HMIC thematic inspection 'Managing learning' and police training - the way forward

Report: 7
Date: 19 October 2000
By: Commissioner

Summary

The HMIC report ‘Managing Training’ has been superseded by a number of subsequent reports into police training including ‘Police Training - A Way Forward’, which sets out a future national model. The model includes the concept of ‘cluster colleges’ and development of a mandatory core curriculum, which may be problematic to achieve.

The development of core competencies, the National Training Organisation and competency framework drive the Government's proposals forward. They are based on the development of an effective customer/client relationship to ensure training meets the business needs of the police service and its outcomes in terms of performance can be identified. The MPS has through all the reviews been consistently praised across a number of fronts.

The MPS is at the forefront of police training not only nationally but also internationally and is seen by Sir William Stubbs and Ministers as a model for the way forward in police training.

A. Supporting information

1. The HMIC Thematic Inspection into police training in England and Wales has been superseded by a plethora of reports into the future of police training. The culmination of what is best described as frenetic activity in this field during 1999 was the publication, in May 2000 of "Police Training: The Way Forward". In real terms “Managing Learning" is a purely historic document, which has synergy with some of the recommendations contained in the subsequent reviews of police training (Appendix 1), but is at odds with other recommendations.

2. Managing Learning, being a nationwide thematic, proposed recommendations, only some of which were capable of implementation locally, but many of which required action by the Home Office, ACPO, APA, or all three working in concert.

3. Throughout the review process the MPS Directorate of Training and Development has been supportive of the theme to be found in all the reports of a need for police training to be responsive to the needs of its customers. The Director of Training and Development has been proactive in the development of a national costing model for police training.

4. The Directorate provided the resources of a Chief Inspector to carry out the initial work in respect of the development of a Police National Training Organisation, for which the draft bid will be submitted to DfEE in November.

5. The MPS has also led on the development of a competency framework for the police service, together with specific and nationally recognised work in respect of Occupational Standards for Community and Race Relations and competencies in respect of police driver training, both of which have now been accepted as the national standards.

6. The MPS has an "Annual Costed Training Plan" and much of the MPS training costing model is incorporated in the developing national model.

7. Managing Learning praises the MPS system of costing, the client/provider relationship, training design and evaluation.

8. The Peel Centre is put forward as 'best practice' in respect of its audit of core courses in respect of CRR in the HMIC inspection 'Winning Consent, as is the quality of probationer and other core training. The development of the Diversity Training Support Unit is also praised.

9. The 'murder' aspect of Winning Consent praises the development of SIO training, critical incident training and Hydra (the computer based immersive simulation exercise) as national best practice.

10. The Director of Training and Development is aware that Winning The Race 3, (Winning Consent re-visited) will commend the work that the MPS has done in respect of CRR training. It is likely that a number of current MPS training initiatives will be put forward as best practice.

11. Managing Learning, implicitly Sir William Stubbs' report, the Home Office Consultation Paper and the Raytheon study, explicitly, raise the concept of regionalised training - "Cluster Colleges". Whilst the APA/ACP0 accept that regional or national best value will almost inevitably lead to the cluster college requirement, the Home Secretary chose to omit reference to Cluster Colleges from his 'Way Forward'. This is not an about face in terms of Government Policy, as the belief is that Best Value will force the development of Cluster Colleges. His decision was undoubtedly based around the need to abate the 3 increasingly vocal debate about the Government forming cluster colleges or the APA and ACPO.

12. The Way Forward document (attached at Appendix 2) sets out the following:

• A new Police Training Council (PTC) aimed at providing strategic advice and direction on training to the Home Secretary. (Para 4)
• A Police National Training Organisation (NTO). (Para 5)

13. It should be noted that there will be considerable stress between the role of the PTC and NTO. The view is that the PTC will only exist as a short-term advisory group to the Home Secretary, as its defined role is almost identical to that of the NTO. NTOs are employer led, and it is likely that the Home Office, ACPO and the APA will each have to give ground in their determination of what training the police service requires.

14. The NTO will set the occupational standards within which the police service will operate. Some of these will be unique to the police service, the majority, will however be taken from existing NTO occupational standards, e.g. Criminal Justice and Employment.

Police National Training Organisation Board

15. The NTO Board Membership Profile will be: Cross Sector Representation Director Level e.g. ACIPO or Strategic Director Strategic, employer focus with key players from the sector.

16. Members:

• ACPO (3 members)*
• APA (3 members)
• Home Office (3 members)
• Non-Home Office Force
• RUC *
• One ACPO representative from MPS

17. Observers will include:

• DfEE, QCA, SQA , WNTO, CCNTO
• Scottish Police College
• Northern Ireland Office
• Scottish Executive
• ACPO(S)
• National Police Training (NPT)
• HMIC

18. The Board will be chaired by a member of ACPO, APA or the Home Office selected by the Board of Directors at the first meeting. A quorum will be achieved by at least one member being present from each of ACPO, APA and the Home Office.

NTO Council

19. The Council will be: Cross-Sector - able to facilitate wide-base consultation. Senior Manager level e.g. Superintendent or civil/support staff equivalent. Operational focus with a wider membership, including employee representatives and specialist from the sector.

20. Members:

• ACIPO (Chair)
• APA
• Home Office
• ACPO(S)
• RUC
• Administrator
• Academic representative
• HMIC
• Non-Home Office Force
• NPT
• Northern Ireland Police College
• MPS Directorate of Training and Development
• National Training Managers Group
• Police Federation Unions
• Superintendents Association
• Welsh Force

21. Observers:

• DfEE
• QCA
• SQA
• CJNTO
• CCNTO
• Scottish Police College
• Northern Ireland Office
• Scottish Executive

Development of a mandatory core curriculum

22. This may well prove to be a challenge that overwhelms the service. Whilst the MPS supports the concept of a core curriculum, we have persuaded both the Home Affairs Committee and Sir William Stubbs that this 'core curriculum' (referred to by some as common minimum standards) is a minimum standard to which specific competencies, and thus training can be added, dependent on an individual Force's needs.

23. An illustration is: Common Minimum Standard (CMS) for PC equals, Competency A + Competency B + Competency C. The MPS may require additional competencies; say in respect of Robbery, CRR and Terrorism so the MPS's training requirement would be:

A + B + C = CMS + X + Y + Z

24. Whilst the core curriculum would be the subject of national Best Value, the additional competencies for the MPS would be the subject of formal Performance Needs Analysis and evaluation.

25. Sir William Stubbs is also specific around the style of delivery. NPT is largely didactic whereas MPS training is 'student centred'. Stubbs allows for such variance providing the CMS are met.

Qualifications

26. There will be prescribed mandatory qualifications for specific roles, grades and ranks. These will be decided upon by the Home Secretary on the advice of the PTC. (Para 7)

Central Police College

27. The MPA HRC recently discussed a paper on the draft clauses in respect of the Central Police College (not what its name will be). Broadly the college will cover the old functions of NPT, with some other roles yet to be determined. (Paras 8 -11). Regional Collaboration (Para 12 -14)

28. At its extreme Cluster Colleges, but the APA/ACPO will conduct a year long study to look at the opportunities for Regional Collaboration, which may or may not mean Cluster Colleges. The MPS has consistently supported the cluster college concept, which would allow income generation opportunities for MPS training. Peel Centre would be the largest of the country's Cluster Colleges. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Distance Learning- (Paras 15-16)

29. The MPS has a good track record in this area 'Living with Bombs', 'On Scene and Dealing' and the 'Minerva/Hydra' technology.

30. The Government's view is for a national network, although the case for and benefits of ICT and distance learning is somewhat overstated when compared to the reality of implementation in many corporate organisations. This will be one of the roles of the CPC.

Joint learning and community involvement 

(Para 16)

31. We await further details from Government, however the MPS involves the community in all CRR training packages both at the Peel Centre and in the pan London roll out programme. There are numerous local initiatives and we have invited partnering organisations - Boroughs, CPS, Customs, etc. to participate in our Runge courses run in conjunction with the Industrial Society.

Annual plans and continuous development of all staff 

(Para 17)

32. The MPS already has a costed training plan, which dovetails into the MPS training strategy. Continuous development of staff will be part of our 'People Strategy'. Commander Cullen leads for ACPO in respect of the development of a national costing model for police training working with both ACPO Personnel Management and ACPO Finance Committees to the PTC Implementation Steering Group.

A dedicated training inspectorate 

(Para 18)

33. Robin Field-Smith BEM, a former Colonel in the Army Education Corps has been appointed the Lay HMI for training and has made three visits already to the Peel Centre: his letter shows how impressed he is with what has been achieved there.

Home Secretary's powers 

(Para 19)

34. This reflects the MPS submission to the consultation paper (November 1999).

Overview

35. 'Managing Learning' is an historic document, but its basic tenets are around 'Best Value' - an area which the MPS has fully supported the Government. Commander Cullen chairs both the ACPO National Training Managers and National Police Driving Schools Conference (roles he will maintain, although no longer DTD) where he has forced the agendas of standardisation, unitisation and rationalisation of training standards across the country.

36. The development of core competencies, the NTO and competency framework drive the Government's proposals forward. They are based on the development of an effective customer/client relationship to ensure training meets the business needs of the police service and its outcomes in terms of performance can be identified.

The MPS has through all the reviews been consistently praised for its:

• Customer/client relationship
• Performance needs analysis
• Training design
• Training delivery
• Training validation and evaluation

37. Whilst not complacent the MPS is at the forefront of police training not only nationally but also internationally and is seen by Sir William Stubbs and Ministers as a model for the way forward in police training.

B. Recommendation

That the Committee note and consider the report.

C. Financial implications

There are no financial implications arising directly from this paper.

D. Review arrangements

Action in response to HR related HMIC recommendations is reviewed as a standing item at each meeting of the Human Resources Committee.

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 on 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.

• HM Inspector of Constabulary report ‘Managing Learning’ Home Office report
• ‘Police Training - The Way Forward’

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Commander Cullen, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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