Progress report on CDO performance sub-group

Report: 5
Date: 15 November 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

This paper updates the committee on the work of the CDO Performance sub-group and future agenda items.

A. Recommendation

1. That members note the work of the sub-group and future meeting dates.
2. That members agree MPA involvement in the GLA conference on "London schools and the black child", subject to agreement on the costs involved.
3. That members note the sub-group's request that urgent attention be given to progressing the review of the MPS Community and Race Relations (CRR) training programme.

B. Supporting information

1. At the Consultation Diversity and Outreach (CDO) meeting of 26 June 2001, members agreed the formation of a sub-group to consider issues of performance and diversity. The terms of reference for the sub-group were agreed. The main aim of the sub-group is to receive and consider diversity specific performance data, since much of this data is complicated and requires a level of interrogation difficult to achieve satisfactorily within the present format of full CDO meetings.

2. If was also agreed at the last CDO meeting that there would be a standing item on the CDO agenda updating the committee on the work of the sub-group and performance issues arising.

3. There are currently six main areas of discussion and agenda items being considered by the group, as detailed below:

• Stop and search data collection and analysis
• Police and schools partnerships to reduce youth crime
• Community and Race Relations (CRR) training and evaluation
• Ethnic monitoring and the introduction of the 16+1 census codes in police systems
• MPS development in monitoring fairness and proportionality in policing services
• Race/ hate crimes

Stop and search data collection and analysis

4. This is a standing item for the CDO Performance Sub-group. Stop and search data needs to be collected in an accurate and timely manner in order to monitor whether disproportionality exists in the exercising of this power in the MPS. Both the MPS and the sub-group recognise that there are problems in data collection, input onto the stop and search database and the timescales for data collection. This leads to inaccurate information and a lack of data analysis.

5. The MPS plans a number of actions to improve the situation, including:

• A thematic inspection of stop and search form completion and database processing. The sub-group have requested MPA involvement in this inspection.
• Improvements in inputting onto the stop and search database – including direct officer input, training of key input staff in legalities of stop and search as well as search facilities, and changes in the location of databases to intelligence offices.
• Monitoring of the proportionality of stop/ searches (see fairness monitoring) to increase the use of the data hence increase the requirement for accuracy and timeliness on boroughs.

6. These actions and improvements in data quality will continue to be monitored by the CDO Performance Sub-group.

Police/schools partnerships

7. In order to tackle the growing problem of youth crime, the CDO Performance Sub-Group considers that links between police and education are key, but felt that the links currently appear to be somewhat ad hoc and lacking inc coordination. The sub-group considers that the MPA has a key role in strengthening links between the MPS and the education service. The sub-group would hence like to progress this issue by convening a meeting of key partners (MPA, MPS, Department for Education and Skills (DfES). DfES, GLA, ALG etc).

8. The MPA should also ensure that it participates in two conferences linked to youth crime and education. The GLA is holding a conference in March on "London schools and the black child". The sub-group feels that MPA input to this conference would be useful. The conference is still in the planning stages and hence the extent of MPA involvement has not been discussed, but is likely to include a speaker and publicity material. The GLA is likely to ask the MPA to contribute to the costs of the conference. There is also a conference organised by the Operation Trident Independent Advisory Group, including youth crime, due to take place in January.

CRR training

9. There has to date been no formal assessment of what actual impact the training has had on the communities (as required by required the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report). The MPA/ MPS has held discussions on the need for a joint independent evaluation of the training. An initial draft proposal has been developed, but further work is required to develop a full proposal. This will be presented to members at a specially arranged meeting Wednesday 5 December.

10. Members voiced concerns that in spite of earlier discussions little progress appears to have been made regarding the independent review of the CRR training programme. It was agreed that this should be pursued as a matter of urgency

11. Members of the sub-group also expressed concerns over two aspects of the CRR training. Firstly the MPS is now combining CRR and diversity training, which raises the concern that the CRR focus may become watered down. In addition, community trainers are now being employed directly by the MPS and there are concerns that this may lead to the training being delivered in a less challenging manner.

12. The sub-Group agreed that Shaun Kennedy, the person in charge of the CRR training programme, be invited to the next meeting to discuss the evaluation of CRR training and timescales for evaluation and also the course contents and concerns raised by members.

Ethnic monitoring and the introduction of the 16+1 census codes in police systems

13. There is a Home Office requirement that police forces introduce monitoring of ethnic groups according to the 16+1 census codes (16 categories and an other group) by April 2002. The monitoring will be self-classification by individuals. ACPO and the Lawrence Inquiry Steering Group have also agreed this recommendation. This applies to the following areas of police ethnic monitoring:

• Persons stopped and searched
• Homicide victims
• Persons arrested and cautioned
• Persons prosecuted
• Victims of racist incidents
• Persons complaining against the police
• Person stopped in a vehicle (HORT1s)
• Persons stopped for a vehicle defect (VDRS)
• Fixed penalty notices
• Breath tests

14. MPS officers have updated the sub-group on a number of issues involved in implementing the increased monitoring including IT lead in times, costs for changes to IT systems and for, stop and search in particular, the impact on the community and officer training. The MPS is progressing a project to implement the new requirements and will provide the sub-group with an update paper for its next meeting.

MPS development in monitoring fairness and proportionality in policing services

15. The work of the MPS Fair Practice Working Group was outlined in the last update report on the CDO Performance Sub-group to the CDO Committee. The MPS has now developed a template for monitoring fairness in policing services. This is now being progressed to provide data and examples and will be presented to the sub-group at a future meeting.

Race/ hate crimes

16. The sub-group has received an analysis of race/ hate crimes and progress against policing plan objectives, including racist incidents, domestic violence and homophobic incidents. A further report will be received at a future meeting. In addition, Professor Betsy Stanko has been working with the MPS looking at data analysis in the area of hate crime and the sub-group agreed to invite her to attend a future meeting.

Future Agenda Items

17. Agenda items for the next meeting were identified as:

1. Police/ schools partnerships – update on GLA and trident conferences and MPS London partners meeting
2. CRR training – Shaun Kennedy to attend to talk about training contents, community trainers and evaluation timescales and content
3. Paper on 16+1 ethnic codes – how the MPS intends to implement the Home Office requirements and issues arising
4. Race/ hate crime update – progress on the Pan London Working Group
5. Betsy Stanko to be invited to attend to talk about data and analysis issues for hate crime/ domestic violence etc.

18. The next meeting will be on 10 December 2001, 11am to 1pm in B648.

C. Financial implications

Costs for MPA input into the GLA conference on "London schools and the black child" will be contained within the current budget.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

Report author: Johanna Gillians, Senior Analyst, MPA.

For information contact:

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

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