Stop and search

Report: 11b
Date: 28 October 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report describes the MPS action plan in response to the Stop and Search Scrutiny Report and the roll out of Recommendation 61.

A. Recommendation

That Members comment on the progress towards implementation and the setting up of local monitoring arrangements.

B. Supporting information

Overview

1. The MPA Stop and Search Scrutiny Report was published on Thursday 20 May at the meeting of Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board (EODB). There were 55 recommendations, 30 of which were relevant to and owned by the MPS. The vision, strategic framework and key stakeholders involvement is being directed by the Stop and Search Steering Group, chaired by DAC Carole Howlett. The Stop and Search Working Group, chaired by Mrs Cecile Wright is charged with managing the delivery of the 30 recommendations.

2. The Stop and Search Steering Group was convened on Thursday 24 June 2004 and an Action Plan commissioned. Internal Consultancy Group were tasked to assist in building the vision, aims and objectives to be delivered by the recommendations. The Steering Group reports directly to MPS Management Board and the EODB via a Sub Group. The Steering Group also makes reference to the Home Office Stop and Search Action Team (SSAT) and MPS Diversity Board.

3. The inaugural meeting of the Working Group was held on Wednesday 4 August 2004. The Working Group received the Action Plan, and set about establishing named leads to progress the aims and objectives agreed by the Steering Group. The Working Group reports to the Steering Group with reference to the SSAT. The MPS Business Groups and Stop and Search Advisory Group report to the Working Group.

4. Both Steering and Working Groups meet monthly.

The MPA Stop and Search Scrutiny Vision

5. The Steering Group assisted by ICG developed the following ‘Vision’ to provide a strategic framework to effectively deliver the Stop and Search Scrutiny recommendations:

The overall aim is for there to be a high level of community trust and confidence in the police’s use of stop and search as a tactic for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

The following will contribute to this overall goal:

• People who are stopped and searched feel that they were treated appropriately during the encounter and the quality of the interaction and communication was high
• Police officers have increased confidence in their use of the power and that they are using it appropriately
• The MPS communicates more effectively with and is more accountable to its communities in its use of stop and search
• The MPS is able to demonstrate its increasing effectiveness in the use of the tactic to tackle crime and disorder
• The tactic is seen by communities to be effective.

The MPA Stop and Search Scrutiny MPS Action Plan

6. The Action Plan has been divided into six separate themes. Each theme has a named Lead. These Leads coordinate the activities of contributors, those with specialist knowledge relevant to the recommendation and Community representatives who have elected participate in delivering the theme. The Leads provide a monthly written update and a verbal summary to the Working Group. Below are the six themes:

• Theme 1 - MPS Stop and Search Policy
• Theme 2 – Supervision
• Theme 3 – Feedback and Complaints Resolution
• Theme 4 – Training
• Theme 5 – Monitoring Mechanisms
• Theme 6 - Other

7. Theme 1 – MPS Stop and Search Policy consists of recommendations 6, 11, 16, 17, 19 and 26. Inspector Paul Harries, Territorial Policing (TPHQ) Modernising Operations who is leading on the development and revision of the MPS Stop and Search Policy, owns Theme 1. There is one Community member and a Federation representative working on this theme.

The revised Policy and new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are currently being circulated around the MPS, including members of the Steering and Working Groups, MPA and community stakeholders. The Patrol and Response Strategic Committee will adopt and publish the revised Policy in December 2004.

8. Theme 2 – Supervision consists of recommendations 24 and 27. Chief Inspector Gary Lewis, TPHQ Modernising Operations owns Theme 2. There is currently a Federation representative working on this theme.

TPHQ Modernising Operations are commissioning research into current MPS supervision systems around Stop and Search and will report to the Working Group in February 2005.

9. Theme 3 – Feedback and Complaints Resolution consists of recommendations 28, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 52. Detective Chief Inspector Steve Kershaw, Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS), owns Theme 3. There is one Community representative working on this theme.

DPS will be delivering the Theme 3 recommendations through their work around close liaison with the IPCC, development of the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) role and recruitment of a Diversity Officer. The Working Group will receive a detailed update in December.

10. Theme 4 – Training consists of recommendations 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37. Commander Shabir Hussain, Human Resources Directorate of Training and Development (DTD), owns Theme 4. There is one Community representative working on this theme.

DTD will coordinate the MPS activity around the training based recommendations. There needs to be a Performance Needs Analysis (PNA) conducted to identify the organisational performance gap. No time scales have been decided on this complex theme.

11. Theme 5 – Monitoring Mechanisms consists of recommendations 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 53 and 55 Chief Inspector Gary Lewis, TPHQ Modernising Operations owns Theme 5. There is one Community representative working on this theme.

TPHQ Modernising Operations are commissioning research into MPS monitoring and performance systems around Stop and Search. Modernising Operations are working closely with the Analysis Programme Team, PIB and Diversity Directorate with the view to building a corporate system. The Working Group will be updated on progress in February 2005.

12. Theme 6 – There are two ‘Other’ recommendations 10 and 30. One deals with young people and truancy the other impacts on the work around Safer Neighbourhoods. Chief Inspector Gary Lewis, TPHQ Modernising Operations will coordinate the activity around Theme 6

13. There are currently two recommendations 1 and 23, which are shown as complete. The first refers to the Commissioners public acknowledgement of his commitment to eradicate any racial bias in the use of Stop and Search powers. The other refers to the timetable for filling the current shortage of sergeants, which the MPS are currently addressing.

London wide roll out of Recommendation 61

14. Friday 01 October saw the beginning of the MPS roll out of Recommendation 61. The MPS has taken a project management approach to the implementation of Recommendation 61. Every BOCU has a Project Lead at Senior Management Team (SMT) level, Superintendent or Chief Inspector, responsible for implementation. Most have a project coordinator or manager to run the project on a day-to-day basis.

15. Each BOCU has worked to an Implementation Plan, which includes the formulation of a communication plan and a timetable for engaging with key community stakeholders. During September and throughout October boroughs will be holding their initial Local Community Monitoring Groups meetings and establishing local terms of reference (TOR). The MPA have widely circulated draft TOR. A corporate R61 Community Impact Assessment (CIA) template has been developed and boroughs are in the process of completing their local assessments.

16. TPHQ Modernising Operations supports the implementation through a R61 Helpdesk and is working in close partnership with the MPA Race and Diversity Unit.

17. The R61 Helpdesk has dealt with around 300 emails and 75 phone calls from Project Leads and managers. To date there are 25 separate subjects posted for discussion on the intranet Special Interest Group (SIG). The TPHQ Project Team has also visited a number of boroughs, including Bromley, Kensington and Chelsea, Newham and Westminster to capture good practice. This good practice is being made available via the SIG and Helpdesk. There is a R61 intranet page on the TPHQ site.

18. A fully interactive computer based training (CBT) package has been developed and will be mandatory for all patrol-based officers up to and including the rank of Inspector, Specials and PCSOs. The CBT has been built by the National Centre of Applied Learning Technologies and will available on the AWARE system by 12 October 2004. Once launched within the MPS the package will be available to all police forces in England and Wales. The training will be accessible to all MPS and MPA staff.

19. The training will address the need for patrol-based staff to understand the definition of Recommendation 61 and the knowledge of when to record the stop. It is anticipated that it will take up to six weeks for all patrol based officers to undergo the training and will be complete by the MPA Launch of 17 November 2004.

20. Further work is being done to progress a tutor led supervisor-training package that will go some way to address attitudinal behaviour training. Decisions are still pending around timescales.

21. Internal posters have being created by Directorate Public Affairs through the Design Studio and have distributed to all BOCUs and pan-London units like the Territorial Support Group and Transport OCU. DPA are also investigating designs for a poster campaign. An external poster has been produced by the MPS advertising agency and jointly funded by the MPS and MPA.

22. The MPS is also assisting the MPA and the ‘Know Your Rights’ van/trailer. Work is underway to provide suitable sites and officers, PCSOs and Cadets to staff the ‘stand’.

23. New stop and stop and search forms have been printed and have been distributed to BOCUs and OCUs. There are delays around the building of the new data fields within the existing Stop and Search Database. Work is in progress for Department of Information (DOI) to deliver the updates, in time for the national go live launch of 01 April 2005.

C. Race and equality impact

As mentioned above every BOCU is undertaking a R61 specific Community Impact Assessment. The R61 Helpdesk are working closely with Diversity Directorate to ensure the assessments are as comprehensive as possible. Good practice when identified will be disseminated to all the Project Leads via the intranet SIG. Diversity Directorate will be collating the MPS wide community impact assessments. The good work being undertaken at BOCU level will assist in delivering recommendation 11 of the Stop and Search Scrutiny, that every borough produce a Race Equality Impact Assessment of Stop and Search.

D. Financial implications

The MPS response to the Stop and Search Scrutiny has been resourced out of existing TPHQ budgets. The implementation of Recommendation 61 has to date been resourced out of existing TPHQ and BOCU budgets. There has been a small publicity budget, which is financing the design and production of the poster campaign.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Commander Robert Broadhurst, TPHQ

For more information contact:

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

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