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Diversity strategy progress report

Report: 08
Date: 28 November 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report details the progress of the MPS Diversity Strategy, ‘Protect and Respect – Everybody Benefits, the Gender Agenda and Race Equality Scheme.

A. Recommendations

Members are asked to note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

Delivering the diversity strategy

1. The first MPS Diversity Strategy was launched in 1999 and dealt with ‘Race’ and Equality issues. Protect and Respect 2, the second phase of the MPS Diversity Strategy was launched in 2001. Phase 2 took the lessons learnt from the first phase 1 and incorporated them into a fully inclusive strategy to identify and progress all diversity issues. The Deputy Commissioner has overall responsibility for the Diversity Strategy and as such chairs the Diversity Strategy Board. Commander Dick is the Director of Diversity for the MPS and chairs the Diversity Strategy Co-ordination Forum.

2. Work required to progress the Diversity Strategy is undertaken by the seven Diversity Strategy Work Groups. Each Work Group has a chair that effectively leads the diversity agenda around the responsibilities of their respective groups. Due to organisational restructuring in recent months, chair of some of the Work Groups has changed. Currently the chairs are as follows:

Investigation
Detective Superintendent Carl Bussey
Prevention
Detective Ch. Superintendent Steve Lovelock
Sue Sanders, LGBT Advisory Group
Training
Shaun Kennedy MPS
Fair Practice Internal
Denise Miliani MPS
Stop and Search
Detective Superintendent Carl Bussey
Fair Practice External
Detective Ch. Superintendent Steve Lovelock
Recruitment
Chief Superintendent Bob Carr

3. The Recruitment Work Group held its first formal meeting in October 2002. This group is in the process of drafting an up-to-date Action Plan with the intention of publishing the plan during December 2002 quarterly review.

4. The Diversity Strategy Monitoring Unit (DSMU) has the responsibility of creating, reviewing and publishing the MPS Diversity Strategy Action Plan. To accomplish this, the DSMU has membership on each of the seven Work Groups. Actions necessary to achieve the strategic initiatives of the Diversity Strategy are created, progressed and quantified in close consultation with both Work Groups and individual Chairs. The Diversity Strategy Action Plan is reviewed on a quarterly basis and republished every six months.

5. Work Group chairs have the responsibility of reporting the progress of individual actions to the Diversity Co-ordination Forum on a bi-monthly basis. A template specifically designed for this purpose is then retained by the DSMU. This process has provided the ability to ‘track’ individual actions from conception through to completion.

6. Actions that are classed as 'complete' have been removed from individual work group action plans. All completed actions have been included, in work group order at the rear of the Diversity Strategy Action Plan. This will enable easier reference to remaining actions and provide a record of progress. Work groups who have initiatives where ‘all planned actions are classed as complete’ will conduct a gap analysis of those actions to ensure that the initiative is fully complete.

7. The Diversity Strategy Action Plan contains actions that are necessary to comply with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, which did not feature in the original Action Plan. The Plan is now included as an attachment to the MPS Race Equality Scheme.

8. The MPS are currently in the process of formulating an implementation plan in light of the recommendations from the GLA Best Value Review of Equalities. When complete, these recommendations will be integrated within the MPS Diversity Strategy Action Plan.

9. Those Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Recommendations yet to be completed, remain the responsibility of individual work groups and have been included as an agenda item on each of the work groups to ensure drive, accountability and momentum. Request has been made that the following Stephen Lawrence Recommendations be classed as complete: -

  • Rec. 23 Family Liaison officers (Currently 639 FLOs, of which 25 FLOs are visible ethnic minority staff. Courses are held every three weeks and 16 officers trained per course).
  • Rec. 28 Proactive use of local contacts to assist with family liaison
  • Rec. 45 Review of first aid training
  • Rec. 46 All first aid training to include testing to recognised and published standards
  • Rec. 47 first aid training to be reviewed annually
  • Rec. 52 Publication of training aims and standards and objectives for racial awareness and valuing cultural diversity.

10. The DSMU, with the assistance of boroughs, created a generic diversity strategy template, based on the corporate Diversity Strategy Action Plan (Copy attached at Appendix 1). The purpose was to assist those boroughs that did not have a strategy in place to create their own strategies utilising the corporate template. Every MPS borough was contacted and informed of the availability of the generic template.

11. Since July 2002, the DSMU has given presentations to 25 boroughs on devising their own local diversity strategies and use of the generic template. At the end of October 2002, every borough was contacted, offered secondary visits to provide further support and advise and requested to forward a copy of their strategy. The intention is to create a corporate web page containing all borough strategies to publicly identify and promulgate best practice. To date, 11 strategies have been received.

Gender agenda

12. The Gender Agenda, a national initiative was launched in Birmingham during October 2001. The ACPO Women’s Group, the British Association of Senior Women Officers, European Network of Policewomen and the Police Federation developed this initiative.

13. The MPS Developmental and Organisation Improvement Team (DOIT) created ‘Engender’, a strategy to complement and implement the gender agenda. Both Toby Harris, Chair of the MPA, and the Mayor spoke at the launch of ‘Engender’ on 19 September 2002.

14 ‘Engender’ has five main objectives:

  • The MPS to demonstrate consistently that it values and is committed to the recruitment, retention and professional well being of all women employees
  • To achieve a gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and ability balance across the workforce of the service consistent with the proportion of women in the economically active population
  • To ensure that women’s voices are influenced in the shaping of policy as it affects both internal and external service delivery
  • To develop an understanding of the competing demands in achieving a work/life balance and a successful police career
  • To create a working environment and provide equipment and the right quality and standard to enable women employees to do their jobs professionally

15. The DOIT team has specifically employed an individual to concentrate on gender issues. Recently, every Borough has been contacted and requested to create a strategy for gender issues. This process will also be used to identify barriers and quantify and promulgate best practice.

16. In September 2002, DOIT held a ‘career break empowerment’ day at Chigwell. 50 female staff currently on career breaks from the MPS attended this event. The event was created in response to recognition that a high proportion of female staff who took career breaks did not return to work. A second event is to be held in February 2003 to cover west London.

17. DOIT are currently in the process of developing a strategy to increase both female and ethnic minority representation in detective roles.

Race equality scheme

18. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 strengthened existing legislation in two main areas:

  • extending the protection against discrimination by public authorities; and
  • placing new and enforceable positive duty on public authorities.

19. The Act included the creation of ‘general’ and ‘specific’ duties. The general duty requires the MPS, in everything thing we do to have regard to the need to:

  • tackle discrimination;
  • promote equality of opportunity; and
  • promote good relations between people from different racial groups.

20. The specific duties on the MPS are:

  • prepare and publish a Race Equality Scheme; and
  • monitor employment procedures and practices.

21. The MPS implemented a Race Relations (Amendment) Act Steering Committee to progress the duties identified. The MPA, as an identified stakeholder has representation on the Steering Committee. In May 2002, to ensure compliance with the ‘specific ‘ duty above, the MPS published its Race Equality Scheme. The Scheme contains twelve actions and progress is set out in Appendix 2.

C. Equality and diversity implications

The aim of the MPS is to ensure that diversity becomes fully mainstreamed within all of its functions. The gender agenda and adoption by boroughs of local diversity strategies will publicly reinforce the MPS's commitment to diversifying all of its functions and practices. This process, together with increased transparency and accountability will assist in increasing public confidence in the MPS and thereby increase the representation from underrepresented groups within its workforce.

D. Financial implications

All costs are met from existing and proposed budgets and there is no need for additional funds.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Mark Antill T/Inspector Diversity Strategy Monitoring Unit, DCC4

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1: Diversity strategy action plan 2002-X

Investigation

Responsibility:
Taking diversity forward through leadership
Resolving problems, investigating and preventing crime through an inclusive approach

Action plan initiative Impact
1. Ensure OCU complies with minimum standards for hate crime investigation. External
  • Increased public satisfaction and confidence in the OCU’s response and accountability. Increased judicial disposals.

Internal

  • Increased information sharing and greater support and supervision.
2. Ensure victims of hate crime report the same satisfaction levels with our service as victims of other crime. External
  • Victims individual needs met, increasing public confidence and engendering greater trust in local police response.

Internal

  • Improved local police/ community relations resulting in greater opportunity for gathering local community intelligence.
3. Encourage and support proactive intelligence led initiatives to combat hate crime. External
  • Increased trust and confidence in police.

Internal

  • Increased local community intelligence leading to an increase in proactive operations.
4. Develop third party reporting initiatives. External
  • Easier access to report crime and obtain advice. Sensitive to the needs of hard to hear groups and vulnerable victims/witnesses.

Internal

  • Increased reporting of hate crime, especially from communities that lack confidence in the police. Increased local community intelligence.
5. Include hate crime in the Crime and Disorder Act Community Safety Strategies and involve partners in combating hate crime. External
  • Increased trust and confidence that the local community can contribute in how they are policed.

Internal

  • Guidance and advice from communities in combating hate crime.
6. Involve local independent advisors in solving local problems and resolving critical incidents. External
  • Identifiable guidance for local independent advisors. Increased problem-solving capability for local communities.

Internal

  • Increased use of independent advisers for problem solving and critical incidents.
7. Develop database of agencies that offer support to victims of hate crime. External
  • Greater support for victims of hate crime.

Internal

  • Single point of contact for victim support agencies, particularly for victims who live on different Boroughs to where the crime occurred.
8. Identifying and training sufficient officers to meet Borough F.L.O. needs. External
  • Closer liaison between police and victims families. Increased information sharing. Single point of contact leading to greater trust and confidence.

Internal

  • Greater cultural awareness. More opportunities for gathering community intelligence.

Prevention

Responsibility:
Resolving problems, investigating and preventing crime through an inclusive approach

Action plan initiative Impact
1. Include hate crime in Crime and Disorder Act Community Safety Strategies and involve partners in combating hate crime. External
  • Increased Community involvement. Addressing local community needs resulting in increased confidence

Internal

  • Guidance and advice from local communities in producing strategies. Increased problem-solving capability.
2. Appoint LGBT liaison officers. Internal/External
  • LGBT links and community confidence enhanced.
3. Athena Sport. Appoint liaison officers. External
  • Greater understanding of the effects of hate crime on victims. Social recognition that Hate crime is unacceptable in sport.

Internal

  • Closer liaison and working relationship with professional sporting bodies. Reaching wider audience than would normally be available.
3. Community Reassurance Programme: Establish links with communities to reassure when tensions are high following national or international events. External
  • Increased public awareness of the Borough preventative initiatives.

Internal

  • Increased problem-solving initiatives. Capture and development of best practice.

Training

Responsibility:
Training
Challenging process and procedures
Taking diversity forward through leadership

Action plan

initiative

 Impact
1. Deliver diversity training programme to all staff. External
  • Enhanced public confidence in skills of police.

Internal

  • Staff professional skills enhanced. Less conflicts. Better problem solving.
2. Plan and deliver ‘follow-up’ diversity training consistent with the diversity profile of the borough. External
  • Increased trust and confidence that diversity training is improving and developing.

Internal

  • Greater understanding of communities policed. Increase in community intelligence.
3. Ensure the community is involved in diversity training. External
  • Increased confidence that the community has an input in the training and that they will be policed with a greater understanding of community needs.

Internal

  • Greater understanding of community needs. Closer working relationship. Improved community intelligence.
4. Critical incident training delivered for all ranks. External
  • Public confidence that officers are able to recognise and deal with critical incidents. Increased confidence that diversity and cultural understanding underpin the management of incidents.

Internal

  • Pan London, standardised response to critical incidents including increased range of options. Increased use of Independent Advisors and intermediaries.

Fair practice (internal) & retention and progression

Responsibility:
Taking diversity forward through leadership
Increase the diversity of our workforce in the MPS

Action plan

initiative

 Impact
1. Provide for the diverse cultural needs of local workforces, for religious observances and for disabled people. Improve family friendly policies. External
  • The MPS becomes and attractive employer. Job opportunities available to a wider section of the community.

Internal

  • Better working environment. Increased retention of staff.
  • Increased retention of staff from under represented groups.
2. Apply innovative methods to meet retention and progression targets, identify and share good practice. External
  • Increased trust and cultural understanding. MPS becomes a more attractive employer. confidence that the MPS is striving to improve

Internal

  • Better working environment. Increased retention of staff.
3. Identify and overcome barriers to retention. External
  • Increased trust and confidence that the MPS is striving to improve cultural understanding. MPS becomes a more attractive employer.

Internal

  • Better working environment. Increased retention of staff. Service becomes more representative of the community it serves.
  • Increased retention of staff from under-represented groups.
4. Everyone in the Met to take responsibility for challenging inappropriate behaviour and discrimination External
  • Increased trust and confidence that the MPS is striving to improve cultural understanding. MPS becomes a more attractive employer.

Internal

  • Improved supervision and accountability. Improved working environment.
5. Recognise the skills and talents of all our staff. Promote equality of opportunity External
  • Service becomes a more attractive employer. Improved community confidence and intelligence. Recognition that cultural and community skills are used to best effect.

Internal

  • Improved recruitment and retention. Specialist units become more representative of the community they police. Cultural and community skills of staff are used to best effect
6. Ensure local selection systems are fair External
  • Improved trust and confidence.
  • Service becomes a more attractive employer. Improved integrity.

Internal

  • Integrity focused. Increase in applications from under represented groups. Increased retention of staff.
7. Address internal issues around local grievance handling, civil actions and employment tribunal actions. External
  • Increased confidence in the integrity of the service. Service becomes a more attractive employer. Improved community relations.

Internal

  • Integrity focused. Identifiable acceptable standards. Improved confidence in the system for aggrieved parties.
8. Promote need to recognise and appreciate the individuality of colleagues and treat with dignity and respect External
  • Increased confidence in the integrity of the service. Service becomes a more attractive employer. Improved community relations.

Internal

  • Improved working environment
  • Improved staff retention and recruitment. Increased ability to recruit from underrepresented groups.

Recruitment

Responsibility:
Taking diversity forward through leadership
Increase the diversity of our workforce in the MPS

Action plan

initiative

 Impact
1. Apply both traditional and innovative approaches to support MPS recruitment targets. External
  • Increased trust and confidence that the MPS is striving to improve cultural understanding. MPS becomes a more attractive employer.

Internal

  • Better working environment. Increased retention of staff. Service becomes more representative of the community.
2. Identify and overcome local barriers to recruitment. External
  • Increased trust and confidence that the MPS is striving to improve cultural understanding.

Internal

  • Increased recruitment from under-represented sections of the community. Service becomes more representative of the community it serves
3. Support the borough volunteer network. External
  • Increased trust and confidence that the MPS is striving to improve cultural understanding. MPS becomes a more attractive employer.

Internal

Service more representative of the community it serves.

  • Improved community relations.

Stop and search

Responsibility:
Taking diversity forward through leadership
Challenging process and procedures
Training

Action plan

initiative

 Impact
1.Comply with Special Notice 12/01. (Guide to the use of Stop & Search) External
  • Increased confidence and trust in the application of this discretionary power.

Internal

  • Greater accountability and supervision. Improved skill base. Improved knowledge in the use of powers and the need for dignity of the recipient.

Fair practice (external)

Responsibility:
Taking diversity forward through leadership

Action plan

initiative

 Impact
1. Use the database of ‘Fairness Health Check’ indicators to monitor for disproportionality in the exercise of police powers and discretion’s including stop and search. External
  • Increased confidence that unjust disproportionality is being addressed. Improved community relations.

Internal

  • Increased ability to identify areas of concern. Improved supervision.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Responsibility:
Challenging process and procedures

Action plan

initiative

 Impact
1. Ensure all local police policies and practices comply with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act External
  • Improved confidence and trust in the service. Improved community relations through liaison and consultation. Service is legally bound to be anti-discriminatory.

Internal

  • Increased accountability and improved supervision. Integrity focused.

Disability Discrimination Act

Responsibility:
Challenging process and procedures

Action plan

Initiative

 Impact
1. Implement the recommendations of the Disability Discrimination Act External
  • Service becomes a more attractive employer. Job opportunities available to a wider section of the community.

Internal

  • Improved recruitment and retention of staff. Identifiable employment policy. Improved working environment.

Appendix 2: Progress to date

Action Progress to date
Meeting the general and specific duties
  • Creation and publication of a Retention Strategy
  • Piloting of a Diversity Excellence Model
  • Establishment of a Recruitment Taskforce
  • Procurement strategies currently being discussed with the MPA
  • Examination of the relationship between the Excellence model and Borough Inspections complete.
Publish a Race Equality Scheme
  • Complete May 2002
Identify policies relevant to the performance of the general duty
  • Creation of corporate development framework, including Strategic Committee and Policy Clearing House (both subject of previous reports)
  • 2,700 identified, identified according to remit
  • Review of policies, prioritisation, assessment for relevance and assessment of fitness of purpose continues
  • Review of arrests, summons, FPNs, bail and detention, cautions, deaths in custody, police complaints, reports of racist incidents and outcomes and stop and search will be conducted in first phase
  • Human Resource policies under review
Assessing and consulting on the likely impact of proposed policies
  • Implementation of Corporate Development Process continues
  • Best Value Review of Consultation recommendations being implemented
  • Identification of groups not previously consulted continues
Arrangements for monitoring policies for adverse impact
  • Implementation of Borough disproportionality being undertaken by DCC4. (This is subject of a separate report for this meeting by Inspector Bains)
  • Policy Units are in the process of developing monitoring plans to ensure compliance
Arrangements for publishing the results of assessments, consultation and monitoring
  • Publication scheme will link with Freedom of In formation Act
  • Corporate database of policies whilst each policy unit retains responsibility for maintaining and updating their list
Public access to information and services
  • Linked to Freedom of Information Act
  • Borough Hate Crime Prevention Forums being created
  • Consideration being given to inviting consultation from other external agencies such as Refugee Council and the Kings Fund to share experiences
  • The role and contribution of interpreters being addressed widen broaden access
Arrangements the MPS has for training staff in connection with the duty to promote race equality
  • Report to Commander ‘Training’ on training requirements
Employment; monitoring by reference to racial group, (a) staff in post, (b) applicants for employment, training and promotion
  • Monthly workforce data reports
  • HR selection retains ethnicity data on call centre enquiries and application forms
  • Addressing the issues of monitoring local recruitment/civil staff level transfers
  • Staff seeking promotion/selection required to complete ethnic monitoring form, retained by HR
  • Review of ethnicity self-assessment shows 200 civil staff with no classification. Each contacted individually by Work Force Planning
  • Data currently being transferred to centralised MetHR database.
  • Training Directorate co-ordinating service wide approach to capturing training applicant data and analysis
Employment; monitoring by reference to racial group, (a) those who receive training, (b) benefit or suffer detriment as a result of performance assessment procedures, (d) are subject to disciplinary procedures, (e) cease employment
  • In accordance with Virdi Inquiry, review of Employment Tribunals to ensure early identification of sensitive cases, set up monitoring and good practice unit and Personnel managers to work in close liaison with Borough Commanders.
  • Direct contact between Borough Commanders, Personnel managers and Solicitors department to encourage local responsibility and early resolution.
  • Directorate of Professional Standards assumed responsibility, 1/10/01 for Employment Tribunals, benefits include
  • Identification of significant cases against MPA/MPS protocol
  • Weekly information to senior MPS/MPA managers
  • Risk management approach to identify locations/issues requiring intervention
  • Robust support for managers where appropriate
  • Early settlement of suitable cases
  • Revised grievance procedure ‘Fairness at Work
  • Grievance monitoring/analysis in monthly report to DAC
  • Ethnicity analysis on DPS activities
  • DAC Hayman examining disproportionality and alternative means of conflict resolution
  • Analysis of Work Force data report showing wastage of staff by ethnicity and gender
  • 0-5 Active Career Development Programme (ACDP)
  • ACDP staff, Inspector to Superintendent receive 1-1 mentoring
  • Consultancy Group organising Focus Groups to identify barriers to specialist postings in Specialist Operations
Publish annually the results of monitoring at 9 and 10 above.
  • Data captured through HR performance ‘scorecard’
Communication of the Race Equality Scheme – link to training
  • Police Notices 15/01, 23/02 and 27/02. Internal newspaper articles in May and August 2002, Instruction manual amended October 2001, Diversity briefings during 2001 and 2002 and Staff Associations briefed June 2002.
  • Work continues on the design of posters for internal and external use
  • RR(A)A and Diversity as standing agenda item for Management board
  • All Borough Commanders briefed May 2002
  • Heads of Training School briefed September 2001
  • Human Resources Senior Management Team briefed April 2002
  • Borough Liaison Officers briefed June 2002.
  • Human Resource managers briefings to be held January 2003
  • CRR core training includes RR(A)A
  • Met. Police Special Constabulary Divisional officers to be briefed 21st January 2003
  • PCSOs will receive RR(A)A input during 2 day CRR training
  • Race Equality Scheme published on Internet, available in 10 languages, large print and audio version
  • External distribution to Mayor, MPA, CRE, LGBT AG, IAG, CPCGs, RECs, London libraries and media

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