The MPS Policing Pledge

Report: 8
Date: 4 December 2008
By: Report by Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report describes progress in relation to the Government Green Paper ‘Policing Pledge’ and proposed arrangements for the introduction of an MPS Policing Pledge.

A. Recommendation

That members endorse the MPS Policing Pledge Our Promise to Citizens and support its implementation in January 2009.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The Home Office Green Paper ‘From the Neighbourhood to the National’ introduces a Policing Pledge for England and Wales. The Pledge describes national standards for policing from first contact through to follow up and provides the public with a way of holding neighbourhood policing teams to account for tackling their local priorities.

2. The MPS Strategic Research and Survey Unit has undertaken research into the areas of both user satisfaction and public confidence in policing. This is a developing piece of work but there are quite clearly identified links between a quality of service provision and a resultant increase in feelings of public confidence. An important element of the MPS Pledge document is to both standardise and improve levels of a quality service delivery that will migrate across into high levels of satisfaction and thus public confidence.

3. Following a period of national consultation, ACPO developed an alternative Pledge. The ACPO pledge (at Appendix 1) was adopted by the service at a meeting of the Chief Constables Council held on 23 October 2008 and was endorsed by the Home Office on 4 November 2008. There is an expectation that all forces will adopt the Pledge by the end of 2008.

4. Prior to the publication of the Government Green paper, the Metropolitan Police Service had been developing its Promise to Citizens. The MPS Promise, now referred to as the Pledge, sets out the levels of service that it will provide to people living, working in and visiting London.

5. The Pledge directly supports the MPS Citizen Focus priority of making our services more accessible and improving people’s experience of their contact with us, especially victims and witnesses. The Pledge does this by describing core standards of service people can expect when contacting the MPS. The Pledge also introduces new services such as a single, memorable, non-emergency contact telephone number.

6. The MPS Pledge to Citizens is a significant and outward facing document. It marks the beginning of a process in which core services are defined, designed, developed and delivered in partnership with people who both use and rely on those services. It is essential that the Pledge not only has the support of the public but that it was developed through meaningful engagement with them. To achieve this level of public involvement, the MPS embarked on a consultation exercise through each of its 630 Safer Neighbourhood Teams. The MPS received some 2,500 responses from groups and individuals of which an overwhelming majority (94%) supported the Pledge and felt that it met their needs as service users.

7. The MPS was closely involved in the consultation to develop the ACPO version of the National Policing Pledge and following its launch on 4 November 2008 has incorporated this into its Pledges document. A copy of the new document; ‘The MPS Policing Pledge: Our Promise to Citizens’ is attached at Appendix 2 (the passages in red are elements taken directly from the ACPO/Government Pledge) Government aims to have a form of the Policing Pledge in operation across the country by the end of December 2008 and this is broadly in-line with the MPS plan to introduce the MPS Pledge in January 2009.

8. A citizen focus strategy board, chaired by DAC Hitchcock and a programme board chaired by Commander Bray now oversee ongoing work to develop and implement the MPS Pledge. The MPA has representation on both Boards at member and officer level respectively.

9. There are a number of benefits for the public and the public resulting from the publication of the Pledge. Benefits to the public include:

• A description of how services are delivered and what they should expect when using those services
• A new customer service unit to resolve service complaints
• A new memorable number to contact the MPS for all non emergency services
• Where a call is an emergency or a priority, a commitment to attend within specific timeframes
• Where a call is not an emergency, the opportunity to make an appointment at a time and place convenient to them

Benefits to the MPS include

• The join up of the service delivery chain across business boundaries
• The development of services and processes designed around the needs of users
• The development of an in depth understanding of the drivers of public satisfaction
• The development of a performance framework that focuses organisational effort on improving the delivery of core services

10. Much progress has already been made towards meeting the Pledge targets. For example, average urgent call response times have reduced by nearly 5 minutes over the past year and, in October, were almost meeting the 12-minute target. Similar progress has recently been made on timeliness of follow-up contact to those involved in road traffic collisions.

11. There remain challenges, however, such as achieving a workable appointments system, which can be monitored centrally, and improving response times to less urgent calls. In both of these areas progress is being made. The Pledge response targets are based on National Call Handling Standards, which the MPS aims to introduce by April 2009. This change will bring about an expected 30% reduction in 'I' (emergency response) calls, although these incidents will still require a response.

Implementation

12. As well as ongoing work with CCC and boroughs, to improve call handling and response time performance, changes are being worked through with TP Safer Neighbourhoods and TP Emerald to improve the response to inquiries and the provision of information.

13. Clearly the publication of the MPS Policing Pledge is not an end in itself, even though its development has already driven substantial performance improvements. In order to bring about a more citizen focused approach, work is currently being undertaken to confirm whether the 'key encounters' training pilot should be rolled out to front line officers across the MPS. 'Key encounters' currently features in briefing seminars being delivered to BOCU sergeants on three boroughs. Further briefing seminars for other boroughs are planned for January and February 2009.

14. Internet access is a key supporting element and, on publication of the Pledge, the 'Your Views Count' section of the MPS website will become prominent, as will new, enhanced, user-friendly BOCU web pages.

The MPS contact number

15. As a precursor to the publication of the MPS Pledge, a new MPS contact number (MCN) 0300 123 1212 is now functioning. This number makes it easier for people to contact the MPS and gives greater access to services. Overall demand has so far remained unaffected but 999 calls have reduced by around 10% since the number was launched in October although, as yet, it is impossible to say whether this is due to the introduction of the 0300 number or simply a natural fluctuation. Overall, in the first month of operation, over 86,000 calls were received via the new number, almost a third of the total number of non-emergency calls received by the MPS.

Performance

16. Monitoring regimes in general have been adjusted to reflect the new emphasis. A new Pledge scorecard now forms part of the TP performance framework. As an example of this cultural shift, Operation Spotlight, a pre-Christmas burglary initiative, has a focus on burglary victim satisfaction on an equal footing with crime reduction and sanction detections.

Presentation

17. It is anticipated that the Pledge will be published in three parts; a two page summary, similar in style (but more user-friendly) to the ACPO/Government document at Appendix 1, a more detailed version as at Appendix 2 and a local, ward-based summary, linked to Safer Neighbourhoods priorities (as envisaged in the Green Paper). A marketing plan is being developed but commercial advertising via the media is not currently part of the plan. The front page of the MPS Internet site will be adapted to meet the commitments in the Pledge.

C. Race and equality impact

1. An Equality Impact Assessment has been prepared by the Citizen Focus Policing Programme in relation to the MPS Pledge to Citizens. The assessment indicates that there are differential satisfaction rates between white and black and minority ethnic service users (see paragraph 2 below) and that some service users experience difficulty in accessing services through traditional routes. For this reason the MPS Pledge describes such things as; how to access services through the Internet, how operators in our call centres have access to translation services and how callers who are deaf or have hearing difficulties can use a text phone. In developing the Pledge, the MPS has received advice from the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate, the Plain English Campaign and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

2. The MPS has identified a performance gap in respect of the comparative satisfaction of black and minority ethnic victims of crime, which is lower than that of white victims. Research undertaken by the MPS indicates that the satisfaction of BME victims is improved primarily through consistent delivery of quality policing services. The initiatives described in this paper and elsewhere, for example in the TP Front Counters Project, are all designed to improve external service delivery and improve the satisfaction of all service users.

D. Financial implications

1. The cost of delivering the MPS Pledge falls in the following

1. The MPS Contact number – The introduction of the MCN required a change to the IT hardware at a cost of £15,000. There has been a cost to vary an existing DoI contract of £125,000 per year for three years, following which a new contract that includes the number will be negotiated. The funding has been provided from within DoI budgets heads. There will be an element of staffing costs and overtime within CCC, which will be in place to ensure that any consequent call increases are matched with additional staff availability in the first instance.
2. The implementation of the NCHS call grades and definitions – The implementation costs are yet to be fully identified but will include an element for changes to process and staff training. The programme delivery plan is being developed within the Central Communications Command. IT changes are expected to be minimal but NCHS is best implemented in parallel with the introduction of the new CAD user interface in April 2009.
3. The marketing of the MPS contact number - Costs of £280,000 were met through existing funds for the Citizen Focus Policing Programme.
4. Production of the Pledge documents – The production of the Pledge and marketing through existing local channels is planned for which the sum of £40,000 has been earmarked.
5. The establishment of the Customer Service Unit – The cost of setting up dedicated telephone lines and changes to IT were £4,000 and staff costs of £85,000 per annum have been allocated from TP budgets.
6. Training and Briefing - Abstraction costs for staff being briefed on the MPS Policing Pledge and those undertaking key encounters training, have yet to be finalised. The seminars for sergeants are expected to cost in the region of £15,000 for refreshments and administrative support.
    

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Chief Superintendent Ian Harrison, MPS

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1

The police service in England and Wales will support law abiding citizens and pursue criminals relentlessly to keep you and  your neighbourhoods safe from harm. we will:

1. Always treat you fairly with dignity and respect ensuring you have fair access to our services at a time that is reasonable and suitable for you.
2. Provide you with information so you know who your dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team is, where they are based, how to contact them and how to work with them.
3. Ensure your Neighbourhood Policing Team and other police patrols are visible and on your patch at times when they will be most effective and when you tell us you most need them. We will ensure your team are not taken away from neighbourhood business more than is absolutely necessary. They will spend at least 80% of their time visibly working in your neighbourhood, tackling your priorities. Staff turnover will be minimised.
4. Respond to every message directed to your Neighbourhood Policing Team within 24 hours and, where necessary, provide a more detailed response as soon as we can.
5. Aim to answer 999 calls within 10 seconds, deploying to emergencies immediately giving an estimated time of arrival, getting to you safely, and as quickly as possible. In urban areas, we will aim to get to you within 15 minutes and in rural areas within [20] minutes.
6. Answer all non-emergency calls promptly. If attendance is needed, send a patrol giving you an estimated time of arrival and:
   • If you are vulnerable or upset aim to be with you within 60 minutes.
   • If you are calling about an issue that we have agreed with your community will be a neighbourhood priority (listed below) and attendance is required, we will aim to be with you within 60 minutes.
   • Alternatively, if appropriate, we will make an appointment to see you at a time that fits in with your life and within 48 hours.
   • If agreed that attendance is not necessary we will give you advice, answer your questions and / or put you in touch with someone who can help.
7. Arrange regular public meetings to agree your priorities, at least once a month, giving you a chance to meet your local team with other members of your community. These will include opportunities such as surgeries, street briefings and mobile police station visits which will be arranged to meet local needs and requirements. Your local arrangements can be found below.
8. Provide monthly updates on progress, and on local crime and policing issues. This will include the provision of crime maps, information on specific crimes and what happened to those brought to justice, details of what action we and our partners are taking to make your neighbourhood safer and information on how your force is performing.
9. If you have been a victim of crime agree with you how often you would like to be kept informed of progress in your case and for how long. You have the right to be kept informed at least every month if you wish and for as long as is reasonable.
10. Acknowledge any dissatisfaction with the service you have received within 24 hours of reporting it to us. To help us fully resolve the matter, discuss with you how it will be handled, give you an opportunity to talk in person to someone about your concerns and agree with you what will be done about them and how quickly.

We want to do our best for you but if we fail to meet our Pledge we will always explain why it has not been possible on that occasion to deliver the high standards to which we aspire and you deserve.
 

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