MPS Prevent delivery strategy

Report: 8
Date: 24 July 2008
By: Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report outlines the approach the Metropolitan Police Service will take to deliver the Prevent strand of CONTEST. The proposed MPS Prevent Programme will support and complement the national (ACPO (TAM)) PREVENT Strategy and Delivery Plan.

The report describes the governance, timeline and developing work-plan for the MPS programme. The programme will include refocusing or re-prioritisation of existing resources and the growth achieved from the latest CSR grant to support counter-terrorism.

A. Recommendation

That

1. the Authority notes MPS proposals in relation to delivering CONTEST- Prevent into the MPS; and

2. the Authority agree the proposed direction of this programme

B. Supporting information

 Background/strategic context

1. In June 2008, on behalf of ACPO (TAM), Sir Norman Bettison, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, launched a national police strategy for delivering the Prevent strand of the Government’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST).

2. The overarching aim of the national police strategy reflects that of the Prevent strand of CONTEST i.e. ‘To stop people becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists’. The objectives of the national strategy are:

• Objective 1. Undermine extremist ideology; support mainstream voices. So that the ideology sustaining violent extremism is discredited and alternative narratives/messages have greater prominence and credibility.
• Objective 2. Disrupt those who promote violent extremism; strengthen vulnerable institutions. So that people promoting violent extremism are rendered ineffective and institutions and ungoverned places are strengthened against people promoting violent extremism.
• Objective 3. Support individuals who are vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremists; create mechanisms for supporting them. So that vulnerable individuals are encouraged to see and follow positive and compelling alternatives to violent extremist activity.
• Objective 4. Increase the resilience of communities to engage with and resist violent extremists. So that social structures exist with strong leadership and civic engagement, articulating shared values, isolating violent extremists and those who provide them with support.
• Objective 5. Effectively address grievances. So that genuine grievances that contribute to violent extremism are addressed effectively and perceived grievances rebutted so they do not

And the following ‘enabling’ objectives:

• Objective 6. Develop PREVENT related intelligence, analysis and research. So that we know about violent extremism and the factors that drive it.
• Objective 7. Improve Strategic communications. So that we can better understand our target audiences, assess language that works and language that does not.

3. In response to the national strategy the MPS Prevent Programme has been established to deliver appropriate structures, processes and capability within the MPS to support Prevent. The objectives of the MPS programme mirror those of the national strategy.

MPS Prevent Programme

4. The MPS Prevent Programme will be a key strand of a wider MPS Counter-Terrorism strategy. The wider strategy has been developed to provide focus and co-ordination for all MPS counter-terrorism activity, and will be led by the Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO). ACSO will be supported by a senior officer lead for each strand of the strategy and a high-level delivery board. This approach recognises that counter-terrorism policing involves a very broad range of activity, delivered by a number of different business groups.

5. Commander Craig Denholm (SO2) will support ACSO in leading the Prevent strand and will chair a Prevent programme board. The diagram at Appendix 1 outlines the overarching role of the Prevent Programme Board. Governance of the programme will be provided through the high-level delivery board for the wider strategy.

6. Territorial Policing (TP), working with its partners and communities, will ultimately be responsible for delivering much of the activity within Prevent. Other business groups (in particular Specialist Operations (SO)) will provide support through the effective management of intelligence, project work and leadership support.

7. The Prevent programme management structure is outlined at Appendix 2. The programme will consists of three key work-streams, namely:

• Leadership and delivery
• Intelligence
• Engagement/partnership

8. It is recognised that communication, both internally and externally, will be key to the success of the programme. For this reason, a communications and stakeholder manager will operate as part of the programme management structure to ensure effective engagement across all three work-streams.

9. Detailed programme and work-plans are currently being developed. These will both harness (and build upon) activity that is currently taking place in support of Prevent and identify new initiatives to be further developed.

10. By means of the programme, Prevent will be delivered over the next three years. The MPS vision is to embed Prevent activity within core Safer Neighbourhood policing as part of ‘business as usual’. Delivery will be phased to ensure learning is maximized and that sufficient growth has been achieved to implement required structures, processes etc.

11. In phase one of the programme we will ensure that the current activities that support Prevent are maintained, achieve the required growth for 2008/9 (including the co-ordination and support structure in SO) and develop policy and guidance. A review of success of this phase will be undertaken prior to the commencement of later phases. The review will be carried out within the current financial year to ensure value for money is achieved before any further growth is undertaken.

Current activities/future growth

12. A significant amount of activity currently takes place within the MPS that either supports Prevent directly or has established a foundation upon which it can be delivered. An overview of some of this activity is attached at Appendix 3. In phase one of the programme we will identify all current activity and clearly establish how it supports the programme aims. Examples of current activity includes:.

• An Intelligence and Community Engagement (ICE) training package is being developed by ACPO (TAM). This is aimed at increasing the confidence and ability of staff to engage with communities and to gain community intelligence, will be provided for officers and staff working in priority areas. This training will roll out in the latter part of 2008/9.
• Educational Liaison will co-ordinate the response for the safe running of all educational establishments, from primary schools through to universities, ensuring that the contributions of all police, local authority, government and appropriate non-government organisations are joined up and complement each other in their approach.
• Operation Nicole is a table top exercise undertaken with community representatives with the aim of better understanding the role the police can play in Prevent and Pursue. We intend to provide sufficient resources to roll such exercises out in certain priority areas.
• Operation Delphinus has been used to deliver counter terrorism activity at a borough level and in particular to disrupt terrorist activity. TP have already provided guidance and framework for BOCUs to deliver a minimum level of activity.
• By increasing community engagement generally and in particular in relation to key groups i.e. young persons and women. Such approaches will provide safe places for people to discuss concerns regarding community safety and violent extremism.
• Channel Project is a community-based initiative that utilises existing partnership working between the police, local authority and the local community. The focus is on supporting and preventing those who may be vulnerable to becoming involved in violent extremism. The project is centred on the identification of those individuals at risk through a MAPPA type process, developing a partnership intervention strategy and then delivering interventions. Lambeth is already running as a pilot site and it is intended that a further site be set up in Waltham Forest.
• Borough Commanders Guidance – the provision of additional guidance to police leaders at the rank of superintendent or police staff equivalent will ensure the relevant skills and knowledge exist to deliver the Prevent objectives.
• Family Contact Officers - We will ensure that suitably trained officers are available to provide intensive support to the family of an individual who has been arrested for terrorism related offences. Arrests for such offences have a significant impact on the immediate and extended family as well as the local community. Experience has shown that a failure to manage the needs of the family can adversely affect community relationships and is likely to contribute to a rise in tension.
• Consequence Management Plans will be drawn up to create links between boroughs, the Counter Terrorism Command (CTC), communities and wider partnership structures to manage the consequences of critical incidents.
• ‘Rich Picture’ is a mechanism to gather National Security intelligence to identify investigative opportunities for both local and regional levels. ‘Rich picture’ has been termed ‘neighbourhood policing intelligence for counter terrorism’. The CTC leads on nationally timetabled themes of work as well as analysis and development of the resultant intelligence products. These will inform local decision-making and guide suitable interventions involving local strategic partners and communities.

13. Growth in 2008/9 will be concentrated on:

• Building intelligence resources within SO and SCD (MIB)
• Providing staff within four BOCU ‘Phase One’ sites (Hounslow, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest)
• Providing additional resources (including four ‘cluster coordinators’) to support the MPS Prevent Lead.

Additional staff will be mix of police officers and police staff.

14. Business plans, to support the growth, will be developed by all business groups and these will form part of the delivery plan and monitoring process. Appendix 4 provides an example of the BOCU activity template that will be required.

15. Through the learning derived from the four ‘phase one’ sites the activity required to be undertaken at BOCU level will be baselined. We will also be able to understand in more detail the intelligence requirement and central activity necessary to support BOCU initiatives. Detailed policy and guidance will be developed through which future phases of the programme will deliver the learning more widely across the MPS.

16. Four CSR funded chief inspectors are being recruited to perform the role of Prevent co-ordinators. They will be line managed by SO and work to TP link Commanders.

HMIC Learning and Development Exercise

17. During June and July 2008 the HMIC has visited a number of police force areas (including the MPS) as part of a Prevent learning and development exercise. The purpose of these visits was to establish what activity is currently taking place within forces in support of Prevent and to identify good practice/what works well. The HMIC are due to report their findings/conclusions in around September 2008 and their report will be made available to all forces. The MPS programme will use the HMICs findings as an additional source of learning which will add to the experience of our own ‘phase one’ sites.

Measuring performance

18. Performance in relation to the programme will be measured in a number of ways.

19. The programme plan will identify key milestones and products. Achievement of and progress towards these will be monitored as part of the programme management itself. Key deliverables within the programme i.e. growth targets, establishing ‘phase one sites etc. will also be monitored.

20. The MPS Prevent programme mirrors the national police strategy and therefore the means of assessing success will reflect those agreed for national delivery. National performance criteria are currently being developed. The MPS are involved in this work and will adopt the agreed criteria.

21. For the first time counter-terrorism performance measures are to be included within the national police performance framework. Within the revised ‘Assessments of Policing and Community Safety’ (APACS) framework the Home Office proposes a number of such measures, including an assessment of the contribution of ‘local partners’ in developing programmes in support of the seven Prevent objectives. These have yet to be fully developed but there is a significant link to the National Indicator Set (NI35) applicable to local authorities. Given that true ‘outcomes’ of this work will be difficult to measure, it is likely that any measures will take the form of an assessment of any local arrangements against common standards.

22. As result of the difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of police activity in contributing to Prevent the Police Counter Terrorism Board has decided that HMIC will play a key role in providing an independent, professional and rounded assessment of the progress made in the first year. HMIC will therefore assess progress made - prioritising as appropriate - against the seven strategic objectives.

C. Race and equality impact

Given the nature of the activity proposed under the MPS Prevent programme, race and equality impact issues are a significant consideration. Relevant Equality and Diversity Impact Assessments (EDIA) are being reviewed in the light of the developing MPS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and it is proposed that each strand will have its own EDIA. Whilst these will reflect the overall EDIA they will specifically address any additional areas of impact/concern relevant to the particular strand.

D. Financial implications

The growth in police/staff posts to support the delivery of Prevent within the MPS amounts to 41 in 2008/9 (£2.2m), rising to 53 in 2009/10 (£3.8m) and 93 in 2010/11 (£5.8m). These posts will be funded from confirmed increases in MPS Counter Terrorist Specific Grant over the Comprehensive Spending Review period, and are included in the MPS’s Business Plan submissions over the period 2009/10 to 2010/11.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Neil Haynes Superintendent SOHQ, MPS

For more information contact:

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

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