Priorities and work plan of Community Engagement Committee

Report: 15
Date: 14 October 2004
By: Clerk

Summary

This report proposes key strategic priorities and workplan objectives for the Community Engagement Committee for 2004-06.

A. Recommendation

That

1. the proposed considerations and approach of the Authority to community engagement to be endorsed, and
2. members agree proposed priority areas and workplan of the Community Engagement Committee.

B. Supporting information

1. At its meeting of 26 July 2004, the Community Engagement Committee adopted its Terms of Reference, as per Appendix 1, and requested that further detail be provided in the development of the Committee’s workplan.

Objective: Transform community engagement to help Londoners secure more responsive policing at a local level.

2. The proposed work programme aims to incorporate the following principles and considerations by:

• Implementing the MPA’s strategic priority of transforming local community arrangements to increase both the capacity and quality of community engagement.
• Ensuring that the impact of community engagement is responsive to the diversity of local policing needs at the borough level.
• Ensuring that MPA/MPS community engagement activities are inclusive of all sectors of London’s populations
• Ensuring that community engagement activities are compliant with existing and impending legislation and fulfil existing best value and other recommendations aimed at improvement and increased effectiveness in community engagement by the MPA/MPS
• Recognising the imminent release of the Government White Paper on police reform and the framework of a citizen-focused approach to policing
• Enabling effective internal and external monitoring of MPA/MPS community engagement activity

3. A joint MPA/MPS consultation strategy has been in draft from since 2002. It is timely to substantially revise and update this draft in the light of current strategic priorities. The key actions for the Committee will therefore be:

• Review and adoption of the MPA Community Engagement Strategy (timeline: December 2004).
• Review of ‘ownership’ options for responsibilities for the governance, scrutiny, provision and delivery of local community engagement by the MPA and MPS (timeline: February 2005)
• Monitor and scrutinise MPS performance pertaining to the Community Engagement indicators in PPAF and further development of those indicators (timeline: ongoing)
• Establish effective structural mechanisms to obtain regular reviews of the findings of community engagement at the local level including results from the Public Attitude Survey, the Safer Neighbourhoods initiative etc (timeline: ongoing)
• Support and promote a robust range of best practice models of community engagement (timetable: ongoing).

4. These actions reinforce the overriding theme emerging from consultation with Londoners over recent years that effective policing can only be achieved when it is founded upon and responsive to the diversity of local needs at the borough level. To attain this goal the Committee will wish to ensure that the array of local arrangement are clearly linked and strengthened to increase both the capacity and quality of community engagement.

5. This direction reinforces the changes that are already underway through such major initiatives as the Safer Neighbourhoods programme, the introduction of Police Community Support Officers, the Reassurance strategy etc. It also supports the Home Office objective of enabling local communities to have much more involvement in local policing decisions within the overall strategic context of citizen focused policing and civil renewal.

6. In devolving greater community engagement responsibilities to the local and BCU level, the Community Engagement Committee will be concerned to ensure that these activities are influencing and having a measurable impact on local policing policies, programmes and priorities. The Community Engagement Committee will seek to develop appropriate standards for police community partnership and engagement arrangements, and thereby increase its capacity for properly scrutinising using these standards.

Objective: Enlarge the MPA’s community engagement profile at a pan London level.

7. Historically the MPA’s consultation efforts have largely been expended at the local level through the support of Community Police Consultative Groups. It has been weak in obtaining a pan-London perspective in gathering Londoners views on overall strategic policing issues. The Committee will wish to address this by enlarging and strengthening its pan London initiatives. Key actions for the Committee will therefore include:

• Ensuring that the newly established 3,000 member Safer London Panel is fully operational, is effectively used, and its collective viewpoint is widely disseminated and promoted.
• Developing, maintaining and strengthening partnership work with appropriate institutions such as the Home Office, the GLA, ALG, GOL, APA, etc
• Building partnerships with community based organisations to undertake community engagement with specific target groups. The Committee is already working with Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD) in developing a background paper and one-day conference held on 7 October to identify the policing priorities for disabled people in London. The results of this process will be presented to the Committee to drive forward the disabled peoples policing agenda (timeframe: December 2004).
• Similar approaches will be explored with other major communities and interests in London. For example, the Committee will wish to develop a policing agenda with the LGBT communities that can build on the MPA’s involvement in the annual Pride event (timeframe: Spring 2005).
• The Committee will also wish to strengthen its engagement with the faith communities in London particularly with respect to policing practice that negatively impact those of certain faiths (timeframe: Spring 2005).
• The Committee will wish to initiate consultation with Women’s networks to establish a policing agenda, particularly around issues of domestic violence and rape (timeframe: Spring 2005).
• In partnership with the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board, the Committee will also wish to strengthen its engagement with the Black, minority and ethnic communities, particularly with respect to the monitoring of stop and search practice.

Objective: Ensuring that the viewpoints of Londoner’s inform the whole of the MPA’s decision-making and planning process

8. The Committee will continue to oversee the consultation processes with Londoners that help to inform the priorities of the annual policing plan process. This includes input from Community Police Consultative Groups, analysis of surveys undertaken by the GLA, ALG and other relevant recent studies and research as they pertain to policing issues, the results of the Safer London Panel, as well as the results of consultation with equality groups. In addition, in partnership with the MPS, it will include incorporating the results of the on-line consultation, youth consultation, the findings of the Public Attitude Surveys, and increasingly as the Safer Neighbourhood initiative rolls out, the feedback from the Safer Neighbourhood teams.

9. In addition, the Committee will ensure the resources and structural arrangements are in place to provide more in-depth and ongoing analysis of the viewpoints of Londoners and that these are fed into the relevant MPA/S decision-making processes on a regular basis.

Objective: Strengthen partnership work of CPCGs

10. The Committee will oversee the completion of the 2004/05 funding process for CPCGs and review and refine the process for 2005/06.

11. The Committee will wish to receive regular reports on the evolving partnership with CPCGs as well as provide the CPCG through its London Chairs Forum, the opportunity too bring forward concerns and issues on a regular basis.

Objective: Oversee the management of the CPCGs

12. The MPA has a statutory responsibility for custody visiting, and as such the Committee will wish to receive regular reports not only of the present review of the programme and the implementation of recommendations but also of emerging issues and concerns that have been identified by the Independent Custody Visitors. Actions will include:

• Receive outcome of review and adopt recommendations for the future administration and management of the Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) Scheme (timeframe: December 2004).
• Hold conference for all London ICVPs to review recommendations (timeframe: February 2005)

Objective: Ensure adequate resources are in place to support the work of the Committee.

13. The MPA Secretariat has been restructured to reflect the MPA Committee structure. A head of the newly established Community Engagement Unit was appointed in June 2004, and Committee members are participating in the selection and appointment of permanent staff to the Unit (timeframe: October/November 2004).

14. In summary, the proposed work priorities for the Community Engagement Committee are:

• To adopt and publish a comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy for implementation by December 2004.
• To increase the visibility of the MPA by establishing an MPA public education and awareness strategy.
• To establish organisational procedures that ensure the viewpoints of Londoners inform the whole of the MPA decision – making and planning process including the annual policing plan.
• To assume the MPA’s governance responsibilities with respect to scrutinising the community engagement performance of the MPS and to hold the MPS to account for continued improvement.
• To establish standards and quality assurance by processes at the local, borough and pan-London levels that strengthen the level of Londoners involvement and influence over policing.
• To assume the MPA’s oversight responsibilities by monitoring the community engagement performance of the MPA and MPS.

The Committee’s relationship with Londoners

15. The MPA has instituted a ‘Link Member’ role for MPA members with particular boroughs. It has also instituted the ‘Lead Member’ role for particular programme areas such as CPCGs and ICVPs. In addition, Committee members have taken key roles in various community engagement programme initiatives and activities. To provide further representation and input into it decision-making process the Community Engagement Committee has also co-opted non-voting community members to its meetings.

16. The challenge of ensuring that all sectors of the community can participate in the Committee’s meeting is an impossible objective. It is recommended that the Committee not seek co-opted members at this point. Instead, it is proposed that every Committee meeting comprise at least one presentation from a key community and stakeholder group, including, at least bi-annually, a submission from both the ICVPs and CPCGs, as part of the regular schedule of meetings. It is important that the Committee and its meetings be accessible to all sectors of the population. It is also essential that the Community Engagement Committee, of all MPA Committees be able to hear from Londoners, and not just consider reports from the Commissioner or Clerk. Flowing out of the Committee's workplan, it may be appropriate for the Committee to consider meetings that can only be scheduled outside the formal Committee meeting cycle in order to engage with different sectors and organisations.

C. Race and equality impact

Both the content and process proposed for implementing the Community Engagement Committees work reflects the realities of London’s diversity and more purposively ensures that this work is more inclusive and representative of all sectors of London population.

D. Financial implications

There are no additional direct financial implications to this report.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Tim Rees

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1: Community Engagement Committee - terms of reference

1. To develop a community engagement strategy and policies for the MPA and to promote and monitor the development of effective arrangements for MPS to engage with local communities in the delivery of local policing services and in building safer neighbourhoods.
2. To lead on all matters relating to the Authority’s communications and public relations strategies and systems.
3. To advise the Authority on ways of raising the profile of the MPA and making the community and partner organisations aware of its role and work.
4. To consider all matter relating to MPA and MPS consultation strategies and processes, in consultation with other committees as appropriate.
5. To ensure that where consultation is carried out it engages with, and reflects the views of, London’s diverse communities.
6. To review the results of consultation undertaken to inform the policing plan before consideration by the Planning Panel.
7. To ensure that best value is achieved form the various consultation initiatives.
8. To consider all matters relating to Community Police Consultative Groups and Independent Custody Visiting Panel, including approval of their annual funding.
9. To have due regard, in exercising the Committee’s responsibilities, to equal opportunities generally, the generally, the general duty of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, and the requirement of any other equalities legislation.

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