The establishment of Safer Neighbourhoods Panels across London

Report: 9
Date: 7 December 2006
By: Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

1. Neighbourhood Panels form an essential part of the seven stage-policing model that is delivered by Safer Neighbourhoods teams and are now being developed in every neighbourhood in London.
2. The specific function of these panels is to use available community intelligence and analysis in order to identify local priorities for action. In addition, they monitor and review progress to tackle these priorities.
3. Once created, Safer Neighbourhoods teams are required to develop panels in their area. 493 out of 630 teams currently have panels in place. Members of the community lead 283 of these panels.
4. There remain significant challenges to the development of effective neighbourhood panels and research has been commissioned to highlight areas for improvement and to guide future action to improve the performance of these panels.

A. Recommendation

That

1. The Committee notes the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

1. The Role of Safer Neighbourhoods Panels: Neighbourhoods panels do not exist in isolation but act as a key part of a policing model that Safer Neighbourhoods teams (SNTs) are required to adopt. A basic understanding of this model is essential if the role and function of Neighbourhood Panels are to be understood.

2. The Safer Neighbourhoods Seven Stage policing model has been developed following national research within the National Reassurance Policing Programme that aimed to identify the most effective neighbourhood policing process. The stages of this model are as follows:

1. Research the local neighbourhood
2. Engage with the local community
3. Identify public preferences for action
4. Investigate and analyse public preferences
5. Identify Priorities for action
6. Plan and act
7. Review.

3. Officers are first required to research their local community and build a neighbourhood profile. This profile should use all available demographic data coupled with local and community intelligence to identify the many different groups and communities that exist within a particular neighbourhood. These profiles should also provide an insight into key locations, events and trends within the neighbourhood. Using this profile, officers should engage with all sections of their neighbourhood – using whatever and whichever engagement tools are most appropriate. This may involve public meetings but may also involve attendance at local schools or community groups. Officers may also hold street briefings, conduct surveys or, where appropriate, meet individuals with a specific insight into community issues. Safer Neighbourhoods teams are also required to develop Key Individual Networks (KINs). These networks are composed of individuals across the neighbourhood who could be described as “spark plugs” within that community i.e. they have significant insight and are well connected within the local neighbourhood.

4. The aim of this engagement is to identify the crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour issues that cause most concern to people in that neighbourhood. Once these issues have been identified, they should be subject to investigation and analysis in order to identify the substantive underlying problems that exist within the neighbourhood. This analysis should involve an examination of local issues in the context of existing intelligence, crime and incident data. This is the role of Safer Neighbourhoods analyst and researchers. However once the substantive underlying problems have been identified, the priorities for the SNTs must be selected. It is at this stage that the role of the Neighbourhood Panel becomes critical.

5. Neighbourhood Panels should be provided with an insight into both the issues identified through consultation and the results of the subsequent analysis. Their role is then to select the priorities for action on behalf of the local SNT. They should then take on a scrutiny role by monitoring progress of action to deal with the priorities. Once the SNTs have dealt, either alone or in partnership, with the priorities, it is the task of the Neighbourhood Panel to review what has been done and confirm that the priority has been dealt with and that a new priority can be selected.

6. In order to fulfil their role, Panels should be small but representative of their local community. They may also involve representatives from local partnership agencies or other relevant organisations. Panels should meet frequently enough to be able to deliver their functions and it is recommended that they meet every 4- 6 weeks.

7. Guidelines and Terms of Reference: There are Central SNT guidelines and standard Terms of Reference for teams to refer to when setting up Safer Neighbourhood Panels. The PC’s, PCSO’s, Sgt’s and Inspectors receive formal training during their Safer Neighbourhoods Training course. The guidelines are issued to those attending as handouts for future reference. A suggested Panel constitution has been distributed and is available for reference on the recently created CDROM – Guide to Delivering Safer Neighbourhoods. Guidance documents are provided on the Safer Neighbourhoods Intranet Portal for download and reference. See Appendix 1.

8. Support and Training for Panel Members: there is currently no formalised Central training provided for panellists. Some BOCU’s have provided bespoke training for Panel Chairs (Bromley) Team sergeants are able to explain to prospective panellists what is involved and the terms of reference for neighbourhood panels as a result of the training provided to them.

9. Neighbourhood Panels – the current situation: work to develop neighbourhood panels began, for the majority of SNTs, in April 2006. As of the date of this report:

1. There are 630 Safer Neighbourhoods Teams with 493 Safer Neighbourhood Panels in existence.
2. 283 members of the community have been elected as a Panel Chair
3. There are a total of 210 Panels that are chaired by a police officer.

10. Some areas in London have experienced difficulty in attracting panelists and in ensuring that panels are able to adequately reflect the communities they serve. In some areas there have been difficulties in transforming existing residential and community groups into panels that genuinely reflect the geographic and demographic makeup of the neighbourhood. See Appendix 2.

11. Ward Councillors have been encouraged to attend Safer Neighbourhood Panels. In line with current guidance, SNTs are advised that Councillors should take a part in the meeting but should not have voting rights nor should they become the Chair. However, it should be stressed that this is currently guidance to teams and is not a strict prohibition. In some areas, Councillors are active panel members and, in one instance, a councillor has become a panel chair. In general terms, however, the guidance has not created difficulties with local Councillors who have shown a general willingness to participate in the meetings within the guidelines. Councillors are able to feed back to the panels any issues that may have been raised locally and conversely feed back to service providers any issues raised.

12. There have been a small number of people excluded from panels across London by the panel members, within their constitutions. These exclusions have been the result of inappropriate remarks or behaviour within the meetings.

13. Police attend each panel meeting and engage directly with panel members. Panels have their own internal networks and communication takes place within it as necessary. Panel activity is reported through the local press where the set priorities are reported. Newsletters are prepared and distributed amongst the wards with details of the priorities that have been set by the panels. Local CDRP’s report on the activity of panels and Safer Neighbourhoods activity within Borough wide Local Authority brochures. Some Boroughs publish details of meetings of ward panels on their Internet site. A team in Havering has recently started a ‘virtual’ ward panel, which communicates through the Internet. Boroughs that have a warden scheme use the street wardens to explain to people they come into contact with of the existence of ward panels and the decisions that ward panels make. There is scope for contact to be made with panelists at short notice by telephone or email as and when needed, as well as the ability for panel members to contact their local teams.

14. To support the communication between SNTs and the community, each BCU has been allocated a media budget based upon the number of wards that they have. A new set of comprehensive guidelines has been issued for the production and distribution of team newsletters. This has been publicised widely to teams and Borough Press Liaison Officers (BPLOs) via email and the intranet. To complement this, the Directorate of Public Affairs (DPA) will soon be running design workshops for BPLOs in order to enhance communications materials such as newsletters. Several online toolkits providing templates for publicity materials that assist in corporate and consistent dissemination of information are now available. In addition, the SN media and communications strategy has been updated recently and provides updated corporate messaging and channels of communication which should be incorporated into any local communication.

15. BCUs and SNTs have also been provided with guidance, recently reviewed, which sets out best practice for information dissemination and preparation of newsletters.

16. Fifteen Boroughs have linked their Safer Neighbourhoods panels to a Borough level (either to CPCGs or direct to CDRPs). Eight of the Boroughs have also linked to intermediate (sector / area) levels.

17. Several Boroughs have formed Youth Panels. These forums have been formed to enable the young people to have a voice in Safer Neighbourhoods. Traditionally it has been difficult to involve young people within adult ward panels. Bromley Borough has started a business SN panel as they have a large business community within their town centre. This is in addition to the ward panel that is in existence for that Safer Neighbourhoods area. It is important that the youth panels and other specialist panels are linked together to ensure information sharing and sharing of ideas takes place. Where possible the panels will each have representation on the other panel to update the meeting on the others progress.

18. Performance Management: the establishment of the Safer Neighbourhoods Performance Management framework has highlighted the importance of having effective and fully functioning neighbourhood panels. The SN outcome measures are:

1. Increasing satisfaction with local policing
2. Increasing confidence that police are identifying the issues that are priorities for local people
3. Increasing confidence that police are dealing with issues that are priorities for local people
4. Reducing concern about Anti-social behaviour
5. Increasing perceptions of safety in a local area by day and by night.

19. Performance against these outcomes is judged using survey questions within the MPS Public Attitude Survey (PAS), which takes place on a quarterly basis. Without an effective neighbourhood panel, SNTs will have difficulty in delivering improved performance in these primary outcome areas. In addition to the validated PAS data, SNTs are also asked to conduct, on a bi-annual basis, a survey of their key individual network. Whilst using a very small set of individuals, this survey uses the same questions that are used within PAS and enables teams to have a rough indication as to their current performance and as to the effectiveness with which they are identifying and tackling local issues – performance areas that directly reflect upon the quality of the neighbourhood panel.

20. Advisory Visits: in addition to quantitative performance management, advisory visits by the MPS Central SN team focus on the quality and functionality of BCU panels. Visits to date have highlighted that this remains a challenging area for SNTs. Panels are at different stages in development and experience suggests that it takes significant time to develop effective panels. There is a variable understanding of the purpose and function of panels amongst SN officers themselves and this is reflected in differing expectations amongst panel chairs and panel members.

21. Advisory visits have also highlighted the importance of integrating the priority setting and management functions of neighbourhood panels within broader tasking & co-ordination functions at both tactical and strategic level. This suggests that work to develop borough based structures to co-ordinate and support work by Panels will become increasingly important.

22. Future Developments: in recognition of the challenges posed by ward panels and the need to learn quickly and build on early experiences, the SN Programme Board has commissioned research from the MPS Strategy Modernisation and Performance Directorate. This research will identify areas for improvement and best practice and will drive action within the Safer Neighbourhoods Organisational Control Strategy (January – March 2007).

C. Race and equality impact

Effective neighbourhood panels are critical features of the work of SN to engage all sections of the community in a positive way in order to identify and tackle issues of concern. They also provide the potential to act as building blocks to identify strategic issues at both BCU and MPS levels. As such, work to develop and improve the operation of these panels will significantly assist in ensuring that the MPS is a service that both understands and addresses the needs of the communities of London.

D. Financial implications

Current activity is undertaken as part of mainstream business and has no additional resource requirements. Additional work generated by ongoing research will be dealt with within existing budgets or, if necessary, will be supported by separate resource bids.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Ch Supt Stephen Bloomfield, MPS.

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Neighbourhood Panel data by borough

(11 October 2006)

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