire for locally-accountable service delivery. Perhaps understandably, some structural tensions were identified during this Inspection. It is essential at a time of rapid change that a dynamic police organisation regularly reviews its structure. Over the medium term, the MPS faces a number of operational and organisational challenges and its structure must be `fit for purpose'. Her Majesty's Inspector recommends a focused structural review, concentrating on the `gaps' caused by the dissolution of the area structure and the changing needs of the organisation. This requirement was recognised by senior managers during the Inspection and a restructuring exercise has commenced.

The last Inspection identified a number of concerns in relation to people management. Whilst there are still areas for improvement, considerable progress has been made in sharpening the customer focus and attempting to put in place a performance management framework.

For many years the MPS was a shrinking organisation but it is now recruiting an unprecedented number of police officers. Her Majesty's Inspector congratulates the Service for its success in this area. Of course, this is good news, but it has highlighted a number of issues in terms of the support infrastructure and the capacity of the organisation to effectively develop and deploy such large numbers of new staff.

A sound structure has been put in place to manage the need to make budgetary savings and to coordinate growth. This includes profiling the impact of growth across the organisation and identifying key areas of risk. However, Her Majesty's Inspector feels there is a need to move from co-ordination to a process of strategic assessment and planning, proactively identifying the requirements and implications for the Service of continued growth.

It is essential that the MPS continues to respond to the challenge of policing increasingly diverse communities and Her Majesty's Inspector was impressed by the continuing commitment to diversity issues. The work of the diversity directorate and the robust approach to tackling hate crime are impressive. Challenges undoubtedly remain, particularly in meeting the targets set for the representation of ethnic minority officers in the Service.

The change in the previous arrangement of direct links to the Home Secretary and the Home Office has necessitated changes in how the organisation is resourced, the process of financial management and control and indeed the culture of the organisation. It is important that the Service continues to develop its financial and business planning processes and Her Majesty's Inspector was pleased to note the production of a medium-term financial plan. This has identified forecast deficits of £140.5m by 2004/05. Her Majesty's Inspector will monitor closely how the MPS manages the requirement to identify significant financial savings whilst continuing to develop and improve service delivery. The last Inspection highlighted the need for enhanced financial devolution and although progress was initially slow, a number of pilot sites have recently been established. Of course, financial devolution is part of a longer journey to empower local commanders and progress in this area is essential.

The effective development of technology to support service delivery is a major component of modern policing. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the scale of the challenge, significant improvements in this area have yet to materialise. However, it is recognised that the achievement of major technological change in an organisation the size of the MPS, with its historical legacy of a poor IT infrastructure, is analogous to turning an oil tanker. Her Majesty's Inspector considers the foundations for improvements in service delivery are being put in place, the overall strategic direction appears sound and the infrastructure is being developed.

The command, control, communication and information project, C3i, is one of the largest and most complex police-related projects in the country. It will centralise call handling and despatch to three dedicated centres, replacing current borough-based arrangements. The delivery of C3i requires the co-ordination of a number of closely related projects and is at the heart of a major business change process. A project of this size and significance necessarily brings with it potential risk and Her Majesty's Inspector will closely scrutinise its development.

The delivery of operational policing services in the MPS is a complex business, not least in terms of the requirement to balance its international, national, capital city and local policing responsibilities. It is difficult to overstate the impact of the twin imperatives of ensuring the security of the capital post September 11 and stemming the rapid growth in street crime. In addition, it is evident that patterns of criminality are changing, including a rise in gun-related crime. Her Majesty's Inspector wishes to pay tribute to the ability of the MPS to provide a high quality policing service under the most demanding of circumstances.

The need to balance a number of competing priorities is graphically illustrated by the difficulties faced by the Service in prioritising homicide investigation. Whilst additional staff have been allocated to Operation Trident, to target the growth in gun-related criminality in sections of the black community, the overall homicide investigative capability is severely stretched. Plans to provide additional resources were approved by the management board, but the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and the Service were required to re-evaluate their priorities in the wake of September 11. Whilst acknowledging the difficulties faced, it is imperative that this area is appropriately resourced.

The demands facing the police are likely to continue to rise and to outstrip any additional resource provision. It is crucial therefore, that demand is effectively managed. The last Inspection recognised the significance of this area and recommended the development of a corporate demand management strategy. The response to this recommendation was initially slow, although Her Majesty's Inspector notes recent developments, including the establishment of a demand management strategic committee and a BVR. Whilst a number of initiatives have been introduced at borough level, the MPS still lacks an integrated and holistic approach and Her Majesty's Inspector repeats his recommendation that it produces a corporate demand management strategy.

The MPS exhibits a clear desire to be an intelligence-led organisation and is working hard to implement the National Intelligence Model (NIM). Whilst progress has been made, there is still some way to go. In particular, Her Majesty's Inspector found a proliferation of intelligence units and tasking and co-ordinating structures. Of course, this may be necessary in such a large and complex organisation, but the structure appeared to reflect the response of individual OCUs and business groups to perceived gaps, rather than as part of the planned development of an integrated structure. The role and resourcing of specialist operations (SO)11, the Service intelligence unit, in particular its capacity to support borough policing, also requires examination. Perhaps most importantly, there is a need to clarify ownership of intelligence development across the MPS and in particular implementation of the NIM.

Her Majesty's Inspector was impressed by the clarity of vision and strategic direction in relation to professional standards and in particular the reduction and detection of corrupt practice. There is, however, a need to review the structural separation of officer and civil staff discipline issues, with a view to bringing responsibility for the latter under the directorate of professional standards. This will facilitate the more effective management of discipline issues across the organisation and provide a more holistic approach to tackling corruption and strengthening integrity. Concerns were raised by staff associations regarding the timeliness of complaint, investigation and discipline processes and Her Majesty's Inspector shares these concerns. Speeding up the process is crucial in terms of minimising the negative impact on officers subject to investigation, improving the satisfaction of complainants and public confidence in the system.

The MPS faces major operational and organisational challenges and these are identified in this report. However, it is also important to highlight the strengths of the organisation. Her Majesty's Inspector found a considerable improvement in morale since the last Inspection and the MPS is now an organisation `with its head up'. Evidence was also found of robust and visible leadership; the Commissioner has given a strong personal lead in this regard. The response of the organisation to September 11 was world class and the results of the `Safer Streets' initiative are impressive. The ability of the MPS to handle major and critical incidents is unparalleled This is reflected in the response to recent events, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations, the Queen Mother's funeral, May Day protests, the attempted robbery at the Millennium Dome and the policing of the Notting Hill Carnival. The Service has provided a national lead in the response to diversity issues and hate crime and the strategic approach to the rooting out of corrupt officers. The recruitment of unprecedented numbers of police officers is also a significant achievement. The challenge facing the Service will be to ensure that this increase in resource provision is reflected in demonstrable improvements in service delivery.

Her Majesty's Inspector considers that the MPS continues to provide an efficient and effective service to the communities it serves.

Appendix 2

Summary of Recommendations

10.1 Her Majesty's Inspector makes the following recommendations:

Recommendation 1

The continuing development of strategic planning processes and production of a strategic/corporate plan as soon as possible (paragraphs 2.3 - 2.9).

Recommendation 2

A review of the approach to performance monitoring and management within the Service to take account of the issues identified in this report (paragraphs 2.23 - 2.31).

Recommendation 3

That the MPS undertakes a focused structural review to take account of the factors identified in this report (paragraphs 3.1 - 3.9).

Recommendation 4

The production of a fully-costed growth strategy, which clearly identifies the projected growth requirements of the MPS and how it will manage these (paragraphs 4.12 - 4.44).

Recommendation 5

That the MPS develops a corporate demand management strategy and a good practice guide. (Repeat Recommendation) (paragraphs 7.15 - 7.18).

Recommendation 6

That the MPS continues to review and develop its approach to intelligence-led policing in line with the NIM and the issues identified in this report (paragraphs 7.25 - 7.31).

Recommendation 7

That homicide investigation is explicitly recognised as a priority and is appropriately resourced. (Repeat recommendation from `Winning Consent Revisited') (paragraphs 7.97 - 7.104).

The Police Act 1996 requires the Police Authority to invite the Commissioner to submit comments on this report to them, which together with their own and any response they make to the Commissioner's submission, should be published and a copy sent to the Secretary of State.

Appendix 3

Identified areas of good and potential good practice 2002/2003

1. The developing performance management regime within TP, in particular the use of a logic tree approach to provide diagnostic information around core processes and the links being made between performance management and development of the policing model (paragraphs 2.28 - 2.31).

2. Development of the `mystery shopper' technique to test compliance with policy and practice and quality of service to the public (paragraph 2.38) (Potential good practice still to be evaluated).

3. Work by the DPA to measure the effectiveness of communication through the media and other sources in its impact upon public perception of the organisation (paragraph 3.26).

4. The establishment of a `cop shop' in a mosque in Wandsworth in the wake of September 11 in an attempt to improve community intelligence and to reassure the public (paragraph 7.67) (Potential good practice still to be evaluated).

5. The establishment of a security review committee and other initiatives to ensure a co-ordinated pan London response to security and counter terrorist issues (paragraph 7.95).

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