Personnel management information

Report: 3
Date: 21 December 2000
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides a range of personnel related management information to the end of October 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 1, the position against the personnel related Best Value Performance Indicators, and, at Appendix 2, a range of supplementary personnel management information.

2. The charts provide data to the end of October 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. Police strength rose by 32 in October reversing the steady decline over the last year. Civil staff and traffic warden strength continues to decline.

5. The police, civil staff and traffic warden strengths remain under budgeted workforce target (BWT): police by 493 (1.9%), civil staff 828 (7.5%) and traffic wardens 233 (24.4%).

Ethnicity

6. The percentage of visible ethnic minority staff as a proportion of police, and of traffic warden strength is currently at 4.03% (police), and 12.27% (traffic warden), both of which are slightly higher than last month’s 4.02% (police) and 12.23% (traffic wardens) and also higher than the respective figures for the beginning of the year (3.91% police, 12.13% traffic wardens). These show a steady, if slight improvement.

7. The percentage of visible ethnic minority staff as a proportion of civil staff strength is currently at 15.33%, which is very slightly lower than last month’s 15.38%, but is higher than at the start of the current year (15.04%). There has been a steady upward trend during the year to date.

8. 86.09% of visible ethnic minority civil staff are in grades 11, 12 and 13 and the overall proportion is not reflected from grade 10 upwards.

Gender

9. The percentage of females as a proportion of police and civil staff strength is currently at 15.58% (police), and 58.66% (civil staff), which is virtually the same as last month’s 15.59% (police) and 58.70% (civil staff). The respective figures for the beginning of the year (15.48% police, 58.75% civil staff) were also virtually the same.

10. The bulk of female civil staff are at Grades 12 and 13. The other grades do not provide the proportion of female staff that the overall proportion (58.66%) would suggest.

11. The proportion of traffic warden strength that is female is currently at 61.10%, which is marginally higher than last month’s 60.95% but lower than at the beginning of the year (62.06%).

Command and operational resilience

12. The “Others” BWT represents various grades for which a BWT has been included in Business Group figures but which cannot be redistributed across the unified grades as no definitive designation is available. The strength for “Other” is the number of college based students currently employed.

13. The difference between the BWT and strength for Grade 11’s is because it includes a number of catering grades that are not part of the unified grading structure, and are included as Grade 11s for workforce records purposes.

14. Command ratios for other metropolitan forces and for all other forces have been added to the charts to provide a comparison. These show that the ACPO ratio to lower ranks in the MPS falls between the ration in other metropolitan forces and the overall ratio for all forces. Also that the MPS has proportionally fewer superintending ranks, but more chief inspector / inspectors.

Police recruitment

15. The police recruitment target for 2000/2001 is 1,355, the major challenge for the year. This will only be achievable if the increased London Pay Lead, the current campaign and process changes introduced produce significant improvements. The target of 1,355 includes 663 new recruits covered by the Home Office Crime Fighting Fund, though it has now been agreed that 155 CFF recruits can be carried over into 2001/02.

16. A projection based on the first seven months data indicates a shortfall of police recruitment against target of 310 by the end of the financial year. The projected shortfall is now decreasing as the recruitment numbers pick up. The shortfall will be further reduced to around 45 with the further planned increases in recruitment: 150 in December, 200 in January and 200 in March.

17. 32 ethnic minority officers have been recruited to October. A further 11 has been recruited in November and extrapolating to the end of the year, the projected total is 65, a shortfall of 235 against the target of 300 required to meet the 5% BVPI target for the overall police workforce proportion.

18. Female recruitment is running at 20.4% of all recruits.

19. Recruitment of both ethnic minorities and female officers to date this year is currently higher than wastage and the proportion of these groups in the police workforce is growing, albeit slowly.

20. The proportion of visible ethnic minority graduates from Hendon is higher at 4.25% than their proportion of the intakes (4.02%), showing a higher degree of success than the norm.

21. The proportion of females within intakes at Hendon is 19.57% (146) of all recruits. Only 8% (2) of those who fail to graduate are female, and 22% (57) of all who graduate are female.

Police wastage

22. At an average of 123.33 per month (28.35 per week), the wastage rate to date this year continues to run above the comparator (115).

23. The number of medical retirements as a proportion of all retirements in October was low at 19.61%. The year to date figure is 29.79% of all retirements, below the BVPI target of 33%. On average 43.91 officers each month retire on ordinary pensions and 18.62 per month leave through medical retirements.

24. Wastage to date among visible ethnic minorities as a proportion of total wastage is 3.13%, which is higher than last month’s average to date figure of 2.95%. The wastage rate for visible ethnic minority staff as a proportion of total wastage last year was 3.32%.

25. Wastage of female officers is currently at 13.46%, which is marginally lower than last month’s 13.6% of total wastage. Resignations and officers joining other forces continue to form about 47% of all wastage: 24.7% resign and 21.90% join another force.

Transfer rates to and from other forces

26. An overview of transfers of police officers into the MPS and out of the MPS to other forces:

• MPS is a net exporter of officers.
• From April 1999 to date, 513 officers transferred OUT of the MPS. Only 65 officers transferred INTO the MPS.
• In January to June 2000 24% more officers transferred OUT of the MPS than in the same period in 1999.
• In July to October 2000, 42% more officers transferred OUT of the MPS than in the same period last year.
• Main service bands of officers transferring are 2-5 years and 11-15 years. Numbers in these bands have increased from 100 in the last financial year to 163 to date this year.
• Between January and June 2000, the same number of officers transferred INTO the MPS compared to the same period last year. However from July to October 2000 14.3% fewer officers transferred to the MPS.
• The increase in the London Pay Lead has yet to manifest itself in a reduction of wastage and transfers out.

Civil staff wastage

28. Civil staff wastage remains above the comparator (125) at 146.78 departures each month (33.7 per week). Resignations account for 57.5% of all wastage, running at an average of 84.4 per month. Medical retirement as a proportion of all retirements in October was 23.44%. The year to date figure is 27.53% of all retirements.

29. Average wastage to date among visible ethnic minority civil staff as a proportion of total wastage is 12%, which is slightly higher that last month’s 11%. This compares with last year’s average rate of 14.78%.

30. Wastage of female civil staff is currently 58% of total wastage, which is slightly higher than last month’s 57.7%. However, since the proportion of females in the civil staff workforce is 58.70%, female civil staff wastage is not disproportionate.

Traffic warden wastage

31. The wastage rate to date this year averages 15.56 per month. This equates to an annual rate of 27.4% of the average strength to date. 41.56 (37.95%) of traffic wardens leavers have regraded to civil staff grades and 30 (27.4%) have resigned.

Staff Exit Survey

32. Results of the analysis for the first quarter’s returns (April - June) have recently been provided. The key findings are:

• The main reason respondents gave for leaving the MPS was that they had received a better job offer elsewhere (21%). 7% of civil staff stated that they were leaving because they were frustrated with their job. No police officers cited this as a reason for leaving.
• The factor which, the highest proportion of respondents said, contributed to their decision to resign was travelling/commuting (20%). Significantly more police staff than civil staff stated difficulty in finding accommodation as a factor (33% and 1% respectively) and also disruption of family life (25% and 7% respectively).
• Just under two thirds of respondents (64%) stated that, in order for them to continue working for the MPS, their pay would need to be improved. Significantly, more civil staff than police staff feel that career prospects, leadership and the pension scheme need to be improved, whereas significantly more police than civil staff feel that allowances need to be improved.
• Just under a third of respondents stated that when they leave the MPS they would be working in a different type of job for a different organisation (30%).
• Significantly, more civil staff than police staff stated that their pay would be increased in their new job (78% and 26% respectively). Similarly, more civil staff than police staff stated that their new job offered them better career prospects (87% and 52% respectively).
• The majority of respondents stated that their new job would be permanent (92%) and pensionable (82%).
• The largest proportion of respondents stated that they most enjoyed the friendly team spirit whilst working for the MPS (39%). Significantly more civil staff than police staff felt that they have most benefited from the hours / holidays.
• Significantly, more police than civil staff had an exit interview (68% and 34% respectively).
• Just under two thirds of respondents (61%) felt that the exit interview was useful to them, whilst a slightly higher percentage felt that the interview was useful in improving the MPS.

Progression of ethnic minority and female staff

33. The overall targets for police officers have been added to the charts. The percentages shown represent the proportion of ethnic minority and female staff for each rank and grade against the respective strengths.

Sickness

34. PIB is still working through the backlog following computing and staffing problems. Sickness figures for the month of September are unavailable. August data has been included since the previous report.

Police sickness

35. The police sickness rate to date for the year is 9.59 days i.e. 0.59 days greater than the 9 days target. Year on year the average is 0.41 days less per month than 1999-2000. However, as reported last month, the improvements are no longer continuing: the last three months (June to August) has seen a slight increase in the sickness rate.

Civil staff sickness excluding traffic wardens

36. Civil staff sickness, at 10.76 days, stands at an average rate of 0.76 days per month above the target of 10 days. Year on year, average days lost through sickness has reduced by 0.14 days per month

Traffic warden sickness

37. Traffic warden sickness continues at a much higher rate than for other staff. The figures to date this year show an average of 21.44 days lost per traffic warden. The rate is also higher than for the same months last year. A sickness reduction initiative was created by CO59 last year but this has not delivered the desired impact. Traffic warden sickness needs particular attention if an improvement in sickness levels is to be achieved. This should include a target which is to be both progressive and realistic.

Extended sick pay for police officers (Regulation 46)

38. Over the year to date, an average 99 officers per month are off sick on full pay, 58 officers on half pay and 19 officers are off pay. There has been an increase in all these categories in October. This will be monitored to see if it is the start of a continuing trend.

Grievances

39. New grievances to date show an average of 11 new cases a month. This compares with last year’s average of 13.57, a reduction of 19%. The year to date has seen a decrease of 18 new grievances compared to the same period last year.

Employment tribunals

40. The total to date for this year shows a 5% increase in the number of new cases over this point last year (3). There would be a reduction in the number of ETs compared to last year if the 4 appeals lodged by one individual were excluded from the overall figure.

Occupational health

41. Most OH indicators continue to show an upward trend of activity this year. These are not, as yet, dramatic and will be closely monitored. The management information for OH, such as waiting time for appointments, is being expanded and will be included in future reports.

B. Recommendations

That the Committee note 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

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback