Funding for central MOPI team for the financial year 2007/08

Report: 13
Date: 3 May 2007
By: Director of Information on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report is to brief the MPA on the business case which was approved by the MPS Investment Board on the 19 February 2007. The business case was submitted to fund a Management of Policing Information (MoPI) Programme Team set up in response to a statutory responsibility mandated by the Home Secretary under delegated powers from Parliament.

The aim of the team is to put in place a full programme to implement changes to ensure compliance with MoPI guidelines by December 2010. This is a large and complex programme that will be undertaken in accordance to a costed plan to be approved by the MPS Investment Board in September 2007. This decision will be based on a full MoPI Programme business case to be prepared by the MoPI team. The case sought funding of £4.621 million for the financial year 2007/08.

A. Recommendations

That Members note that on the 19 February the MPS Investment Board approved funding of the MoPI Programme team for the financial year 2007/08.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The Bichard Inquiry Report into the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire was published on 22 June 2004 and highlighted failings in the way the Police Service records, retrieves, shares and retains information. As a result, a statutory Code of Practice for the Management of Police Information became law in November 2005 and the Home Office issued the Guidance to the Management of Policing Information was issued in March 2006.

2. From April 2006, the MPS and other Forces have been responsible for the implementation of changes to ensure compliance with MoPI guidelines. This is a statutory responsibility mandated by the Home Secretary under delegated powers from Parliament.

3. The way the MPS manages police information is also at the heart of the effective delivery of policing services. Improvements in how policing information is collected, processed and managed will help the MPS meet its main objectives in working better with citizens, partners and colleagues, and increasing trust and confidence in order to reduce crime and the fear of crime, as well as reducing the risk to the reputation of the MPS that would exist if such improvements were not to be made.

4. Based on the MoPI guidelines, the Home Office produced a National Force Action Plan, which identifies 200 requirements with three level of compliance: ‘Fair’, ‘Good’ and ‘Excellent’. Initially these were to be applied to six priority business areas (Crime, Intelligence, Child Protection, Firearms (Refusal & Revocation), Domestic Violence and Custody), but it now covers all type of policing information.

5. An initial Capability Assessment was undertaken in each Force in 2006. By 31 March 2007, Forces had also been required to demonstrate ‘Fair’ compliance for a large number of key areas. The MPS has confirmed to the Home Office that this intermediary stage had been achieved.

6. The Home Office also requires Forces to submit a fully funded Action Plan by December 2007, which will describe how full compliance with the guidelines, will be achieved by December 2010. This is a considerable and complex task due to the scale of the MPS and the need to address other challenges, including preparation for the staging of the 2012 Olympics. This work will involve the identification of the full scale of the work required and to understand the consequences of the programme in relation to both the technical and business changes.

7. The aim of the Programme is to develop a framework to assist the MPS to identify, develop, prioritise, implement and monitor a range of incremental projects to comply with the MoPI guidelines by December 2010.

8. By 2010, key deliverables of the full MoPI Programme will include:

• Major changes in the way MPS does business in relation to the collection, linking, evaluation, sharing and review of police information.
• Significant alterations to the MPS IT systems and infrastructure to facilitate the requirements, including a review of ICT strategy regarding interoperability and the migration of information to corporate IT systems.
• Major cultural changes to MPS staff roles and responsibilities in relation to the way information is captured, recorded and managed.
• Improvements in the way the MPS shares information with partner agencies.
• The need to ensure that new technologies conform to MOPI standards and the ISS4PS National Alignment Framework.
• The advancement of the Information Quality Workstream as an MPS priority.

2007/08 deliverables under this business case

9. Working closely with all business areas, the MoPI programme team will develop an agreed plan for the way forward with a range of implementation timelines, taking account of other MPS priorities and funding constraints. Key to this will be a business-led approach addressing all aspects of implementation including policy, training, culture and behaviour, business processes and technology.

10. In 2007/08 the team aims to deliver:

• A full Programme in place to cover delivery up to 2010:
  • A Programme team fully engaged with the business
  • Detailed plans, owners and resources in place across the organisation
  • Co-ordination of activities and management of interdependencies.
• A business case for the completion of the MoPI Programme that is approved by the MPS Investment Board with a range of implementation timelines that take account of other MPS priorities and funding constraints. Including the following deliverables:
  • Benefits outcome and capability Options
  • The “as is” desired end state situations and gap analysis
  • MPS wide MoPI requirements subscribed by the organisation
  • Set of solutions and options in terms of speed for achieving compliance
  • MoPI awareness communication to MPS.
• Progress and support current MoPI solution initiatives 2007/08 already prioritised by MPS:
  • Key enabling technologies
  • Policies and processes
  • Solution design, evaluation and implementation support
  • MoPI related training
  • Home Office MoPI Programme 2007/08 milestones.

Abbreviations

MoPI

Management of Policing Information

MPA

Metropolitan Police Authority

MPS

Metropolitan Police Service

C. Race and equality impact

This report does not have any impact on race or equality.

D. Financial implications

The cost of the MoPI Central Programme Team is £4.621m. This money will be provided by the Met Modernisation fund 2007/8. MoPI funding has been discussed by the Investment Board on a number of occasions in the past where demands to reduce the use of external resources were made. Efforts have been made by the MPS internal resources to address this. External resources (£3m) will be sought only when skills are not available internally.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Jean-Christophe Blondiau, MoPI Programme Manager, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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