Recruitment and retention

Report: 5
Date: 4 July 2008
By: Director of Human Resources on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

The report provides a summary of recruitment performance during the last 12 months (i.e. 2007/08) against the Deployment Plan and diversity targets. The report is timely considering the anniversary of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. The report demonstrates how the MPS, through its innovative and unique recruitment strategy, has positively impacted upon diversity within the MPS, and how the MPS seeks to build upon these accomplishments during the next 5 years.

A. Recommendations

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

1. The Metropolitan Police Service has reached the highest levels of diversity in its history. Ten years ago, black and minority ethnic (BME) officers accounted for 3.4% of police strength and females amounted to 15.2%. At the end of 2007/08, these had both increased to 8.2% BME and 21.4% female. When considering all employees (including Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary) during 2007/08, the proportion of BME communities increased from 14.5% to 15.2% Similarly overall female strength rose from 32.6% to 33%.

2. The organisation continues to promote and monitor the recruitment of those from under-represented groups. For example in 2007/08, 58% of all joiners were from under-represented groups and 4.2% were Muslim.

3. Of those successfully completing the selection processes in 2007/08, 22% were from black and minority ethnic communities, 35% were female, 18% were aged 40 or over and 6% were from minority faiths.

Recruitment approach

4. The recruitment approach over the next five years has two objectives: Firstly, provide sufficient staff resources (i.e. police, police community support officers, police staff and special constables) to meet the operational needs of the organisation detailed within the MPS Deployment Plan; secondly, to increase workforce diversity through recruitment.

5. In order to help meet these dual objectives, the Recruitment Directorate has established:

1. Challenging targets and monitoring system,
2. targeted recruitment,
3. community engagement, and
4. positive action support.

Each of these is briefly discussed below.

Challenging targets and monitoring

6. Challenging police officer recruitment (26% BME and 44% female) and strength targets are in place to deliver increased diversity representation (i.e. strength 9.5% BME and 23% female. The PCSO and specials also have unofficial BME and female recruitment targets to sustain focus and reinforce priorities (i.e. recruitment 30% BME and 45% female). However, the emerging communities mean that diversity monitoring needs to be much broader, with expansive dimensions, to reflect the changing face of London.

Targeted recruitment

7. The operational requirement has provided a priority list of languages based upon a composite measure of organizational demand. The requirement underpins the decision-making process in terms of the allocation of marketing and recruitment resources. It also provides a focus for the development and implementation of the HR Community Engagement Programme. Targeted recruitment also includes programmes of accelerated recruitment campaigns (e.g. campaigns targeted at PCSO, police staff or specials).

Community engagement

8. The risk analysis highlighted the importance of the MPS nurturing community relationships to build trust and confidence, which are the foundations for gaining access to many communities, and making the MPS an employer of choice for all communities. Conventional recruitment campaigns make assumptions about the accessibility of job adverts by communities, whereas this is unlikely to hold true taking into account the differences between communities and their differing needs. Thus, traditional marketing may access mainstream communities/populations, but is unlikely to access the smaller or more closed communities, and as a result we would be unable to achieve a representative workforce. Consequently, the HR Directorate has begun to broaden the scope of recruitment to encompass proactive community engagement.

9. The HR Community Engagement Programme has already held preliminary focus groups with Somali, Polish, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish groups, which highlighted the paramount importance of building and sustaining trust and confidence in order to recruit from these communities. The groups also highlighted the sensitivity of trust and confidence and how single incidents (e.g. Forest Gate) have a powerfully adverse effect upon perceptions of trust and confidence. The focus groups vindicated the Community Engagement Programme as a method of recruiting from specific communities, particularly those that are hard to reach.

Support

10. To improve access to a broader range of communities the MPS needs to invest substantially in positive action, particularly within communities where English is not a first language; this group is particularly vulnerable during the NRS-style assessment centres. In order to help address this issue, the Recruitment Directorate has developed a partnership with Hackney Community College, London Employers’ Coalition and Jobcentre Plus to pilot a pre-employment course for groups whose first language is not English, which is likely to be rolled out in August 2008. Other colleges have shown a real interest in the pilot. Similarly, the HR Directorate is exploring the provision of Train to Gain (T2G) funding for ESOL assisted progression of PCSO to PC due to the diversity of the PCSO applicants. The Recruitment Directorate is also developing its mainstream support provision with the introduction of ‘touch points’ within the recruiting process where staff actively discuss applicants’ needs and provide guidance with their applications.

Individual staff categories

Police officers - strength and recruitment

11. The past year has seen both significant growth in police officer numbers to a record strength of 31,398 despite there being substantial changes to the requirements placed upon recruitment. The operational requirement to recruit and retain skilled and experienced police officers resulted in 39% of recruitment in 2007/08 being comprised of experienced officers compared to 34% in 2006/07.

12. The original Deployment Plan 2007/08 was designed to deliver a strength of 31,251 at the end of March 2008. This was a prudent approach, taking into account the financial position.

13. In June 2007, as the figures in the Medium Term Financial Plan 2008/11 firmed up the target was further increased to 31,577. This anticipated the position for 2008/09.

14. At the end of 2007/08, police officer strength was 31,398 against the target strength of 31,577. The reasons for this shortfall included the delay in releasing existing PCSOs into the IPLDP intakes to protect the strength of Safer Neighbourhood Teams, vetting delays and difficulties deploying and allocating training dates for new joiners who chose to defer joining until the new financial year, particularly officers transferring from other constabularies.

15. In 2007/08, following targeted recruitment 20% of new police joiners were from BME communities and 40.4% were female. This activity has led to highest ever representation figures of 8.2% for black and minority ethnic officers and 21.4% for females. During the last twelve months, BME police officer strength has increased from 2,442 to 2,581, which represents a 5.7% year on year increase. Similarly, over the same period female police officer strength has increased from 6,419 to 6,704, an increase of 4.4%.

16. Such consistent successes are a consequence of community centric recruiting activity and working together with local organisations. Focused, bespoke marketing and advertising has yielded applications from very diverse backgrounds: for instance, 35% of applications for the role of police officer originate from black and minority ethnic candidates - exceeding the representation level of the black and minority ethnic economically active population in London. More specifically, 17% of applications originated from candidates of Asian origin, compared to 12% of London’s population. 10% of applications came from candidates of Black origin compared to 11%, and 4% of applications originated from Chinese/Other ethnicity compared to 3% of London’s population. Minority faith groups are also well represented in terms of applications submitted. For instance, 4% of new police officer applicants in 2007/08 declared their religion to be Islam, which can be compared to a figure of 5.6% for London’s economically active population. Similarly, 1% of police officer applications came from Sikh candidates and 1% from Hindu candidates compared to London’s economically active populations of 1.4% and 4.3% respectively.

17. Appendix 1 shows the provisional police officer recruitment profile required over the next 5 years. This is based on forecasted wastage and the provisional growth and savings figures in the Medium Term Financial Plan 2008/09 – 2010/11 (MTFP). The MTFP is currently being updated but no assumptions are made in this report about possible changes. These will be subject to change in line with the financial planning process.

18. Appendix 2 shows the police officer diversity profile that the MPS could aspire to over the next 5 years. This is based on the forecasted wastage, targeted recruitment (BME 26.6%, female 42.4%) and the limited growth identified in the MTFP. The Community Engagement approach to recruitment strategy will seek to improve the representation in the MPS from emerging communities in London.

Police officers - retention

19. The police officer recruitment targets are based on the analysis of wastage – see Appendix 3. This shows the breakdown of anticipated wastage between pension, medical, resignations, transfers and other reasons for leaving over the next five years.

Police community support officers – strength and recruitment

20. During 2007/08, the Directorate has continued the unprecedented levels of recruitment towards a target strength of 4,562. The strength has increased from 3,683 at the end of March 2007 to 4,226 at the end of March 2008. Recruitment during 2008/09 is now on target to deliver a strength target of 4,814, which incorporates the growth to support Operation Tyrol. Such rapid recruitment has been vital for the resourcing of the Safer Neighbourhoods Programme and maintaining its strength.

21. Police community support officers, as the newest staff group, remain the most diverse employee group in the MPS and targeted, diverse recruitment has led to a 16.1% increase in female strength and 12.4% increase in black and minority ethnic strength compared to last year. 36.8% of the 1,270 PCSOs recruited were female and 26% were from black and minority ethnic communities. High levels of representation in the PCSO workforce (30.7% of PCSOs come from black and minority ethnic communities and 34.5% are women) are due to sustained recruitment success and retention of minority groups.

22. Continued focused advertising and marketing in 2007/08 resulted in 17,480 applications of which 36% were from black and minority ethnic communities (significantly exceeding the representation in London) and 33.2% were from women. Furthermore, 14% of applications came from those whose ethnic origin was recorded as Asian (compared to 12% of London’s population), 13% from Black candidates (compared to 11% of London’s population), 4.2% from those with mixed ethnicity (compared to 3% of London’s population) and 5% from those whose ethnicity would be classified as Chinese or Other (compared to 3% of London’s population).

23. Furthermore, 5% of PCSO applicants and 7% of those made an offer of employment were Muslim candidates, and 0.7% of applications and 1.5% of offers made were to Sikh candidates. Applicants over the age of 39 made up 15% of all applications received for the role of PCSO, and 16% of offers went to candidates in the same age. 16% of PCSOs made an offer of employment this financial year were graduates.

24. The role of PCSO has provided an ideal opportunity for people, particularly from diverse communities, to gain an insight into policing. As a result, around 48% of PCSO leavers have become police constables, and has been vital source of new police recruits.

25. Appendix 1 shows the provisional PCSO recruitment profile required over the next 5 years. This is based on forecast wastage and the growth identified in the MTFP, plus 252 additional PCSOs for Operation Tyrol. These will be subject to change in line with the financial planning process.

26. Appendix 2 shows the PCSO diversity profile that the MPS could aspire to over the next 5 years, given targeted recruitment (BME 30%, Female 45%). The Community Engagement approach to recruitment strategy will seek to improve the representation in the MPS from emerging communities in London.

Police community support officers – retention

27. The PCSO recruitment targets are based on the analysis of wastage – see Appendix 3, Table 2. This shows the breakdown of anticipated wastage between pension, resignations, transfers to IPLDP and other reasons for leaving over the next five years.

Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC) – strength and recruitment

28. At the end of 2007/08 MSC workforce strength had risen 44% to 2,512 with a record number of 1,022 recruited. This represents the highest strength on record and was achieved in parallel with the introduction of the organisation’s first fully online recruitment process. Although there are no diversity targets, this financial year has seen a 47% year on year increase in the number of MSCs who are women translating into a female strength of 31% and a 51% year on year increase for MSC from black and minority ethnic backgrounds constituting a black and minority ethnic strength of 32%.

29. Of the 1,022 joiners, 32% were female and 32% were from black and minority ethnic communities. Of those made an offer for MSC, 8% were Muslim, 2.9% were Hindu and 1.4% were Sikh. 11% of all offers extended for the role of MSC were to candidates aged over 39, as were 9% of applications.

30. This success in achieving such diverse recruitment is the result of targeted advertising campaigns resulting in a very diverse application pool. For example, 30% of MSC applicants were female and 43% were from black and minority ethnic communities. More specifically, 24% of MSC applicants stated their ethnicity as Asian, 10% as Black, 4% as mixed ethnicity, and 5% as Chinese or Other all of which exceed the economically active population percentages for London. Furthermore 6% of MSC applicants were Muslim, 2% Hindu and 1% Sikh. This role continues to be a source of new police officer recruits with 15.9% of those leaving MSC becoming police officers.

31. Appendix 1 shows the provisional MSC recruitment profile required over the next 5 years. This is based on forecasted wastage and projected growth to an MSC strength of 6,000 by March 2012. This will be further developed in line with the financial planning process.

32. Appendix 2 shows the MSC diversity profile that the MPS could aspire to over the next 5 years, given targeted recruitment (BME 30%, Female 45%). The Community Engagement approach to recruitment strategy will seek to improve the representation in the MPS from emerging communities in London.

Police staff - strength and recruitment

33. Police staff strength at 31 March 2008 was 805 below AWT of 14,875. This was due to a redirection of strategic priorities led by a need to explore potential reductions in expenditure. Diversity figures for police staff are particularly strong with those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds constituting 22.6% of the total number recruited bringing the total black and minority ethnic representation of police staff to 23.2%, an improvement on the previous year’s figure of 22.9%. More specifically, 16% of police staff applications came from Asian applicants and 15% from Black candidates. The female strength of 58.5% continues to exceed London’s economically active profile for women.

34. Appendix 1 shows the provisional police staff recruitment profile required over the next 5 years. This is based on forecasted wastage and growth and savings identified in the MTFP, and will be subject to change as part of the financial planning process.

35. Appendix 2 shows the police staff diversity profile that the MPS could aspire to over the next 5 years, given targeted recruitment (BME 30%, Female 45%). The Community Engagement approach to recruitment strategy will seek to improve the representation in the MPS from emerging communities in London.

Police staff - retention

36. The police staff recruitment targets are based on the analysis of wastage – see Appendix 3, Table 3. This shows the breakdown of anticipated wastage between pension, resignations and other reasons for leaving over the next five years.

Issues likely to impact on retention over the next five years

37. Public Sector Pay Policy.

38. Free Travel Arrangements: this is part of the ATOC agreement and is the subject of separate discussions.

39. London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games: there will be competition in the South East for key skills e.g. surveyors, project management and Information Technology. We will need to ensure we can attract and retain these key staff.

C. Race and equality impact

This report addresses race and equality issues in detail.

D. Financial implications

None arising from this report, which is purely for information. Any cost implications of the recruitment targets will be identified through the MTFP.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s):  Majella Myers, Bob Gibb and Duncan Arnold, MPS

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Recruitment Profiles 2008/09 – 2012/13

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