MPA Management information report

Report: 06
Date: 7 February 2008
By: on behalf of the Chief Executive

Summary

The MPA management information report gives further detail on the EODB focus item and other equality and diversity information for hate crime, strength, recruitment and MPA staff figures.

This meeting of the Board is focusing on how the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) uses and delivers equality and diversity in its response to gun crime.

A. Recommendations

That Members note the report

B. Supporting information

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

2. For the purposes of this report offence, victim and accused data are given for the 2007 calendar year (1 January - 31 December 2007) compared to the same period the previous year. Although this aligns with the data period presented in the MPS paper there are some very small differences in the figures. The data has been sourced from a live database and the numbers of recorded offences, victims and accused may change on a day-to-day basis. Police officer and staff strength figures are to December 2007. Stop and Search figures are for April to November 2007.

3. Data included within this paper adopts the Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) definition of gun enabled offences: all confirmed crime classifications relating to violence against the person (excluding possession of an offensive weapon), sexual offences, robbery and burglary where a firearm feature code has been added to the crime report or a gun has been seen or fired.

4. The main trends to be noted are:

Total recorded gun enabled offences

5. There were 3454 gun-enabled offences recorded by the MPS in the 2007 calendar year. This had increased by 4% or 121 offences compared to the previous calendar year.

6. Over half (52% or 1810) of recorded weapon types featured in gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year were defined as handgun (other) or handgun (unknown). This had fallen by 5% (or 92) compared to the 2006 calendar year. Thirteen per cent (444) of recorded weapon types featured in gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year were defined as CS gas or pepper spray. This had increased by 148 offences compared to the same period the previous year.

7. Southwark and Lambeth recorded the highest levels of gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year (271 and 263 respectively) similar to the same period the previous year (265 and 234 respectively). Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames recorded the lowest levels of gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year (14 and 18 respectively). In the same period the previous year, Richmond upon Thames and Sutton recorded the lowest levels (20 and 33 respectively).

8. Of all recorded gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year, 226 were investigated by Operation Trident (the MPS response to gun related activity occurring within black communities in London). This had fallen slightly from the same period the previous year (234). A further 93 offences in the most recent period were investigated by Operation Trafalgar (the MPS response to all non-Trident, non-fatal shootings in all other distinct communities across London). This had increased from 62 offences in the same period the previous year.

Recorded victims of gun enabled offences

9. There were 4474 victims of gun-enabled offences recorded by the MPS between 1 January and 31 December 2007. This represents a 5% increase or 196 more recorded victims compared to the same period the previous year.

10. Almost two-thirds (65% or 2927) of recorded victims of gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year were victimised in relation to robbery offences. Just under a third (30% or 1363) were victims of violence against the person offences. Trends were largely similar in the same period the previous year although there was a notable increase in the number of victims in relation to burglary (from 118 in 2006 to 157 in 2007).

11. Individuals aged 18 to 29 years represented the largest proportion (39% or 1741) of all recorded victims in the 2007 calendar year. There were also a sizable number (13% or 575) of recorded victims under 17 years of age. A similar number (541) of victims had no recorded age. Trends were similar in the same period the previous year.

12. Almost two-thirds (64% or 2872) of victims of gun-enabled crime recorded in the 2007 calendar year were male, similar to the same period the previous year. Twelve per cent (546) had no recorded gender.

13. An analysis of victims’ self defined ethnicity indicated that in the 2007 calendar year, over half (54% or 2410) of self-defined ethnicities were unrecorded. Victims who defined themselves in a White category [1] represented the largest recorded self-defined ethnic group (21% or 928) followed by Black [2] (12% or 545) and Asian [3] (8% or 375). There was a noticeable increase in the number of recorded self-defined Black Caribbean (from 174 to 226) and White – any other background (from 150 to 235) victims compared to the 2006 calendar year.

14. The vast majority (99% or 4419) of recorded victims of gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year had no recorded disability. This was similar to the same period the previous year. This may reflect recording practices rather than actual trends.

Recorded accused of gun enabled offences

15. There were 504 individuals accused of gun-enabled offences recorded by the MPS between 1 January and 31 December 2007. This represents a decrease (11% or 63 individuals) compared to the same period the previous year. Please note ‘accused’ is a count of all persons who were arrested and had proceedings taken against them including both sanction and non-sanction detections.

16. Over half (59% or 300) of individuals accused of gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year were accused in relation to robbery offences. Over a third (38% or 190) were accused of violence against the person offences. Proportions were similar compared the same period the previous year, although there was a notable decrease in the small number of accused in relation to burglary offences (from 27 in the 2006 calendar year to 8 in the same period in 2007).

17. Over half (60% or 304) of recorded accused of gun-enabled offences in the 2007 calendar year were aged between 18 and 29 years. A quarter (25% or 124) was under 17 years of age.

18. The vast majority (96% or 484) of recorded accused in the 2007 calendar year were male. Trends were similar in the same period the previous year.

19. Recorded self-defined ethnicity of person’s accused of gun-enabled offences was more complete than victims with only one unrecorded in the 2007 calendar year and none in the previous year. In the 2007 calendar year, a quarter (24% or 123) of all accused defined their ethnicity as White – British. A further quarter (24% or 122) defined their ethnicity as Black – Caribbean, a decrease from the same period in 2006 (29% or 166). There was a slight increase in the proportion and volume of person’s accused who defined themselves as Black – African (from 10% or 56 in 2006 to 15% or 75 in 2007).

Research into gun enabled crime

20. Research into gun-related offences and the many issues surrounding them is still quite limited. Research available often highlights the blurred distinction between offenders and victims of gun-related crime. Of the 80 offenders imprisoned for firearms offences interviewed as part of Hales et al’s (2006) study, half had previously been threatened with guns, 29 shot and 26 reported family or friends being shot.

21. The illegal drug market was a factor often related to the use of guns (Hales et al, 2006; Hales & Silverstone, 2005). However the correlation between the two often varies by borough (MPA drug scrutiny, 2004).

22. Half of the respondents in Hales et al’s 2006 study indicated that they had been part of a gang or crew however, as Hales and Silverstone (2005) highlighted in earlier work, this may be more akin to a peer network or close friendship group offering safety in numbers or physical backup, rather than an organised crime network. Conflict can form a significant part of these relationships, even within informal ‘friendship’ networks, and this may occur in shared social spaces such as nightclubs or other social venues (Hales et al, 2006).

23. Research suggests that the socio-economic context surrounding gun-related offending includes peer pressure, image, status and, most notably, pressure to attain a material lifestyle combined with economic hardship and the presence of ‘successful’ criminals demonstrating the viability of lucrative criminal careers rather than legitimate alternatives (Hales et al, 2006). Reasons for gun possession and use also include dispute resolution (often trivial which can lead to fatal violence), retaliation, fear and protection (Hales & Silverstone, 2005).

24. Research into gun-related offending highlights some negative attitudes towards the police, often due to fear of being seen as a ‘grass’ and preference for informal personal retribution rather than engaging with the police to tackle problems (Hales and Silverstone 2005).

25. Research highlights the complexity of issues surrounding gun-related offending and a need to move away from often crude stereotypes of those involved (Hales and Silverstone, 2005).

Hate crime

26. Domestic Violence: The volume of domestic violence offences recorded by the MPS during FYtD 2007-08 has decreased by 2,812 or by 6.7%. Despite the decrease in crime recorded, the sanction detection rate increased by 4.5 percentage points to 42.7%.

27. The proportion of female victims of domestic violence has increased by 1.7 percentage points to 80.9% when comparing April to December 2007-08 with 2006-07.

28. The proportion of BME victims has remained at a similar rate of 44.8%.

24. Homicide: There have been 124 homicide crimes recorded for the financial year period between April 2007 and December 2007, 6 fewer than the same 9 months in 2006-07.

25. 108 homicides have been detected between April and December 2007-08, 4 more than for the same period in 2006-07. The financial year detection rate stands at 87.1%. This is up by 7.1 percentage points from the previous year (80%). The homicide detection rate target set for 2007-08 is 85%, the current figure is exceeding this target.

26. Rape: The financial year sanction detection rate recorded for rape offences is 30.3%, a 0.5 percentage point decrease on the rate recorded for the same period last year.

28. The percentage of recorded BME victims of rape has remained at a similar rate year on year at 41.5%

29. The proportion of female rape victims has risen by 1.8 percentage points to 93% compared to 91.2% in the previous year.

30. Racist Crime: The volume of racist offences recorded by the MPS in the latest financial year period has fallen by 14.8% or 1,158 crimes.

31. The proportion of female victims of racist crime has stayed at the same rate of 37.2%. The proportion of BME victims of racist crime has risen slightly to 73.5% from 72.0%.

32. The current sanction detection rate for racist crime is 37.7%, a 2.9 percentage point increase from the rate recorded for the same period last year.

33. Homophobic Crime: There has been a 4.6% decrease in homophobic crimes recorded between April 2007 and December 2007 when comparing with the same 9 months in 2006. This equates to 87 fewer homophobic crimes recorded by the MPS. Data for 2007-08 shows the proportion of victims of homophobic crime who are female remaining stable at 21.7%.

34. The proportion of homophobic victims who are BME has also remained stable at 22.4%

35. Faith Hate Crime: decreased by 6.2% or 20 offences between April and December 2006 and April and December 2007.

36. There has been an increase of 1.5 percentage points in the proportion of female victims of faith hate crime with the 2007-08 rate at 37.0% compared to 35.5% for previous year.

Police Officer Strength

37. Police officer strength has increased by 0.9% when comparing strength at December 2007 which December 2006. Current police officer strength is 31,119. The percentage of police officers that are female is 21.1% and 8.1% are from BME communities. Targets set for the 2007-8 financial years for female and BME strength were 21% and 8% respectively. Both targets are currently being exceeded.

39. The number of police officers at sergeant and above ranks has increased at a greater rate as overall police officer strength (+2.0% or 163 more officers). Despite the increase, the percentage of male to female officers in this group remains disproportional. There are 16.2% female officers at sergeant and above ranks as a proportion of all female officers compared to 29.0% of male officers as a proportion of all male officers.

40. BME officers at sergeant and above ranks as a percentage of all BME officers are 13.9%. This percentage is significantly disproportional to the percentage of non-BME officers at the same rank, which is 27.4% in December 2007.

Police Staff Strength

43. Police staff strength has risen by 0.8% year on year with 14,034 staff at the end of December 2007. The proportion of female staff is higher than male staff at 58.6% and 41.4% respectively; where as 23.1% of police staff is from BME communities.

44. PCSO strength has risen by 33.3% year on year with the current strength at 4,1074. The percentage of female PCSO strength is 34.1%, where as BME PCSO staff makes up 31.0% of total PCSO strength.

Recruitment

45. The number of police officers joining the MPS is relatively low in comparison to strength, with 474 officers joining in the 9 months to December 2007. Of those officers joining, 31.6% were female and 16.5% from Black & Minority Ethnic community. Both proportions were higher than the current police officer strength figures.

46. The number of police staff joining the MPS is also relatively low in comparison to strength, with 907 staff joining in the 9 months to December 2007. Of those staff joining, 55.0% were female and 23.3% from Black & Minority Ethnic community.

47. There has been a much higher intake of PCSOs over the last 9 months compared to the previous year, with 1,165 PCSOs joining compared to 1,046 in the comparative period. Of those staff joining, 37.9% were female and 27.0% BME.

Retention

48. Retention rates have remained high, with the overall police officer rate of 95.4%. Female officer retention rate is higher than male officers, with rates of 96.8% and 95.0% respectively. The retention rates for BME officers and non-BME officers are 95.9% and 95.3% respectively.

49. Police staff retention rates are slightly lower, but still remain at a high level. The overall police staff retention rate is 93.4% with female and male retention rates of 93.9% and 92.9% respectively. The retention rate for BME staff is 94.2% and non-BME staff 93.3%.

Stop and Search (PACE only)

50. The number of stop & searches recorded in the 12 months to November 2007 has increased by 16.1% year on year. There is currently 48.9 stop & searches per 1,000 residents recorded in London. The number of stop & searches varies by ethnicity groups. 32.3 stop & searches recorded per 1,000 White population, 139.5 per 1,000 Black population and 50.7 per 1,000 Asian population. Stop & searches recorded for all groups show a year on year increase, with the largest for Asian persons, increasing by 23.9%.

51. The proportion of stop & searches of male persons is 94.8% or 332,182 stops rolling year, with just 17,952 women being stopped & searched over the 12-month period.

52. The total stop and search arrest rate has remained at a similar rate year on year. The arrest rate for White persons is 11.0% with a slightly higher arrest rate for Black persons at 12.4%. The overall 12-month rolling year arrest rate currently stands at 11.3% to November 2007.

MPA Equality and Diversity Data

53. The most up to date data for the MPA shows that there is 99 staff at the MPA, of which 47% are female and 40% are BME.

54. There is 53 staff at management grade, of which 42% are female and 38% are BME.

55. The age range of staff at the MPA is between 26 and 64. The smallest proportion of staff are aged between 60 and 64 at just 5.1%, where as the highest proportion of staff is aged between 40 and 49 and 50 and 59, both at 30.3% of all MPA staff.

C. Race and equality impact

All equality and diversity information has been incorporated within this report

D. Financial implications

None.

E. Background papers

• Hales, G., Lewis, C. & Silverstone, D. (2006) Gun crime: the market in and use of illegal firearms Findings 279 London: Home Office
• Hales, G. & Silverstone, D. (2005) Gun crime in Brent: a report commissioned by the London Borough of Brent Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth Institute of Crime and Criminal Justice Studies
• Metropolitan Police Authority (6 February 2004) MPA gun crime scrutiny – final report Co-ordination and Policing Committee Report 4 London: Metropolitan Police Authority

F. Contact details

Report author: Melissa Wagstaff & Gemma Deadman, MPA Planning and Performance Unit

For more information contact:

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

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