Policing and performance plan 2002/03 priorities and objectives

Report: 04
Date: 21 February 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

The paper sets out the MPA policing priorities and objectives for the 2002/03 Policing and Performance Plan with all the respective targets and measures.

A. Recommendations

1. Members are asked to approve the targets and measures for the set of corporate objectives, in that they are realistic and challenging, and address the requirements of the recently proposed Ministerial priorities.
2. Members are asked to note particularly the corporate targets in respect of street crime, burglary and autocrime, which have been aggregated from BOCU targets.
3. Members are asked to note the revised wording to the corporate objective in relation to youth offending.
4. Members are also asked to note the introduction of National Crime Reporting Standards (NCRS) in April 2002 and the potential impact on crime data published in the Annual Policing Plan 2002/03.

B. Supporting information

1. At the January meeting of the Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee, Members approved the targets and measures in relation to race crime and domestic violence, under the corporate priority 'To improve the police response to vulnerable victims'. The MPS has now proposed measures and targets for the remaining objectives and these are summarised in Appendix 1.

2. Appendix 2 (see Supporting material) shows each of the 13 objectives in detail. For each objective there is a description of the target for 2002/3 with the most appropriate measure. Also shown are some of the key actions being undertaken by support units. As part of the planning process, support business groups across the MPS have been asked to identify their contributions to the achievement of the corporate priorities and objectives. From their submissions, which will be monitored by each business group internally, a few significant enabling objectives have been highlighted to underpin commitment across the MPS to the objectives. To place the target for each objective into context there is also a brief summary showing the corresponding performance being achieved in 2001/2.

3. Within the 'youth offending' priority, it is proposed to amend objective 12 from the setting up of diversionary schemes for those at risk of offending, and widen this to the diversion of children and young people from crime. This changes the focus from the earlier input based objective which concentrated on young people that have not yet entered the criminal justice system, to the use of multi-agency schemes for both children and young people at risk of offending and known offenders. The new wording represents an objective that seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the various schemes in addition to the number undertaken. The second objective on youth crime has not been changed, but the target and measures reflect the effort in reducing the proportion of persistent young offenders re-offending.

4. At Appendix 3 is a summary of the recently proposed Ministerial Priorities. These draft Ministerial Priorities were circulated to the MPS and the MPA who have each provided responses. The content of the plan is therefore subject to final consideration once the Home Secretary completes the consultation process and makes the formal announcement on the Ministerial Priorities.

5. Connections between the draft Ministerial Priorities and our objectives are as follows:

• The 'safer communities' Ministerial Priority is covered by the corresponding MPA priority, with the exception of the availability and use of Class A drugs. Although drug related crime is not a specific corporate objective, it is a problem on particular boroughs and is therefore included in those borough plans with appropriate bespoke targets.
• The fear of crime, and trust and confidence among ethnic minorities is similarly dealt with under the safer communities and vulnerable victims priorities.
• The third Ministerial Priority on delivering justice more effectively is a new priority, and one on which the MPS and MPA have provided specific feedback to the Home Office. One aspect however, the approach to persistent offenders in partnership with other criminal agencies, is given a focus within the youth offending objectives.

6. Bespoke targets have been set by the BOCUs for the first time in relation to street crime, burglary and autocrime under the priority 'To create safer communities for Londoners'. These have been aggregated and have resulted in corporate targets of a 10% increase, 1% decrease and zero growth respectively. Further details underpinning these targets are contained in Appendix 2 (see Supporting material). BOCUs have also set bespoke targets for other crimes that may be a particular problem in that borough but not necessarily across the MPS as a whole.

7. Each BOCU is now finalising a local plan in conjunction with its crime and disorder partners. These plans identify those crime and disorder problems that pose the greatest challenge to that partnership, and have guided the local targets that address these problems. These targets complement those set for the corporately aggregated offences outlined above.

8. National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS) are being introduced across England and Wales from 1 April 2002. This will allow more meaningful comparisons between different forces' crime levels. In the first year there will be an uplift in recorded crime levels, particularly for common assault and less serious crimes. There may also be NCRS related increases in street crime, burglary and autocrime, and related decreases in the judicial disposal rates for these offences. The full effects of these changes are still being worked out. Consequently, the target data for some crime targets for 2002/3 will need to be uplifted following publication of the plan.

9. Approval of the final plan including the corporate targets is scheduled for the Full Authority meeting on 28 February. Provisional copies of the plan were circulated to all MPA members prior to the Planning Panel meeting on 5 February to allow proper time for debate.

Planning Panel outcomes

10. A healthy discussion took place about the content and focus of the plan, but in particular about the objectives, targets and measures. The Members questioned several of the targets as to whether they were sufficiently challenging yet achievable. After some debate the final recommendations were;

• the Judicial Disposal rate for autocrime was considered to be insufficiently challenging at 4% and should be raised to 5%
• more contextual information should be provided in relation to the targets, to enable meaningful comparisons to be made with other metropolitan forces
• consideration should be given to further investment in surveys about fear of crime etc. that would build upon the information from the Public Attitude Survey
• the effect of crime on the business community, and the measures to deal with it should be mentioned more explicitly

These issues have now been incorporated into the appendices to this paper.

Next steps

11. The following dates are key milestones in the remainder of this year's planning process:

27 February

MPS Management Board – final review of draft plan, objectives, targets and measures

28 February

MPA Full Authority (approves final plan)

31 March

Plan to be published on the internet

* It may be necessary to issue an addendum to the plan if the Ministerial Priorities are not announced in time to meet existing deadlines

C. Financial implications

In developing the plan, the constraints of the funding available have been considered.

Work is ongoing within the MPS to ensure that the MPA's budget submission is applied to achieving the local and service-wide targets included in this plan.

Separate bids to fund resources, which will increase the Service's capacity, have been made to Home Office, in relation to Counter Terrorism and Transport for London. This is in respect of a new Transport OCU.

The anticipated levels of resourcing in the budget submission have been used as the basis to build this plan. Any variation in the overall level of funding, or any significant variations in its application, may lead to the proposed plan requiring reconsideration.

D. Background papers

Summary Policing and Performance Plan (Agenda item 6 at FPBV on 6 December 2001).

E. Contact details

Report author: John Zlotnicki and Michael Debens, MPS.

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Priorities, objectives and targets proposed by the MPS

Priority: To increase the security of the capital against terrorism

1. To prevent and disrupt terrorist activity

2. To achieve an effective response to suspected and actual terrorist incidents

Priority: To create safer communities for Londoners

3. To work with community safety partnerships to reduce the incidence of crime and disorder in the most troubled areas in each neighbourhood

* N.B. The figures quoted within objective 3 do not take account of the National Crime Recording Standards, which come into effect in April 2002.

Priority: To create safer communities for Londoners

4. To impact on the rise in violent armed criminality

5. To reduce the fear of crime 

6. To increase the public's satisfaction with visible police presence

7. To improve child protection procedures following recommendations from HMI and Ministerial Inquiries. 

8 To improve victim satisfaction with investigation of racist incidents and racist crimes 

9. To improve the investigation of homophobic crimes

10. To improve the investigation of domestic violence

11. To improve victim care and investigation in cases of rape 

Priority: To tackle youth offending 

12. To improve the diversion of youths away from crime, through enhanced multi-agency activity 

13. To reduce re-offending by Persistent Young Offenders 

Appendix 3

Appendix 3: Ministerial Priorities letter from the Home Office is available from MPA Secretariat in hard copy only.

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