Equality and diversity of Operation Blunt 2

Report: 07
Date: 25 September 2008
By: Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This review aims to identify the role equality and diversity plays within Operation Blunt 2. It will summarise the links between Operation Blunt 2, Operation Tyrol, Safer Transport Teams and the Citizen Focus Agenda. It will also highlight the differences between Operation Blunt 1 and Blunt 2.

The Diversity issues within Operation Blunt 2 will be examined from a number of angles:

• The diversity of the victims of knife crime
• The development of the EIA, the role of the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCDF) in the design, planning and implementation of the project

A. Recommendations

That the MPA note the content of this report.

B. Supporting information

1. Operation Blunt 2 is a policing operation to address serious Youth Violence - including that caused by the use of weapons. Over the past few years there has been a reduction in all categories of serious violence, knife enables crime and gun-enabled crime. However the picture with regard to young people, those defined as under 19, is less clear with Violence and Serious Violence both showing small reductions but at the same time there being in 2007 (continued in 2008) an increase in the number of young people killed, many of them through the use of weapons.

2. A key element of the APACS measures is the reduction of Serious Youth Violence (SYV). SYV is defined as ‘any incident of most serious violence, ABH and weapon-enabled crime where the victim is under 19 years of age. The Metropolitan Police Service Youth Strategy has Serious Youth Violence as one of its four strands of activity and Operation Blunt 2 is immediate action to put the strategy into action.

3. The victimology of Serious Youth Violence shows that the risks are not uniform across London and the issues are more complex than is often presented. The problem profile and the Serious Youth Violence Prevention and Reassurance Plan set out both our assessment of the issues and our response. They suggest there are specific geographic locations and specific ethnic backgrounds which are most at risk of violence and Operation Blunt 2 has been focussed on work in those locations with those communities.

4. In the first 7 months of 2008 there were a total of 5821 victims of knife enabled crime. The peak of knife enabled incidents occurred in April (1026) and has significantly decreased month on month to 418 in July (correct as of 22.07.08)

5. Breakdown of victims

• 2394 victims of knife enabled crime are aged between 18 – 29 (representing 41% of all victims).
• 2706 victims of knife enabled crime (46%) are white whilst 25% are black. Around 17% of victims are described as Asian.
• The most vulnerable group in terms of being victims of knife enabled crime is white people aged between 18 – 29 (approximately 11%).
• The next most vulnerable group is black people aged under 17 (around 8%).

6. The following sections will describe the victimology of knife enabled attempted murder and homicide.

In the first 7 months of 2008 there were 20 male victims of attempted murder and 35 male victims of homicide in knife enabled offences. White males make up the largest group of victims of attempted murder in this area (12 out of 20). Black males make up the next largest group of knife enabled attempted murder (4 out of 20).

• Black males make up the largest group of victims of knife enabled homicide (14 out of 35)
• White males make up the next largest group of victims of knife enabled homicide (11 out of 35)
• Black males aged between 18 – 29 make up the largest group of victims of knife enabled homicide (8 out of 35)
• White males aged 40 – 49 make up the next biggest group in knife enabled homicide (7 out of 35)
• Black males aged between 18 – 29 and white males aged between 40 – 49 are over-represented in the area of knife enabled homicide.

7. These figures do not take into account any weighting according to population census. The census data suggest that ethnicity varies according to age so any proper analysis of this data would need working through the various age groups and comparing these with the population. In general terms whilst white people make up the greatest number of those killed the proportion is not as great as would be expected when considering the census data with black men being significantly more likely to be the victims of murder and homicide than white.

8. The profile of people proceeded against (ie charged) is as follows. The largest group of people charged with knife crime are white and aged between 18 – 29 (around 18%). Black people under the age of 17 (around 17%) makes up the next biggest group of charged people. Around 40% of all charged people are white males and around 39% of all charged people are black males.

9. Geographic hotspots for knife crime are Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham, Croydon, Barking & Dagenham, Islington and Waltham Forest.

Operation Blunt 2’s links with Operation Tyrol, Safer Transport and Citizen Focus

10. As Blunt 2 has progressed a number of other initiatives have also been implemented. The tasking processes of the MPS ensure these are all integrated and work towards the priorities set by performance board as well as dealing with locally identified problems. Operation Tyrol is the enhancement to policing the bus system which will see the roll-out of enhanced Safer Transport Teams and dedicated ‘hub teams’. Whilst these two operations are coordinated and have similar outcomes they are distinct pieces of work. Operation Blunt is focused on serious youth violence, Operation Tyrol on integrating policing the bus system into Neighbourhood Policing. However we are operationally alive to the cross over with some Serious Youth Violence happening on the bus system and some of our response to young peoples fears being to enhance the reassurance policing approach to bus transport.

11. Operation Blunt 2 has a command structure which is led by DAC Fitzpatrick and has a number of key elements. Operation Tyrol is represented within that structure by Superintendent Horton. Both operations have a significant community element which is led by Superintendent Nick Jupp. Working to him are Senior Management Team leads with Partnership portfolios on every Borough. These provide the strategic partnership links and ensure that the Safer Neighbourhood Teams are fully engaged in problem solving and providing a direct link between the operation and the community.

12. Outside of the ward panel forum there are regular and recorded contact with faith groups, street briefings (semi-formalised meetings held by Safer Neighbourhood teams in open and public locations), visits to schools and youth clubs, Key Individual Network (KIN) surveys. These are not one-way conversations but are opportunities to engage the community on the issues, to understand what the community concerns are and to gather community intelligence.

13. Specifically in London there is the Stop and Search Community Monitoring Network set up by the MPA. Within this network there are community representatives who meet with senior officers once a month on each borough to discuss the practice of stop and search on their patch. The ethos of this network is that local people enter into constructive dialogue with their local police about how the power is used to combat crime and how it affects local communities.

14. The coordination of the operations is carried out by Silver (Commander Mark Simmons) through a series of daily management meetings where daily returns from all Boroughs are reviewed and discussed, tactics amended accordingly and good practice shared.

Differences between Operation Blunt 1 and Operation Blunt 2

15. Operation Blunt 2 has come directly from Operation Blunt but is a significant change in terms of pace, coordination and scope. The prime difference being the inclusion of all aspects of Serious Youth Violence and a greater degree of engagement with communities on policing tactics. However all Blunt tactics have been considered at each phase of Blunt 2 and the learning from the earlier operations has helped shape the current response.

16. Blunt 2 has a range of tactics which are chosen by local commanders through corporate National Intelligence Model processes to address identified risks. It focuses on both addressing violent behaviour and those who are violent through proactive operations and making places safer through working with key partners at events and locations.

17. A major difference between the two operations has been the importance placed on community engagement. This has served to inform senior officers in their determination of tactics used in the operation. Police tactics embrace the framework of addressing the Victim, Offender and Location elements. Examples of the tactical options being used by police are as follows:

• Enforcement and reassurance patrols in areas that show the potential for knife crime
• Co-ordination of a multi-agency problem solving approach to the above locations
• Knife arch operations coupled with publicity material such as leaflets
• Street Briefings as described above
• Enhanced police activity to locate knife crime offenders
• Creation of Blunt 2 Task Force
• Youth club and school involvement egg TSG/Second Wave
• Creation of Youth Panels on Wards
• Surveys of Londoners to gain feedback.

18. The key messages behind the operation are as follows:

• carrying knives is illegal and will, if detected, result in you being brought before a court
• carrying knives increases your risk to being the victim of serious violence
• violence will not be tolerated by the Metropolitan Police who will take direct action to intervene and deal with it.

19. One tactic that has been widely reported is the enhanced search activity to prevent people carrying and, having access to, knives in public space. This includes both the use of Section 60 to stop and search individuals and the extensive use of physical searches to recover weaponry stored in public areas. This tactic is both to enhance direct enforcement but also to make it harder for people to carry weapons in public.

20. A lot of publicity has been focused on the increased use of screening devices that are being used in public places, primarily as a deterrent. This tactic has been chosen as a result of feedback from young people about the intrusive nature of searches and the need to make locations resistant to knife carriage. The devices reduce the need for officers to physically search people and allow us to have an impact on making many more people safe from weapons.

21. The MPS has further increased the capacity of this operational response through the formation of a Task Force. This comprises 100 officers to further staff support the development of intelligence on gangs and others involved in serious violence and to take targeted action against those involved. The early results are extremely promising with this added capability to respond quickly to intelligence and information from officers to intercept those on their way to commit violence.

22. Operational activity under Blunt 2 has been planned and scheduled across the year to March 2009. This plan includes specific deployments across the summer months including those to safeguard and reassure young people as we approach the end of the school term and the summer holidays. The policing arrangements for all major events that have large youth attendance have been subject to review in recent weeks and additional measures will be taken to ensure that the potential for weapon carriage and youth conflict is minimised.

23. Safer Transport Teams, Safer Neighbourhoods Teams and Safer Schools Officers are all being tasked as part of this overall response to knife crime reduction. In conjunction with local authority Trading Standards and Volunteer Police Cadets departments the MPS is also deploying staff to detect and prosecute those responsible for retail sale of knives to those under the age of 18 years

Diversity Issues within Operation Blunt 2

24. Operation Blunt 2 comprises officers from all parts of the MPS. It is not a discrete group of officers and apart from the newly formed task force comprises aspects of our general policing response, particular Borough based operations, Territorial Support Group and Safer Neighbourhood Officers. These teams are constantly changing and it is not practicable to provide a breakdown of the officers engaged as it includes so many people for part of their day, or for a specific operation and only a few on a full time basis.

25. A working group from all business groups in the MPS have looked at the considerable amount of data on victims and offenders involved in Serious Youth Violence and have designed a new approach focusing on young people’s vulnerability. The MPS has also worked closely with key partner agencies including the GLA, the London Youth Crime Prevention Board and the London Community Safety Partnership to ensure that the operational tactics deployed in Operation Blunt 2 are supported by effective youth reassurance and engagement activities. This involves developing and enhancing the role of Safer School Officers to become the hub around which young people are engaged. Our focus at this time is to robustly bring people to account for their offending behaviour in order to protect others and themselves from further offending, to ensure people are held to account and to provide formal opportunities from within the Criminal Justice System to divert them from further offending.

26. Comparison of Operation Blunt 2 activity against activity in the same period last year reveals a number of significant activities.

• During 2007 there were 1723 Section 60 searches, during Operation Blunt 2 there have been 10046 Section 60 searches.
• In 2007 there were 57 arrests as a result of Section 60 searches, this has increased to 265.
• In 2007 there were 47884 PACE and other stop/searches, during the period of this operation this has increased to 52156.

27. During the current phase of Operation Blunt 2 a black male is 8.3 times more likely to be stopped and searched under Section 60 when compared against a white male – this drops to 5.3 times for black males aged between 10 – 17 (last year’s figures were 10.3 and 5.7 respectively).

28. Disproportionality from Section 1 and other stop and searches during Operation Blunt 2 is as follows. A black male is 4.3 times more likely to be stopped and searched when compared against a white male – but this drops to 2.9 times for black males aged between 10 – 17 (last year’s figures were 4.4 and 2.9 respectively).

29. An Asian male is 2.9 times more likely to be the subject of a Section 60 encounter when compared against a white male – this dropping to 1.6 times for the age group 10 – 17 (last year’s figures being 3.0 and 1.3 respectively).

30. An Asian male is 1.5 times more likely to be the subject of a PACE or other search when compared against a white male – this dropping to 0.7 times for the 10 – 17 age range (last year’s figures being 1.6 and 2.9 respectively).

31. Recent analysis of complaints against police following a stop encounter has decreased from 13% to 7%.

32. There have been 741 charges as a result of Operation Blunt 2 activity – this is against a total of 2656 victims. There have been a total of 408 charges for adults and 139 charges for youth for the offences of offensive weapon or bladed/sharp instrument where evidence has existed to prove an offence 8.7% of adults have been cautioned. Where evidence has existed to prove an offence 12.6% of youth has received either a youth reprimand or a youth warning.

Role of Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD) within Operation Blunt 2 (including Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) issues)

33. The DCFD played a crucial role in the development of the EIA (Appendix 1). The initial EIA was quality assured by a DCFD advisor and the appended report is as a result of that further consultation. It is evident that a number of significant potential community issues have been highlighted and descriptive commentary placed on how to reduce/minimise risk. The Communities Together Strategic Engagement Team has also been involved in monitoring and assessing the community impact. They gather daily feedback from Boroughs to create a reliable and evidenced based system for monitoring tensions. This is reviewed by Bronze Community and looks at three key areas and who then provides daily updates to Silver as to key issues and actions to deal with them: (1) How the community is feeling at present, (2) What evidence exists to support this feeling (drawn from both police and other sources); (3) What strategic plans, and tactical options, are being used to detect rises in community tension and to deal appropriately with them.

34. Furthermore DCFD retains close links and consults closely with a number of Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) and similar forums i.e. Race IAG, Met Youth Advisory Group, Disability IAG, Muslim Safety Forum, Sikh National Forum. The outcome from these debates is then used to change structures and practices.

35. For example six Inspectors within the Central Safer Neighbourhoods Team have each been aligned with the diversity strand leads within DCFD. The role is to improve working relationships between both units to ensure that each unit does not duplicate each other’s work. On 21st and 22nd April 2008 the six diversity strands Leads gave a brief overview of their role to all of the SN Sergeants in order to raise awareness.

36. The DCFD have put together a guide, 'Notes to assist in meeting the needs of Deaf and Disabled people at Community Meetings'. During the process of compiling the guide they consulted with all members of the Disability Independence Advisory Group (DIAG) as well as a number of other key individuals.

37. The DCFD also consulted with the Employer’s Forum on Disability and asked specific organisations for advice; these included the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) & Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Having considered all the advice and guidance this was turned into a briefing document and gave further presentations to SNT.

Impact upon Youth

38. Whilst current monitoring tools will measure disproportionality from an ethnicity perspective it is clear that the bulk of policing engagement/enforcement will impact upon young persons (defined as under 19 for the purposes of this operation).

39. Furthermore the association with street gangs and territorial issues has emerged to be a growing concern in the profile of knife crime among young people. Significant research is being conducted to gain an understanding of this phenomenon. Intelligence is being gathered and analysed to assist in the deployment of police and use of tactics.

40. The MPS has been fully engaged with the Every Child Matters agenda and has been working with colleagues in Essex Police and the Youth Justice Board on an approach to assess the information that exists within our systems and to ensure this is tied into common assessment framework processes. As a result the Prevention Strand of Operation Blunt 2 has developed a Youth Safety Assessment Tool (YSAT).

41. The YSAT approach is based on systematic analysis of police data to inform a multi-agency risk assessment. The process will identify young people who are the offenders or victims of crime and those at risk of becoming involved. This will result in early identification and effective partnership assessment of risk leading to early intervention and prevention. The process will also provide information for police and other agencies, such as targeted youth support to prioritise engagement.

42. The approach aims to reduce youth offending by developing local preventative strategies in multi-agency partnership. These will prioritise children and young people through assessment of risk factors in their lives as indicated in the records and data available to police and partners The key activity for police is to use the fullest range of police information and data as a screening process of those children and young people at risk of offending and sharing this with partners to prioritising those names for further assessment according to local priorities.

43. There will be a number of key outcomes: improved identification of young people with high vulnerability and / or risk of offending, through robust screening of police and partnership data to compile a joint risk assessment. There will be swift, targeted responses across agencies to address identified vulnerability and risk and an improved response to serious, violent crime through better identification of high risk / high harm individuals across agencies, informing fast track referral into multi-agency risk management arrangements (PPO, YOS risk management etc).

44. Key outcomes will also include reductions in levels of youth victimisation through improved identification of youth vulnerability (repeat victimisation), and targeted multi-agency responses to address this risk. This will lead to reductions in youth re-offending (research shows that there is a strong correlation between those who are victims of crime and those who go on to offend). There will also be an increased focus for neighbourhood policing teams on youth offending through police approaches such as Safer Schools policing and Youth Offending Teams and linking all police response to multi-agency intervention

Examples of Continued Engagement with Youth

45. It is heartening to see that young people are actively engaged in helping themselves. There have been a number of events organised by young people such as marches in Central London drawing attention to the strength of feeling against such crimes. In South London friends of another victim organised an event to bring young people together to voice their concerns.

46. Collectively young people across the capital have spoken out against the trend of youth murders and are supportive of London taking a stand against a minority of young people who carry knives.

47. There are a huge number of examples of improved and increasing youth engagement. For example Lambeth Borough held a Secondary Citizen’s Day at Lambeth’s Pupil Referral Unit. This was a partnership event with LFB, LAS and the local authority Road Safety Team. Police Officers from the Safer School’s Partnership delivered a presentation on knife crime and the Knife City DVD was shown. This was followed by a discussion group in which the consequences of knife carrying (from serious injury/death through to criminal justice issues) were discussed.

48. London Week of Peace 2008. The central Safer Neighbourhoods Unit is playing a pivotal role in this activity. As in 2006 and again in 2007, with strong support from the Commissioner, every London borough engaged in some level of activity during the Week of Peace. The usual channel for this activity being through the SNTs. Our vision is to see all Londoners engaged in creating a more cohesive society and in celebrating our rich diversity, with the goal of promoting justice, equality and respect.

49. A key activity for Safer Neighbourhoods has been the work undertaken to engage with and understand the needs of young people. Since June 2007 all SNTs across London have been tackling priorities that reflect the concerns of young people.

50. In 2007/08 SNTs have made significant progress in engaging with London’s young people. For example, between October 2007 and March 2008 SNTs attended 1,660 School assemblies, 304 School fetes/carnivals and 3776 youth club sessions.

51. SNTs have participated in 33,571 dedicated school patrols and 10,698 school visits. The principle behind youth engagement is to work with young people with a problem solving approach to identify and resolve issues of concern.

52. Each Safer Neighbourhoods Team is required to have a youth priority. This can be achieved in two ways – via a stand alone Youth Panel or a Neighbourhood Panel setting the priority based upon extensive youth engagement activity.

53. To ensure every SNT has a youth priority a number of activities were undertaken.

• SNTs were required to develop a systematic and targeted approach to engage with young people, building on existing practice, working together with Safer Schools Officers and partner agencies. These processes are used to establish the issues most effecting the safety and security of young people within the neighbourhood.
• The identified issues by young people are then presented to the Neighbourhood Panel and are made subject of prioritisation, either as one of the three priorities or as a fourth priority.
• The monthly SNT performance returns clearly identify the young persons priority set by the Neighbourhood Panel.

54. Operation Blunt 2 has resulted in a significant increase in school related youth activity. For example in May 08 (pre-Operation Blunt 2) there were 228 school assembly inputs, 88 school fetes attended, 5378 school patrols, 1778 school visits and 687 other school enquiries. In June 08 (as a direct result of Operation Blunt 2) there were 342 school assembly inputs, 399 school fetes attended, 6397 school patrols, 2133 school visits and 1043 other school enquiries.

Key Challenges

55. With Operation Blunt 2 a matter of weeks old it is too early to gauge outcomes in terms of employment, community engagement and performance. Certainly the latter two issues are directly measured but as an arm of Operation Blunt 2 a recruitment element has been added. All Boroughs have been provided with recruitment literature (from which applicants can be later ‘tracked’) and briefed to approach all Operation Blunt 2 activity with a view to recruiting new staff to the MPS. Naturally school/college meetings are an obvious choice but even scan arch operations afford an opportunity whereby police personnel can encourage potential applicants. If the mind-set for policing operations is one of recruitment it should make the interaction between the community and the police a softer one, taking away an element of enforcement and adding a layer of engagement.

56. Other challenges lie within service delivery. As described previously the operation will be strongly focused upon young people both in terms of prevention, engagement and enforcement. One of the main challenges will be the disproportionality around stop/account/search being even greater around the 19 yrs and younger group than at present. Within this ‘disproportionality’ it has to be recognised that certain communities may find themselves over-represented within stop/account/search figures. Socio-economics, street population, suspect descriptions etc have all been raised as potential descriptors as to why this might be. However, it should be noted that the call from all communities is around successfully tackling knife crime and that some disproportionality may be accepted as long as the interaction at the point of the stop is polite, respectful and professional.

57. Gauging public support has always posed a challenge to police. The setting up networks of people give a measure of support such as community monitoring groups and ward panels. The MPS are in the process of enhancing communication with a spectrum of communities, for example the setting up youth panels on wards and our active drive to improve our engagement with youth clubs and schools. We have experience in the creation of websites and texting initiatives in order to obtain feedback. These methods are in addition to the long-standing arrangements with Independent Advisory Groups that are imperative to consensual policing, but still, there are communities where the picture of service delivery is sketchy. Our commitment is to knock down these barriers in the belief that this will assist in making London safer.

Abbreviations

ABH

Actual Bodily Harm

APACS

Assessment of Policing and Community Safety

DAC

Deputy Assistant Commissioner

DCFD

Diversity and Citizen Focus

DIAG

Disability Independent Advisory Group

EIA

Equality Impact Assessment

GLA

Greater London Authority

IAG

Independent Advisory Group

LAS

London Ambulance Service

LFB

London Fire Brigade

PPO

Prolific and other Priority Offenders

SNTs

Safer Neighbourhood Teams

SYY

Serious Youth Violence

YOS

Youth Offending Service

YSAT

Youth Safety Assessment Tool

C. Race and equality impact

1. This report deals with the equality and diversity issues in delivering the Operation Blunt 2.

2. The challenge remains in the balance between enforcement and engagement and retaining a current and appropriate intelligence picture. Where disproportionality may occur it would be over-simplistic to base it upon inappropriate police activity alone. Such activity (via Operation Pennant) continues to be closely monitored but recognition needs to be given to the social-economic factors that can impact upon the policing focus of such an operation.

D. Financial implications

There are no additional financial implications arising from this report. All financial issues are covered in operational reports for Blunt 2.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Acting Superintendent Raj Kohli, MPS

For more information contact:

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

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