Citizen-focused policing project

Report: 9
Date: 14 October 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an overview of the Citizen-Focused Policing Project in accordance with recommendation 2 from the Clerk’s report, Outcomes of the MPA and MPS Consultation for the 2005/06 Policing Plan and Priorities, to Planning Performance and Review Committee on 9 September, ‘that the MPS, in consultation with officers of the MPA, report to the next meeting of the Community Engagement Committee on the action taken to embed a citizen focused approach to policing and the role of the Citizen Focus Champion’.

A. Recommendation

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The MPS is undertaking an assessment of the extent to which current and future service delivery and planning are citizen-focused with a view to putting in place plans to ensure future improvement. A number of additional drivers influence this work; the key ones are set out below.

2. The Government’s reform agenda places an emphasis on ensuring public services meet the needs of users and improve customer experience, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s four Principles of Reform:

• Setting national standards
• Devolution and delegation to the front line
• More flexibility to achieve the diversity of service provision required to meet customers’ aspirations
• Expanding choice for the customer.

3. As part of the first principle, setting national standards, the Government is seeking to improve performance measurement for policing. The Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Association of Police Authorities (APA) are developing the Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) to measure and compare performance in policing across the full range of policing responsibilities in an effective and fair way.

4. The citizen focus domain currently includes indicators on user satisfaction, confidence, and fairness and equality. Proposed measures are being developed within PPAF for non-crime user satisfaction, confidence (extension of existing measure), community cohesion/engagement, complaints and reassurance.

5. Citizen focused policing is defined by the Home Office as: ‘A way of working which routinely recognises, understands and takes account of the needs, expectations, experience and perspective of individuals and the communities who are recipients of police services.’

Scope

6. This project is looking at current service delivery and planned delivery. Much of the latter is centred around ensuring citizen focus has been and is being considered in the major corporate change programmes, but will also take account of other aspects of service delivery.

7. The main aims of this project are:

• To provide an understanding of the ‘current state of play’/extent to which the citizen’s perspective is being considered in current service delivery
• To provide an understanding of the extent to which the citizen’s perspective is being considered in planning future service delivery
• To develop options, building on identified good practice from other organisations, to increase the MPS’s focus on the citizen’s perspective.

Project plan and organisation

8. This project is being undertaken between July and December 2004 in four stages:

• Stage 1 – Scoping and planning
• Stage 2 – Audit of current climate
• Stage 3 – Research into citizen focus
• Stage 4 – Development of options and recommendations.

Parts of Stages 2 and 3 will run concurrently. It is anticipated that Stage 4 will be completed by the end of December 2004. Following this, a fifth stage, implementation, will be undertaken as a separate project.

9. The sponsor for this project is DAC Richard Bryan (Strategic Development), Professor Betsy Stanko (Director of Strategic Analysis) is the sponsor’s liaison officer and Edward Rees (Internal Consultancy Group) is project manager.

Progress

10. The project is nearing the completion of Stage 2. This stage is examining a better view of how citizen-focused the MPS is in current service delivery, using qualitative and quantitative data in order to highlight opportunities for continuous improvement. Performance against the PPAF statutory performance indicators is also being examined.

11. To date, a number of stakeholders have been consulted across the MPS, including:

• Representatives from the major corporate change programmes:
  • Safer Neighbourhoods and Step Change
  • Operation Emerald (Criminal Justice)
  • C3i
  • Operation Diamond (Modernising Operations)
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • National Intelligence Model
• Representatives from other relevant projects and initiatives
• Representatives from aspects of service delivery across the MPS.

12. The MPA (Tim Rees, Head of Community Engagement Unit), the Home Office and Cabinet Office have also been consulted.

13. A Citizen-Focused Policing Stakeholders’ Forum has been set-up with representatives of a wide range of current and future service delivery and planning. This forum is chaired by DAC Richard Bryan. The MPA is represented by Tim Rees. At its inaugural meeting on 4 October 2004, the forum will discuss the project’s emerging findings presented in an interim report.

14. A series of recommendations will be made in the interim report. The ways for taking these forward will be considered by the Stakeholders’ Forum, working with the MPA as appropriate. Further recommendations are likely to result from the next stages of the project.

Citizen focus champion

15. In line with the Home Office request that all forces have a citizen focus champion, Commander Jim Smith has been identified as the MPS’s champion. His role is currently being scoped.

C. Race and equality impact

Ensuring equality for all is of fundamental importance to this project and to the wider concept of citizen-focused policing. The implications for ensuring equality are being considered throughout this project.

D. Financial implications

The financial implications of recommendations will be identified as part of devising improvement plans for each.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Edward Rees, Internal Consultancy Group

For more information contact:

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

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