Personnel management information

Report: 13
Date: 6 September 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides a range of personnel related management information to the end of July 2001, with a summary of key points.

A. Recommendation

That members note the contents of this report and the management information provided.

B. Supporting information

Management information charts

1. The attached charts show, at Appendix 1, the position against the personnel related Policing and Performance Plan objectives for 2001/02, and, at Appendix 2, a range of supplementary personnel management information to the end of July 2001.

2. All Best Value Performance Indicators for 2001/02 are covered by specific Policing and Performance Plan objectives, as reported at Appendix 1, or are covered by standing items contained in Appendix 2.

3. The charts provide data to the end of July 2001, apart from sickness data, which is to the end of June 2001.

Key points

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

Strength

5. Police strength at the end of July 2001 was 25,903 (full time equivalents). The intake in July was 248 against wastage of 127. The steady increase of strength since October 2000 has continued into the current year.

6. Civil staff strength has seen a gradual increase over the last four months. Traffic warden strength has remained relatively constant. At the end of July, civil staff strength was 10,289 (full time equivalents) and traffic warden strength was 685 (full time equivalents) compared to 10,197 and 698 respectively at the beginning of the year.

7. The BWT for civil staff has been increased from 11,110.40 to 11,535.77 to take account of a number of specific staffing increases and a number of local increases resulting from the provisions within the devolved budgetary arrangements. The financial provision for these increases has been provided for from within existing overall budgets.

Ethnicity

8. The target set by the Home Secretary (Dismantling Barriers) required the MPS by 2009 to increase the number of minority ethnic officers to achieve parity with the make up of the population of London, of which ethnic minorities represent 25.5%. Civil staff, traffic wardens and the Special Constabulary are inclusive in the MPS strategy and the targets are the same.

9. The percentage of visible ethnic minority (VEM) officers as a proportion of police strength was 4.30% at 31 July 2001. The percentage has increased during the year from a start point of 3.91%.

10. The percentage of visible ethnic minorities as a proportion of civil staff strength has also increased over the year. The percentage at 31 July was 16.63%, from a beginning of the year figure of 15.55%.

11. The percentage of visible ethnic minorities as a proportion of traffic warden strength was 12.53% at the end of March. This has increased to 13.94% at 31 July 2001.

Gender

12. The percentage of females as a proportion of police strength has remained largely unchanged since the beginning of the year, standing at 15.68% at the end of July.

Police recruitment

13. The police recruitment target for 2001/02 as published in the Policing and Performance Plan is 2,475. This was calculated before the end of 2000/01 and was based on projections. The recruitment target has since been revised to take account of actual strength at the beginning of April 2001 and current wastage rates. The revised target as at the end of July is 2551. This number might need to be further revised as the year progresses depending on the actual numbers recruited and ongoing turnover rates.

14. The total joining the MPS in July was 248, maintaining recent increases. 203 were new recruits to the police service who went to Hendon for full recruit training. 45 were transfers from other forces or people rejoining the MPS who were posted directly to Boroughs. Intakes are to increase further from October to around 280, which will enable the recruitment target to be reached, and consequently police BWT.

Police wastage

15. Wastage this month was 127; an increase from June’s 117 and greater than the average for 2000/01 (122). Retention remains a top priority and the wastage rate needs to be constrained in order for the overall police strength to increase to planned levels. The current wastage rate is built into the revised recruitment target.

16. The number of medical retirements as a proportion of all retirements in July was 32.79%, below BVPI target of 33%.

17. Wastage in July of VEM officers as a proportion of VEM average strength was 3.34% (17) compared to a VEM proportionate strength of 4.30%.

18. Overall, resignations and officers joining other forces continued to form virtually half of all wastage. In July, 21.75% (110) resigned and 28.28% (143) transferred to other forces.

Civil staff wastage

19. Civil staff wastage over the last four months has averaged 92, less than the average of 130 in 2000/01.

20. Medical retirements as a proportion all civil staff retirements to the end of July were 48.63%, above the 33% target. This is being examined as part of overall sickness management.

Traffic warden wastage

21. Wastage this month was 18, an increase from 7 in June and greater than the average for 2000/01 (11). Since April 20 traffic wardens (51.69% of leavers) regraded to civil staff grades and 11 (26.49% of leavers) resigned.

22. Medical retirements as a proportion of all traffic warden retirements as at the end July were 38.76% above the 33% target. Occupational Health and the traffic warden management are examining this.

Police sickness

23. There has been an exceptional increase in the average sickness absence rate from March, increasing from last year’s average of 9.8 days to 11 days. The timing of this increase coincides with the introduction of new electronic data transfer arrangements. The data has been checked by the Performance Information Bureau (PIB), which has confirmed its accuracy from the returns received from local personnel units. It is not believed that the rate of police sickness has actually increased, rather that no data is now being lost or delayed. More detailed investigations are being carried out to fully clarify the position.

Civil staff sickness excluding traffic wardens

24. Civil staff sickness, at 11.1 days is 1.1 day per month above the target of 10 days. The average rate of civil staff sickness in 2000/01 was 10.9 days.

Traffic warden sickness

25. Traffic warden sickness continues at a much higher rate than for other staff but has reduced steadily in recent months to an average of 19.5 days. A programme of action continues, with Occupational Health supporting line management.

Extended sick pay for police officers (Regulation 46)

26. 250 officers were off on extended sick leave in July: 132 on full pay, 83 on half pay and 35 are off pay. There has been a general increase in numbers over the last four months, though the numbers of half pay cases has slightly reduced.

Grievances

27. To date there are an average of 14 new grievances each month. There were an unusually large number of new cases in July (22). This compares with last year’s average of 11 new cases a month.

Employment Tribunals

28. The number of new employment tribunal cases in July was 13, almost double the average of 7 a month for the period April to June. The average number of new cases each month in 2000/01 was 9.

30. There is no discernible pattern to these increases, which will continue to be monitored.

Occupational Health

31. The number of new occupational health referrals (excluding welfare) is remaining fairly constant at around 350 a month. The number of staff returning to full duties has increased in the current year compared to 2000/01. The number of welfare referrals increased in July to 132, compared to a monthly average of 109 for April to June and an average 96 per month in 2000/01.

C. Financial implications

There are no financial implications arising directly from this report.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

Report author: Chris Haselden, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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