MPS secondments policy for police officers and police staff

Report: 4
Date: 19 April 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report outlines the proposed new procedure to enable the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to meet its obligations under Section 97 Police Act 1996 (approval for staff to be seconded to duties overseas).

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members note the report and the secondment policy; and
2. Approve the new secondments process as set out in the report.

B. Supporting information

Authorities

1. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) secondments policy set out in Special Notice 15/02; attached at Appendix 1; is the template for managing all secondment requests.

2. Before proceeding with any secondment overseas, it is obligatory to have the authority of the relevant Secretary of State (SoS) - usually the Home Secretary.

3. This is necessary at the outset as the issue may be one of a corporate nature. The first point of contact can then be initiated through the Assistant Commissioner Human Resources (HR) or Director of Human Resources (HR), particularly, if the secondment is of a sensitive nature.

4. The majority of secondment requests are initiated through the Secondments Unit, and are then are submitted for approval to proceed to either the Assistant Commissioner HR or Director HR. However, the majority of overseas secondment requests will have already received approval by a Secretary of State.

Role of Metropolitan Police Authority in secondment process 5. The MPA is required to authorise each individual secondment request.

6. The MPA would not, however, be involved in the selection of individuals to be posted to a specific secondment. Once the authority of the MPA has been granted, the MPS HR Secondment Unit (HRSU) will manage the selection process.

7. The MPA will be advised whenever requests for any extensions or variations to the original secondment request are made. In addition to this, the MPA will be informed of all secondments completed and outcomes thereof, including any good practice and ‘lessons learnt’ issues.
8. At this stage it is advised that the HRSU will need to check the continuing authority of the Secretary of State.

Role of MPS HR Secondment Unit

9. Appendices 2, 3 and 4 detail the role, structure and costs of the HR Secondment Unit.

Proposed process

10. It is suggested that at the initial request stage an ‘Action Log’ would be initiated, which could be recorded on the ‘CORIN’ correspondence database.

11. Ideally this ‘Action Log’ would be an electronic document, transmitted on the Intranet, with hard copies taken where required. In order to satisfy the requirements of stakeholders, electronic signatures could be incorporated into the document.

12. The action log would be used to fully document each stage of the secondments process, recording who has granted authorities, dates and destinations.

13. The log would also incorporate a sequential checklist of tasks that are due to be completed during the secondments process, and by whom.

14. Once the authority of the Secretary of State has been confirmed for overseas secondments, consent for the proposed secondment will be obtained from the MPA, via an appointed Liaison Officer within the HRSU.

15. In selecting officers of the right calibre for assignments such as those described, selection at short notice may present some difficulties. It is therefore intended that a corps of reserve officers should be established in order to readily identify those with appropriate skills and who are able to meet the relevant criteria. Such details will be recorded on MetHR.

16. It is also necessary to address issues such as immunisation and the cost of obtaining medical treatment. Some secondments may expose officers to unpleasant and traumatic situations in hostile social, physical, political and economic environments. Such individuals may have undergone psychological and skills profiling, and would keep their immunisation records current. They may also require additional security vetting.

17. The HRSU would be the appropriate unit to maintain details of the corps on MetHR and liase with key administrators to ensure individual compliance with these requirements is monitored.

Outline of requirements

18. The MPA will need to stipulate what is required from the MPS in a generic outline of requirements, which would be made available for reference and guidance to both parties.

19. As detailed above, information required by the MPA could be made available in the Action Log. This would help to ensure stakeholders are complying not only with Section 97 Police Act 1996, but also other legislation dealing with issues such as Health and Safety Risk Assessments, catering for additional circumstances that may be unique to a particular assignment.

20. It will be necessary to assign a small team to prepare the Action Log and ensure its comprehensive completion as appropriate, in order to meet the needs of all users.

21. Once the outline of requirements has been prepared the designated officer would ascertain whether a meeting is required to be convened between the relevant stakeholders, and co-ordinate as appropriate.

22. In all situations the designated officer would convey the relevant documents to the MPA, and ensure their return upon any decision made by the MPA.

23. The designated officer would then communicate the decision of the MPA to other stakeholders.

24. From this stage onwards, the HR Secondment Unit and the designated officer would be responsible for the safekeeping and security of the action log and any specific requirements of the MPA, relevant to the secondment.

25. For security purposes all documentation, where practicable, will be stored in HRSU’s safe and finally placed into secure archiving.

26. The HRSU would administer overseas secondments in compliance with MPS Policy and Procedures – as outlined in Special Notice 15/02.

• It is important to note that Section 97 of the Police Act, 1996 only relates to police officers and not police staff. Secondments for the latter are documented in Appendix 1.
• Special Notice 15/02 outlines MPS Policy on conventional secondments. If agreed all policies relating to both Police Staff and Police Officers, as well as secondments in the UK and abroad, will be compounded into one policy document and made accessible via the Intranet.
• In preparing this report reference has been made to Sections 26 and 97 of the Police Act 1996. Legal advice has been sought from the MPS Legal Services Department to ensure professional lawyers have considered all relevant issues.
• A working group is in progress, reporting on the health and safety risk assessment of overseas secondments. The Operations Manager of the Secondment Unit is a member of this working group.

27. At present a total of 474 police officers and police staff are currently on secondment, being 16 members of police staff and 458 police officers. Of these, 34 police officers and 1 member of police staff are currently seconded abroad.

28. It is important to note that of the total 474 secondees, a large majority of those are seconded to both the National Crime Squad (NCS), total of 228, and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), total of 34. A full breakdown of current secondment statistics is provided at Appendix 5.

28. As both NCS and NCIS have now received full employment status as organisations, and are subsequently able to recruit their own employees, the HRSU are currently awaiting further information with regards to the results of their recently undertaken direct recruitment programme. The results of this programme are due to be received towards the end of April 2004.

29. Upon receipt of the said results, the HRSU will be in the position to implement plans to facilitate the return of seconded officers back to the MPS. It should be noted however, that it is still anticipated that a number of officers will be required to remain seconded to both NCS and NCIS. Regrettably, until the exercise of both NCS and NCIS direct recruitment programme is completed, their specific requirements will be unknown.

30. The MPS Secondment policy document states that the maximum number of police officers that can be seconded at any one time cannot exceed 2% of police strength.

C. Race and equality impact

1. It is important for the MPS to ensure that access to secondments and specialist postings is open to the full diversity of staff employed within the Service. The HRSU is careful to ensure that, although the job roles and specifications of the skills, knowledge and experience required are set by the outside or host organisation, the secondments process is as open and transparent as possible. The HRSU checks all job advertisements received from outside organisations to ensure they do not preclude under-represented groups from applying. All posts are advertised through Personnel Notices, and all officers or members of staff who feel they fulfil the criteria are able to apply.

2. The nature of secondments is such that specialist skills are required. For secondments outside the UK, for example, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office stipulates that officers should have a minimum of eight years’ experience in a specialist role. For postings within the UK a more usual requirement is five years. Those officers with experience in a specialist unit, or in a specialist role within a Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU), are more likely to meet the requirements of secondment posts than other officers. It is therefore to be expected that recent years’ achievements in boosting the numbers of minority ethnic and female police recruits will not yet be fully reflected in the number of officers on secondment.

3. Table 4 in Appendix 5 compares the gender and ethnicity profile of officers currently on secondments with that of the service as a whole, and the profile of those officers with sufficient length of service to be eligible for specialist secondments. The number of police staff on secondment is too small to enable any disproportionality analysis sensibly to be undertaken.

4. For police officers, it can be seen that 3% of officers on secondment are from visible ethnic minority groups, whereas VEMs account for just over 6% of total police strength and 4% of those officers with 5 or more years’ service. In accordance with the CRE “four fifths rule”, this is not an especially significant level of disproportionality when the differing length of service profile of white and VEM police officers is taken into account. It is interesting to note that the proportion of VEMs on overseas secondments is twice as high as the proportion on secondments within the UK. This may reflect the value of individuals’ language abilities and cultural knowledge.

5. It can also be seen that 15% of female officers satisfy the 5 or more years’ service criteria for a secondment, with 11% being seconded within the UK and 27% being seconded overseas. It is interesting to note that the number of female officers on secondment overseas is greater than the number of those seconded within the UK. Female officers make up 12% of all MPS officers on secondment.

D. Financial implications

1. The Human Resources Directorate is responsible for drawing up the contract between the MPS and the secondee agency. The secondment costs are recovered through Finance Services, who need to be informed by Human Resources of the officer’s name, start and finish dates as well as the elements to be reclaimed. The costs that can be recovered include pay (including overtime, special priority payments and competency payments), ERNIC, allowances, administration fee, transport costs and any specialist equipment required for the secondment. Where it is applicable with the secondee agency, the MPS will also recover the employer’s notional pension costs.

2. Discussions between the MPA Treasurer and NCS/NCIS were held in December 2002 to discuss the issues of the recovery of overheads. The Treasurer reported to Finance Committee in January 2003 that he had been unable to get an agreement for the recovery of overheads and Members agreed to no further action.

3. It is important to note that for the majority of secondment posts, the costs are fully recovered, however there are few specific exceptions. For example, 4 police officers are currently seconded to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC), due to a long standing agreement between the MPS and HMIC.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Chief Inspector William Doig, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 2

Role of HR Secondment Unit

All secondments are authorised by Assistant Commissioner Human Resources (ACHR). The HR Secondment Unit (HRSU) performs this role on behalf of the ACHR. All secondment requests are judged on their individual merits, however, all requests are evaluated in the context of the current MPS position by HR Secondment Unit on behalf of ACHR against the relevance of the secondment in relation to the MPS Mission, Vision and Values statement, the evaluation and benefits to the MPS from the secondment, the fulfilment of a national or international obligation, and the existing level of secondments from the MPS.

HRSU are responsible for informing candidates and their personnel units of the results of selection processes. Transfer dates are agreed, through the Workforce Deployment Unit (WDU), between all parties.

HR Secondment Unit is the link between host organisations and the MPS; therefore all matters referring to the requested secondment(s) or the selected officer(s) will be processed in the HR Secondment Unit.

HRSU are responsible for providing personnel support services to all authorised secondees in partnership with the host organisation, where those have a professional comprehensive personnel unit to support them.

HRSU provide all officers with personnel support whilst on secondment, this includes managing all promotion opportunities, processing temporary promotions, maternity leave, special leave and career breaks, retirements, transfers to other forces and resignations.

The MPS Attendance Management Policy applies to all staff whilst on secondment. Provisions within the Police Act, allow the Director General of NCS/NCIS to make the decision on extending pay for those officers who are subject to Regulation 46. HRSU liaise with NCS/NCIS in regards to officers who have a major injury or accident.

A KIT Scheme is operated by HRSU for all officers on secondment in order that they can keep up to date with MPS changes and information. Secondees will automatically be entered onto the KITS programme on starting their secondment. A recent change in policy has reduced the weekly mailing to individual officers, supplanted with mailings to units and branches.

Seminars are also arranged, twice a year at the NSY Briefing Room. These are a focal point for discussion and are well received, particularly as we manage to get some excellent speakers. Again, this is a large logistical exercise, recently assisted by the use of technology.

All officers have their return from secondment managed and monitored by the secondment unit, officers are contacted six months prior to their return regarding their posting preferences. All police transfer forms are submitted to and processed by the Workforce Deployment Unit. HRSU are responsible for informing the officers, host personnel units and MPS personnel units of all transfer dates and the transfer of officer details via the MET wide personnel database.

Appendix 4

Secondment Unit: staff costs

The annual cost for police officers including allowances is £106,493.78

The annual cost for the Secondment Unit police staff, including all associated costs (london allowance and enric) is £105,030.95

The details of the staff included in this unit are:

Unit total = £211,524.73

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