Review of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary

Report: 13
Date: 28 October 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

At the meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority on 8 July 2004 members asked for an update on the work of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC). This report reviews the current position of the MSC, describes the current staffing levels and trends, and provides an update on current and future issues.

A. Recommendation

That members note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary currently consists of some 765 fully attested men and women, between the ages of 18½ and 65, who each on average perform 220 hours of police activity each year. There are 207 female officers comprising some 27% of the officers. 141 special constables come from visible ethnic minority communities representing 18% of the workforce.

2. In the previous report submitted to the MPA in June 2003 the actual number of officers in the MSC was 681, this figure including 183 female officers with 106 special constables coming from minority ethnic communities. The current establishment of 765 represents an overall increase of 84 officers in the last 15 months, a 12% increase, and whilst the proportion of female officers has remained static at 27%, the visible ethnic minority membership has risen by 35, an increase of 33%.

3. There are 70 officers who are either currently undergoing training or who are awaiting attestation. There are a further 59 applicants who have passed the selection process and are awaiting training, subject to the satisfactory completion of security and vetting procedures. Measures have been implemented to expedite this process and additional resources have been allocated to fund additional training courses when these checks have been completed. There are also a further 120 applicants awaiting interview subject to the necessary security checks being undertaken. There are presently a number of initiatives being progressed that it is anticipated will further attract potential applicants to the MSC and these are fully outlined in this report.

4. This year has seen the first rise in the overall numbers of special officers for some while. It is hoped that by the end of the year that the establishment of the MSC will reach the 1000 mark, which will be a considerable achievement.

Role

5. The primary role of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary is to support local policing plans by working in trained structured groups, supporting the MPS priorities, targeting local crime reduction and also working on individual projects. They are a local borough resource and can be deployed within the local tasking group meeting supporting the National Intelligence Model. Each Borough should have in place a Service Performance Agreement between the local special constables and the Borough Commander which identifies the specific areas that volunteers will engage with, contribute, the resources required and the training that is needed. It also identifies the criteria for measuring success.

Structure of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary

6. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary is part of Territorial Policing with corporate “ownership” held by the Assistant Commissioner (Territorial Policing).

7. The Chief Officer of the MSC leads policy development on recruitment, retention and best practice. They advise on welfare, discipline and regulation matters and are supported by a senior management team comprising of:

• Deputy Chief Officer: responsible for welfare and retention
• Assistant Chief Officer: Human Resources
• Assistant Chief Officer: Operations
• Assistant Chief Officer: Performance Review and Inspection

8. A Borough Divisional Officer (BDO) is the lead supervising special constable at each of the operational units to which special constables are attached. Borough Divisional Officers are assisted by Sub-Divisional Officers, special constables who take the role as first-line supervisors. They are responsible for initial performance and development appraisal of the constables and typically undertake operational duties, tutoring and mentoring the voluntary officers.

The number of special constables attached to each Borough Command Unit varies and a table is attached at Appendix 1 showing the current numbers.

Recruitment

9. The Home Office has recently undertaken a national recruitment initiative for special constables which has been supported by the MPS, with many pan-London and local initiatives beings held. As a result of the campaign over 1,300 initial enquiries were received. This year to date there have been a total of 697 applications received by the Recruitment and Selection Centre, of which 614 are currently at the various stages of being processed.

10. A further Home Office sponsored recruitment campaign is currently being undertaken, which again the MPS is fully supporting.

Training

11. Officers from the MSC attend 18 days recruit foundation training delivered at the recruit training school at Hendon either on a Sunday or two weekday evenings. The training delivered is a national training package, devised by Centrex (formerly National Police Training), with slight modifications tailored for the MPS. After completing their initial training further training is provided at their local Borough and units, which continues throughout their career.

12. Research is presently being undertaken in conjunction with the Directorate of Training into the possibility of further modification of the training programme, which will enable it to be delivered by local trainers on borough within foreshortened timescales.

Local recruitment and training

13. The success of the pilot scheme in Bexley to recruit and train special constables locally has attracted much interest from other Boroughs who wish to adopt a similar approach to increase the strength of its MSC substantially.

14. The Bexley experience has shown that recruiting and training specials locally removes the need for recruits to spend time travelling to and from Hendon and this has been the key to its success. The numbers recruited at Bexley between May 2003 and October 2004 totals 80 and is testimony to the fact that local training appeals and is made more attractive by the reduction in travelling time.

15. In addition to this local recruiting means that potential recruits are generally drawn from within the borough where they live or work and as members of the community are more aware of local issues and crime trends.

16. A guide is in the final stages of production that is designed to provide advice on recruiting locally and to assist those who will be involved in training so that uniformity of approach and continuity exists throughout the MPS. It is hoped to distribute this guide to interested boroughs shortly.

17. There is a proposal to introduce the post of Volunteer Coordinators on each of the 32 boroughs, and it is anticipated that these individuals will be able to assist with the recruitment and retention of all members of the extended policing family.

MSC response unit

18. A MSC response unit has been established, consisting of approximately 30 officers drawn from local Borough units on each occasion, who are deployed across the MPS on Safer Streets initiatives. They are deployed and accessed through established central tasking protocols. These officers are attached to Borough Command Units and perform local duties in addition to the requirements of the response unit. They have received critical management and other training to enable them to perform their role on the response unit. A protocol is currently being reviewed which will allow Senior Investigating Officers to call upon their services following a major incident, for example carrying out house to house enquiries following a murder. Specials have already participated in such activity successfully and it is felt that there are further opportunities for development in this area.

Brigading the MSC

19. Building upon the success of the MSC response unit it is now appropriate to develop a strategy for brigading a proportion of the MSC into a dedicated brigaded unit. This proposal represents a powerful and innovative solution to tackling MPS policing priorities allowing fully trained officers to be deployed to ensure that the MPS is maximising the effectiveness of this resource. Some initial scoping work has already been undertaken and a business case is being prepared. It is hoped to establish in the near future three response units based upon this model in North, South and Central London.

Forensic accountants

20. A new scheme to create a squad of expert forensic accountants as special constables was undertaken earlier this year. This initiative draws on the professional and life skills of qualified professional accountants to combat major financial crime. They will be involved in the investigation of major crimes such as confidential government computer crime, fraud and money laundering and will participate in the interviews of suspects and undertake search warrants, working alongside detectives. The first four special constables to undertake this role were presented with their warrant cards last month by the Assistant Commissioner (Specialist Crime Directorate).

There has been considerable interest in the scheme and it is hoped not only to recruit further officers into this role, but also to extend its scope to other specialist areas within the MPS.

Shopwatch – The High Street Crime Reduction Programme

21. Shop Watch is an innovative scheme aimed at making the high street a safer place to visit. Pioneered by the Metropolitan Police and Dixons Stores Group, and backed by the Home Office, ShopWatch was officially launched on Friday 27th February 2004 at New Scotland Yard by the Commissioner and Home Secretary. The scheme is currently being piloted in Camden and in November 2004 it another initiative will be in operation in Westminster focusing on the popular and busy Oxford and Regent Street areas. This scheme is scheduled to be publically launched on 8th November.

22. A recent survey estimated that UK retail crime costs the industry a staggering £2.25billion a year. Prompted by these vast losses, Dixons Stores Group (comprising Dixons, Currys, The Link and PC World) entered into discussions with the Metropolitan Police and the idea of Shop Watch was developed.

23. The idea of the programme involves retailers allowing their staff to be trained as Special Constables with these Specials, once fully trained, patrolling in their own retail area. Employees who volunteer for ShopWatch receive paid leave to attend the training course. Once fully trained, these ‘Shop Specials’ will also receive additional leave to compensate them for the time spent on patrol with the Special Constabulary. While never ‘on duty’ in the workplace, the Shop Watch Specials will provide a reassuring presence to other staff members during their regular working hours.

24. As well as gaining first class training, which will benefit staff outside of their duties as a Special, these employees can take pleasure in the knowledge that they are providing a valuable service to the community. Having this additional uniformed presence in the high street will act as a deterrent to would-be criminals, therefore reducing the amount of theft.

25. The local community also benefits. Retailers realise that a safe and attractive commercial centre will draw shoppers in, creating a vibrant high street where people enjoy spending time. The solution is already delivering strong results. Dixons currently have a number of staff who have independently trained as Specials and, in the areas these staff work, recent audit losses are 39% lower than average. Initial results from the pilot scheme in Camden also reflect similar successes.

26. A project manager for the scheme, seconded from the Dixons Group, has recently been appointed on a 12 month contract, funded by the Home Office. It is anticipated that his experience and first-hand knowledge of the retail sector will enable us to move this initiative forward.

27. In conjunction with the Home Office and the retail sector we are trying to engage further retail support. The scheme has also attracted much interest from other police forces up and down the country who are keen to develop a similar innovative approach to reduce retail crime in partnership with the local community.

Police staff recruitment

28. The Shopwatch initiative referred to above has the full support of the Home Office under the auspices of the Specials Through Employers Partnership (STEP). The MPS have also demonstrated their commitment to this initiative by extending the opportunity to join the MSC to members of Police Staff. As a result of an internal marketing campaign there are presently 43 members of police staff who have either completed, or will shortly be completing, their initial MSC training. Arrangements are being made for this group of officers to be attested at a ceremony at New Scotland Yard on 29th October.

Free travel for MSC officers

29. At present special constables do not receive free travel on public transport, despite the fact that they are required to exercise the powers of a constable on or off duty in the same way as regular officers. Agreement has now been reached with Transport for London (TfL) that MSC officers will be permitted to travel without payment both on and off duty on London Buses, the London Underground network, Docklands Light Railway and Croydon Tramlink. The authority to travel will be on production of the MSC Warrant Card. This concession has yet to be formally announced and its implementation awaits a joint public launch by the Commissioner and the Mayor. It is anticipated that this will take place later this month.

30. It is hoped that in addition to the primary goals of reducing crime and providing additional reassurance by encouraging more MSC Officers to use the transport systems, this initiative will serve as a valuable incentive in the recruitment and retention of MSC Officers.

Internal Audit Review of MSC

31. The MSC has recently undergone an audit into the resourcing and management of special constables, conducted by Internal Audit Directorate. The system related business objectives were to ensure that the MSC is properly resourced and managed, and that the service requirement and performance of the MSC is linked to resources allocated. The scope of the audit covered systems operating in Territorial Policing Headquarters and at boroughs. It is believed that the first draft of the report will be ready for circulation later this month.

C. Race and equality impact

The MPS have conducted all recruitment, selection and training processes for members of the special constabulary in accordance with established practices that fully take into account equality and diversity issues.

The special constabulary attracts a high proportion of applicants from London’s visible ethnic minority community and also attracts a high number of female applicants. With it’s close community links the MSC continues to be successful in attracting and retaining officers from diverse backgrounds.

D. Financial implications

The financial implications concerning the MSC will be subject to a later report to be submitted to the MPA.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Paul Dunham, Chief Inspector, TP Safer Neighbourhoods Unit

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

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