Community and Race Relations training

Report: 13
Date: 26 June 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

This report comments on progress in the delivery of Community and Race Relations (CRR) training including attendance rates at courses.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. Since the Community and Race Relations (CRR) programme commenced in 1998, the Boroughs of Brent, Greenwich, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Westminster have been completed.

2. In January 2001, in furtherance of the MPS Priorities for 2000/2001, the programme rollout was accelerated when the six Boroughs of Ealing, Hackney, Haringey, Merton, Southwark and Wandsworth simultaneously commenced training. By 31 March 2001, 11,267 (31 per cent) of police and front line civil staff had been trained.

3. In May of this year, the number of Boroughs being trained increased to nine when the Boroughs of Croydon, Newham and Islington were included.

4. The Borough of Merton will finish training by 11 June 2001 at which point training will commence in the Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Progress

5. With a final target completion date of December 2002 there is little margin to accommodate missed training opportunities. At this stage the programme is slightly behind the initial projections for progress.

6. his in part was due to there being insufficient police and 'police associate' trainers when the programme was due to be accelerated during 2000/2001. This has now been addressed and a framework established to ensure timely completion.

7. The programme at its current rate of delivery is providing approximately 250 training places every week on the two-day Borough based workshops. In recognition that all civil staff on Boroughs (not just 'front line' staff) should receive some specific CRR training a one-day CRR training course for non-operational Borough civil staff has been introduced. This is an additional commitment and increases the overall number of staff to be trained.

8. It is imperative that attendance levels are maintained within 10 per cent of the allocation levels to ensure that the programme maintains its schedule. It is therefore essential that management at all levels play an active part in ensuring that optimum attendance are achieved and maintained.

9. At the end of May, 12,553 staff (35 per cent) had received CRR training. The table below shows the progress and performance of the current 'live' boroughs as at April 2001.

NB: Sufficient statistics for the three new Boroughs of Newham, Islington and Croydon are not yet available.

10. As can be seen by the above table, attendance levels differ from Borough to Borough. To date, no Borough has achieved the optimum figure of 90 per cent per cent of all places allocated. Attendance levels by Specialist Operations Department (SO) staff have also fallen short of target, at 53 per cent.

Specialist Operations department

11. Some unique variables such as location and the nature of work of the 'SO' departments have exacerbated the situation. However, action is currently underway to address this situation by introducing a Service Level Agreement between SO and the CRR Manager similar to the agreements that currently exist with all the London Borough Training sites.

12. There is a will to resolve this issue within 'SO' and all management is aware that it will seriously impact on the programme if attendance levels do not improve.

13. The target of 75 per cent of police and front line civil staff can be achieved, provided that all Boroughs as well as 'SO' attain a continuous 90 per cent attendance level or above throughout the rest of the year.

Non-borough police officers

14. A difficulty has existed in relation to police officers who are attached to the many support departments situated throughout the MPS. For example, officers on attachment to New Scotland Yard, Cobalt Square, Regency Street, Tintagel House and other police premises such as the training school at Hendon.

15. In order to address this situation, there are plans to introduce a tenth training team which will deliver training in the Borough of Westminster to all non operational police officers attached to centrally located support departments. Rationalising the existing nine training teams will provide sufficient personnel to resource this extra team. In addition, arrangements are now being made to commence CRR training for staff at the Hendon Training School by allocating places on the existing nine Borough sites.

Management report

16. In order to continuously appraise appropriate individuals within the MPS in relation to the progress of the CRR Programme, a monthly management report has been devised. This document will be circulated widely amongst MPS senior management including the Deputy Commissioner, Management Board, TP Commanders and all Borough Commanders where CRR training is currently ongoing.

Conclusion

17. The CRR programme has the current capacity to train approximately 1000 individuals every month. With the introduction of a tenth training team in early August this number will increase. However, it is vitally important that attendance rates regularly reach 90 per cent if the training target for 2001/02 (75 per cent of police and front line civil staff) is to be achieved. Management action has been initiated to address this point.

C. Financial implications

None, the costs associated with this initiative were met from existing budgets.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Detective Chief Inspector Terrance Devoil, CRR Project Manager.

For information contact:

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

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