Project Herald

Report: 9
Date: 5 June 2008
By: Assistant Commissioner, Territorial Policing (TP) on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

Project Herald proposes the introduction of a new custody staffing model that aims to deliver a more efficient, safer custody environment. This report focuses on the provision of additional designated detention officers (DDOs) performing an enhanced role as data inputters.

A. Recommendations

That the MPA supports the provision of Dedicated Detention Officers (DDOs) within custody suites and agrees the proposed financial arrangements.

B. Supporting information

1. In May 2004, the Service Improvement Review into Custody Capacity (SIRCC) formally acknowledged and highlighted the increasing difficulties being encountered within the MPS through lack of cell availability and delays occurring within the current custody process. These inefficiencies have a contributory affect on throughput times for detainees and therefore a potential negative impact on safety. Project Herald aims to address some of these issues through three strands:

1. The enhancement of current DDOs duties to include an inputting role;
2. Multi-disciplinary clinical team, incorporating a Forensic Medical Examiners (FME) and nurses as healthcare professionals within main custody suite of each Borough Command Unit (BCU);
3. The introduction of 24 hour Forensic Practitioner advice (still under development and review).

2. Following MPA approval to proceed with the proposed new arrangements for the custody forensic medical provision at the Co-ordination of Policing Meeting on 7 February 2008, this report will solely deal with the provision of the enhanced DDO inputter role.

3. The use of DDOs will greatly reduce the administrative tasks that are currently undertaken by the custody sergeant. It is also envisaged they will reduce the time taken to process detainees by implementing a more appropriate staffing model.

4. DDOs are already employed in custody suites across 21 MPS designated Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) Boroughs and they have an extremely good working knowledge of the processes involved. The Home Office (HO) currently funds these posts although future funding cannot be guaranteed. TP have incorporated this funding into the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) to cover a shortfall should the HO funds cease.

5. Project Herald aims to enhance the current role of the DDO by introducing the inputter function. This new aspect to the role will involve legislation training to the standard of a custody sergeant and further information technology training giving the DDO full access to the new MPS custody computer system (NSPIS).

6. The drivers for change in relation to the provision of DDO Inputters are threefold.

7. First, the present system restricts the capacity of the custody sergeant to effectively and efficiently manage the custody suite. A substantial amount of their time is committed to the completion of administrative tasks involved with the initial booking in process such as logging and inputting personal details or items of property. This is an element of the custody sergeants’ function, which could be performed by adequately and suitably trained police support staff. The custody sergeant would then be better enabled to robustly supervise the management of detainees and the overall custody environment.

8. Second, two individuals dealing with the same detainee provides two opportunities to identify risks and ensure appropriate risk control measures are adopted, leading to a safer custody environment for detainees; the custody sergeant, by law, is still in overall responsibility.

9. Third, custody sergeants are now frequently distracted by staff requesting advice and by other visitors wishing to discuss custody related issues; this will not be the case for DDO inputters which will ultimately allow the detainee to be processed more speedily. This in turn will increase throughput and therefore decrease delays created waiting for the custody sergeant to become available. Early indications from the pilot site are that throughput has increased by 3%, approximately 15000 additional prisoners per year extra could be dealt with and this represents 2 years of growth at current rates. The average detention of detainees has been reduced from approximately 10 hours to 9.5 hours representing a 5% reduction.

10. The DDO inputter role has been piloted at Forest Gate Police Station for one year in April 2008. Those DDOs taking place in this trial have recently participated in a staff satisfaction survey. The response has been extremely supportive of this change to their role.

11. The key benefits and risks/challenges of this new approach are set out below:

Benefits include:

• Improved processing times
• Increasing cell availability due to timely processing of detainees
• Improving supervision of the Criminal Justice process at the early stages leading to greater data quality
• Meeting strategic objectives and demonstrating best value by making better use of resources

Key risks and challenges

• Resistance to change from existing staff – Managed through clear change process map / flowcharts created which outline individual roles / responsibilities. This will be continually managed through end-user involvement in the planning process, e.g. on-going Project Board, User Group, ‘floor walking’ of rollout, Special Interest Group (SIG) on the intranet, Frequently Asked Questions web page and Information Days.
• Training availability – Managed through early planning and provisional allocation of training courses agreed with respective Heads of Unit.
• Restricted space for staff and equipment within parts of our existing custody suites may be unsuitable for the full implementation of the Herald model before delivery of Borough Based Custody Centres (BBCC) – This has been assessed and funds have been included for any required custody refit / refurbishments within the financial bid which has been through MPS Investment Board and is included as part of the financial arrangements in this report.
• Guaranteed funding required to sustain the four-year rollout – Managed through appropriate financial framework included within the Medium Term Financial Plan and reported within the Financial Implications section of this report. It is proposed that a rollout schedule will be determined by a number of factors such as throughput demand, closeness to Borough Based Custody Centre implementation and dedicated DIP Boroughs. The recruitment campaign aims to select the following totals by the end of each financial year 2008/09 = 30, 2009/10 = 150, 2010/11 = 250 and 2011/12 =270.

Conclusion

12. Project Herald supports the Met Modernisation Programme, Custody and Workforce Modernisation strands by creating a more streamlined approach to the staffing of custody suites, and is totally committed in its focus on improving safety, making efficiency gains and enhancing the quality of service through more appropriate use of resources.

13. Through the development of the enhanced DDO role, the standard of custody services within the MPS will be significantly improved.

C. Race and equality impact

The project is likely to enhance our gender and ethnic mix of staff. Adverts will need to show that those in minority groups are encouraged to apply but that selection will be based solely on merit. Further information in the form of an Equality Impact Assessment is attached at Appendix 1.

D. Financial implications

1. Agreement is sought to the implementation of a new custody-staffing model, which aims to deliver efficiencies and a safer custody environment. The new model will take three years to implement in full and over that period will involve the recruitment of 700 designated detention officers (DDOs). This cost will be offset by reductions in sergeants (250) and constables (300) posts which are currently involved in this work, and from savings already identified for the introduction of nurses to provide forensic medical provision.

2. The benefits of the proposed model are set out in Section B and based on current costs the model, when fully implemented in 2012/13, is expected to deliver annual revenue savings of some £7.45m as follows:

3. The set-up costs for the implementation of this programme total £13,845m over four years (2008/09 to 2011/12). Based on annual savings of £7,450m from 2012/13, the programme will pay back the initial investment in under two years. As this is an investment to save initiative, the MPS Investment Board has agreed to cover part of initial set-up costs (£5.25m) in 2008/09 (£1.45m) and 2009/10 (£3.8m). TP have also identified £500k over two years from the overall TP budget, as a contribution towards the accommodation costs.

4. In finalising the proposals for this programme it has been agreed that a phased implementation for achieving the full level of savings was more realistic. This is two years longer than anticipated when the 2008-11 corporate plan and budget submission was being developed. The impact of the current proposals against the budget submission can be summarised as follows:

5. If approved, the financial position as outlined in this report will be built into the 2009-12 budget proposals. However, as Committee will be aware, the 2008-11 approved budget had already identified a gap against the Mayor’s existing guideline for 2009/10 (£40.5m) and 2010/11 (£64.1m). This proposal will, therefore, add to the pressure on the Service in developing budget proposals within the relevant financial constraints.

6. There are no additional capital costs associated with the implementation of this initiative. Any capital costs relating to the transfer of function to the new BBCCs has been to date, and will be in the future, covered in the business cases prepared for the delivery of each BBCC.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Detective Superintendent David Imroth

For more information contact:

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

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