Personnel management information

Report: 3
Date: 21 September 2000
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides a range of personnel related management information to the end of July 2000, with a summary of key points. It supplements the main MPS Performance Report, providing more detailed information in the personnel field.

A. Supporting information

Management information charts

1. The attached charts show, at Appendix A, the position against the personnel related Best Value Performance Indicators, and, at Appendix B, a range of supplementary personnel management information.

2. The charts provide data to the end of July 2000. The information has been prepared in line with the principles for regular reporting of management information agreed between the MPA and the MPS.

Key points

3. The key points to emerge from the reports are set out below:

MPS strength

4. The Budgeted Workforce Targets (BWT) are subject to alteration due to organisational restructuring. Optimum Workforce Levels (OWL) have yet to be finalised. These will be included once they become available.

Police strength

5. There has been a continuing fall in police strength due mainly to a combination of high wastage, low recruitment and staff transferring with the boundary changes.

Civil staff strength

6. The civil staff strength also continues to decline, for much the same reasons.

Police recruitment

7. The police recruitment target for 2000/2001 is 1,355 which provides a major challenge for the year that will be achievable only if the enhanced London Pay Lead and forthcoming campaigns and initiatives produce significant improvements. The target of 1,355 includes 663 new recruits covered by the Home Office Crime Fighting Fund. Projections based on the first four months of the year show a shortfall against target of 185 officers by the end of the financial year. Additional recruitment initiatives have been introduced.

Positive action

8. 58 additional ethnic minority officers were recruited in 1999/2000. This year’s target is significantly more demanding - 300 if we are to have a total of 5% of the police workforce (BVPI25 target) by the end of the year.

19 have been recruited to the end of July. The additional recruitment activities introduced include ethnic minority recruitment.

9. There are a similar number of female recruits for the first four intakes this year as for the same period in the previous year (81 compared to 84). A Best Value Performance Indicator target covering the proportion and progression of female officers is to be developed (BVPI24).

10. 15.34% of civil staff are from ethnic minority backgrounds of which most are either Grades 11,13 or industrial staff. Current wastage is 12.26% of total civil staff wastage.

11. Virtually 6 out of 10 civil staff are female with the highest proportion being either Grade 12 or 13. Progression of female staff is the subject of further research.

Police wastage

12. This year the comparator for estimated wastage has been set at 115 per month (26.5 per week; 1,380 for the year) to reflect last year’s trend. This overall level will only be reached if we continue to meet the HMIC target for medical retirements and are able to curb the increasing number of resignations.

13. The new London Pay Lead is designed to have a positive impact on wastage. The position will be closely monitored to check whether the anticipated benefits are realised.

Civil staff wastage

14. Current returns show that wastage is following broadly the same pattern as the previous year. Over half of all wastage is a result of resignations. Further analysis of the main causes of resignations will be included when comprehensive results of the new exit poll survey become available (see below).

15. A Best Value Performance Indicator target for ‘turnover’ for police and civil staff is to be developed (BVPI27).

Exit polls

16. A new exit polling questionnaire was introduced in April 2000. This is to be analysed on a quarterly basis. The returns for the first quarter are currently being analysed and a report will be included once information is available.

17. During 1999/2000, only a quarter of all exit poll forms for police officers were returned: current return rates are at the same level.

18. Last year, approximately half of all exit poll forms for civil staff were returned, but current return rates have reduced to one in three.

Police sickness

19. Due to a computer failure in the Performance Information Bureau (PIB), sickness figures for July are unavailable. Backdated data should be finalised by PIB and made available for inclusion in future reports.

20. Police sickness for last year was on a steady downward trend and averaged 9.7 days per officer at the end of the year. The new target for this financial year (BVPI26) has been set at 9 days per officer. Figures to date indicate that the new target is achievable.

Civil staff sickness

21. Last year, civil staff sickness averaged 11.3 days per person which was 0.7 days above the target. Results so far this year are currently above the improved target of 10 days per person (BVPI26), albeit reducing slightly. Regulation 46 (Reduced sick pay for police officers)

22. The PIB failure also affected the production of Regulation 46 data, hence only figures to May are available.

23. The number of police officers on sick leave for over six months and their treatment for pay purposes is remaining fairly constant. The figures are broken down into full pay; half pay; and no pay.

Grievances

24. Figures to date show a slight reduction of new cases compared to the same period last year.

Employment tribunals

25. The projected total for this year shows a slight increase in the number of new cases.

Occupational health

26. A new monitoring regime was introduced in July. The figures for April to June have been derived where possible from the earlier, less comprehensive management information to provide the basis for early comparison.

27. The number of medical retirements for both police and civil staff as a proportion of all retirements are below the BVPI29 target.

B. Recommendation

That the Committee note and consider the contents of the report and management information provided

C. Financial implications

None

D. Review arrangements

Personnel management information will be presented to the Committee at each meeting.

E. Background papers

The following is a statutory list of background papers (under the Local Government Act 1972 S.100 D) which disclose facts or matters on which the report is based and which have been relied upon to a material extent in preparing this report. They are available on request to either the contact officer listed below or to the Clerk to the Police Authority at the address indicated on the agenda.

None.

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Chris Haselden, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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