Recruitment task force

Report: 09
Date: 26 September 2002
By: Clerk

Summary

This paper reports progress so far on setting up a taskforce to examine ways of increasing visible minority ethnic recruitment to the Metropolitan Police Service. It provides information on the first meeting of the task force.

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members note the information on the first meeting of the task force; and 
2. discuss the proposed terms of reference.

B. Supporting information

1. At its meeting on 25 July, the full Authority received a report from the Clerk on the proposal for the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to set up a Recruitment Task Force. Its ‘core’ membership would be drawn from members of the MPA, representatives from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Greater London Authority (GLA), and from London’s public and business communities to offer practical ideas, proposals and support to improve the police recruitment from visible ethnic minorities. This will be a ‘can do’ task force, not a talking shop.

Draft terms of reference

2. This initiative is aimed at recruiting more visible ethnic minority police officers to make the Metropolitan Police Service more representative of the communities it serves. The draft terms of reference are:

"The joint MPA/MPS taskforce for the recruitment of visible ethnic minority police officers will:

• develop practical new ideas for police recruitment, specifically from visible ethnic minorities
• make timely proposals for increasing and enhancing opportunities for recruitment as a local activity within London boroughs
• promote these new ideas and proposals in order to make the MPS more representative of the communities it serves
• share London, national and international learning and best practice from the public, private and voluntary sectors including communities within London, educational establishments, faith groups, other major employers and police support organisations
• offer practical support to those working on positive action initiatives"

3. These are draft terms of reference at this stage. It is of course the case that retention is also crucial in terms of achieving an appropriately representative workforce. Nevertheless, the MPS Retention Strategy has only recently been implemented and the impact it will have cannot, at this stage, be ascertained. In the first instance, the priority is recruitment. 

4. The Task Force will make its recommendations to the full authority with progress reports to the Human Resources Committee and the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board.

Membership

5. At the full Authority meeting, it was agreed that the MPA members should be R. David Muir (Chair), Jennette Arnold, Cindy Butts, Kirsten Hearn, Peter Herbert and Abdal Ullah. Lee Jasper (Mayor’s Adviser on Equalities) will represent the GLA. Other members of the Task Force have yet to be identified, but the expectation is there will be a relatively small core membership which will be supplemented by co-optees for specific issues.

6. The draft minutes of the first meeting are attached at Appendix 1.

C. Equality and diversity implications

The task force aims to help the MPS achieve its recruitment targets for visible ethnic minority police officers. 

D. Financial implications

Servicing the work of the taskforce can be resourced from existing MPA and MPS budgets. Any recommendations involving new spend will be reported to the Authority.

E. Background papers

• Recruitment Task Force (paper to full Authority on 25 July 2002)

F. Contact details

Report author: Alan Johnson, MPS 

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Appendix 1 is available from the MPA.

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback