Citizen Focused Policing Programme

Report: 10
Date: 16 June 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report updates members on the arrangements that have been put in place to implement citizen focused policing within the MPS.

A. Recommendation

 That

1. the report be noted; and
2. the programme of action outlined in the report be agreed.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The most recent update about citizen focused policing to the Community Engagement Committee was on 3 February 2005. Since then a copy of the MPS implementation plan relating to the Quality of Service Commitment was delivered to the Clerk before the Home Office deadline of 30 April 2005.

What is citizen focused policing?

2. The National Policing Plan 2005-8 sets out a key priority to:

‘Provide a citizen focused police service which responds to the needs of communities and individuals, especially victims and witnesses, and inspires public confidence in the police, particularly among minority ethnic communities’.

3. The Home Office definition of citizen focused policing is:

‘A way of working in which an in-depth understanding of the needs and expectations of individuals and communities is routinely reflected in decision-making, service delivery and practice’.

4. Citizen Focus is, however, not simply Safer Neighbourhoods and enhanced call handling, it is much more. A central theme will be designing the experience for the citizen to meet their needs and wants. The Commissioner placed citizen focused policing at the centre of his inaugural speech and as such it has a major influence on the MPS corporate strategy. There is a substantial expectation from the Home Office that policing focused on the citizen is to be the dominant style of policing for individual Forces.

5. Any such style would be required to deliver on targets too with a long-term outcome of better performance due to enhanced public confidence, police accessibility and enhanced trust. Confusion around what the term means, across the Home Office and in turn the MPS, is due to it not being a new process but rather a combination of a variety of activities over the last few years. This has led to a number of senior managers owning parts of it within the MPS, and therefore, is not necessarily co-joined. In February this year Commander Ian Carter, as part of Police Reform, undertook to scope this work, draw it together as far as possible and bring to the MPS Management Board for discussion.

6. The Home Office has also published ‘overarching principles’ relating to citizen focused policing. These are described as “requiring a commitment to the continuous and systematic application at every level of the organisation.”

• Developing an understanding of citizens and communities, and their needs, expectations and concerns, through engagement at every level, using a range of approaches that are meaningful and appropriate to that community.
• Acting on this to continuously improve the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of service delivery.
• Continuous engagement with individuals and communities over time is needed to build confidence and trust.

7. The practical implications of all this for the MPS are not clear; the underlying intent of the government is clearly for the concept to apply to the delivery of all policing services to all the community. In an organisation of the size and complexity of the MPS there is a need to prioritise those services that can be addressed in the short term and those that will take longer. Not addressing some services is not an option. Nor is failing to deliver on targets.

What have we done so far?

Control Strategy

8. A control strategy for citizen focused policing was developed as part of the National Intelligence Model (NIM) process. That control strategy contains a number of Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) and other measures agreed with the MPA. It will need reviewing once a corporate view of citizen focused policing is agreed and to ensure that the programme of work is achievable, realistic, resourced and costed. The new corporate strategy due for consultation in September 2005 will incorporate the revised control strategy.

Safer Neighbourhoods

9. The Safer Neighbourhoods Project within Territorial Policing (TP) is introducing local based teams on Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs). It is a key delivery means for citizen focused policing for the MPS with growth to meet many of the teams through Step Change. It is recognised by various strategic partners as an excellent way to enhance the police/citizen relationship most notably the Greater London Authority (GLA), MPA and Home Office. Safer Neighbourhoods is currently subject to a separate control strategy.

Quality of Service Commitment (QoSC)

10. An implementation plan relating to the QoSC has been delivered to the MPA in accordance with the requirements of Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). This has been referred to by the former Home Secretary and in the media as the ‘Coppers Charter’ and has been initially designed by the MPS at a very strategic level. This has been done to allow the MPS to create tactics for citizen focused policing once the policing style has been agreed.

11. It is through the QoSC that issues raised through the first Safer London Panel will be addressed (“reducing the time which visitors to police stations have to wait before being attended to, correcting public misapprehensions about incidents that are ‘not worth reporting to the police‘ especially those where discrimination is involved, be more responsive to the policing priorities of local people”).

Community Engagement Strategy

12. This constitutes an important element of the citizen focus programme. A separate report is on the agenda.

Lead/governance

• The Deputy Commissioner leads on this issue and will shortly establish a programme board to direct and co-ordinate the introduction of citizen focused policing. This board will also address the potential overlaps between citizen focused policing and other programmes that may impact on MPS cultural change most notably ‘Together’, MPA Morris Steering Group and the Service Review.
• A Deputy Assistant Commissioner will shortly be appointed to explore the feasibility of bringing together citizen focused policing and the Diversity Directorate and to lead implementation of the control strategy
• Commander Carter leads on scoping and identifying the activity necessary for a corporate approach to citizen focused policing and subsequently has brought together various activities including the MPS strands and the rationalisation of them.
• Commander Smith leads on Safer Neighbourhoods

The way forward

13. Citizen Focused Policing amounts to a major change programme that, potentially, will affect every service delivered to the public. The appointment of a Deputy Assistant Commissioner to lead implementation is the next key step (probably in July or August).

14. Detailed work relating to specific services delivered to the public will be driven by the programme board, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner; but the most important initiatives will be those aimed at changing the culture of the MPS in association with Diversity Directorate and ‘Together’.

C. Race and equality impact

The whole ethos of citizen focused policing is aimed at understanding and meeting the needs of individual citizens and communities and is, accordingly, a means of ensuring that equality and diversity implications are addressed. An impact assessment will be developed in the context of the revised control strategy.

D. Financial implications

The financial implications of the citizen focused policing programme will be assessed as part of the review of the control strategy. The initial staff costs are being found from within existing resources within the Deputy Commissioner’s Command.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: David Wilkinson, DCC2

For more information contact:

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback