Personnel management information

Report: 3
Date: 18 January 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides a range of personnel related management information to the end of November 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 November 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 increased by 65 in November. Civil staff strength rose by 10. Traffic Warden strength dropped by 15.

5. Police, civil staff and traffic warden strengths remain under the budgeted workforce targets (BWT): police by 427 (1.7 per cent), civil staff 819 (7.4 per cent) and traffic wardens 249 (26 per cent). If the targets for recruitment in January and March are achieved the shortfall of police officers will be reduced to approximately 90 officers by 31st March 2001.

Ethnicity

6. The percentage of visible ethnic minority staff as a proportion of police and civil staff strength is currently 4.04 per cent (police), and 15.47 per cent (civil staff). Both of these are slightly higher than last month's 4.03 per cent (police) and 15.33 per cent (civil staff) and also higher than the respective figures for the beginning of this financial year (3.95 per cent police, 15.16 per cent civil staff), indicating a continuing, if slight improvement.

7. For traffic wardens the percentage of visible ethnic minority staff is 12.25 per cent, which is slightly lower than last month's 12.27 per cent, but is higher than at the start of this financial year (12.16 per cent). There has been a steady upward trend during the year to date.

Gender

8. The percentage of females as a proportion of police and traffic warden strength is currently 15.61 per cent (police) and 61.26 per cent (traffic warden), which is marginally higher than last month's 15.58 per cent (police) and 61.10 per cent (traffic warden). The respective figures for the beginning of this financial year (15.51 per cent police, 61.56 per cent civil staff) were also virtually the same.

9. The percentage of females as a proportion of civil staff strength is currently 58.61 per cent, which is virtually the same as last month's 58.66 per cent. The figure at the beginning at this financial year was 58.68 per cent.

Command and operational resilience

10. 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.

11. The difference between the BWT and strength for Grade 11's occurs because the BWT includes a number of catering grades that are not part of the unified grading structure, and are categorised as Grade 11s for workforce records purposes.

Police recruitment

12. The police recruitment target for 2000/2001 is 1,355, which 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.

13. Intakes for September, October and November represent a 47.6 per cent increase over the average intake in previous months.

14. Overall intakes to date show a reduced shortfall of 170 against the target to date. The shortfall will be further reduced to around 30 if the further projected increases in recruitment are realised (200 in January and March) in addition to the December intake of 147.

15. The current female proportion of new recruits is 15.61 per cent, an increase of 0.1 per cent compared to the beginning of this financial year, but still below the Best Value Performance Indicator target of 17 per cent.

16. 41 ethnic minority officers have been recruited to date. At this rate, the projected total is 59, a shortfall of 241 against the target of 300 required to meet the 5 per cent target for the overall police workforce proportion.

17. Female recruitment is running at 20.2 per cent of all recruits.

18. 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.

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

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

Police wastage

21. Police wastage in November (102) fell below the comparator (115) although at an average of 120.62 per month, the wastage rate to date this year continues to run above the comparator.

22. The number of medical retirements as a proportion of all retirements in November was higher than last month at 33.96 per cent. This is mainly due to a lower number of normal retirements. The number of medical retirements in November (14) was lower than the monthly average in October (18.6). The year to date figure is 30.15 per cent of all retirements, below the BVPI target of 33 per cent. On average to November 41.93 officers each month retire on ordinary pensions and 18.10 per month leave through medical retirements.

23. Wastage to date among visible ethnic minorities as a proportion of total wastage has reduced to 3.00 per cent, compared with last month's average to date figure of 3.13 per cent. The VEM wastage rate as a proportion of total wastage last year was 3.32 per cent.

24. Wastage of female officers is currently at 13.56 per cent, which is marginally higher than last month's 13.46 per cent of total wastage. However, the number of female officers who left in November (14.7) is lower than for each of the four preceding months.

25. Resignations and officers joining other forces continue to form about 48 per cent of all wastage: 24.20 per cent resign and 23.50 per cent join another force.

Civil staff wastage

26. Civil staff wastage remains above the comparator (125) at an average of 139.75 departures each month, although it has fallen significantly below the comparator in October and November. Resignations account for more than half of all wastage (58.40 per cent), an average of 81.6 per month (18.76 per week). Medical retirement as a proportion all retirements in November was 61.18 per cent. This is due to an unusually low number of normal retirements compared with a higher number of medical retirements. The year to date figure is 30.84 per cent of all retirements, below the BVPI target of 33 per cent.

27. Average wastage to date among visible ethnic minority civil staff as a proportion of total wastage is 11.80 per cent, which is marginally lower than last month's 12 per cent. This compares with 14.78 per cent for last year.

28. Wastage of female civil staff is currently 58.40 per cent of total wastage, which is very slightly higher than last month's 58 per cent. However, since the proportion of females in the civil staff workforce is 58.70 per cent, female civil staff wastage remains proportionate.

Traffic warden wastage

29. The wastage rate to date this year averages 15.55 per month. This equates to an annual rate of 28.10 per cent of the average strength to date. 48.67 traffic wardens (39.10 per cent of leavers) have regraded to civil staff grades and 35 (28.10 per cent) have resigned.

Progression of ethnic minority and female staff

30. The percentages shown represent the proportion of ethnic minority and female staff for each rank and grade against the respective strengths. There are no exceptional variations to report.

31. 83.90 per cent of visible ethnic minority civil staff are in grades 11, 12 and 13 and the overall proportion is not reflected from grade10 upwards.

32. The bulk of female civil staff are in grades 12 and 13 (45.77 per cent). The proportion of female staff in other grades falls short of the overall proportion (58.61 per cent).

33. The proportion of traffic warden strength that is female is currently 61.26 per cent, which is marginally higher than last month's 61.10 per cent but lower than at the beginning of this financial year (61.56 per cent).

Sickness

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

Police sickness

35. The police sickness rate to date for the year is 9.61 days i.e. 0.61 days greater than the 9 days target. Year on year the average is 0.29 days less per month than 1999-2000. However, as reported last month, the improvements are no longer continuing: the last four months (June to September) show a slight increase in the sickness rate.

Civil staff sickness excluding traffic wardens

36. Civil staff sickness, at 10.78 days, stands at an average rate of 0.78 days per month above the target of 10 days. PIB is experiencing computer problems extracting traffic warden sickness data, consequently the figures for the month of September 99 are unavailable both for civil staff and traffic wardens. As soon as the problem is resolved backdated data will be included in future reports.

MPS 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 21.56 days lost per traffic warden. The rate is also higher than for the same months last year. Year on year the average to August is 4.68 days more per month than 1999-2000. 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 of 102 officers per month are off sick on full pay, 61 officers on half pay and 19 officers are off pay. There has been an increase in all these categories in November. There was an overall increase of 16 per cent in extended sick leave cases. There was an increase of 8 per cent in full pay cases and 32 per cent in half pay cases. 9 per cent more officers are on extended sick leave off pay. These increases will continue to be monitored.

Grievances

39. New grievances to date show an average of 10.75 new cases a month. This compares with an average for the same period last year of 13.75, a reduction of 22 per cent.

Employment tribunals

40. The total to date for this year shows a 3 per cent increase in the number of new cases over this point last year, though the actual number is only 2. There would be a reduction in the number of ETs compared to last year if the 4 appeals were excluded from the overall figure.

Occupational health

41. The number of new occupational health referrals at 319 is lower than last month's 448. The year to date average is 339.5 a month. The number returning to full duties in November was 183, an increase from last month's 159. Other OH indicators continue to show an upward trend of activity during the year. These are not as yet dramatic and will be closely monitored.

B. Recommendation

The committee note 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.

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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