The MPS Diversity Strategy

Report: 08
Date: 13 March 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report details the progress of the MPS diversity strategy through the work of the strategic work groups and the devolved management of the diversity strategy. It draws together information which has previously been the subject of separate reports.

A. Recommendation

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

Diversity strategy

1. The MPS Diversity Strategy is underpinned by an action plan, which details key actions that the nine (Diversity Strategy Co-ordination Forum) work groups have been progressing during 2002 and will continue to progress during 2003. The Work Groups are:

• Investigation
• Prevention
• Training
• Recruitment
• Fair Practice – Internal/Retention and Progression
• Fair Practice - External
• Stop and Search
• Disability Programme Board
• Race Relations (Amendment) Act

2. The Deputy Commissioner has overall responsibility for the Diversity Strategy and as such chairs the Diversity Strategy Board that meets every quarter. Commander Dick is the Director of Diversity for the MPS and chairs the Diversity Strategy Co-ordination Forum that meets on a monthly basis.

3. The ‘chair’ of each work group is responsible for providing a written report detailing progress of all individual actions contained within the Diversity Strategy Action Plan to the Diversity Strategy Co-ordination Forum on a bi-monthly basis.

4. The progress reports are retained and form the basis for the quarterly revision and subsequent republication of the Diversity Strategy Action Plan to coincide with the sitting of the Diversity Strategy Board. The Diversity Strategy Monitoring Unit also provide a report and progress narrative of each work group to accompany the republication of the Diversity Strategy Action Plan.

A summary of Work Group progress includes:

Investigation

5. This work group is in the process of conducting a critical analysis and review of all actions, initiatives and terms of reference. This will include the introduction of new work with regards to vulnerable adults and forced marriages. The work group is currently in the process of liaising with TPHQ and SO5 on developing the work on vulnerable adults.

6. The work group feels that it must prioritise its activities and that the new areas of responsibility will need careful consideration for impact on training and resources. Of particular concern is the link to Operation Sapphire, concerning sex offences and major incident teams in the event of serial offences coming to light at care institutions.

7. Main areas of work: Minimum Standards Document – A draft has been prepared. It is currently undergoing consultation with the relevant stakeholders. The document is intended to clarify issues regarding responsibility for hate crime investigation and the roll of supervisors in ensuring that minimum standards are met. A meeting has been held with the TP Crime Commander to discuss compliance with the minimum standards. DCC4 have now secured a position at the TP Crime Managers meeting to discuss compliance.

8. Third party Reporting (TPR.): Another member of staff has been recruited to create greater resilience on TPR. issues and ensure that TPR is addressed with dynamism across the MPS. In October 2002 a new Police Notice (44/02) was issued to provide further encouragement and advice to Boroughs for T.P.R. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender advisory group are working closely with DCC4 to produce and distribute a non-police reporting form that will be of specific relevance to members of the LGBT community.

9. Community Involvement - the significant work involved in addressing counter-terrorism in London is being progressed with communities through the Community Involvement Strategy co-ordinated by DCC4.

10. Intelligence – Work continues to identify those boroughs with high levels of reported hate crime. DCC4’s Proactive Task Force then assists those boroughs to identify offenders, to develop policing plans to target offenders, and then arrest them. These initiatives continue on a rolling basis. The intention is to arrest people who are suspected of being involved in hate crime and raise the profile of intelligence as a tool to address hate crime.

11. Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Model – There are now only two boroughs piloting the model, after a borough withdrew. The reasons for withdrawal will form part of the evaluation process. The evaluation of the pilot has been conducted by the Internal Consultancy Group ICG. (formerly C.I.S.) The evaluation report is due by the end of February. ICG will then hold focus groups on the pilot sites and a combined final report submitted by 17 March 2003.

Prevention

12. This work group is currently conducting a critical review and reappraisal of the whole Prevention Action Plan. A change in Athena Sport personnel within DCC4 has prompted a full revision of Athena Sport and the work group is currently in consultation with Territorial Policing HQ and revising the role of Athena Sport Borough liaison officers.

13. Athena Sport: Promotion of the ‘Level Playing Fields’ initiative continues. Pan London initiatives such as this were discussed at a meeting with DCC4 and the MPA in January. Through this process the chances of wide spread adoption will be greatly improved. Contact with Referee associations has been made to explain the need to report and take robust action against racist and homophobic language and behaviour by players, managers and supporters. An Athena Sport seminar aimed at representatives from London’s major sports club, venues and sporting organisations if proposed for the Spring.

14. A survey of all Community Safety Units has been completed and the results shared with Territorial Policing (TP) HQ and presented to the Borough Crime Managers. The audit of all Borough Crime and Disorder Strategies is complete. Hate Crime features in all Strategies although the approaches and setting of targets varied. Shortcomings in the content and measurement were indicative of imprecise guidance notes for compiling Crime and Disorder strategies. This has been fed back to the Home Office through the Government Office for London. Findings have been shared with TP HQ staff and TP HQ senior management. Concerns over the role of partners to be progressed.

15. The prevention section of the Generic Diversity Strategy template for boroughs is being rewritten to address the need for boroughs to include hate crime within local MPS Policing Model/National Intelligence Model approaches. Particular emphasis will be on intelligence gathering, intelligence led pro-activity, problem solving and tasking.

16. Crime prevention materials currently available and applicable to victims of hate crime are currently being critically assessed to identify those still relevant. New advice literature will be commissioned if the need is identified and Community Safety Unit staff to be informed of appropriate literature to be given to victims.

17. The review of Athena Spectrum Menu of Options continues. The consultation process has concluded and publication of the revised document is due before April 2003. The document will include appropriate crime prevention advice for victims of hate crime.

Training

18. The CRR Occupational Standards have been used to conduct a gap analysis of all courses. The result of the analysis is currently being collated and schools will shortly produce individual action plans. The action plans will be presented to the next meeting of the Diversity Implementation Steering Group and the April meeting of the Training Work Group.

19. CRR training. As of 31 January 2003, 31,882 front line police officers and civil staff and a further 2,944 recruits have been CRR trained. Additionally 3,385 non-operational staff have attended the 1-day course. The target of 100% of front line staff to be trained by December 2002 was achieved. The above numbers of staff trained represents 107% of staff that were initially identified as needing training. The additional figure is due to wastage of staff. Arrangements have been put in place to train, on return to work those staff members who are currently on career breaks and long-term sick leave. Occupational Standards for Trainers have been drafted and will be piloted by the MPS and CENTREX shortly.

20. Throughout 2002, consultation has been undertaken with Borough OCUs, Diversity Co-ordination Forum, Diversity Directorate and Police and associate trainers to establish a framework for phase II follow up training. This work is being co-ordinated by the Directorate of Training and Development’s Diversity Training Branch/Training Work Group and the Diversity Co-ordination Forum. This together with the findings of the MPS and MPA evaluation of phase I training will assist in creating formal guidelines.

21. Phase II Diversity Training will be designed to:

• Extend awareness to the full range of diversity issues (internally and externally)
• Ensure staff have appropriate knowledge of local community issues and concerns

There will be four main elements to the Phase II Diversity Training Programme

• Managers and Supervisors programme initially focussing on managing diversity in the work place.
• 1 day modular programme with a specific focus on internal issues, in particular relations between police officers and civil staff, part-time and full time staff
• Modular diversity trainer training programme for all MPS trainers, (piloting of the new course is due to commence in December)
• Race Relations (Amendment) Act

A training needs analysis for the managers and supervisors programme and 1-day programme in internal cultural issues has commenced. A training needs analysis for the RR(A)A training programme will commence shortly.

22. Lay contributors are currently involved in Recruit training, Detective training and training for newly promoted sergeants and Inspectors. Standards and procedures for community involvement in training are currently being developed. Draft guidelines were presented to the training work group and further consultation is now being undertaken within HR Directorate of Training and Development.

Fair practice (internal) & retention and progression)

23. This work group remains in the process of defining it’s full list of actions to comply with the strategic initiatives contained within the Diversity Strategy Action Plan.

24. The below is a list of work that is ongoing within the MPS that is internally focused. The majority of this work is being conducted by DCC6, the Developmental Organisation Improvement Team.

• Mentoring schemes. 0-2 is mentoring for all staff members covering their probationary period. 0-5 is mentoring for all visible ethnic minority staff with the aim increasing retention of staff.
• Active Career Development Programme. This is a mentoring scheme for visible ethnic minority staff of Inspector rank and above. Each officer will have a nominated mentor and a second mentor of ACPO rank. The aim of this scheme is to increase the retention and progression of staff members.
• Gender Agenda. This requires all Operational Command Units within the MPS to detail programmes and objectives for female staff members within their OCU based upon five objectives,
  • MPS to demonstrate consistently that its values and commitment 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, consistent with the proportion of women in the economically population
  • To ensure that women’s voice’s are influential in the shaping of policy as it affects both internal and external service delivery
  • To develop and understanding of the competing demands in achieving a work/life balance and a successful police career
  • To create a working environment and provide equipment of the right quality and standard to enable women employees to do their jobs professionally
• Female and Ethnic Minority Detective Training Programme (FEMDTP) This programme is designed to enable and encourage female and ethnic minority staff to become detectives at Inspector and Chief Inspector ranks. Members of both groups are underrepresented within the MPS as detectives, especially within specialist roles.
• Female personnel development programme. This has been trailed successfully and awaits rollout.
• Leadership programmes. At present this programme has been successfully run at Chief Inspector and Superintendent level and has diversity mainstreamed throughout the programme. Work is underway to run similar courses for Sergeants and Inspectors.
• High Potential Development Scheme. Recently redesign this programme ahs had a high input from female staff but less so from ethnic minority staff. Work is being conducted to analyse and correct this situation.

Recruitment

25. This work group held its inaugural meeting in November 2002. Initial action has included a complete review of existing Recruitment procedures. This has led to the creation of a Visible Ethnic Monitoring Processing Team to improve processing procedures and liaison with Positive Action Central Team (PACT) and a review of residency criteria taking into account individual needs allowing the MPS to take a flexible approach to this requirement. Development of the ‘Refer a friend’ scheme is ongoing. Legal advice and external consultation has been sought and risk analysis conducted. Legal advice indicates that the MPS can pursue this course of action for VEM candidates only. The PACT Team will run this project.

26. Other work included identifying and implementing terms of reference. They were identified as five strands:

• Taking Recruitment to high areas of Diversity. Instigated October 2002 and includes three levels of recruitment targeted at locations identified through statistical analysis of census data. Instigated Oct ’02 and includes two levels of recruitment targeted at locations identified through statistical analysis of census data.
  IntroMet launched Westminster 22/10/02 and events held in Leicester and Leeds and Lewisham. The Introment will now focus on pan London events. Aim to hold 1 event per month.
  Borough. All Boroughs to hold 1 event per month. During the past 12 months there have been over 400 events held with PACT/PAT involvement
• Working with business and Religious groups.
  Work is being developed with the ‘God channel’, ‘Christian radio channel’ and Premier radio. Interviews have been conducted with Muslim organisations and work is being conducted with the Association Of Muslim Police officers on placement of recruitment material in mosques. Links have been forged with Neasden Hindu Temple where a pilot Intromet event was staged in September 2002. Links with ‘Fullemploy’ and the ‘Windsor Fellowship’, both of whom concentrate on the placement of VEM clients into employment.
• Focus recruitment advertising on attracting people from all underrepresented groups, especially visible ethnic minority communities to achieve Home Office targets. Four private companies are used, TMP World wide for Intromet, McCann Erickson for Pan London and Local events, Jarvis for ‘stand alone’ events and Media Comm. as an external call centre to identify potential recruits. Planned is a major Recruitment advertising campaign commencing 17 March aimed at VEM recruits. The MPS has been nominated, by Minority Media Groups for the ‘Race in the Media’ award.
• Provide Positive Action Support Scheme (P.A.S.S.) to minority applicants. Focus groups are held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The course is run over two days. Day 1 support for Interview, Police Initial Recruitment Test and written test. Day 2 includes support for the medical and physical elements. 197 applicants were supported during October 2002 and 645 since 1st April 2002. The Head of Training School Policy is approaching educational establishments in the London area to design an access course for visible ethnic minority candidates. It is proposed the course will last 10 weeks and give the attendees the skills to pass the selection process and to become successful police officers.
• Working with youth through education and direct contact. This includes working with individual Education Authorities. Presentations are given at colleges on ‘Public Service courses’. 5 events were held in schools across London during January and Recruitment Fare’s held at both Chiltern and Leicester Universities in January.

27. Other work to includes the redesign of the central careers office at New Scotland Yard and the ongoing development of an interactive intranet and Internet sites for recruitment.

28. Two studies have been carried out by MA students into the impact of the recruitment process and subsequent completion of Training school with regards to visible ethnic minority candidates. The findings of both studies have been passed to Internal Consultancy Group who are using these studies and other research to come up with some proposals.

29. The Borough Volunteer Network was re-launched on 13th September 2002. Volunteers, known as Positive Action Officers (PAOs) and Positive Action Team Leaders (PATLs) have two main functions

• Event management and
• Positive Action Support

At present there are 38 PATLs and 680 PAOs Met wide. Positive Action Central Team are currently conducting a training needs analysis for PATLs and have developed a ‘toolkit’ for use by Boroughs.

Stop and Search

30. This is the subject of a separate report to the meeting and therefore not contained within this report.

Fair practice (external)

31. The Fair Practice (External) Work Group developed and examined a variety of models to monitor disproportionality in the exercise of police powers and discretion’s. In March 2002, the Diversity Strategy Board identified a preferred option and implemented a project team, under the Chair of Commander Broadhurst to progress this issue.

32. This work group has a membership that includes Territorial Policing, Diversity Directorate (DCC4), Directorate of Professional Standards, Performance Information Bureau (PIB), Internal Consultancy Group (ICG), Inspectorate, Independent Advisory Group, MPA, Commission for Racial Equalities and Borough representatives.

33. PIB has undertaken responsibility for the central collation of CRIS and Stop and Search data. Stop and Search data is now available on the PIB Intranet site. Feedback from practitioners questions the ability and capacity of Borough staff to undertake analysis of the custody data base analysis requirements. It is recognised that only PIB can undertake this work. Formal request has been made to head of PIB to make custody data available to boroughs through their intranet site as well. We await an estimated completion date for this work.

34. Commander Broadhurst (TP) sent out guidance notes to Borough Commanders in December 2002 setting out a uniform approach to the local analysis of Stop and Search data. Boroughs are required to report on a quarterly basis identifying disproportionality and provide an explanation. The date for the first submission was 31 January 2003. This information is currently being analysed by DCC4, PIB and Consultancy Group who will consider responses and provide a corporate overview of Stop and Search.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

35. Under the RR(A)A policies must comply with the duty to promote race equality by:

• Promoting equality of opportunity
• Eliminating discrimination
• Promoting good relations between persons of different racial groups

35. Ongoing work includes; All MPS Strategic Committees being briefed on Race Equality Scheme. Policy units are running workshops and Management School has been approached to assess need for ‘impact assessment’ training. Broad training needs for RR(A)A submitted to Commander Training September 2002. A paper outlining potential training needs for the Act were submitted May 2002.

36. Identification and implementation of arrangements for assessing and consulting on the impact of proposed policies with Policy Clearing House continues. In addition, part of developing policy will include measures to monitor policy, including adverse impact. Approval by Strategic Committees will allow for a programme of prioritised reviews for fitness for purpose and relevance/compliance with RR(A)A. (Please see section on Policy Clearing House below)

37. HR Sub Group to the main RR(A)A committee under Martin Tiplady, is progressing the monitoring of all data under the employment duty of the Act. Systems due to be in place in place between September and April 2003, mirroring the rollout of METHR.

38. The Department of Professional Standards (DPS) has commenced the monitoring of complaints against police officers. See also Fair Practice External for disproportionality monitoring in Stop and Search.

Policy clearing house.

39. The purpose of this note is to provide a brief outline of the work to date of the Policy Clearing House (PCH) and its plans through to December 2004. This note concentrates particularly on the MPS Race Equality Scheme but also puts that work into a wider organisational context.

40. The PCH (currently part of the Deputy Commissioner’s Command) was established in 2001 with the purpose of developing, introducing and managing a Policy Development Framework (PDF) that would exercise control and co-ordination over policy development in the MPS.

In January 2002 management Board approved a new PDF. The key elements of that framework are:

• A number of strategic committees with the role of owning, commissioning, approving and reviewing all corporate policy
• The introduction of quality standards around policy development and review
• All corporate policies to be reviewed at least once every 3 years to ensure they are fit for purpose
• An agreed corporate definition of “policy”

41. In May 2002 the MPS published its Race Equality Scheme that committed the organisation to implementing the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000. That Scheme commits the MPS to monitor all its policies for their impact on race relations.

42. In July 2003 the MPS will be publishing its plans with regard to the Freedom of Information Act and this is likely to commit the organisation to providing public access to information about its corporate policies with effect from January 2005.

Current position

• By the end of March 2003 each of the 16 strategic committees will have agreed its list of policies and a programme of policy reviews to be completed by December 2004.
• To date the process of identifying which committee owns which policy has led to a reduction in the corporate policy list of 20% (to 2226 policies).
• The “fit for purpose reviews” will not only cover issues raised by the Race Equality Scheme but all other relevant constraining legislation and a range of other checks including ensuring that each policy has a beneficial impact on operational policing and is the result of appropriate consultation.
• The PCH has developed a Policy Review Workbook to help policy developers undertake the full scope of policy reviews.
• The Race Equality Scheme also applies to local policies and the PCH is currently scoping the work needed to ensure these are fit for purpose.
• Implementation of the Race Equality Scheme is being managed through a Steering Group chaired by Chief Superintendent Lovelock (DCC4). The developmental work of the PCH is being managed through a project board chaired by A/Chief Superintendent Ovens.

Disability Discrimination Act

43. This is the subject of a separate report to the meeting (agenda item x) and therefore not contained within this report.

Devolved implementation of the MPS Diversity Strategy

44. During July and August 2002, the Diversity Strategy Monitoring Unit (DSMU) commenced the devolved implementation of the MPS Diversity Strategy to all Boroughs through the development and use of a generic template, based upon the corporate Diversity Strategy Action Plan. Presentations were given to twenty-six boroughs either at Senior Management Team level or with a nominated individual.

45. Current Situation
To date, the following twenty one Boroughs now have local Diversity Strategy Action Plans in place: Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Heathrow,, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Lewisham, Harrow, Brent, Greenwich, Bexley, Barnet, Richmond, Kingston, Ealing, Hillingdon, Enfield and Haringey. Copies of all Strategies are retained by the DSMU.

46. The following six Boroughs are in the process of creating local Diversity Strategies: Camden, Newham, Southwark, Bromley, Merton and Sutton.

47. The DSMU is in the process of contacting all Boroughs and reconfirming and obtaining up-to-date copies of Borough Diversity Strategies. This information will be available and presented to the Diversity Strategy Board on 11 March 2003.

48. It is the intention of the DSMU that when all boroughs have implemented diversity strategies to then commence implementation with all MPS Commands beginning with Specialist Operations Department. Work has commenced in this area with the Child Protection Unit in the process of developing their template/strategy and very recently the DSMU has commenced work with the DPS to devise and implement theirs.

49. The DSMU have recently opened the inaugural diversity meetings of both Bexley and Redbridge Boroughs. Both meetings included both internal and external representation with their respective Borough diversity strategy action plans fully discussed and debated.

50. The Diversity Strategy Action Plan and the generic template are at present under revision by the DSMU. With the assistance of DCI Smith (DCC4), the RR(A)A has been themed throughout both plans to show which initiatives comply with the specific and general duties. The GLA Best Value (Equalities for all) recommendations will be included in full and individual initiatives will also be linked to show compliance with each of the recommendations. Further planned work is the integration of the National Policing Model into both plans. A preliminary meeting is planned for the 12 March 2003.

Other diversity related work

51. The DSMU has rewritten the Diversity section of the inspection process for specialist and pan London Units. This will include all units/departments other than boroughs. These units make up 46% of the MPS strength. Once a unit has been inspected, the results will be fed back to the DSMU to monitor the progress of diversity activity within the each unit.

52. The DSMU, together with Corporate Development Group and borough practitioners is in the process of revising the Public Attitude Survey. The DSMU input is to widen the breadth of questions to include all diverse groups including LGBT, disability and faith. Furthermore it is the DSMU intention to include a section of questions relating to community reassurance in line with the Home Office Performance Assessment Framework.

C. Equality and diversity implications

The devolution of diversity strategies will publicly reinforce both the MPS’s and individual Boroughs commitment to diversify all of its functions and practices. This process will support the MPS aim of increasing the transparency and accountability of Boroughs and assist in increasing public confidence in the MPS. Furthermore it is intended to not only increase recruitment from underrepresented groups, but to increase the retention of officers and essential support staff.

D. Financial implications

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

E. Background papers

Copy of the generic Diversity Strategy Template supplied to the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board on 28th November 2002

F. Contact details

Report author: Mark Antill, Inspector Diversity Strategy Monitoring Unit, DCC4, Dave Wilkinson, Head of the Policy Clearing House, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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