Recommendation 61 – Home Office phased implementation

Report: 13
Date: 28 November 2002
By: Clerk

Summary

The Home Office recently announced the phased implementation of Recommendation 61 of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report. This committee report outlines the rationale for this decision and highlights the process underway for identifying the MPS Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU) that will take part in the initial implementation. It also proposes the role which MPA could play in the phased implementation of this initiative.

A. Recommendations

Members are asked:

1. to note the process proposed by the Home Office for identifying the BOCU that will be involved in the initial phased implementation.
2. the EODB in consultation with the MPS to consider the proposals outlined in paragraph 4 for updating and keeping Londoners and key stakeholder oganisations and partners informed on the current and emerging progress of the implementation.
3. to consider whether the MPS should be asked to identify an additional BOCU to pilot the use of mobile IT for recording stops as a comparator to the paper based system that has already been discussed with the Home Office (paragraph 11).
4. the Chair of the EODB in consultation with the Deputy Commissioner, to establish a member-led working group to monitor the progress and learning from the BOCU selected to implement Recommendation 61. (paragraph 13).

B. Supporting information

1. The racist murder of Stephen Lawrence happened nearly 10 years ago. The report arising from Sir William Macpherson’s review into the murder and the MPS investigation made a number of recommendations. The MPS (and other organisations) have already implemented many of these.

2. Recommendation 61 sets out the recording requirements for police stops. It recommended that police officers should record all stops (as well as searches); that a copy of the record is given to the person stopped; and that the record include the reason for the stop, its outcome and the self-defined ethnicity of the person stopped.

3. Whilst many of the Lawrence recommendations have been relatively straightforward to implement, this has not been the case with Recommendation 61, although many have argued that it is probably one of the most significant recommendations aimed at increasing police accountability in stopping members of the public, whilst at the same time increasing public trust and confidence in the police interface with various communities and groups, but especially black and minority ethnic communities.

4. In March 2001, the MPA, together with many other police authorities throughout the country, held an extensive consultation exercise to seek the views of London’s varied communities and groups, on whether there was support for the implementation of the recommendation. The authority was able to forge links and build relationships with a number of groups and organisations, including those representing the interests of young black and Asian males, who are disproportionately affected by stop and search. Members may wish to consider whether it wishes inform to the public and its stakeholders about the current proposed initiative, and if so, the best way for achieving this. This could be delegated to MPA and MPS officers to develop.

5. Following discussion at the last meeting of the EODB it was resolved that the Chair of the Authority would write to the Home Secretary about the proposed Home Secretary about the proposed Home Office pilot on Recommendation 61 and ask that the MPS introduce a pilot for recording stops across the whole of London. (The decision now is that only one pilot will be in the MPS area.)

6. In response to correspondence from the MPS to the Home Secretary, concerning the timing of the implementation of Recommendation 61, the Chair of the Authority took up the matter in a direct response, again stating clearly the Authority’s view that the Recommendation should be fully implemented, whilst acknowledging the necessity for a technological solution to the legitimate concerns raised by the MPS regarding the increased time which police officers may need to spend completing a stop form.

7. This has been a key issue for the police service and the Authority, which the Home Secretary was eager to take into consideration.

8. On 17 September, the Home Secretary announced his plans for a phased implementation of Recommendation 61 at the Police Superintendents’ Conference. The phased implementation will be carried out in seven forces, including the MPS. The other six forces are: Nottinghamshire, West Midlands, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, North Wales and Sussex.

9. Each of the forces will be asked to use different methods for recording of police stops in order to identify the most effective approaches to information recording, collation and analysis.

10. The aims and objectives drafted by the Home Office have been separately circulated to members for information. When this becomes a public document, it is proposed that it should be made available to key partners and stakeholders as well as being available on the MPA website.

11. The Home Office has sought the agreement of the Commissioner for a paper-based system to be implemented in one borough within the MPS, however, in a letter to the Clerk to the Authority, it has also been proposed that that the Home Office will explore with the MPS the possibility of using mobile IT solutions for the recording of police stops. Members may wish to pursue this with the Deputy Commissioner and propose that a further BOCU be identified to implement this solution. It is the view of the Chair of the EODB that the MPS should look at the possibility of another two new pilots to run immediately to allay fears in the Black and Asian communities concerning the disproportionate number of young men being stopped in some London areas, and the perception that nothing is being done to address this issue.

12. It is understood that discussions are still underway with the MPS to identify which BOCU will be identified. The Home Office has now formally written to the MPA to seek the full involvement of the Authority in the developments for the implementation of Recommendation 61 in April 2003 and members may wish to see the Authority play a role in jointly reaching the decision, with the MPS, on which BOCU (or BOCUs) should be identified for the initial phase of the implementation.

13. The MPS already have processes in place for progressing this initiative at officer level. However, due to the level of importance which many members have placed on this issue, it may be appropriate to establish a member-led working group, serviced by the MPS, to oversee all aspects of this initiative. The Chair of the of the EODB has expressed an interest in chairing this new group.

C. Equal opportunities and diversity implications

The implementation of Recommendation 61 is a seen as a key aspect for the Black and minority ethnic communities in London. The recent Home Office figures which continue to show increases in stops and search is of significant concern to this community. A lack of progress has the potential to continually damage public trust and confidence, which could result in poor performance in key areas such as recruitment and staff retention.

Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, the MPA will need to satisfy organisations such as the Commission for Racial Equality that it is taking active steps in scrutinising the MPS with regard to increasing levels of disproportionality in stop and search.

D. Financial implications

None

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Julia Smith

For more information contact:

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

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