Monitoring performance of specialist crime and operations

Report: 08
Date: 09 January 2003
By: Clerk

Summary

The monitoring of MPS operational units to date has focused on boroughs. However, there are a large number of specialist units that cover operational support, pan-London crime, and national and international functions. The Planning, Performance and Review Committee may wish to monitor these specialist units to ensure a full view of MPS performance is considered. This paper and the attached appendices detail the suggest process for monitoring specialist crime and specialist operations Units, together with suggested performance measures.

A. Recommendations

That

1. members agree the suggested high-level performance measures for specialist crime and specialist operations units;
2. members receive a summary paper on the high-level performance indicators at every other meeting of the Committee, starting in March;
3. members receive a further in-depth reports on one specialist crime or specialist operations unit or function to accompany the summary paper at every other meeting; and
4. any further monitoring of confidential and operationally sensitive performance information for specialist crime or specialist operations units continues to be carried out on behalf of the Authority by Sir John Quinton.

B. Supporting information

1. The Planning, Performance and Review Committee (PPRC), regularly receives information on performance against the MPA’s Policing Plan objectives. It also receives in-depth reports on crime types including comparisons of borough performance. Other committees of the MPA consider MPS support functions in detail, such as HR, finance and diversity. However, the MPA does not currently consider in any detail the performance of a core part of MPS business: specialist crime and specialist operations units.

2. To allow the MPA to be able to consider the performance of these specialist units, the MPS has been asked to provide a suggested set of high-level performance indicators for each unit. These are attached at Appendix 1 for specialist operations and Appendix 2 for specialist crime. These units have recently been reorganised as part of the MPS senior staffing structure review and the indicators are shown organised by the new units. The old Specialist Operations (SO) code is shown for reference.

3. Members are asked to consider these performance indicators and discuss whether these meet their needs for monitoring performance of specialist crime and operations.

4. It is suggested that the PPRC receives a summary of these performance indicators at every other meeting for discussion. It is suggested that the first set of information is provided for the March PPRC committee meeting.

5. These indicators only provide an overview of the performance of complex policing functions. It is hence also suggested that at every meeting where the summary information is received, more in-depth reports are received on the performance of one specialist function in either specialist crime or specialist operations. This will allow the committee to explore the underlying performance of the units in more detail and develop a greater understanding of the units’ functions.

6. It is suggested that only the summary information is provided to the March PPRC committee and that members use the information to decide which unit it would like to receive a more in-depth report from at the next meeting where this information is considered. At future meetings the committee can state the unit from which it would like to next receive an in-depth performance report.

7. The high-level performance indicators have been developed as information that can be received in part 1 of PPRC and hence in the public domain. Due to the operational sensitivity of many of these specialist units, the in-depth reports will generally need to be considered under the confidential part 2 of the committee.

8. There will still be some areas of highly confidential information that are not suitable for consideration at MPA committee. The current process is that Sir John Quinton receives performance reports in confidence on behalf of the authority. It is recommended that for these highly confidential areas this process continues. It is also recommended that Sir John Quinton be invited to the PPRC meetings at which the specialist crime and operations information is considered.

C. Equality and diversity implications

The monitoring of specialist units will cover many crime types affecting particular sections of London’s communities. Monitoring of these units will hence provide a more complete picture of crime across London and assist in equality in performance monitoring. In producing in-depth reports on specialist units and functions, the MPS will be asked to specifically address any equalities and diversity issues.

D. Financial implications

All of the performance information contained in this report is already produced regularly by the MPS hence this information should be provided at no extra financial cost, although there will be extra report writing time for the specialist units.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Johanna Gillians, MPA.

For more information contact:

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

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