ACPO/MPS co-ordination of delivery of policing in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic games

Report: 04
Date: 10 September 2009
By: Assistant Commissioner Central Operations, Olympics and Paralympics, on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report outlines arrangements for co-ordinating the Police Service response to commissions arising from the Olympic [1] Safety and Security Plan, including the establishment of a new joint ACPO / MPS Olympics Policing Co-ordination Team.  A similar paper has been agreed at MPS Management Board and has been submitted through ACPO Cabinet for noting at Chief Constables’ Council.

A. Recommendations

That the Sub-Committee notes the proposed joint ACPO / MPS arrangements for co-ordinating police service delivery within and outside the MPS

B. Supporting information

Background

1. This report builds upon that submitted to the sub-committee in April 2009, which explained the dual ACPO and MPS functions of the Assistant Commissioner Central Operations, Olympics and Paralympics.  This document outlines the proposed function and operating parameters of the new Olympic Policing Co-ordination Team (OPC) established to support the Assistant Commissioner within the Olympic Safety and Security Programme (OSSP).

2. The OPC has been established as a means of co-ordinating the delivery of police-led projects within the programme and reflects a need to ensure consistency of service delivery and a coherent interface with the Olympic Security Directorate (OSD) within the Home Office.

3. The OSD within the Home Office fulfils a different purpose to that which was previously performed by the OSD within the MPS.  The MPS OSD was designed as a multi-agency directorate tasked with delivering all aspects of the co-ordination and delivery of the Olympic Security Plan.  With the move of the Directorate to the Home Office, the responsibility has changed to managing the programme aspects of this work, with the delivery of the various projects being undertaken by an appropriate Delivery Coordination Partner (DCP).  As the OPC has been set up to act as the DCP for all police service projects, this new team will ensure that ACCO, the MPS Management Board, MPA and ACPO are fully briefed about all relevant aspects of the Olympic Safety and Security Programme (OSSP).

4. As a consequence of these changes, a number of MPS officers and staff have been seconded to the Home Office working for the OSD, whilst other Olympics-funded staff will remain within the MPS.  Of these, some will sit within specific projects within Business Groups and some will form the core of the OPC, together with the personnel currently working within the ACPO Olympic Business Area (OBA).

5. It is intended that the OPC will officially begin operations as outlined within this paper from the date of its move to Canary Wharf, which is planned for September 2009.  The exact date is to be agreed.

Governance Structure and Process

6. The terms of reference for the OPC are attached at Appendix 1, and the organisational chart for the team at Appendix 2.  It must be noted that this chart simply shows the core team and does not display the resources which will be recruited for the delivery of specific projects.  The interface with OSD is the subject of an operating model that has been agreed within the programme, and the schematic is attached at Appendix 3.  A detailed document is currently being prepared to fully describe the working arrangements which will support the operating model.

7. The OPC is a joint ACPO / MPS team.  It will receive ‘back office’ support from the MPS, and for this purpose has the designation of CO12 within Central Operations.  Externally, the team will always be jointly branded ACPO / MPS and be known as OPC rather than CO12.  All OPC colleagues will be serving both organisations, reflecting the dual role of ACCO.  The team will be headed by an MPS Commander, reporting directly into ACCO.  All vacant posts will be advertised nationally, with joint ACPO / MPS branding.  Terms and conditions of those currently on secondments to the ACPO Olympic Business Area will be observed.

8. The OPC will undertake the role of Delivery Co-ordination Partner (DCP) for all OSSP projects commissioned to the police service, on behalf of ACCO.  It will be an OPC function to decide where within the police service a project should sit, and to appoint a project responsible officer, usually at ACPO level.  The OPC will then work with project responsible officers to ensure that business cases are submitted to OSD in response to commissions, and that project managers and project boards, including representation from relevant partners, are appointed.

9. It is a general principle that police service delivery projects should sit within a force, an MPS business group, or an ACPO business area, rather than within the OPC itself.  The role of the OPC is to co-ordinate, and to provide project assistance and support, across the service delivery piece.  There are some projects, however, with a strong national co-ordination aspect, that the OPC is likely to choose to retain, with Commander OPC being the project responsible officer.  At present, the two projects identified within this category are the National Resource Requirement and National Co-ordination.

10. Once projects are ‘housed’ and resources allocated, there is a dual responsibility between the police service and the Home Office to ensure that they deliver in accordance with the criteria agreed within the commission and the business case.  Reporting arrangements are contained within the operating model.  It remains a principle that risks and issues should be assessed and wherever possible resolved at service delivery level before escalation.

11. The OPC will also undertake the servicing of the ACPO Olympics Business Area (OBA), including all secretarial and support functions.  

Communication and Stakeholder Management

12. On behalf of the Assistant Commissioner, the OPC will be responsible for co-ordinating communication of the OSSP to the Police Service and key policing stakeholders.  Working seamlessly with communication partners in the MPS and OSD, the OPC will oversee the development, management and implementation of a communication strategy to inform, engage and build confidence in the police service and with policing partners on Olympic security plans.

13. Through the Olympic Policing Communication Network, the OPC will provide a central point of advice, co-ordination and support for police force communicators, disseminating key Olympic communication materials including messages, protocols and announcement grids.  Externally, the OPC will oversee work to promote a positive reputation for the Police Service of preparedness for 2012, including by producing a quarterly ‘Policing the Olympics’ newsletter.

14. An ACPO Communication Manager will be recruited directly by ACPO, and while they will retain an ACPO professional line of management, the post holder will be working at Canary Wharf as part of the OPC under the direction of the OPC Commander.  It will be vital that this role is not seen as stand alone but works as part of the wider communication team supporting the Assistant Commissioner, and MPS DPA remains the lead body on communications for the Commissioner on Olympics matters.

15. Communication about the OPC must be handled carefully with the most important stakeholders briefed prior to launch.  A plan to communicate the change will be prepared.

16. As part of the restructuring of the ACPO OBA into the new OPC, it was recognised there was a need to differentiate between the nominated strategic leads for each of the 11 venue forces and the significant number of other police service contributors, whilst taking into account the contributions of other partners.  AC Allison has gained agreement for a Gold Group to form the core decision making and operational assurance meeting.  The proposal is currently that each of the forces would be represented by the force Gold and their nominee but if this became un-workable because of size, the group itself would decide on whether some forces could be represented by others.  The first Gold Group would comprise:-

• AC (CO&O) - Chair
• CC Meredydd Hughes, Peter Maddison & Cmdr Richard Morris
• MPS GOLD & nominee
• BTP GOLD & nominee
• Dorset GOLD & nominee
• Thames Valley GOLD & nominee
• Essex GOLD & nominee
• Herts GOLD & nominee
• Surrey GOLD & nominee
• Strathclyde GOLD & nominee
• Northumbria GOLD & nominee
• Greater Manchester GOLD & nominee
• West Midlands GOLD & nominee
• South Wales GOLD & nominee

17. Additionally, it may be beneficial to have limited representation from the Home Office Olympic Safety & Security Programme.  It is suggested that a representative from the security architecture team would be best placed and this is being discussed with OSD.

18. This Gold Group would provide a ‘safe’ forum for discussion of key issues and to support strategic decision making.  Additionally, and in support of the OPC terms of reference (see Appendix 1), it will help to:-

• provide a link to the OSSP on operational policing policy issues
• assess operational readiness of relevant police forces/integrity of policing arrangements
• ensure consistency of operational policing during the period of the Games
• co-ordinate the development of policy and doctrine relevant to Olympic-related policing operations
• provide a ‘user assurance’ function for projects moving to operational service delivery.

19. The former ACPO OBA group membership will be migrated into a partners’ engagement structure, under the label of an Olympic Police Coordination Partnership Group. This membership could be broadened to include Regional Resilience Forums, national representation of the Fire and Ambulance services and any other agency or organisation as appropriate.

20. The advantages of this approach would be to sharpen up the decision making process whilst ensuring that ACPO/MPS are seen as consulting and listening to the wider ‘policing family’.

C. Race and equality impact

Recruitment of new staff will be facilitated by MPS HR.  Both police officer and staff posts will be advertised nationally.  There are no other equality and diversity implications.

D. Financial implications

1. Overall responsibility for financing ‘Olympics additionality’ within the Olympics Safety and Security Plan rests with the Home Office.  Funds are allocated to projects (through the Olympics Investment Board) in accordance with agreed business cases submitted in response to OSD commissions. 

2. Further detail on financial issues, including the role of the MPA, is included in the linked finance report to sub-committee.

3. MPS officers and staff located in the OPC will be subject to agreed MPA/MPS governance and decision making arrangements, as will all projects and staff located within MPS business groups.

E. Legal implications

There are no legal implications arising specifically from this report, but it should be noted that the previously agreed ‘constitutional’ position of ACCO as MPS Assistant Commissioner and also Chair of the national ACPO Olympics Business Area is reflected in the composition of the joint ACPO / MPS team under his line management.

F. Environmental implications

There are environmental implications arising from the policing of the Olympics in 2012, as highlighted in the April Sub-Committee report, but there are none arising specifically from the governance arrangements outlined in this document.

G. Background papers

• Sub-Committee report of 23 April 2009

H. Contact details

Report author(s): Commander Richard Morris, CO12

For more information contact:

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

Appendices

1. Olympic Policing Co-ordination Team Terms of Reference
2. Olympic Policing Co-ordination Team Structure
3. Olympic Safety and Security Programme Operating Model

Abbreviations

OBA

Olympic Business Area

ACCO

Assistant Commissioner Central Operations

OPC

Olympic Policing Coordination

OSSP

Olympic Safety and Security Programme

OSD

Olympic Security Directorate

DCP

Delivery Coordination Partner

Appendix 1: Olympic Police Coordinating Team (OPC)

Incorporating the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Olympic Business Area (OBA) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Olympic Planning Team

Terms of Reference

The OPC is a national police service team responsible for coordinating service-wide policing issues relevant to the Olympics, ensuring that the police service as a whole is effectively geared to support the delivery of the London 2012 Olympics specifically as described in the Security Strategy and Concept of Operations.

It will assume the responsibility of acting as the Delivery Coordination Partner (DCP) for ACPO and the MPS.

Responsibilities

The OPC will facilitate and, where appropriate, deliver:

• operational readiness of relevant police forces/integrity of policing arrangements
• consistency of operational policing during the period of the Games.
• through ACPO Cabinet and Council engage other ACPO Business Areas, ACPOS, NPIA, HMG, partners and other service delivery providers, where relevant, to undertake agreed action in support of the Security Strategy
• enable the development and submission of business cases to the programme, in response to OSD commissions
• identification of appropriate owners for commissioned work, i.e. MPS Business Group, venue force, ACPO Business Areas
• programme manage delivery of relevant products
• where appropriate provide effective programme support, including risk management, to Olympic projects within the MPS, other venue forces and those of a national nature in liaison with OSD
• provide the necessary financial controls and audit for all relevant activity
• coordinate communication of the security programme to police and policing stakeholders
• act as the conduit for communications between Olympic Security Directorate (OSD) and the police service
• ensure appropriate operational policing resource capability and capacity is in place across the service in time for the Games. 
• To give visibility of the planning for this to the MPS Management Board, Metropolitan Police Authority, ACPO Cabinet, Chief Constables Council, and the Director of Olympic Safety and Security
• coordinate the development of policy and doctrine relevant to Olympic related policing operations

Leadership

Strategic leadership will be provided by Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, Olympics, Chair of the OBA, supported by the two Vice Chairs of the OBA, Chief Constable Med Hughes and Peter Maddison. 

The command of the OPC will be Commander Richard Morris accountable to AC Allison.

Location

The OPC will be based in Canary Wharf working alongside the OSD, Olympic Development Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG)  Hot desk facilities will be made available at the ACPO office and New Scotland Yard.

Composition of Team

There will be an amalgamation of staff from the OBA and MPS team into the OPC in the first instance.  Subsequently all posts will be advertised nationally in appropriate publications. They will be advertised as joint ACPO/MPS posts. 

Police officers and staff joining the OPC will either be posted internally within the MPS, be seconded to the MPS or appointed on fixed term contracts by the MPS.  The terms of existing ACPO secondments will be honoured within the OPC. 

The secondment of police officers to the MPS is intended to be an enabler and reinforcement of the one national team approach.

Structure of OPC

See Appendix 2

Communication and Marketing

The communication and marketing manager for OPC will contribute to a virtual combined team of communication specialists from ACPO, MPS, MPA, OSD, APA and other agencies in order to deliver a clear and comprehensive Olympic communication strategy.

The current Genesis site utilised by the ACPO OBA will be maintained and developed.

Commencement

The OPC will be active on the date of transfer of assets to Canary Wharf.  Planned for September 2009.  Exact date to be agreed.

Administration

Members of OPC will have access to MPS and ACPO ICT services. 

Options regarding e-mail addresses are being explored. 

Existing e-mail addresses of current ACPO secondees are likely to be maintained at the present time.

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback