Citizen-Focused Policing Programme – update

Report: 12
Date: 3 February 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report updates Members on the progress of the MPS Citizen-Focused Policing Programme.

A. Recommendation

That

1. Members note the report; and
2. Members in future receive regular updates of progress on the Quality of Service Commitment Implementation Plan.

B. Supporting information

Aims

1. The overall aims of the Citizen-Focused Policing Programme (CFPP) are to:

• Improve user satisfaction.
• Improve public confidence. Increase public engagement.

2. Citizen-focused policing is defined by the Home Office as ‘a way of working in which an in-depth understanding of the needs and expectations of individuals and local communities is routinely reflect in decision-making, service delivery and practice.’

The Quality of Service Commitment

3. The key activity since the last written report to Community Engagement Committee, has been the completion of an impact assessment of the draft quality of service commitment. The CFPP Team undertook this at the request of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

4. This impact assessment has identified some areas where either further work is required to fully understand the current situation, or where action is likely to be required in order to enhance our position. Specifically, work is underway in the following areas:

• Keeping victims and witnesses informed.
• Ensuring victims receive a contact name and number.
• Further work to map citizen follow-up on whether we meet the standard ‘respond to you within 10 working days when requested’.
• Exploring processes to ensure we publish updates externally and make information systematically available to the public.
• Ensuring processes and systems are in place use to use information provided by the public to inform the development of future local policy and practice.
• Ensuring feedback mechanisms are in place to inform improvement activity and increase our understanding of how citizens wish to be treated.
• Quality control measures to ensure continued delivery around special measures and Victim Personal Statements.

5. The CFPP Team will engage the MPA in developing the implementation plan and will keep the MPA Community Engagement Committee updated in order that the Committee can monitor progress.

The broader programme of work

6. In addition, the development of a workplan is progressing to manage the broader scope of work within the CFPP. The work is ranged under five strands, which were originally developed by the Home Office:

1. Improving the user experience
2. Neighbourhood policing
3. Improving engagement
4. Public accountability
5. Organisational and cultural change.

7. The workplan draws together newly-identified issues, resulting from the earlier part of the CFPP, and existing work/projects. Leads have been nominated to take ownership of each strand and working groups are being set up to ensure cross-project dialogue and co-ordination. The workplan is being finalised and is currently in a working draft state.

8. The workplan, together with the initial scoping work undertaken last year, has formed the basis of the corporate control strategy, ‘to improve the citizen experience in their contacts with the Police.

Priority projects

9. It is recognised that there are certain pieces of work that need to be addressed as a priority and these are being progressed accordingly. In particular these are:

• Consultation and engagement, particularly within Safer Neighbourhoods processes.
• National Standards for Incident Recording (NSIR) implementation and links with C3i.
• Specialist officers – how to monitor and enhance quality of service delivery.
• Customer care/customer service training needs
• Ensuring effective communications.

C. Equality and diversity implications

1. Ensuring equality for all is of fundamental importance to the CFPP and to the wider concept of citizen-focused policing. A citizen-focused approach recognises the importance of the individual in terms of everyone having different needs, wants and expectations, and therefore requiring a different service.

2. Whilst the MPS needs to be moving towards individualism in service delivery, a segmented approach is helpful in monitoring progress. Before the organisation can accurately consider what changes are needed and/or what input is needed to improve the delivery of services, a thorough understanding of what public expectations are and crucially, what current levels of satisfaction look like is required. Where required, work will be undertaken to address why there are discrepancies in service delivery through qualitative work to contextualise the existing data.

D. Financial implications

The financial implications of recommendations arising from individual actions and projects will be identified as part of the implementation plan.

E. Background papers

• None

F. Contact details

Report author: Edward Rees, Citizen-Focused Policing Programme Manager, Internal Consultancy Group

For more information contact:

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

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