Headline performance report 11 months to February 2010

Report: 5
Date: 1 April 2010
By: Deputy Commissioner on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an overview of progress against targets set for Critical Performance Areas and other corporate measures featured in the Policing London Business Plan 2009–12.

A. Recommendation

That members note the latest performance against the Policing Plan and the MPS’s activity underway to improve outcomes.

B. Supporting information

1. This report provides an update on progress against our key areas of performance. The MPA/MPS Policing London Business Plan 2009-12 highlights how we will deliver the two key outcomes of safety and public confidence (along with ensuring that we do so efficiently and with a clear focus on improvement). Our Policing Plan, underpinned by the 5Ps, has been developed to sustain the crime reduction that has been achieved over the last ten years and, at the same time, increase public trust and confidence in the MPS.

2. Our aim is to focus discussion on areas we are looking to improve. The following paragraphs report performance by exception against those indicators where there is greatest need for action.

Report structure

3. The report comprises two main sections:

• 'Critical Performance Areas' (CPAs) - the corporate ‘critical few’ measures highlighted in the Policing Plan (Appendix 1).
• Other Corporate Policing Plan Indicators – all non-CPA corporate measures (CMs) featured in the Policing Plan (Appendix 2).

4. This report provides data for the financial year to date (FYTD) from April 2009 to February 2010 compared to the same eleven months last year unless otherwise stated. To ensure clarity around how the MPS is performing against their year end targets, the MPS has grouped the CPA indicators under 3 headings as follows:

• Indicators which are currently meeting their 2009/10 targets
• Indicators which are less than 10% off target
• Indicators which are more than 10% off target

While the bulk of the document is focussed on the CPAs, there is also brief commentary on the more significant instances where performance in CMs is not achieving the target.

5. Some indicators which are categorised as being less than 10% off target are, in fact, often very close to meeting them. An example of where this has occurred is for the Confidence in local policing indicator, where the 2009/10 target (for % people who agree that the police and local council are dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in their area) is 51.4% and our latest performance is 51.2%.

Current performance focus

6. Confidence in local policing – No new results

7. User Satisfaction – No new results

8. People agree that the police would treat them with respect – No new results

Most serious violence (MSV)

9. Overall MSV is still showing a decrease of 105 offences (-2.9%). MSV offences for the last 3 months are down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year and the lowest quarterly results since this crime category was first recorded (April 2008). Although the current reduction level is still short of the –4.3% reduction target, we are hopeful that we will be able to meet our MSV will be end of year target next month.

10. The combined measure of MSV and Assault with Injury (AWI) is down by 289 offences (-0.4%) over the same period. AWI is showing an increase of 16 offences for the FYTD overall although the last 3 months had the lowest, second lowest and fourth lowest average daily number of AWI offences since April 2008.

11. Operation Verano is now scheduled to continue to 31st March 2010, thereafter to be mainstreamed within MIB. This will allow ongoing daily risk review and tasking into the first quarter of 2010/11 to tackle most serious violence. Verano currently deploys the Blunt 2 Task Force, elements of the Territorial Support Group and the CO19 Tactical Firearm Unit.

12. There have been 37 (-26.4%) fewer homicides, a component of MSV, over the FYTD. The FYTD has the fewest homicides since at least 1998.

13. So far this FYTD, there has been 41 fewer serious youth violence victims (-0.7%) than last year.

14. Knife crime overall has also dropped by 28 offences (-0.2%) with homicides from sharp objects down by 23 (69 to 46 deaths). Although so far this year, knife crime levels have been down compared to the last financial year, the reduction has slowed and there were 262 additional offences (14.2%) in January and February this compared to than the same 2 months last year. It is therefore likely that the reduction target of –5.6% will be missed by the end of the year with knife crime possibly showing a small rise instead against 2008/09.

The MPS recognises the continued risk posed by serious violence and weapon enabled crime and are carrying out a number of operations to target them. These include the following:

• Operation Blunt 2 – Enhanced deployments under Operation Protect following operational review and rising threat from knife-enabled robbery. Additional support is also being provided to eight late night MSV hotspots to impact late night knife-enabled robbery.
• Operation Blunt 2 Task Force with central command and control continues to operate daily, providing dynamic response to serious youth violence and knife crime. The Blunt 2 Task Force is now deployed within Operation Verano following a daily meeting to review intelligence relating to recent MSV, serious youth violence and knife-enabled crime.
• Operation Protect – since January 2010, additional support has been provided to cover post-school transport routes and town centres to target youth violence and knife enabled robberies in particular. The focus is on the 1500 – 1800 period each weekday over the school spring term and includes the distribution of anti-knife crime poster to all schools and colleges to raise awareness.

Serious Acquisitive Crime

15. Serious acquisitive crime (residential burglary, robbery and motor vehicle crime) is down by 7,254 offences / -4.0%, more than meeting the 2% reduction target.

16. Residential burglary currently stands at +3.7% (1,995 offences) higher than last year. However, considering the very significant rises in burglary seen in the early parts of the year (at its worst at +10.3% for the FY to October 2009), the MPS’ focused approach and resulting very much lower increase at the end of the year should be seen as a real achievement. Operation Bumblebee was launched in October 2009 to specifically tackle residential burglary and in December 2009, levels went down for the first time compared to its corresponding month in 2008 and have continued to drop. It is likely 2009/10 will now end with residential burglary close to 2008/09 levels.

Below is the table that has appeared in previous reports showing the latest FYTD figure in the context of the last few years (Apr – Feb). At 55,698 offences this year, residential burglary levels in 2009/10 may be higher than the last 3 FYTDs but it is lower than 2005/06 to 2003/04.

The 55,698 residential burglaries for the FYTD 09/10 are over 1,400 fewer than the average (57,120) for the previous 6 years and over 6,000 less than the number for 2003/04.

17. Motor vehicle crime remains on a downward trend with 9,614 fewer offences (-9.7%) and is still at its lowest level for this period since at least 1998/99. Whilst the average daily number of motor vehicle crime in February 2010 is up compared to the last 6 months, it is the lowest daily rate for this month since at least February 1999.

18. Robbery is up by 365 offences (+1.2%). Not including May which was significantly higher than its corresponding month in 2008, the robbery figures in the other months have been more or less comparable for both years.

Serious sexual offences sanction detection rate

19. The sanction detection rate (SD) for serious sexual offences is 22.8% and predicted to miss its 31% end of year target. Following a temporary drop in the number of reported serious sexual offences in December, numbers rose again to the over 600 levels seen each month since June 2009. In contrast, only May and June last FYTD had monthly levels that were higher than 600 (600 and 607 offences respectively).

20. Reported rapes for this FYTD currently stand at 590 offences higher than last year. Rape for the last 3 months has hovered just below 30% compared to the corresponding FYTD period last year and this trend is unlikely to diminish greatly by the end of 2009/10.

As previously mentioned, SCD2 is concentrating on maximizing the number of serious sexual offence cases that result in charges and that then go on to reach trial. In pursuit of that objective, a new working group reporting to the London Criminal Justice [Board (LCJB) was held for the first time in February to improve the number of serious sexual offences proceeding to trial. SCD2 has also encouraged the CPS to form a central charging team which began its regional roll out on 1 March 2010.

Police officer recruits from minority ethnic groups

21. There were no intakes of recruits in December 2009 and January 2010. However, an intake of new recruits took place on 8 February which brings the current proportion of BME police officer recruits to 14.6%. A further intake is planned for 15th March 2010 which would result in an overall performance of about 17% BME recruits for 2009/10. Although this falls short of the 20% target, it is anticipated to be the 2nd highest rate in our history.

Gun crime

22. There have been 306 more gun crimes (11.1%) this FYTD. At its worst this year, gun crime stood at +16.3% (April to October 2009) compared to the same period last year and is now expected to end 2009/10 around +10% up on last year.

In terms of severity, approximately 11% of all gun crime is actually intimated where the gun is not seen but the victim is convinced of its presence. Similarly, a firearm is discharged in only 21% of all gun crime offence cases. In addition, there were 14 deaths from shootings this FYTD, 3 fewer than the same eleven months last year.

23. The current definition of gun crime was only introduced by the Home Office in April 2008. The table below uses a proxy definition of gun crime to compare gun crime for the period April to February over the last 6 years. Even though 2009/10 has just over 400 more gun crimes than 2008/09, it is down compared to all the other years shown, making it the second lowest FYTD total for the last 6 years.

Assets recovered

24. The average value of assets recovered April 2009 – February 2010 was £3.1m against the target monthly average of £3.75m. However, the range varies considerably from £1.5 in August 2009 to £5.4m in June 2009. As previously reported, new performance measures will be developed for 2010/11.

Class A drug trafficking SDs

25. The latest results for total Class A trafficking sanction detections show that the end of year SD targets is being missed for the FYTD and similarly for both cocaine and heroin. These are stretching targets and it is now unlikely that there would be sufficient sanction detections in the final month in order for these goals to be achieved for the end of 2009/10.

26. The Drug Strategy 2010/13 was approved by Performance Board on 26 January 2010 on behalf of the MPS and was presented to the SOP committee on 4 March 2010 where, after some questions it will be approved.

Corporate Measure Targets

27. Over the last 6 months, the MPS has seen our performance against the 38 other corporate policing plan indicators improving month on month (24 in the FY to February 2010 compared to 20 Green RAG statuses in the FY to September 2009). The MPS is particularly pleased that it has been able to consistently meet its targets around counter terrorism (CM 22 – 29) every month so far this year. Also worthy of note is the MPS performance around emergency and non-emergency call handing. 90% or more emergency calls have been answered within the target 10 seconds in the last 6 months. The handling of non-emergency calls have also met or exceeded its target in ten out of the eleven months of this year so far.

Below is a list of the more significant instances where corporate measure targets are not being attained. Please note that these have not changed from last month.

1. CM 5 (people who have heard of their SNT) – a range of SNT communication activities are being co-ordinated by the central SN media and communications team, DPA, TP press office and boroughs.
2. CM 9 (victims updated) - The 100% target represents the stretching ambition documented in the Policing Pledge. Performance has improved by 30% points to 93% since Apr-08 (64%).
3. CM 20 (asset seizure cases) – As mentioned last month, performance for 2008/09 was higher than anticipated and so 10% increase target is a greater challenge than originally expected. Since 2006/07 there has been a large increase in new cases. Cases take around 3 years to conclude with the result that there is a levelling off of new cases that can be undertaken within current resources.
4. CM 30 (PURE) - "2" is defined as 'adequate' but the Audit Commission has said that the 2008/09 assessment was much harder than previously since organisations had to show improved performance to maintain current scores. Consequently the MPA/MPS' s 2 represents a real improvement. It also stated that the national trend for PURE was downward. To ensure continued improvement, the MPS aims to achieve a score of “3” in 2010/11.
5. CMs 34 -37 - (sickness for officers, staff, PCSOs and traffic wardens) – As previously reported, a number of measures have been put into place to help minimise sickness levels including ongoing monitoring of hot spotting of problem areas/cases and the implementation of a 5 point Health and Well Being promotion expected for the new financial year.

C. Race and equality impact

The implications of performance against individual targets relating to race and equality issues are considered in in-depth performance reports throughout the year. The MPS recognises that certain activities have a greater impact on disproportionality than others and seeks this address this on a continuous basis. In this report, these areas include youth violence, knife crime, serious sexual offences and BME recruitment.

Results published under the British Crime Survey, User Satisfaction Survey and Public Attitude Survey are also used by the MPS to monitor our performance against levels of confidence and satisfaction of our diverse communities. The results of these surveys are published on a quarterly basis and reported regularly in this report.

D. Financial implications

All costs associated with the activities outlined above are covered within existing budgets.

E. Legal implications

1. There are no direct legal implications arising, as this is a performance monitoring report.

2. The MPA has a duty to secure the maintenance of an efficient and effective police force for its area and a duty to hold the chief officer of police of the force to account for the exercise of his functions and those persons under his direction and control, under s6 of the Police Act 1996.

3. The MPA also have a specific duty to monitor the MPS’s performance against the Policing Plan under s6ZA of the Police Act 1996, as inserted by paragraph 8, Schedule 2 of the Police & Justice Act 2006 and the Police Authorities (Particular Functions & Transitional Provisions) Order 2008.

4. The Committee is the relevant committee to receive the report as its terms of reference set out it is responsible for considering and maintaining police performance against the Policing Plan targets and any performance indicators set locally or by external organisations.

F. Background papers

None

H. Contact details/h2>

RReport author: Ann Lieu, Strategy and Improvement Department, MPS

For information contact:/p>

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
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