MPS diversity training: community and Race Relations Programme

Report: 09
Date: 13 March 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

On 31 December 2002 the MPS successfully completed the delivery of the first phase of the Diversity Training: Community and Race Relations programme to police officers and frontline civil staff. This report summarises progress to date, provides an update on the current MPS evaluation of the programme and details initial proposals for the next phases of training.

A. Recommendation

That this report and the current work in progress be noted.

B. Supporting information

1. The MPS Diversity Training: Community and Race Relations Programme (CRR), which commenced in 1999, was developed to meet the training recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry with the specific aim of: “increasing trust and confidence among ethnic minority communities”.

2. There have been two main training delivery targets, a primary and a secondary. The primary target – established by the Home Office and applying to all police services – is to deliver the programme to all police officers and frontline [1] civil staff by 31 December 2002; the secondary target is to deliver the training to all other personnel (approximately 10,000) by 31 December 2003.

3. The MPS successfully achieved its Home Office target at the end of December 2002 and is well on course to complete the delivery of the programme to ‘non-frontline’ personnel by the end of 2003. At the time of compiling this report the 2-day programme had been delivered to 31,125 police officers and frontline civil staff representing 103 [2] per cent of the primary target. Training to non-frontline civil staff is ongoing throughout 2003. To date the programme has been delivered to 4,825 non-frontline personnel (with approximately a further 1,800 requiring training).

4. The roll-out of the programme has been centred on borough operational command units and extended to every other OCU, Special Operations branches, MPS departments and business units.

5. Evaluation of the MPS Diversity Training: CRR Programme has been ongoing since 2001. The remainder of this report details some of the initial findings together with an outline of proposals for the next phase of diversity training.

MPS evaluation of the diversity training: CRR Programme

6. The evaluation of the Diversity Training: CRR Programme has been undertaken by the HR: Directorate of Training and Development’s Quality Assurance Unit. Evaluation reports have been provided on a borough-by-borough basis for each location at which the training has been delivered. A borough interim report is produced 4-6 months after the training is complete and contains details of short-term indicators. Full borough evaluation reports are produced 12-14 months after the training has been completed (with details of long-term indicators). Copies of these reports are provided to the MPA Diversity Training: CRR Evaluation Steering Group. A final report with an overall assessment of the impact of the training will be produced in April 2004.

Evaluation methodology

7. The evaluation programme incorporates various data collection methodologies including:

1. Collection of information from those involved in the programme, e.g:
   • community steering group members
   • associate trainers
   • police trainers
   • participants (end of course/post course)
   • community interface volunteers
2. Information on local policing arrangements and policies and procedures at borough level (with comparisons before and after the training).
3. Information on national performance indicators (with comparisons before and after the training).
4. Viewing the results in the context of the social make up of each borough.

8. The following section highlights some of the current issues emerging from the evaluation. A table detailing the stage of each borough evaluation is included at Appendix 1.

Emerging issues

9. The MPS’s commitment to training 100% of staff was identified by independent steering group members as evidence of commitment of the service to diversity.

10. Evidence from all of the boroughs visited so far indicates that the community interface is the highlight of the course for MPS staff. It is highly regarded by the community members that volunteer for the programme who overwhelmingly think the training is the right thing to do (98%). It also acts as a catalyst ensuring that the police interact with the community to develop the interface capability.

11. One borough delivered the day one of the workshop to a group of workers from the voluntary sector. The training was so well received that they negotiated a second days training. The training is in demand from others in the same sector. A member of the group said that where as some people may have queried whether the training would do any good, the experience was so powerful that they now fully support police efforts. A similar effect was apparent when a reporter recently attended the training and tried to recruit the trainers to deliver training to their own organisation. (The Guardian)

12. It has proved difficult to get staff to undertake work connected to the workshops before or after the training. Few appear to have read and/or studied any written material provided before the training. The action planning sessions are not being delivered by the trainers and the programme is therefore producing few initiatives at borough level. Consideration should be given to alternative methods of training and training support such as academic accreditation, e-learning, testing, action planning and implementing diversity initiatives.

13. The use of experienced trainers is essential to the delivery of classroom based diversity training. Novice trainers tend towards direct challenge as facilitating methodology, preventing any discussion that does not support the concepts being delivered. Experienced trainers tend towards a non-judgemental stance allowing contrary opinions to be voiced, probing the concepts aired, identifying the underpinning logic and allowing the group to challenge or debate the construct. Support networks for trainers are necessary particularly for less experienced trainers and associate trainers.

14. The majority of associate trainers and independent steering group members have a more positive view of police after the training than they did before the training. The message that they take to other people about the training is on the whole a positive one.

15. The selection of appropriate interface volunteers is essential to the interface session. People who have no experience with the police or no issues to discuss are inappropriate to the purpose of the session. In particular, people attending public service courses, and those intending to join the police, do not appear to make successful interface volunteers. This session appears to work best when the interface contains people who have issues with the way in which they are policed and have experiences relevant to police community interactions in the context of community and race relations.

16. The workshop programme is recognised as an important start to achieving the aims of the diversity training programme. It is widely recognised by associate trainers, police trainers and steering group members that the training must be followed by other activities. This is generally referred to as ‘phase two’. A failure to maintain a change process or implement activities intended to bring about change will result in many of those involved in the delivery of the training believing they have been betrayed.

17. Phase two activity has taken place at some boroughs following on immediately from phase one. Activities include a partnership approach to police community interface sessions and the use of scheduled training sessions to introduce details of Muslim faith and culture.

18. The long-term interviews (4-9 months after training) have shown that many officers are applying things learnt during the training in the workplace, specifically recognising individual needs.

19. The questionnaire responses indicated that most officers would not change the way they select people for or conduct stop and search as a result of the training. The analysis of performance indicators (stop and search data) to date, has shown that the disproportionality of stop search of black people has increased. Note: this is based upon the analysis of only six of the twenty four boroughs being examined and may not be replicated on other boroughs.

Proposals for the next phase of diversity training

20. The HR: Directorate of Training and Development’s Diversity Training Branch is currently working on the development of further mandatory training for police officers and frontline civil staff to provide awareness and understanding of diversity issues not addressed in previous diversity training programmes.

21. The next phase of diversity training will be designed to:

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

22. Initially it is proposed that there should be 4 main elements to the next phase of training. However, delivery will be dependent on resources, and in particular, on the capacity of the Diversity Training School (which currently has a trainer compliment of 27).

23. In addition, it is acknowledged that the results of the MPS and MPA evaluations of the Diversity Training: CRR Programme will also need to inform the design of any future phases of training.

24. The 4 proposed elements are:

1. Managers and supervisors programme: with an initial focus on the management of diversity in the workplace. The training needs analysis for this programme has commenced and recommended training options will be available by the end of April 2003.
2. 1-day programme on internal culture issues, with a particular focus on relations between police officers and civil staff, and part-time and full-time employees. The programme will also support the Gender Agenda and the work of the MPS Development and Organisation Improvement Team. The TNA for this programme has commenced and will be completed by the end of March.
3. Modular diversity trainer training programme for MPS trainers. This is an ongoing programme of work initially targeting recruit trainers (to supplement the diversity elements of the Trainer Foundation Course). A 5 day diversity trainer training programme commenced in January 2003 and will eventually be provided to all MPS trainers.
4. Training on the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000). The TNA for this programme will commence at the beginning of March.

25. The HR: DTD Diversity Training Branch is currently developing a 3 year diversity training plan detailing proposed future phases of training from 2003-2006. Consultation will be undertaken with the MPA and other key stakeholders.

26. A Management Board for the Diversity Training School to help ensure the effective management and co-ordination of all future diversity training programmes will also shortly be established.

C. Equality and diversity implications

Diversity training will continue to be a key element of the MPS Diversity Strategy Protect and Respect. The current proposals for the next phase of diversity training reflect the need to address internal culture issues as a priority, an issue that was specifically identified in Lord Ouseley’s review of the MPS Diversity Strategy undertaken at the end of 2000.

D. Financial implications

There are no specific budgetary implications for this work.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Shaun Kennedy, Head of Diversity Training, HR: Directorate of Training and Development, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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