Human Resources Committee - Workplan 2001-02

Report: 17
Date: 6 September 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

Now that the Human Resources Committee (HRC) meets bi-monthly, it was felt it would be useful to draft a workplan for the remainder of this financial year covering both the formal business to be carried out at meetings and the issues that will need to be considered outside the meetings.

A. Recommendations

That:

1. two working groups are set up to consider:
   1. the MPS best value review of managing people, which starts in January 2002.
   2. the police reform agenda.
2. the workplan outlined at Appendix 1 is agreed, subject to additional topics being included at the request of Human Resources Committee members.

B. Supporting information

1. There is a significant amount of work currently taking place around human resource issues at a national, MPS and MPA level. The HRC will wish to make a significant contribution to these issues, but undoubtedly will recognise that this cannot all take place within the bi-monthly Committee meetings.

2. Two particular issues Members will wish to take some early views upon are the police reform agenda, which is liable to see draft legislation appearing in November 2001, and the MPS best value review of managing people, which starts in January 2002. It is suggested that two working groups of three HRC members are set up to contribute to these issues. It is further suggested that the Chair of the HRC should be an ex-officio member of both working groups.

3. This will enable the working groups to consider the issues in-depth and to take evidence both written and oral from a range of interested parties, e.g. staff representative groups, in order to inform and complement the work that they do. The working groups will report to the Human Resources Committee.

4. Members will already have received a suggested workplan and this has now been formalised at Appendix 1. It is, of course, recognised that this list will be subject to additional topics being included at the request of HRC members.

5. The workplan also refers to workshops arranged on specific issues. The most recent of these was a workshop, chaired by Angela Slaven, on the MPS’s retention strategy and the retention task force (see Appendix 2). This covered issues such as the role of the constable, the police reform programme, the ‘London Factor’, police culture and bureaucracy. Discussion at the workshop was wide-ranging and highlighted for example the high level of police officers transferring to other police forces. It has been suggested that where these police officers have been recruited and trained by the MPS, other forces should be ‘charged’ for this training as the MPS was the only police service which had extensive in-house recruit and specialist training facilities, and the associated costs.

C. Financial implications

There are no financial implications, other than members will be entitled to claim expenses for working group meetings.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Alan Johnson.

For information contact:

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback