The Metropolitan Police Service ‘Extended Police Family’

Report: 13
Date: 25 September 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides details of the work currently being undertaken to develop the extended police family of the Metropolitan Police Service and the key issues that this work seeks to address. The MPS extended police family is defined as the Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary (MSC), Traffic Warden Service (TWS), Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), Volunteers in Policing Programme (VIPP) and Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC). Accreditation of wardens employed by organisations outside of the MPS is also considered.

A. Recommendation

1. That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. Certain parts of what has become known as the ‘extended police family’ have been established for many years (Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary, the Traffic Warden Service and the Volunteer Cadet Corps). Others have been recent additions (Police Community Support Officers and Volunteers in Policing). Legislation has been enacted to enable the police family to be extended further, both within the MPS (case managers and detention staff) and to organisations outside the MPS (Local Authority and private security company wardens).

2. It is partly this growth in the scope of the extended police family that has prompted the MPS to re-think its approach to the new and existing parts of the extended police family. As the new elements are introduced, the MPS is learning about the recruitment, selection, training and deployment of these new types of staff and seeking to enhance its procedures.

3. Other issues have also arisen. The recruitment and retention of MSC officers has been an issue for the MPS for some time. The introduction of PCSOs has caused concern amongst some MSC officers and Traffic Wardens that these new members of the extended police family will displace them from their traditional roles or that they may be relegated in status as a result. Adverse media publicity has been received about PCSOs and the supervision of the Volunteer Cadet Corps. All these issues will be addressed in a series of stand-alone reports, and a full strategy paper on the extended police family to be published within six months.

Principles

4. Each part of the extended police family has different powers. How members are deployed should be determined to a large extent by the powers they have. The powers each part of the extended police family have is shown below:

Metropolitan Police Service extended police family

Extent of police powers

5. Regular Metropolitan Police officers are highly trained professionals who have the full range of police powers and are remunerated accordingly. Following similar principles to civilianisation, regular officers should not be deployed to roles where the full range of police powers or police experience are unlikely to be required, provided other members of the extended police family are available to be deployed instead. Similarly, other members of the extended police family (except MSC officers) should not be deployed into situations where the full range of police powers is likely to be required or is necessary for the efficient performance of that task.

Key issues and work in progress

6. Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary – a draft review is currently being considered. Key issues include the length of time taken from initial enquiry to the date of joining the MSC. This is putting off potential recruits. The failure of some regular officers to recognise the capability of MSC officers and to task them appropriately may be leading to morale and retention problems in some places. Emerging proposals include putting an additional member of staff into the MSC recruitment process. Providing guidelines to Boroughs on the effective management and deployment of MSC officers is also being considered. The proposed extended police family strategy identifies MSC officers as highly trained officers with the full range of police powers. The only difference from regular officers should simply be the fact that MSC officers do not wish to change career and become regulars. They are a valuable resource who should be used to supplement regular officers in all policing scenarios (except serious public disorder), particularly at times and in places of peak demand.

7. Metropolitan Police Traffic Warden Service – consists of the Traffic Warden OCU, part of the Traffic and Transport OCU, and other Traffic Wardens line-managed by Territorial Policing, Specialist Operations and Finance Directorate. The introduction of Transport for London (TfL) PCSOs and the offer to existing Traffic Wardens to voluntarily transfer into the TfL PCSO scheme has been a cause of concern to some Traffic Wardens. The full paper on the extended police family, to be published within the next six months, will address in detail the position of the Traffic Warden Service within the proposed future extended police family.

8. Police Community Support Officers – recent adverse media attention and concerns expressed by some PCSOs have prompted a review of the PCSO scheme. An independent consultant working with the MPS Inspectorate is conducting the review. The preliminary findings show no fundamental concerns about the quality or standards of behaviour of PCSOs. The draft review report does however suggest that applicants could be given a clearer idea of what is expected of them through the recruitment, selection and training processes. It also suggests that the roles of Security, Community and TfL PCSOs may need to be differentiated. The range of skills and abilities required of, and the role performed by, a security PCSO may be sufficiently different from that of a PCSO in a community policing role, for example, as to require a differentiated approach to advertising, recruitment, selection and training. As is the case with some MSC officers, the failure of some regular officers to fully recognise the capabilities and limitations of PCSOs, and to task them appropriately, may have given rise to morale and retention problems in some places. Emerging findings suggest that existing guidelines to Boroughs on the effective management and deployment of PCSOs may need to be enhanced. The emerging strategy sees PCSOs as valuable members of the extended police family when deployed in appropriate geographic locations and for appropriate policing purposes. The opportunities for Local Authorities and organisations such as Business Improvement Districts to fund additional MPS PCSOs are being actively explored.

9. Case Managers and Detention Staff – there as been little progress on case managers. With regard to detention staff, there is a Home Office funded initiative to provide non-accredited detention staff to take saliva drug samples from prisoners charged with certain offences on twelve high-crime boroughs in London as part of the anti-crack strategy with plans to expand the pilot to other boroughs. There is a possibility that these staff could become designated detention staff with powers to search and take the fingerprints of those detained. The proposal needs to be fully consulted on and project managed before it can be implemented. Further detail will be included in the full paper on the extended police family within six months.

10. Accreditation – The Police Reform Act 2002 gives chief officers the power of accreditation i.e. the ability to enter into arrangements with organisations so that their employees would have limited police powers, as described in Schedule 5 of the Act. This process could be managed through a community safety accreditation scheme (CSAS). In practice, this work has been problematic, suffering from a lack of support from external stakeholders and an absence of guidance from the Home Office and ACPO. There is no great demand from warden schemes for their wardens to have police powers. Rather they are interested in the value of positive endorsement from the MPS. The endorsement status of accreditation is of benefit to the MPS in that it ensures that schemes attain common standards and provides leverage for co-operation. However, the grant of powers is less attractive. While the Police Reform Act limits legal liability, there is the risk that the inappropriate behaviour or use of powers by accredited persons might damage the reputation of the MPS. The current MPS approach is to limit exploration of accreditation to small numbers in Westminster and the Vehicle Inspectorate (Department for Transport). Continued funding for warden schemes is critical and few Local Authorities have managed to mainstream warden schemes (a notable exception is the well managed Westminster City Guardian scheme). Funding is likely to end for many schemes. Schemes are also coming into competition with the MPS as many stakeholders are turning their attention to the purchase of MPS PCSOs through special services agreement with the MPS. Progress on this aspect of the extended police family has so far been limited and is proving difficult.

11. Security staff employed by the MPS at New Scotland Yard, the Palace of Westminster and other buildings have been included as part of the extended police family for the sake of completeness but there are no plans to change these arrangements.

12. Volunteers in Policing Programme – is an important way of bringing the community into contact with their local police and enhancing the service the MPS is able to provide. While volunteers have no formal police powers, and their deployment is limited to support duties, they have the potential to supplement police officers and civilian members of staff, without replacing them. The VIPP is involved in two core areas, working in police stations, opening up previously closed front counters and working to support specialist units, such as the fraud squad, allowing specialist skills to be accessed to support regular officers. With currently only one paid full-time co-ordinator in the MPS, based centrally in Territorial Policing Headquarters, the VIPP is at saturation level with the existing number of volunteers. Whilst the MPS is in the process of recruiting a further five full-time co-ordinators, the VIPP is at the stage where a full review, a strategy and a cost-benefit analysis is required in order to endorse the proposed future expansion of the scheme. These are in the process of being prepared and will form part of the full paper on the extended police family to be produced within the next six months.

13. Volunteer Cadet Corps – is a potentially useful way in which the MPS can engage positively with young people in London. It has the potential to be a productive vehicle for the recruitment of regular officers, MSC officers and PCSOs. It also has the potential to establish and reinforce standards of conduct and citizenship in young people at a critical stage in their development. It can also provide young people with much needed positive activities where they might otherwise be drawn into crime or disorder. The increasing attention the MPS is quite rightly paying to health and safety issues is tending to restrict the activities in which the MPS believes VCC cadets can be appropriately employed. In addition, there have been some recent causes for concern around the supervision of VCC cadets which are currently being investigated. Whilst a draft review of the VCC has recently been published, subsequent events have required the MPS to reassess the operation of the VCC. There is a need to identify activities for the volunteer cadets that promote citizenship which are also directly beneficial to the MPS. Again the VCC is at the stage where a full review, a strategy and a cost-benefit analysis is required in order to endorse the proposed future expansion of the scheme. These are in the process of being prepared and will form part of the full paper on the extended police family to be produced within the next six months.

C. Equality and diversity implications

Evidence to date demonstrates that the extended police family has real benefits in bringing greater proportions of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds into the MPS than the MPS is able to attract directly as regular police officers. In addition, even those who remain volunteers are provided with a unique, inside look at the MPS, assisting greatly in the MPS’s attempts to be a more open and transparent organisation. Those from different social and cultural backgrounds are able by example and anecdote to be ambassadors for the MPS within the different communities in London.

D. Financial implications

It is too early to place figures on the vision for the extended policing family, particularly with work in progress ongoing. Once these separate pieces of work have been concluded, the financial implications can be better considered.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Brian Paddick, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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