HMIC report – winning the race: embracing diversity

Report: 15
Date: 15 November 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) published Winning the Race: Embracing Diversity on 18 January 2001. This paper outlines the action that has been undertaken within the MPS. The paper asks the Committee to note the means by which progress on the implementation of the eight recommendations has been monitored and reviewed.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. HMIC's National Thematic Report Winning the Race: Embracing Diversity is the culmination of four years of intense inspection activity into police and community relations. The original thematic, Winning the Race: Policing Plural Communities, published in 1997, revealed that community and race relations (CRR), for a variety of reasons, was not at the core of police thinking. In addition to considered advice and guidance, the report contained 20 recommendations to help the Service move forward. A follow-up inspection, conducted during 1998, found that little had changed despite the added impetus of the reported evidence given to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.

2. The report of the revisit inspection, Winning the Race: Revisited, added 6 further recommendations and re-affirmed the validity of the 20 in the original report. At the same time, HM Inspector declared his intention to conduct a further inspection in 2000 to audit progress within all 43 forces in England and Wales.

3. HMIC's review of the MPS, Policing London: Winning Consent was published in January 2000, with Part One addressing CRR issues. Whilst the report acknowledged a number of strengths in the MPS approach to diversity, it also raised concerns, particularly in respect of CRR training. It was decided that HMIC would revisit the recommendations from Policing London: Winning Consent – Part One whilst conducting national fieldwork in connection with their third Winning the Race inspection during the summer and early autumn of 2000.

4. Winning the Race: Embracing Diversity, published on 18 January 2001, identified improvements in the MPS approach to CRR training for police officers and senior managers. A number of positive initiatives were highlighted including the MPS training programme evaluation strategy, which has been adopted by ACPO as the national strategy. The report contained eight recommendations, four of which were national issues and have been noted within the MPS. The remaining four recommendations have been addressed through the MPS Diversity Training Support Unit (DTSU).

5. The second phase of the MPS's Diversity Strategy Protect and Respect: Everybody Benefits was launched by the Deputy Commissioner on 24 April 2001. An extensive action plan that underpins the strategy has been compiled and forwarded to the MPA, amongst others, for consultation. The agreed action plan will be presented to the Deputy Commissioner's Diversity Strategy Board meeting on 3 December 2001 for adoption. This action plan encapsulates the work required to ensure that the MPS addresses all of the various diversity related recommendations from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, the Winning the Race series, Policing London - Winning Consent, and the implications of the Race Relations Amendment Act.

MPS Response

6. A draft response to Winning the Race: Embracing Diversity was prepared in March 2001. However, following consultation with the Diversity Directorate and the DTSU, it was felt that responding to this one report in isolation would provide an incomplete picture of the progress that had been made within the MPS over recent years. This raised the question of whether formal responses to Winning the Race: Policing Plural Communities and Winning the Race: Revisited should also be prepared.

7. It was agreed, both internally and externally, that the MPS Inspection Liaison and Analysis Unit (ILAU), in conjunction with the Diversity Strategy Monitoring Unit, would scope the recommendations from the three Winning the Race reports and prepare one comprehensive and more meaningful response. This draft response has been re-circulated for a final update. Once approved, a full corporate response on the progress of the implementation of all recommendations will be provided to both the MPA and HMIC.

Review Arrangements

8. Progress on all actions will be monitored and reviewed by both the MPS Performance and Review Committee and the MPA, through the MPS ILAU.

C. Financial implications

There are no direct financial implications arising from this report.

D. Background papers

HMIC National Thematic Reports

• Winning the Race: Policing Plural Communities (1997)
• Winning the Race: Revisited (1998)
• Winning the Race: Embracing Diversity (2000)
• Policing London – Winning Consent (2000).

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Gordon Sharp, Head of the MPS ILAU and Melanie Homer, MPS ILAU.

For information contact:

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback