Recruitment and retention

Report: 6
Date: 10 January 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

This is a regular report to inform members of progress, and outline related issues, of police and civil staff recruitment and retention against budgeted workforce targets for 2001/2002.

A. Recommendations

That members note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

Workforce strength

1. Appendix 1 (table A; see Supporting material for the Appendix) shows the current strength of police, civil staff, traffic wardens and special constables against the budgeted workforce targets (BWT) for 2001/02.

Police recruitment

2. Appendix 1 (table B) shows the number of enquiries made and the number of applications received for police officer recruitment during April to November 2001/02, together with the total numbers joining including the December intake.

3. Appendix 1 (table C) shows the number of police officers joining on a monthly basis.

Civil staff recruitment

4. Due to budgetary constraints recently imposed, there has been a temporary suspension of the recruitment of some agreed non-key civilian support staff at both senior and junior levels. A Star Chamber action group has been established which gives approval for the appointment of staff to certain posts that are deemed essential to the immediate needs of the service. Many are on an individual basis, but for instance, service-wide communication officers are still being recruited.

5. It is anticipated that the BWT of MPS civil staff will not be met this financial year, although the results from the Hay civil staff pay and grading review may assist in improving retention and should help to attract new staff into the MPS in the future.

Central civil staff recruitment

6. Currently civil staff recruitment for grades 13 to 10 is undertaken through a combination of central and local recruitment. Data is not available on local enquiries and numbers being selected locally.

Enquiries

15,028

Applications

2,387

(1498 women, 63%; VEM 890, 37%)

7. After an initial paper sift the applications are put into a central pool and sent out to borough commanders and unit heads, as local needs dictate. It is then the responsibility of individual managers to interview and select their own staff. Details of those interviewed and selected are therefore not available. Those applicants who are not successful are put back into the central pool unless their feedback indicates that they are not suitable for employment.

Senior civil staff recruiting – grade 9 and above

8. Posts advertised: 39
Enquiries: 920
Applications: 297
Interviewed: 162
Offered posts: 52

(22 females, 42%; 8 VEM, 15%)

9. Senior civil staff recruiting is a continuous process according to the needs of the MPS. Due to the moratorium, there are six senior roles currently on hold and these will be advertised as soon as financial controls allow.

C3i recruitment

10. The recruitment target for communication officers for the MPS over the next four years is approximately 1744. This figure includes the additional civil staff required to achieve civilianisation of the C3i service (approximately 1000) and to keep pace with predicted turnover. To achieve this, a joint review by of the recruitment process is being undertaken by HR Selection and the C3i project team. This review will include a detailed examination of the current selection process of applicants, the time taken from initial application to an offer of employment, the timescales for security clearance and the capacity of the Directorate of Training and Development to provide sufficient and timely training courses for successful applicants. Additionally, the financial and resource implications will be assessed.

11. Following the review, a plan will be produced detailing how the target will be achieved, together with a service level agreement between C3i, Directorate of Training and Development and the MPS Recruitment centre.

Other recruitment

12. Appendix 1 (table D) shows recruitment figures for special constables and traffic wardens

Positive action

13. The Positive Action Team (PAT) has recently been reorganised. Positive Action Recruitment is retained within the HR Selection Directorate. Responsibility for diversity, progression and retention issues has transferred to the Development and Organisation Improvement Team within the Diversity Directorate.

14. To date 164 visible ethnic minority (VEM) officers have joined and 381 women, this compares to the figures of 53 and 191 for the same period last year, a 310% and 200% increase respectively. It is anticipated that 270 visible ethnic minority officers will have been recruited by 31 March 2002, compared with 90 last years. This represents a 300% increase.

15. An audit of personnel records on two boroughs revealed differences to the ethnicity self classification of officers. The PAT will undertake further reviews over the next few months and the results will be reported to this committee.

Media and marketing contracts

16. New media and marketing contracts were awarded in November 2001. TMP Worldwide Recruitment Agency was awarded the contract for the Directorate of Human Resources' Recruitment Advertising Services and MediaCom was awarded the contract for Media Planning and Buying Services for both HR Recruitment and the DPA.

17. The new contracts are for an initial period of three years, with the option of extending them for a further two years.

Recruit centre

18. The new MPS Recruitment Centre at Simpson House, Hendon is almost completed and the majority of police recruiting will transfer on 2 January 2002. The 'go live' date is the 7 January 2002, when the first candidates will be selected at the new site.

19. The official opening by the Commissioner is set for 21 January 2002. An event will mark the opening, including the launch of the revised structure for the new HR department, and will coincide with official recognition of the '1000 plus' officers undertaking training at Peel Centre. A recruitment video will be available to assist in the launch and help continue to generate the required levels of interest in joining. Appropriate publicity of these major events will be arranged.

Additional MPS resources – police and civil staff

20. The events of 11 September, together with increasing pressures on police services has placed a demand for an increase in both the establishment of police and civil staff.

21. Various growth bids and internal resource bids, if approved, will change the police and civil staff baseline BWTs. Additional officers and civil staff for various branches in Specialist Operations, Territorial Policing and Transport for London have been requested.

22. The MPS, in conjunction with the Home Office and the MPA, are in discussion in respect of the recruitment of uniformed patrolling auxiliary staff. If approval were given, they would be recruited early in 2002 ready for deployment in April. A project team has been established and will oversee their introduction. Initially there has been a bid for 700, which will comprise 50 for the pilot site boroughs of Southwark and Enfield and 650 for central London security patrols. In addition, if plans are approved during the financial year 2002/03, 281 auxiliaries will be recruited for the Transport OCU.

Police recruitment costs

23. Currently it costs approximately £3,500 to recruit a police constable. The cost is calculated by identifying the budget apportioned to police recruitment activities and dividing by the actual number of recruits joining the service. Dependent on the actual budget provision for future years, it is anticipated that the projected costs will continue to change because of the number of recruits required, the employment market, the introduction of more automated processes and changes to Police regulations.

Retention

24. Appendix 1 (table E) shows the number of leavers to November 2001 compared to the same period last year and the reasons for leaving.

25. Appendix 1 (Table F) reflects the anticipated number of leavers and joiners required to meet BWT. It assumes that in each year strength will reach BWT, and that after 2003/04 BWT will remain at 28,000. Table G shows the anticipated reasons for leaving. Table H shows the predicted reasons for leaving in graphical form

Turnover

26. Appendix 1 (tables J and K) compares civil staff and traffic warden turnover for the previous financial years.

Retention strategy

27. A new retention strategy is to be introduced. In advance of this, the MPS Management Board has adopted a number of initiatives. These include a new "Buddy" scheme for probationers, a "property shop" to assist with accommodation difficulties, contact scheme for transferees into MPS, examination of issues of introducing a "people bank" of recently retired officers and the appointment of a Retention Intervention Manager. Detailed plans will be drawn up over future weeks.

27. Retention of visible ethnic minorities remains a concern. Specific examples of retention measures include 0-5 years officers mentoring scheme, which has recently been extended to cover recruits and sergeants; the active career development scheme for ethnic minority inspectors and above; a borough probationer support scheme, which has been piloted and will become a corporate programme in 2002.

Conclusion

28. The budgeted workforce target for 2001/02 of 26,650 police officers will be met, this figure includes an additional 1,050 officers approved by the MPA for this financial year. The final budget provision for 2002/03 has not yet been agreed, but assuming a BWT of 27,650 is approved the police recruitment target for next year will be 2,628. This is even larger than the current year total. To continue to achieve targets it is essential that the initiatives for more focused recruitment campaigns continue, but also a more radical, proactive approach is designed.

C. Financial implications

As set out in the paper there are a number of potential budgetary implications still subject to approval, covering both growth bids for additional police numbers and for recruitment of uniformed patrolling auxiliary staff. These implications therefore encompass both new types of employees and new police and civil staff numbers. Full details are not yet available on auxiliary staff but a further report with full costings will be bought back to the Committee at the earliest opportunity and a report is due to the Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee and full Authority on the Transport for London proposals for enforcement of priority routes. The full Authority at its meetings on 10th December noted the Mayor's intention that the revised financial provision should recruit an additional 1,000 officers in 2002/03 and resolved that the Authority review their deployment and the assumptions underlying the costing, taking account of decisions by the Home Office on the funding of future counter-terrorism activities.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

Report author: Jenny Deere, Director of HR Selection, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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