Audit of policing and performance plan 2001/2: progress report

Report: 05
Date: 18 April 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

The report summarises the progress which has been made towards implementing the thirteen recommendations made by District Audit in its audit of the MPA Policing and Performance plan 2001/2002, and highlights remaining areas of concern.

A. Recommendations

1. Members are asked to note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

1. District Audit published its report on the audit of the 2001/2002 Policing and Performance plan in June 2001. It considered that the plan was well presented and provided users with a helpful perspective on performance issues, but nevertheless gave a 'qualified' opinion because the performance information included was incomplete. A number of other recommendations was made for improving the planning process and content of future plans.

2. The MPA response to the report was published in July 2001 and an action plan was prepared by the MPS. Since then much progress has been made towards implementing the thirteen District Audit recommendations: (see appendix 1)

3. In particular, recommendations 2,4,5, and 12 have been delivered in full and the remaining non-statutory recommendations are being delivered as part of ongoing programmes of work. For example, recommendations 7,8,9 relate to a number of aspects of performance monitoring and measurement. These requirements will be delivered through the strategic work which is underway to develop and implement an effective performance management framework. This is a long-term project, driven by the Quality Performance and Risk Management Group, QPRMG, chaired by ACPRS.

4. The QPRMG will develop a strategy for the delivery of the framework and prioritise the necessary work elements, taking into account the District Audit recommendations. Similarly, recommendation 6, regarding the need to ensure that performance is tracked in personal appraisals , will be met by the work to develop a new appraisal system, based on the national competency framework. This is a medium to long term venture because of the complexity of introducing major change into an organisation the size of the MPS.

5. Specific comment is made below on remaining areas of concern and, in particular, on the achievement of the three statutory recommendations .

Remaining areas of concern

6. The main areas of concern relate to recommendation 1, where it has not been possible for the MPS to include performance information on two BVPIs in this year's BVPP. The first relates to BVPI 129 (numbers of offenders charged, reported for summons or cautioned for supply offences in respect of Class A drugs per 1000 population), where the Home Office has not yet made data available to the MPS, or any other force. More seriously, the second relates to BVPI 153b (% of domestic violence incidents where power of arrest exists and where an arrest occurs involving partner violence): the MPS has not been able to collate this information in time for this year's report. The MPS will endeavour to publish this information in the Commissioner's Annual Report, and in the Internet version of the Policing and Performance Plan.

Progress towards achieving statutory recommendations

7. There were three statutory recommendations:

• No. 1 relates to ensuring that all the necessary performance information is included in this year's plan. Apart from the two specific problems mentioned above, good progress has been made in exploring the use of estimates to populate the indicators; in carrying out an additional survey of the accessibility of police buildings; and improving the quality of repeat victimisation flagging on the crime system.
• No. 3 relates to the integration of best value principles into day to day processes, where much work has been carried out by the Best Value team already and which will be carried forward in the medium to long term under the continuous improvement banner. This work will be driven by the new strategic level QPRMG.
• No. 10 relates to tightening implementation planning arrangements for best value reviews: guidelines are being developed by the Best Value team which will be presented to the Best Value Programme Board in May.

8. The District Audit report on MPS/MPA corporate planning arrangements is being considered at agenda item 6 and one of its recommendations is likely to emphasise the need to monitor the actions from the audit of the 2001/2 Plan. The MPS is currently reconsidering its arrangements for driving and tracking the implementation of recommendations from all inspecting bodies (District Audit, HMIC, Accenture, Internal Audit, Inspectorate) and will ensure that these actions will be included. However, with over 1000 recommendations made by various bodies last year, resources to undertake these functions will be severely stretched.

C. Financial implications

None.

D. Background papers

DA report

E. Contact details

Report author: Sue Merchant, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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