Diversity issues within the Traffic Operational Command Unit (CO15)

Report: 9
Date: 6 April 2006
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report outlines the work of the Traffic Operational Command Unit (OCU), provides details of its community engagement activities, examples of monitoring of enforcement activity with regard to disproportionality together with a breakdown of the OCU staff gender and ethnicity and work undertaken to increase under representation.

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

Role of the Traffic OCU

1. The Traffic OCU sits within the Roads Policing Branch (headed by its own commander and comprises of the Traffic OCU, Transport OCU and the Traffic Criminal Justice OCU) and is the strategic and policy lead for roads policing issues. It is a Pan-London OCU with 684 police officers and 126 police staff based at 7 sites across London.

2. The Branch’s strategic aim is ‘Making London’s roads safer through the engagement of intelligence-led policing, denying criminals the use of the roads, reducing road casualties and maximising available space for lawful road users’.

3. The Traffic OCU’s priorities reflect those of the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) Roads Policing strategy, namely:

• denying criminals the use of the road by enforcing the law;
• reducing road casualties;
• tackling the threat of terrorism;
• reducing anti-social use of roads; and
• enhancing public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the roads.

Denying criminals the use of the road

4. In recent years, the ethos of roads policing in London has shifted from a response mode. The high standards of technical expertise and commitment of the Traffic OCU have been maintained, while increasingly, the preventative and detective techniques of the traffic officer are deployed against a broader spectrum of criminal and antisocial behaviour.

5. Traffic OCU patrols benefit from increasingly sophisticated analysis. Deployments can be counter terrorist in nature, or based on hotspots that link high road casualty figures to the incidence of volume crime and anti-social behaviour. The Traffic tasking teams have become anti-crime units that can be deployed in support of Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs) through the Central Operations (CO) Together tasking process to tackle particular road space crime problems e.g. scooter-based robbery, anti-social behaviour by motorists, vehicle crime and high visibility patrols to disrupt criminal activity.

6. The Traffic OCU currently operates four Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) intercept teams, together with ANPR equipped operational patrol vehicles. ANPR equipped vehicles have a camera linked to a database that includes PNC, intelligence of a local, London-wide and national nature not only for criminal matters but also for those who persistently offend and evade traffic enforcement activities. The camera reads number plates and activates an audible warning when intelligence indicates that the vehicle is suspected of offences.

7. The ANPR teams are deployed through the CO Together tasking process to protect the public from travelling criminals. They also support the Traffic and Transport’s strategic assessment and the Mayor's Road Safety Plan by tackling persistent offenders/evaders and unregistered vehicles. This has included partnership working with other agencies, including Transport for London, where there is a joint interest in detecting and deterring unregistered, uninsured and unlicensed use of vehicles on London’s road network.

8. Performance with regard to arrest against the number of stops has shown a steady improvement, with a figure of 13% now being achieved, above the national average.

9. The ANPR and tasking teams have led on the use of the power introduced in July 2005 to seize vehicles driven by uninsured or unlicensed drivers. To date more than 1,100 have been seized.

Road safety performance

10. The MPS adopted the Department for Transport (DfT) Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) target of reducing casualties by 40% and child casualties by 50% by 2010 (set in 2000 based upon the 1994-1998 baseline) as part of the wider aim to create Safer Neighbourhoods.

11. The projected reduction against those targets for the end of the financial year 2005/6 is 40% overall and for child casualties 57%. The Mayor of London has proposed adjusting these targets to reductions of 50% and 60% respectively. The OCU would look to attract additional resources to achieve these stretch targets.

12. In pursuit of casualty reduction and greater safety on the road, the Traffic OCU focuses on speed, poor driving, drink driving, non-wearing of seatbelts and the use of mobile phones whilst driving. These activities directly support the DfT ‘Think’ campaign, which is now embodied in the National Roads Policing Strategy. The OCU has introduced training for officers to detect persons driving whilst impaired through drugs, with officers able to give evidence to that effect.

Collision investigations

13. The Collision Investigation Unit (CIU) of the Traffic OCU is responsible for the investigation of all fatal and a proportion of life changing injury collisions. Progress continues in developing the standards of the investigative service, with the MPS compliant with the principles of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Road Death Investigation Manual. The unit is now headed by a detective superintendent, reflecting its crime investigation role.

14. Staff within the CIU have received specialist 'crime academy' training relevant to their role including investigative training to detective constable, detective sergeant and detective inspector level in 2005. A number of established detective sergeants have recently joined the CIU, their skills complementing the development programme in place.

15. The majority of the OCU family liaison officers are based within the CIU. They are some of the busiest within the MPS and yet were still able to provide assistance to support families involved in the Tsunami and the July 2005 bombings.

Tackling the threat of terrorism

16. A counter-terrorism focus desk is situated within the Road Crime Intelligence Unit, proving a conduit for the exchange of intelligence within the MPS and with national bodies.

17. The OCU has trained officers to detect offences under regulations governing the transportation of hazardous goods, with regular interception operations undertaken across the capital.

18. The OCU contributes a response to several of the Operation Rainbow options.

Reducing anti-social use of the roads

19. Within the terms of the Traffic Partnership function, the OCU has developed tactical advice and support to Safer Neighbourhoods Teams to contribute to reducing anti-social behaviour associated with the use of motor vehicles, including scooters. This initiative links the activity of BOCU Crime Prevention Design Advisers with Traffic Management Officers, to consider as well as providing 'tactical advice' on patrol and enforcement options open to Safer Neighbourhood teams.

20. The vehicle fleet has been changed to include motorcycles with a semi-off road capability to permit deployments to tackle anti-social behaviour by persons using scooters and motorcycles on housing estates, parks and open ground.

21. The use of new powers to seize vehicles driven by the unlicensed and uninsured disrupts the travelling criminal whilst dealing with those unwilling to comply with road traffic legislative requirements.

Community engagement

22. Traffic partnership activity is extensive, and includes the Home Office, other constabularies, Greater London Magistrates Court Association, ACPO, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Highways Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Coroners, the Health and Safety Executive, and membership of the Parliamentary Advisory Committee for Transport Safety. The OCU has regular contact with groups representing the interests of pedestrians, motorcyclists and car drivers.

23. Additionally, the Traffic OCU is a member of regional forums including: the Pan London Road Safety Forum; Local Officer Technical Advisory Group; London Motorcycle Working Group; DfT Work Related Roads Risk forum, and Occupational Road Safety Alliance.

24. The OCU is also involved in a number of partnership initiatives including ‘Safer Routes to School’, ‘BikeSafe’ training and a Freight Travel Plan project to improve freight sector fuel efficiency and risk management practices with the declared aim of reducing collisions and casualties.

25. The partnership unit is leading on a project to introduce a Special Constabulary contingent into the OCU, whose primary role will be to respond to bids for support from safer neighbourhoods teams to tackle anti-social behaviour by motorists and motorcyclists.

26. Partnership conferences have been hosted at New Scotland Yard to promote more effective local relationships, and these in turn have led to the creation of local casualty reduction forums involving individual local authorities and officers from the OCU’s Traffic Management Units.

27. The OCU has identified a gap within its consultation processes. Its pan-London role means that it cannot engage with a consultative group in the same format as Territorial Policing (TP) colleagues. Although there is extensive contact with a multitude of groups across London there isn’t a forum at present for the MPS to host consultation at a strategic level on roads policing business in a similar way to an independent advisory group. Initial soundings have provided positive feedback from key partners willing to engage in such a forum and a ‘neutral’ chairperson is in the process of being recruited, with the intention of establishing a forum to meet this need and in place to contribute to the 2007/8 planning cycle. Presently we do consult with BOCU commanders and Borough Chief Executive Officers and factor their local concerns into plans.

Performance snapshot

28. In 2005 the Traffic OCU:

• Investigated 224 fatal collisions,
• Provided 212 Bikesafe courses for 1,999 students,
• Made 3,506 arrests including 1,079 for drink drive,
• Attended 5,172 personal injury collisions,
• Provided 7412 days of police officer ‘aid’,
• Generated an additional 2,635 arrests through ANPR, and
• Seized over 750 vehicles driven by uninsured/unlicensed drivers.

Equality impact assessment

29. The OCU undertook an equality impact assessment for its recruitment processes to increase the number of female and black and minority ethnic (BME) police officers. It did not find that its measures adversely affected any particular group.

30. An equality impact assessment of the police driving standards unit processes and decisions will be undertaken once new reporting systems are installed and operational within the unit (forecast to be completed in July).

31. A further equality impact assessment is being undertaken for the 2006/7 OCU business plan (for completion in April).

Monitoring of service delivery

32. Data is recorded for a number of OCU enforcement activities, but only the ethnicity of persons stopped and searched is published within the monthly management report (MMR). For 2006/7 the Quality Assurance Unit will prepare a quarterly report providing statistics and associated commentary (from a diversity perspective) on all recorded enforcement interactions including those listed below.

33. Stop and search

The following table is a break down of the total number of persons stopped and searched by ethnic group and as a percentage of the total. The data is presented every month within the OCU MMR. The total stopped and searched within the African Caribbean categories is 25.9% of the total. This compares to the MPS rate of 36.4%. Similarly, the total Asian stopped and searched is 10.4% compared to the MPS rate of 12%. The arrest rates within both categories are higher for Traffic, at 15% compared to 13% MPS (African Caribbean) and 19% compared to 9.3% MPS (Asian).

34. Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) - (April 2005 – January 2006)

The following table is a break down of the number of FPNs issued by traffic officers by ethnic group. This data has been obtained from the Traffic Criminal Justice OCU and is presented in the format that they record it in. This data is recorded but not currently published within the 2005/6 Traffic OCU MMR. There is currently no comparative MPS data.

35. ANPR generated arrests (April 2005 – to January 2006)

The following table is a break down of the number of arrests generated by the use of ANPR by ethnic group. These arrests arise from an ANPR activation or interaction at a stop site. This data is recorded but not currently published within the OCU MMR, but will be published within a summary of ANPR performance returns to be included on the MPS intranet. ANPR is the enforcement area that affords the least discretion. The total arrests within the African Caribbean categories is 45.6%, and Asian 9.4%. There is no MPS comparison as the Traffic OCU is the only MPS ANPR intercept capability.

36. The vast majority of traffic patrol and ANPR team deployments are in the high volume crime and inner city BOCUs within the MPS. The OCU does not have a ‘driver profile’ of these areas, but the population and street profiles within those BOCUs will contribute to the above statistics. It is worth stating that out of all of our activities, this is the one area where the officer has minimal discretion as they respond to an electronic matching process. The OCU is conducting analysis to examine the reasons for such disproportionality.

37. The OCU Diversity Working Group has initiated a number of actions to examine whether there is evidence of disproportionality in discipline (numbers too small for effective evaluation), police collision appeal decisions (numbers too small for effective evaluation) and OCU fairness at work cases (awaits).

Breakdown of staff

38. Police officers – gender and ethnicity

The following table is a break down of police officers within the traffic OCU by gender and ethnic group.

39. Police staff – gender and ethnicity

The following table is a break down of police staff within the traffic OCU by gender and ethnic group.

Diversity recruitment

40. It is recognised that the number of female and BME police officers is low within the overall budgeted workforce target. It should be noted that this has been the subject of attention and the numbers of female officers have increased from 23 to 45 and the BME officers from 12 to 23. The OCU is not able to provide a staff breakdown around disability, faith or non-faith or sexual orientation. A challenge facing the OCU was to identify barriers to recruitment and the subsequent ways forward, in which the OCU could ensure that its officers reflect the diversity of the MPS and the community as a whole. In 2004 the ICG were commissioned to conduct this work for the OCU and make recommendations on ways to attract more female and BME officers to join and remain in the OCU. Many of the recommendations have since been implemented. The OCU has many role opportunities beyond the 24/7 response including detective investigators and other investigative or support roles. We now recruit directly to these posts.
We have also embraced the opportunity to allow flexible working and now benefit from a number of officers working such hours. The OCU has introduced a smaller motorcycle and smaller seats for the larger motorcycles. The OCU is pro-active in reaching out through open days, attending recruit markets at Hendon, and most recently attended a Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) recruitment event. Some of our female officers have been trained as mentors, and an OCU Women’s Group has been set up. The OCU’s Diversity Working Group is planning to set up a similar group for black and minority ethnic staff.

41. The OCU’s Diversity Working Group (a body drawn from a diverse cross section of police officers and staff) has reviewed all of the recent recruitment work (under the Equality Development Action Plan), introduced new processes to promote diversity within the OCU and measures around pre-selection mentoring, support and coaching.

Diversity training and associated matters

42. All OCU staff have completed Phase 1 of the MPS diversity training and await the rollout of Phase 2 of the delayed corporate package.

43. The OCU is represented in its dealings with the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate through CO business group representation. Additionally the OCU Commander has dialogue with the Directorate’s OCU Commander, and advice and support is available from the Directorate to enable the OCU to conduct the Equality Impact Assessments.

C. Race and equality impact

1. The OCU undertook an equality impact assessment for its recruitment processes to increase the number of female and black and minority ethnic (BME) police officers. It did not find that its measures adversely affected any particular group.

2. An equality impact assessment of the police driving standards unit processes and decisions will be undertaken once new reporting systems are installed and operational within the unit (forecast to be completed in July).

3. A further equality impact assessment is being undertaken for the 2006/7 OCU business plan (for completion in April)

D. Financial implications

The OCU has a budget of £37.5m and has generated (to date in 2005/6) income of £916,000.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Charles Griggs, Chief Superintendent

For more information contact:

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

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