MPS response to the recommendations of the MPA/TfL for London resilience (emergency planning) conference 2006 - concurrent report

Report: 12
Date: 4 October 2007
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This purpose of this report is to outline some of the key challenges and concerns from a range of equality and diversity perspectives as they relate to the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) response to the MPA/Transport for London (TfL) London Resilience (Emergency Planning) Conference 2006.

A. Recommendations

That members agree to:

1. Receive a progress report within the next 12 months on the steps taken by the MPS Emergency Preparedness Operational Command Unit (CO3) to respond to the 16 recommendations, which already form part of the MPS Equality Scheme.
2. Invite CO3 to work with key Operational Command Units such as (but not limited to) Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD), Directorate of Public Affairs (DPA) and Training.
3. Request that CO3 demonstrates that it has actively involved members of the Deaf and disabled communities in its planning, organising and delivery of emergency planning.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The events of July 2005 gave considerable concern to Deaf [1] and disabled people as to how their needs would be met in the event of an emergency in London. Anecdotal evidence provided to key agencies by individuals, community groups and the MPS Disability Independent Advisory Group (DIAG) indicated that though London may have been prepared for such emergencies, the needs of Deaf and disabled people had not been properly considered.

2. In March 2006, TfL and the MPA hosted the London Emergency Planning (Resilience) Conference at City Hall. The overall purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity for Deaf and disabled people to speak directly to the key decision-makers responsible for emergency planning in London. It was also a chance for those agencies responsible for emergency planning to explain to Deaf and disabled people what work they had done to date to make London safer for all.

3. Over 150 people attended this event. 53 recommendations were made by Deaf and disabled people to the key agencies. This report focuses on the progress made by the MPS in relation to those recommendations for which it has responsibility.

Progress to date

4. Due to the transfer and movement of staff, CO3 admits that there was breakdown in communication in terms of responding to the recommendations of the London Emergency Planning Conference. This led to little work being progressed in relation to the recommendations.

5. However, steps have been recently taken in order to progress these recommendations and initial consultations has begun with the MPS DIAG and officers from the MPA.

Moving forward

6. In previous reports to EODB on other areas of police activity, three questions that have been consistently posed by the MPS to the MPA are:

1. “What does success of the Emergency Planning (Resilience) programme look like in relation to equality and diversity issues?”
2. “What equality and diversity outcomes would the MPA EODB recommend we work towards?”
3. “What does effective and efficient stakeholder engagement look like from the EODB’s perspective?”

7. To this end, a template has been devised in relation to identifying critical success factors in relation to equality and diversity, key outcomes and evidence of stakeholder engagement. In relation to service delivery, the critical success factors, key outcomes and effective and efficient stakeholder engagement equality and diversity performance indicators are:

1. Critical Success Factors: No significant disparity in the MPS’ response to the experiences of people based on their identity in relation to a) the incident(s) they have experienced
2. Key Outcomes: Clear levels of accountability; increased performance at local key inter-agency level; increased levels of public awareness in relation to emergency preparedness; reduction in communities’ fear of crime; clear evidence of personal diversity objectives linked to performance; use of equality impact assessments (EqIAs) to structure the delivery of service.
3. Effective & Efficient Stakeholder Engagement: Evidence of provision of accurate, accessible and intelligible information; of providing information in accessible formats relevant to community groups; evidence of using the experiences of victims and witnesses to inform future service provision.

8. One of the unique opportunities that has presented itself as a result of this Conference is that key agencies, such as the MPS, now have a chance to actively involve Deaf and disabled people in the planning, organising, decision-making and delivery of emergency plans for London. A significant development for the MPS would be to identify the minimum standards for actively engaging Deaf and disabled people in this activity. Some of these minimum standards can relate to consultation, responding to views given by Deaf and disabled people and ‘road-testing’ innovations and/or new developments.

9. In terms of community engagement, the critical success factors, key outcomes and effective and efficient stakeholder engagement equality and diversity performance indicators are:

1. Critical Success Factor: No significant disparity between communities and intra-communities satisfaction of police communication, consultation and participation in the delivery of service.
2. Key Outcomes: Engagement with Deaf and disabled communities, whose voices may have been overlooked or ignored; evidence of Deaf and disabled communities actively contributing to problem-solving; use of the ‘police family’, including Deaf and disabled staff and police officers in addressing key issues of emergency preparedness.
3. Effective & Efficient Stakeholder Engagement: Evidence of using information from Deaf and disabled people, link members, Safer Neighbourhoods, Community Police Consultative Groups (CPCGs)/Community Engagement Groups (CEGs), Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) to inform service delivery; evidence that engagement is sustainable and uses internal and external specialists, especially from Deaf and disabled people, as and where appropriate; evidence that equality impact assessments are conducted and reviewed regularly; evidence of using the experiences of victims and witnesses to inform future service provision.

10. Finally: organisations such as the MPS and the MPA often talk about ‘corporate memory’. This is where and how information about how an organisation acts and respond is maintained and used. The MPS should also recognise that there is ‘community memory’ – that is, shared histories and perspectives from different communities in terms of how they have engaged with the police. There has been a long and often-ignoble history of public bodies not effectively engaging Deaf and disabled people in the shaping, decision-making and delivery of key policies, procedures and practices.

11. This ‘community memory’ can be recent, raw and coloured by personal experiences, which on occasions may be painful. This can mean that some messages, often repeated, by Deaf and disabled communities can be awkward and ‘hard-to-hear’ for MPS police officers and staff – but this should not automatically detract from the input and/or value of what is being said.

C. Race and equality impact

1. Emergency planning is a significant area of business for key ‘blue light’ agencies and support services. However, if London is to genuinely safe for all Londoners, then these agencies need to ensure that they engage and listen with Deaf and disabled people.

2. As identified by the MPS, there will also be significant change programmes such as the Met Modernisation Programme and the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympics Games that will need the active involvement of Deaf and disabled communities.

D. Financial implications

1. There are no financial implications arising directly from this report. It should be noted that at the time of writing, there is limited capacity within the EDU to provide on-going support to this activity as has previously been achieved.

E. Background papers

• London Emergency Planning Conference 2006 report – EODB 7 September 2006
• Final Report of London Emergency Planning Conference 2006

F. Contact details

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

For more information contact:

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

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