Equal opportunities and diversity management information report

Report: 14
Date: 10 March 2005
By: Clerk

Summary

This report provides equal opportunities and diversity management information. The main trends are highlighted and more detailed figures are provided in the appendix.

A. Recommendations

That members note the attached management information report and any emerging trends.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The report aims to supply committee members with information relevant to equal opportunities and diversity, and highlight any emerging trends.

2. The main trends to be noted are:

LGBT Theme

Homophobic crime

3. There has been a 15.7% increase in homophobic crimes recorded between April and January 2004-05 when comparing with the same period the previous year. Latest data available shows victims of crime who are female has reduced from 24.1% to 22%, suggesting that the rise in crime could be attributed to a greater number of male victims reporting crime (128 more male victims this year than last).

• The proportion of victims who are black & minority ethnic has also reduced, suggesting that the higher majority of victims are white.
• The current sanction detection rate for homophobic crime is 16.1%, a small reduction from 17.5% recorded in 2003-04.

Hate Crime

4. Homicide recorded by the MPS has reduced by 12.8% year on year, with a financial year to date total of 164 crimes recorded to January 2005. Of those recorded, 19% of victims were female, and 42% of victims were Black & minority ethnic.

• The homicide detection rate for April 2004 to January 2005 is 91.5%, a reduction of 2.7 percentage points from the same period the previous year.

5. The detection rate for rape offences is currently at 30.5% and under target. It is unlikely that the 35% target will be met this year as this level has only been reached once since April 2004. The sanction detection rate is currently 20.9%, lower than previous years figures.

• 74% of all recorded rape victims are female, a large decrease from the previous year where the figure totalled 96%. The actual number of female victims has remained at a similar level, indicating that more male victims are reporting offences.
• The percentage of black & minority ethnic victims of rape has reduced, dropping from 43% recorded between April 03 and November 03 to the current level of 30%.

6. The number of racist offences recorded has remained at a constant level year on year with the proportion of female victims reducing from 45.5% in 2003/4 to the current figure of 38%.

• The proportion of black & minority ethnic victims of reported racist crimes has dropped significantly from last financial year to date. The current level is 67%, where as between April and November 2003-04 83% of victims were from Black & minority ethnic, indicating a rise in white victims reporting crime.
• The sanction detection rate for racist crimes has risen slightly from 17.2% recorded last financial year, to 17.6% this financial year.

7. The number of domestic violence crimes recorded has increased by 5.7% year on year. The sanction detection rate has also increased, rising by 1 percentage point to 18.1% April to January 2004-05.

• The proportion of victims of domestic violence that are female has reduced significantly. 81.3% of victims recorded last year were female, compared to just 64% recorded this financial year. This suggests that a higher proportion of male victims are reporting domestic violence crimes.
• The proportion of Black & minority ethnic victims has also reduced year on year. Dropping from 46.2% in 2003-04 to 37% in 2004-05.

8. The recording of faith hate crimes in London has increased by 37.1% year on year, with 178 crimes recorded between April and November 2003 and 244 recorded between April and November 2004.

Strength

Police Officer

9. Police officer strength has increased by 2.3% up to the end of January, reaching 30,790.28. The percentage of police officers that are female is 19.2% and 6.9% are Black & minority ethnic.

• The number of police officers at sergeant and above ranks has increased at a greater rate than total strength. There are 11.2% more officers at these ranks this financial year than last. Despite the increase, the percentage of male to female officers in this group is disproportional. There are 11.3% female officers at sergeant and above ranks as a proportion of all female officers, compared to 26.3% of male officers as a proportion of all male officers.

Police Staff

10. Police staff strength has risen by 12.1% year on year with 13,279.96 staff at the end of January 2005. The proportion of female staff is higher than male staff at 59%, where as only 20.5% of staff are Black & minority ethnic.

• The number of PCSOs has risen by 44.6% year on year with the current strength at 1,945.81. The percentage of female strength is 29.8%, where as black & minority ethnic staff makes up 32.9% of total PCSO strength.

Recruitment

11. The number of police officers joining the MPS has fallen this financial year, in line with targets. At the end of January, 1,748 officers joined the MPS, compared to 2,915 for the same period the previous year. Of those officers joining, 34.4% were female and 13.3% black & minority ethnic. Both proportions higher than the current total strength figures.

• The number of police staff joining the MPS has increased by 16.7% year on year with 1,862 persons joining at the end of January. The proportion of female and black & minority ethnic staff joining is the same as the current strength (59% and 22% respectively).
• There has been a slower intake of PCSOs this year compared to last, with 26.5% fewer PCSOs joining the MPS as at the end of January. Of the 683.45 staff joining, 30.9% were female and 24.7% black & minority ethnic.

Retention

12. Retention rates have remained high, with the overall police officer rate of 95.3%. Female officers are retained slightly longer than male officers, with rates of 96.6% and 95% respectively. The retention rates for black & minority ethnic officers and white officers are both around 95%.

• Police staff retention rates are slightly lower, but still remain at a high level. The overall police staff retention rate is 93.4% with no variation between male and female, and black & minority ethnic and non-black & minority ethnic staff.

Stop and Search

13. The actual numbers of stop and searches on white persons and black & minority ethnic persons is relatively similar, but when the population of those ethnicity groups is taken into account it shows that a greater number of black & minority ethnic persons are being stopped per 1,000 population than white.

• The stop and search arrest rate has fluctuated between 8% and 12% for both white and black & minority ethnic stops, with the current rates at 9.9% and 10.3% respectively.

MPA Personnel Data

14. Total strength continues to rise at the MPA, with the figure at the end of January 2005 at 89 full time staff.

• Female staff represents 44% of the total workforce and black & minority ethnic staff represent 46%.
• Female staff holds 35% of management posts within the MPA and black & minority ethnic staff hold 38% of management posts.
• There have been 20 people appointed to the MPA between April and January 2004-05, of which 70% are female and 40% black & minority ethnic.

C. Race and equality impact

Included within the report and attached management information.

D. Financial implications

None.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Gemma Walters, Performance Analyst, MPA.

For more information contact:

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

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