"Confident, safe & secure”. MPS Drugs Strategy 2010-2013

Report: 6
Date: 4 March 2010
By: AC Serious Crime on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

The purpose of this paper is to present ‘Confident, Safe & Secure’, the proposed Metropolitan Police Service Drugs Strategy for the period 2010 to 2013. The strategy was approved by the MPS Performance Board in January.

The present MPS Drugs Strategy 2007-10 concludes in March 2010.

A copy of the new strategy is attached at Appendix 1. A copy of the current strategy is attached at Appendix 2.

A. Recommendation

That members consider, comment on and endorse the MPS Drugs Strategy 2010-2013 ‘Confident, Safe & Secure’ at Appendix 1.

B. Supporting information

1. The present three-year drugs strategy concludes in March 2010. The formal consultation process for a new strategy began in June 2009 and it was widely accepted that the broad aims and key activity areas identified in 2007-10 strategy were still relevant. However, there was a requirement to realign performance with the MPS priorities of ‘Safety’ and ‘Confidence’ and the five Ps. It was also important to take into consideration the MPA’s policing strategy for the MPS – Met Forward.

2. The major strategic change is that the 2010 to 2013 strategy sets targets in relation to public perceptions of the scale of the London drug problem and how the MPS tackles it. It moves away from traditional performance targets in relation to outputs such as class A sanction detections, criminal network disruptions, crack house closures, etc, although these are retained as diagnostic indicators to assist in analysing movements in the confidence targets.

3. The proposed strategy for 2010 to 2013 entitled ‘Confident, Safe and Secure’ is designed to support a reduction in drugs misuse and drug related offending, focusing policing activity on harms which are identified as being of most concern. A drugs strategy cannot be independent of a crime or policing strategy. The problems of drug misuse, drug dealing, guns and gangs and violent crime are highly correlated. Research shows that Londoners who identify any one of these issues to be a problem in their area are less likely to be confident and are more likely to worry about crime and disorder generally.

4. ‘Met Forward’ identifies three key objectives or outcomes it expects from policing activity by the MPS:

• Fight crime and reduce criminality.
• Increase confidence in policing.
• Better value for money.

The 2010-13 strategy identifies six key activity areas to support the drive to achieve these outcomes, which in turn support the MPS focus on improving confidence and satisfaction.

• Engaging communities – Tackling drug dealing at the local level through focusing on problems and offenders that cause most harm.
• Targeting drug offenders involved in violent or serious acquisitive crime.
• Disrupting class A trafficking.
• Closing crack houses.
• Disrupting commercial cannabis cultivation.
• Seizing criminal assets and disrupting funds.

How these activities will work is explained in detailed in the ‘Delivery Plan’ found on page 11 of the strategy attached at Appendix 1.

5. The 2010-2013 Drugs Strategy target is as follows:

Improved public confidence and satisfaction in relation to drugs as measured by:

1. Public perception of the extent to which drug use or selling is a problem in their area.
2. Public perception of how well the MPS tackles drug dealing and drug use.

Target: Achieve a three-percentage point improvement in both measures across the three-year horizon of the strategy.

Both these measures are already monitored through the MPS Public Attitude Surveys (PAS).

The choice of target for this three-year strategy represents a significant change of approach, reflecting the need to move away from a target-driven culture, which may not necessarily address the needs and requirements of the communities we serve. The current strategy (2007-10) sets out a range of performance measures, the most important of which relate to sanction detection rates for class A trafficking, drugs criminal network disruptions and activity relating to the seizure of assets. This change of approach is consistent with the revised approach being taken at a national level by government in relation to targets for police forces.

6. In addition to the target, a number of diagnostic indicators will be used to monitor performance. These are not targets, but will be used to diagnose and understand changes corporately and locally in public confidence in relation to how effective the MPS is at dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour. These indicators would be used, for example, to analyse why a deterioration or improvement in public confidence in a particular borough had taken place.

The diagnostic indicators are as follows:

1. The number of identified drug criminal networks disrupted.
2. The volume and value of asset confiscations under the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Drug Trafficking Act.
3. Class A drug trafficking sanctioned detections.
4. The number of cannabis factories closed and the number of sanctioned detections for commercial cannabis production offences.
5. The number of crack houses closed down.
6. In relation to Prolific and Priority Offenders (PPO):
   1. Non-mandatory drug test offences; the number of PPO arrests where discretionary inspectors’ drug test authorisations are given.
   2. Compliance rates for PPO drug testing for all mandatory trigger offences.
   3. Enforcement of Drugs Rehabilitation Requirement Orders (DRRO) - the number / percentage PPOs testing positive who fail to attend assessments who are arrested for breach of bail conditions.

7. Consultation about the development of the new strategy commenced in June 2009. The MPS Drugs Strategic Committee, comprising cross-business group representation, has been the main internal forum in which the new approach has been discussed and developed. A mature draft of the strategy was considered by the December meeting of the Committee. Early drafts of the strategy were shared with Territorial Policing Commander Crime. Specific guidance was sought from the Prolific and Priority Offenders Unit, the Strategy Research and Analysis Unit and the Proceeds of Crime Implementation Team.

8. External consultation has been conducted through the network of partnership links maintained by the MPS Drugs Directorate. The organisations involved include the Greater London Alcohol and Drugs Alliance, London Drugs and Alcohol Network, London Drugs Policy Forum, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, National Treatment Agency, Greater London Authority and Government Office for London. A consultative meeting with the MPA was arranged and held earlier this month. An invitation was extended to all members. It was attended by two members and one MPA officer. Copies of the draft strategy were sent to all Borough Commanders and Chairs of Drugs Action Teams and feedback processed.

C. Race and equality impact

1. Implementation of the strategy will be on an intelligence-led basis, and there is no reason to believe that its impact will be significantly different to normal police business or the current MPS Drugs Strategy. Criminal networks and gangs involved in drug supply are drawn from a range of ethnic groups. As these cause extensive harm to communities they will be targeted accordingly.

2. Intelligence shows that different patterns of criminality may be associated with different communities. Drug use and associated crime impacts adversely on the worst affected neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods are often the most economically deprived and have a higher than average representation of minority ethnic communities.

3. The strategy may also bring the advantage of treatment and diversion to those offenders involved in drug abuse, under the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). This will facilitate the prioritization of the highest risk offenders into treatment through the Drug Interventions Programme. Education and publicity initiatives will take into account the needs of different sections of the population.

4. Stop and search is a key power in drugs enforcement. Sec 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 provides a power to stop and search for drugs. It is recognised the there are proportionality issues around the use of stop and search in the MPS. If stop and search is more widely employed as a result of this strategy it is likely to be part of the existing proportionality issues rather than raise new concerns

D. Financial implications

1. As with the previous strategy, this new strategy will be supported through the tasking of existing corporate assets in line with overall corporate priorities. There are no new financial implications.

E. Legal implications

None

F. Environmental implications

None

G. Background papers

• A copy of the 2007-10 MPS Drugs Strategy is attached at Appendix 2 for information.

H. Contact details

Report author: Commander Allan Gibson, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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