Priorities and 2005-06 work plan of Community Engagement Committee

Report: 11
Date: 1 September 2005
By: the Chief Executive and Clerk

Summary

This report proposes key strategic priorities and work plan objectives for the Community Engagement Committee for 2005-06.

A. Recommendation

That Members agree the key objectives and proposed priority areas and work plan of the Community Engagement Committee.

B. Supporting information

1. The statutory obligations of the MPA to engage with Londoners are contained within a number of pieces of recent legislation, most particularly, Section 96 of the GLA Act (1999). Section 96 requires that the MPA must make arrangements after consulting the Commissioner, to obtain their views of the public about policing and to secure their cooperation with the police in preventing crime.

2. 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 annual work plan.

3. In order to achieve its overall mission the MPA has adopted a corporate strategy with five strategic goals, one of which is “to transform community engagement to help Londoners secure more responsive policing at a local level”. It is proposed, that in its work plan the Community Engagement Committee take the lead role in overseeing the implementation of this strategic priority.

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

4. This strategic 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.

5. 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.

6. The proposed work programme of the Committee under this objective aims to incorporate the following principles and considerations by:

• Developing the MPA Community Engagement Strategy jointly with the MPS, that will provide a more detailed implementation process including the organisational arrangements and programme areas by which the MPS will deliver the strategy.
• Implementing the MPA’s strategic priority by increasing both the capacity and quality of community engagement at the local level as well strengthening partnership working.
• 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 and conforms to the MPA Race Equality Scheme.
• 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.
• Supporting the development of innovative models and structures of community police engagement.
• Enabling effective internal and external monitoring of MPA/MPS community engagement activity.

7. In carrying out these scrutiny and governance responsibilities the committee will wish to receive regular reviews and reports of the findings of community engagement including results from the MPAs Safer London Panel, from the MPS Public Attitude Survey, the Safer Neighbourhoods initiatives, etc. In addition, it is also essential that the Committee be able to hear directly from Londoners themselves, and not just consider reports from the Commissioner or Clerk. It is therefore proposed that a regular feature of the Committees’ meetings, through the suspension of committee Standing Orders, is to engage with different sectors and organisations. The 1 September 2005 Committee meeting for example has invited representatives from some Community Police Consultative Groups to present some of the initiatives undertaken in response to the terrorist attacks of 7 July 2005, and secondly to present some examples of the new structural arrangements to strengthen local partnerships with Safer Neighbourhood Panels and the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

8. In strengthening the MPAs relationship with local community engagement groups, the Committee will wish to work with CPCGs and others in recognising and supporting their voluntary efforts through the provision of training, technical assistance, capacity building and the promotion and dissemination of best practice. In fulfilling its scrutiny role, the Committee will be concerned with not only ensuring a police service willing and able to involve and be influenced by the viewpoints of Londoners, but equally importantly with the provision of support to community members willing and able to engage with the police.

9. The Committee will wish to receive reports on the evolving partnership with CPCGs including the review and funding process for 2006 – 07.

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

10. 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 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. Last year the Committee worked with Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD) in developing a background paper and one-day conference. Similar approaches will be explored with other major communities and interests in London to identify their policing priorities.

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

11. 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, the findings of the Public Attitude Surveys, and increasingly as the Safer Neighbourhood initiative rolls out, the feedback from the Safer Neighbourhood teams.

12. 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: Oversee the management of the ICVPs

13. The MPA has a statutory responsibility for custody visiting, as described in Section 57 of the Police Reform Act 2002. As such the Committee will wish to receive regular reports not only of the present programme of reform but also of emerging issues and concerns that have been identified by the Independent Custody Visitors. Actions will include:

• Receive as regular agenda item, update reports on the administration and management of the Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) Scheme
• Hold second annual conference for all London ICVPs (timeframe: February 2006)

14. In summary, the work plan of the Committee provides a sense of direction and the development of a systematic framework for embedding community engagement in the practice of policing in London. The Committees’ work plan objectives to:

• Transform community engagement to help Londoners secure more responsive policing at a local level.
• Enlarge the MPAs community engagement profile at a Pan London level.
• Ensure that the viewpoints of Londoner’s inform the whole of the MPAs decision-making and planning process, and to
• Oversee the management of the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme.

are all directed to this aim. Whilst providing an overview of planned objectives, the work plan is flexible enough to allow the Committee to respond to changing circumstances and events.

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 direct financial implications to this report.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Tim Rees, MPA.

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 Committee.

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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