Annual report 2006-07

Report: 10
Date: 12 July 2007
By: Chief Executive

Summary

The report provides a brief resume of the work of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board during 2006/7. Members are invited to endorse the report.

A. Recommendations

That Members endorse the report at Appendix 1.

B. Supporting information

1. The annual report is attached as Appendix 1.

C. Race and equality impact

The appendix is a factual report on the work of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board during 2006-2007.

D. Financial implications

There are no direct financial implications arising from this report.

E. Background papers

• MPA Annual Report 2005-06
• EODB Workplan 2005–06
• EODB Workplan 2006-07

F. Contact details

Report author: Laurence Gouldbourne, Equality and Diversity Unit, MPA

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Equal Opportunities & Diversity Board - Annual report 2006-07

Foreword by the Chair

This Annual Report is merely a summary of all the hard work carried out by MPA members of Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board (EODB). Supported by staff in the Equality & Diversity Unit and the MPA, this has truly been a team effort and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their time and commitment in delivering work on behalf of the Authority.

Firstly, I'd like to thank my wonderfully energetic and dynamic deputy chair John Roberts who is standing down from EODB after three years. John has been enthusiastic, supportive and tenacious over so much; it is a testimony to his drive and commitment that his sterling work as Chair of the Stop & Search Review Board (SSRB) has resulted in this sensitive subject matter moving up the political agenda.

I'd like to thank all the members who have served on the Board: Cindy Butts, Peter Herbert, Damian Hockney and Aneeta Prem. Cindy has led the ground-breaking MPA Domestic Violence Board (DVB) in a manner that will assist the Authority’s scrutiny on domestic violence performance – thus making the lives of women, men and children safer. Thanks also to Peter Herbert for his continued leadership of the London-wide Race Hate Crime Forum, in challenging circumstances and which will, by December 2007, have conducted reviews of how all 32 London boroughs respond to race and faith hate crime. I would also like to pay tribute to Damian Hockney who has consistently asked searching and probing questions on aspects of policing activities. Aneeta Prem has led the work on forced marriages and dishonour crimes for the MPA and this again is having an impact on key external policy and decision-makers. Aneeta has agreed to be the new Deputy Chair of EODB and I would like to welcome her to this new role. I would also like to thank Lee Jasper of the Greater London Authority for his continued participation and interventions at EODB as a co-opted member.

This is the last year of my term of office and, almost inevitably, one’s mind starts to turn towards key achievements, legacy and what difference EODB has made to Londoners in terms of policing over the past three years. In my foreword two years ago, I said, “EODB's purpose is to act as critical friend, a mirror, a rotweiler and a cheerleader to the MPS in delivery of policing services to meet the needs of London's diverse community. My vision for success is a police service, which reflects the community, which knows the community and which treats the community fairly whether encountering them as victims, witnesses or suspects/perpetrators of crime.”

We were considering our Annual Report for 2004-2005 when the bombs went off on that fateful morning of 7 July 2005. Looking back, it was a challenging meeting to chair: trying to keep focused on the business at hand, whilst simultaneously trying to find out what exactly was occurring.

Yet, two years on, EODB has achieved so much: it has scrutinised and signed off the race, disability and gender equality schemes of both the MPA and Metropolitan Police Service (MPS); it has made significant interventions in relation to communication, professional standards and the Met Modernisation Programme (MMP); and it has conducted mini-reviews of Operational Command Units (OCUs) and Directorates which has given Londoners an insight as to how the MPS goes about integrating equality and diversity in its day-to-day business.

However, its real success has been to enable and empower members of the public to directly question, challenge, support and learn from the key decision-makers in the MPS and MPA on key aspects of policing. With the assistance of London’s diverse communities, we have been able to add value to the scrutiny, oversight and accountability functions of EODB. In this context, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to members of the community who freely give of their time to attend EODB and raise issues which will assist the MPS deliver a first class service to all Londoners and, in doing so, ensure that the MPS have the right people in the right place to deliver the right services.

Does this mean that the MPS has it entirely right? Whilst acknowledging the progress made over the past three years, there are still areas for improvements. Let me point out just three:

1. The issue of a representative workforce at all levels of the MPS still requires greater efforts if London is to have a police service that genuinely reflects the communities it serves;
2. Even with a Disability Equality Scheme in place, the challenges of ensuring accessibility to premises and information, coupled with issues of dignity and respect are still to be properly addressed across the entire MPS; and
3. The MPS needs to find ways of being able to consistently monitor patterns, trends and outcomes across all six equality strands in relation to employment, service delivery and community engagement.

Finally, thanks to John Crompton for all his hard work in supporting EODB. And many thanks to all the staff of the Equality & Diversity Unit who are a marvellous lot: energetic, patient, committed and great fun to work with! At the time of writing, two members of the Unit had moved on: Kim Webster and Tina Patel. Both were unsung heroines who, quietly behind the scenes, helped facilitate and enable the Board become what it is a today: a platform for the MPS to demonstrate what steps it has taken to ensure its work genuinely integrates equality and diversity; a vehicle for members to oversee and hold the MPS to account for its activities; and a unique space whereby the people of London have an opportunity to speak to the people responsible for delivering the policing of London.

Is our work here over? Not a chance! We have only just begun…

Kirsten Hearn
Chair of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board
June 2007

Foreword by the Deputy Chair

This is my 5th EODB Annual Report and last as Deputy Chair of the Board. Although I will not be serving on Equal Opportunities & Diversity Board (EODB) over the coming year, I will be maintaining my personal commitment and passion to equalities and diversity issues and taking those principles into other areas of the work of the MPA. It has been a real privilege to serve as Deputy Chair with fellow members of the Board under the enthusiastic, and committed leadership of Kirsten Hearn.

As I reflect over the past three years, I do so with a growing recognition of the valuable work the Board has continued to undertake in scrutinising how the MPS delivers on the areas of equality and diversity in its day-to-day functioning and how its performance can be improved. Londoners, I believe are finally beginning to see the difference in how they are policed and the Board has greatly contributed to the statutory obligations of the MPA, mandated in various pieces of equalities legislation and this performs a vital role in the life and work of the Authority. EODB has also, through the mechanism of the suspension of its standing orders, given a voice to London's communities when looking at issues that are important to them.

Giving life and energy to its Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy, and the Joint Policy Statement that it shares with the MPS, and working towards the gold standard in equality that the MPA espouses, EODB has overseen the sterling work done by the Equality and Diversity Unit in creating an overarching Generic Equality Scheme - a scheme which I personally believe will make a real difference with action plans within it covering race, gender and disability with further sections and action plans to cover the remaining diversity strands to come during 2007/08.

Last year I welcomed, in my foreword, the arrival of a new leader of the MPS Diversity & Citizen Focus Directorate, Rose Fitzpatrick. Rose has now moved and it really is my great pleasure to welcome the new leader of the Directorate, Alf Hitchcock. I know that, under his leadership, and with EODB's scrutiny and encouragement, the principles and practice of equalities and diversity will be further embedded in the life and work of the MPS. The EODB has a real sense of enjoying a shared vision of how we can deliver a more equitable service in policing London and I know that with that with Alf and Kirsten at the helm we will succeed in driving through the changes we need to ensure all our citizens receive a fair and effective police service, that undertakes to cater for all our individual needs, regardless of who we are.

A particular thank you must go to Laurence Gouldbourne and the staff of the Equality and Diversity Unit for their sterling work and the personal support that they have given to me during my time on EODB - they really are a great bunch to work with! And I could not finish my thanks without paying tribute to O'Cynthia Coleman, the Project Officer who has supported my work as Chair of the Stop & Search Review Board, but most of all to the members of the community that turned up to contribute to the debates. So it is with sense of loss that I leave the Board but I am confident Aneeta Prem is more than suitable to fill my size 9's!

Thanks.

John Roberts
Deputy Chair of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board
June 2007

Introduction

1. The MPA Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board (EODB) was set up in 2002 directly in response to the new statutory requirements placed on the MPA by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 [RR(A)A 2000] and other legislative, statutory and regulatory obligations.

2. This report summarises some of the key achievements and work areas progressed by EODB during the last 12 months. The report is designed against the backdrop of a range of significant ‘drivers’ that have impacted on both the MPA and the MPS. These include (but are not limited to):

• legislative duties to develop an Equality Scheme that covers all the equalities strands (age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief/non-belief and sexual orientation);
• a greater emphasis on performance and performance management;
• the MPS Modernisation Programme;
• the rollout of the Safer Neighbourhood programme;
• policing plans being put into place to support the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012; and
• Progress against key reports such as the Morris Inquiry, Assistant Commissioner Ghaffur’s Thematic Inspection on Race & Diversity, the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Formal Investigation into the Police Service in England & Wales and the Taylor Review of Police Disciplinary Arrangements.

Significant achievements

3. Through its use of themed meetings and suspending Standing Orders, which allows members of the public to participate in the discussion along with members, EODB not only provides a direct voice for Londoners to the MPS and MPA, but it also can act as an ‘early warning system’ for the Authority on a range of issues.

4. Organising committee business in this way has proved popular with members of the public. Not only have these meetings been well attended with on average over 20 members of different London communities present in addition to Board members and officers, but it has also attracted a level of questioning, engagement and dynamism from London’s diverse communities, together with interest from the media.

5. This model of good practice has been positively commented upon by other parts of the Authority and the Greater London Authority (GLA); other MPA committees are considering using this approach strategically as a way of engaging with Londoners.

Objectives 2005 - 2006

6. EODB had four key objectives for 2005 - 2006:

1. To receive and agree the MPS Equality Scheme and the MPA Generic Equality Scheme by March 2007 (This will include both organisations’ Disability Equality Schemes);
2. To receive six monthly updates on progress made by the MPS in delivering the Race & Diversity Learning and Development Programme during the 2006 – 2007 business cycle;
3. To conduct a minimum of three mini-reviews of OCUs [1], focusing on the equality and diversity aspects of their work in relation to employment, service delivery and community engagement by July 2007; and
4. Through EODB’s sub-groups to focus on MPS’ performance in relation to equality and diversity in relation to disability; domestic violence; race, faith and homophobic hate crime; and stop and search during 2006-7 and to make relevant recommendations for improvement to the MPS, MPA and other key stakeholders.

7. EODB made progress against all four objectives including:

1. EODB received both the disability and gender strands of the MPA’s Generic Equality Scheme (GNES) and the MPS’ Single Equalities Scheme (SES). The disability equality elements of both schemes were received at January 2007’s EODB and approved at full Authority in April 2007. The gender elements of both schemes were received at March 2007’s EODB and was agreed by members at full Authority in June 2007.
2. EODB received regular six-monthly updates on the Police Race & Diversity Learning & Development Programme (PRDLP). Progress against this initiative continues to concern members and other key stakeholders such as the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) (see paragraph…).
3. Mini-reviews of Operational Command Units (OCUs) were a major success of EODB and assisted members and Londoners to gain a better understanding of specific areas of policing activity. Mini-reviews of Transport OCU, Child Protection Group, Traffic OCU, Territorial Support Group (TSG), Child Protection OCU, Specialist Crime Directorate, Citizen Focus, Counter-Terrorism Command (CO15), Traffic OCU and Specialist Firearms Command (SO13). These mini-reviews were on top of major focus items such as examining the role of communication across the MPS.
4. Another success for EODB was the work undertaken through the Board’s sub-groups including the MPA Domestic Violence Board, the MPA Stop and Search Review Board, the MPA Disability Oversight Group and the Stop and Search Community Monitoring Network. In addition, the London-wide Race Hate Crime Forum notified EODB of its progress over the past year. Annual updates relating to the MPA Domestic Violence Board, the Stop and Search Community Monitoring Network and the London-wide Race Hate Crime Forum are contained on other parts of this agenda.
5. EODB conducted a number of mini-scrutinies of key policing activities. These related to Project Umbra (domestic violence), Operation Athena (the MPS’ response to hate crimes) and the use of DNA in policing.

Equality themes and strands

8. One of the significant moves made by EODB was its move away from focusing purely on ‘equality strands’ to themed discussions on aspects of policing. This shift in direction is consistent with the ‘mainstreaming’ agenda and enables EODB to add value to the work of the MPS and MPA. Some of the key discussion highlights and decisions included:

1. Age equality: young people as victims of crime were the focus of this meeting on 20 July 2006 and key stakeholders such as Transport OCU and Transport for London (TfL) participated at this meeting. (This meeting was in response to the February 2006 EODB, which focused on age equality as it impacted on older people.) The meeting opened with an original song sung by a young person from a community project whose best friend had been a victim of crime. Two of the key decisions emerging from this meeting were:
   1. the MPS informing members of their activities with young people aged between 18 – 24, particularly (but not exclusively) in further and higher educational establishments; some of this work clearly emerged through the ‘Together Against Terror?’ community engagement activities, resulting in the ‘Counter-Terrorism: The London Debate’ report [2]; and
   2. the MPS exploring what steps can be taken to record the disability, faith/belief/non-belief and sexual orientation of young people who were victims of crime.
2. How the MPS communicates: in September 2006, the Directorate of Public Affairs (DPA) explained how the MPS communicates both internally and externally with its various stakeholders. The discussions emerging from this meeting fed into the wider Scrutiny of DPA. Members acknowledged the innovations being carried out by DPA but when also recognised that there were on-going challenges when communicating with Deaf and disabled communities.
3. Gender Equality: in November 2006, EODB considered Project Umbra, a multi-agency initiative designed to proactively manage all aspects of domestic violence to provide a consistent level of professional service across all Criminal Justice agencies to victims (including children). EODB requested a report on progress made in Project Umbra across the six equality strands in the next committee cycle and this is scheduled to be received by members in October 2007.
4. Delivering Equality To All: the Equality Schemes of both the MPA and MPS were considered at January 2007’s EODB. Members agreed that the Board will regular monitor implementation against both Schemes.
5. 2012 Olympics and Paralympics: in March 2007, EODB indicated its support to the planning programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Members agreed to request a progress report against five specific areas of activity in the relation to this programme in the next committee cycle [3].
6. Safer Neighbourhoods: the equality and diversity implications of this major change programme were considered in May 2007. members recognised and welcomed the impact made by Safer Neighbourhoods and Safer Neighbourhood Panels, but identified four areas on which they requested a progress report in the next business cycle [4]. This is timetabled to occur in May 2008.

Mini-reviews

9. One of EODB’s achievements has been the conducting of ‘mini-reviews’ of Operational Command Units (OCUs). Key equality and diversity tasks and activities have been requested by members and in the 2007 – 2008 cycle, a number of OCUs will be invited back to see what progress has been made against the actions set and their Equality Action Plans (EAPs).

Performance management information

10. Another aspect of EODB work has been the use of performance management information supplied by the MPA Planning and Performance Unit to inform debates on key issues such as young people as victims of crime, Project Umbra and Safer Neighbourhoods.

11. This ‘joined-up’ approach within the Corporate Development and Strategic Oversight Group (CDSOG) has been extended to assistance from the Oversight & Review Team in areas such as Safer Neighbourhoods and the forthcoming Disability Equality meeting in September 2007.

EODB sub-groups

12. Over the business cycle, EODB has been supported by six sub-groups:

• the Disability Oversight Group
• the MPA Domestic Violence Board
• the Generic Equalities Scheme Working Group
• the Disability Equality Scheme Working Group
• the Stop & Search Review Board
• the Stop and Search Community Monitoring Network

In addition, the London Race Hate Crime Forum, an independent multi-agency forum led by the MPA has also reported its work to EODB.

Disability Oversight Group

13. Led by Kirsten Hearn, Chair of EODB, and supported by Lord Toby Harris, the APA Spokesperson on diversity and the GLA’s senior policy officer for disability, this sub-group met regularly to monitor MPS progress on the Greater London Action on Disability (GLAD) report: “Disabled people and the police – a new relationship?” and the resulting 12 recommendations and 48 underlying key action points of the MPA Disability Agenda. October 2007’s EODB, which will notionally be the closing event of the MPA Disability Oversight Group, will focus specifically on the progress made to date against the recommendations and action points of the GLAD report. It will also identify what progress has been made by the MPS on the recommendations emerging from the London Emergency Planning (Resilience) Seminar of March 2006.

MPA Domestic Violence Board

14. The MPA Domestic Violence Board held its first meeting in April 2006. The Board, co-chaired by Cindy Butts, Deputy Chair of the Authority and EODB Member, is charged with monitoring, scrutinising and supporting the MPS in its performance and response to domestic violence at a borough and corporate level. The Board has met four times since its inception: in April and September 2006 as well as February and June 2007.

15. Six Borough Operational Command Units have attended the Board to present their response to domestic violence locally:

• Havering
• Croydon
• Tower Hamlets
• Brent
• Hammersmith and Fulham
• Sutton

16. In addition to that, in line with the Board’s objectives, two policy areas were also presented by the MPS Violent Crime Directorate Operational Command Unit and discussed:

• Domestic violence-specific training within the MPS
• Potential conflict between the MPS Standard Operating Procedures on investigation of domestic violence, rape and sexual offences, and child abuse.

17. An annual report is currently being written to reflect the work of the Domestic Violence Board in detail during its first year in order to “disseminate best practice and innovation”. A report on the workings of the MPA Domestic Violence Board is contained in item 14 of this agenda.

Generic Equality Scheme and Disability Equality Scheme Working Groups

18. Both the Generic Equality Scheme & Disability Equality Scheme Working Groups have had key roles in assisting the production of both the MPA’s Generic Equality and Disability Equality Schemes. Both the MPA and MPS’ Schemes for disability and gender have been agreed by both EODB and full Authority in this committee cycle [5].

MPA Stop & Search Review Board

19. The MPA Stop and Search Review Board (SSRB), formerly the Stop & Search Scrutiny Implementation Panel (SSSIP), was re-launched in September 2005 and is chaired by John Roberts, the MPA lead on stop and search and EODB Member.

20. In 2006 the MPA Stops and Searches Review Board (SSRB) continued the review of the 55 recommendations set out in the scrutiny report. The 55 recommendations are grouped under five key themes:

• Raising Public Awareness
• Supervision and Monitoring
• Policy
• Feedback and Complaints Resolution
• Training

21. In January 2007, the Board began ‘signing-off’ of the recommendations from the scrutiny report where they had been completed. This process will continue until January 2008.

22. A number of borough visits were conducted in the last committee cycle including Heathrow Airport, Kensington & Chelsea, Greenwich and Richmond.

23. Another significant development has been the development of Operation Pennant: a system that reviews the performance of all 32 boroughs around stop and search. A report on the workings of the MPA Stop and Search Review Board is contained in item 15 of this agenda.

Stop and Search Community Monitoring Network

24. In September 2005, the (Stop & Search) Community Monitoring Network (CMN) was created. The CMN is where local Independent Community Monitoring Groups (ICMGs) meet regularly to examine police stop and search practice, share information and disseminate best practice. Eight local stop and search monitoring groups were established across London in September 2005. As of July 2007, there are 30 local stop and search groups working across London.

25. The Network has made a number of interventions in MPA & MPS stop and search work such as comments on the Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) on stops and searches, lobbying for information on s44 stops and advice on publicity information and press campaigns. As a result of its interventions, coupled with interventions made by the Stop and Search Review Board and the activities of the ‘Counter-Terrorism: The London Debate’ work stream, changes have been made by the MPS in respect of the sharing of data, particularly in relation to s44 [6]. A report on the workings of the CMN is contained in item 15 of this agenda.

London Race Hate Crime Forum

26. The London Race Hate Crime Forum (RHCF) was established in response to recommendations 15 to 17 of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report and commenced its formal business in May 2004. It aims are to:

• help reduce and prevent race hate crime, improve the confidence and satisfaction of victims in reporting crime and to promote consistency of service delivered across London; and
• improve the co-ordination between the key agencies responsible for supporting victims of race hate crime and the effectiveness with which perpetrators of race hate crime are brought to justice.

27. RHCF membership consists of the MPA, MPS, statutory and other voluntary agencies in London. The work of the RHCF makes a significant contribution to the work of the MPS and local authority partnerships in addressing hate crime. In doing so, the RHCF acts not only as a body that scrutinises partnership activity, but also facilitates a consultancy relationship in supporting boroughs meet the expectations of the Equality Standard for Local Government (ESLG) [7] in respect of hate crime.

28. In its third year, the RHCF has held presentation meetings with nine borough partnerships. Where possible, representation from the local community perspective informed the process.

These nine borough partnerships included:

• Ealing / Enfield – 17 May 2006
• Merton / Waltham Forest – 19 July 2006
• Wandsworth – 20 September 2006
• Bexley / Haringey – 22 November 2006
• Bromley / Richmond – 27 March 2007

29. A report on the workings of the London RHCF is contained at item 13 of this agenda.

The Morris Inquiry

30. Over the past year, the MPA and the MPS has continued its response to The Morris Inquiry, as well as a number of key documents including (but not limited to):

• AC Ghaffur’s Thematic Inspection on Race & Diversity
• CRE Formal Investigation Into The Police Service in England & Wales; and
• The Taylor Review of Police Disciplinary Arrangements

31. Through EODB’s focus items, MPA members and community representatives are able to track and see how Morris, as well as the other key documents are being ‘embedded’ within both MPA and MPS business.

Future areas of EODB activity

32. EODB’s Workplan for 2006-2007 is attached as item 11 of this agenda. As in the last business cycle, there will be a focus on MPS performance throughout the EODB Workplan and on key enablers for equality and diversity to be successfully mainstreamed. These include the MPS Single Equalities Scheme, the Equality Scheme for Local Government (ESLG) and the MPS Race and Diversity Learning & Development Programme. In addition, progress will be monitored against the three-year Corporate Equality Objectives, which come to an end in 2007.

Conclusion

33. There are significant challenges ahead for EODB, the MPA and the MPS as a whole. At the time of writing this Annual Report, counter-terrorism, gun and knife crime, stop and search and the use of DNA were some of the key issues of concern to London’s diverse communities. The scrutiny and oversight of hate crime performance still remains a priority and this work will be supported by the various EODB sub-groups. Implementation of the Equality Schemes will be significant landmarks in ensuring that what is delivered by both the MPS and MPA considers the needs of London’s diverse communities. The aim of producing the Schemes is to ensure that both the MPA and MPS tackle inequalities in regards to the six equality and diversity strands. Amongst other things, the MPA Generic Equality Scheme (GNES) helps review the Authority’s services against an understanding of the complex needs of the communities it serves and assists the MPA identify and implement best practice in its dual role of employer and service provider.

34. The MPS Modernisation Programme is still rolling out and some evidence is now being generated to evaluate the impact of the Together Programme on MPS business. Safer Neighbourhoods has been rolled out – a full year ahead of schedule - and the equality and diversity issues in relation to the seven-stage model, employment, communication and monitoring of Safer Neighbourhood Panels will figure in the EODB revisit in 2008. However, it will be through the monitoring of key enablers such as the MPS Single Equalities Scheme, the Equality Standard for Local Government (ESLG) and the progress of the Police Race & Diversity Learning and Development Programme that EODB will make its significant impact over the forthcoming year.

35. EODB will also continue to foster a positive relationship of constructive support, innovation, challenge and scrutiny with the MPS. Through its themed discussion items, EODB will continue to provide a platform for London’s diverse communities to speak directly to police officers and members on key policing matters.

Report author: Laurence Gouldbourne, Head of Equality & Diversity Unit, MPA

Background papers:

• EODB Annual Report 2004–05
• MPA Annual Report 2005-06
• GLA Budget & Equalities Report 2005-06
• MPA Domestic Violence Annual Report 2006-07
• MPA Stop and Search Review Board Annual Report 2006–07
• London Race Hate Crime Annual Report 2006-07
• MPA Disability Equality Scheme 2006–09
• MPA Generic Equality Scheme 2007-10

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