Borough performance monitoring

Report: 11
Date: 8 May 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

Territorial Policing (TP) performance is considered by TP SMT and exception reported to Performance Review Committee (PRC) through the Corporate Performance Meeting (CPM). It is proposed that PPRC receive information regarding borough performance and the TP performance review process from PRC.

A. Recommendations

Members are asked to note the proposed mechanism for borough performance monitoring outlined below.

B. Supporting information

TP performance monitoring

1. TP monitors borough performance across all policing plan priorities, with particular emphasis on street crime and burglary. The performance management framework for TP establishes clear accountabilities, together with planning, meeting and performance review processes. In addition to headline performance, information is used to review the effectiveness of key processes within the elements of the Policing Model; this provides the basis for continuous improvement.

2. Performance interventions have been specified and range from: provision of advice and support; resource prioritisation; and routine contact by Command Team members with Boroughs and TP OCUs, to full 'performance reviews' which take 3-4 weeks to complete, are led by a DAC and followed up with a rigorous action plan (progress against which is monitored and reviewed). The whole process is supported at the Command Team level by clear accountability to individual members for performance against TP-led policing plan objectives and the key development activities for the current year.

PRC performance monitoring

3. PRC has recently revised its terms of reference and operating processes, with the aims of increasing the strategic nature of the committee and enhancing the transparency of accountability mechanisms within the MPS. A key part of this change has been the introduction of the Corporate Performance Meeting (CPM), chaired by the DAC Strategic Development, to consider the MPS, and each business group’s, performance report in more detail. PRC now considers performance figures on an exception basis only, however when an exception is identified a fuller response is required than the predominantly verbal updates given previously.

4. With the exception of TP, CPM (and hence PRC) considers each business group’s performance every 3-4 months. However TP report each month, reflecting the large number of performance targets for which TP are responsible, and the high profile of these targets. This TP exception report outlines the performance of boroughs identified as performing well and poorly, and any remedial action taken / good practice identified. CPM is responsible for checking that boroughs whose performance is exceptional are picked up by the TPHQ process, and that these interventions and their results are presented to PRC.

Proposed PPRC process

5. PPRC will be provided with a full account of the PRC discussion. Due to the timing of the meetings this will be verbal. However, the full PRC minutes will be made available to members. Given the more detailed nature of the performance updates received at PRC, the DAC Strategic Development will, over the next few months, gain a more detailed understanding of the factors impacting on performance against targets.

6. With regards to TP, the MPA will gain updates regarding which boroughs have received support from TPHQ, emerging issues from these boroughs and examples of good practice.

Police Standards Unit

7. The PSU are using an Interim Performance Framework of existing best value performance indicators to assess BOCU and CDRP performance. Given the availability of comparable data items at BOCU level, this effectively means that performance is primarily judged on volume crime (robbery, domestic burglary and autocrime) levels and detection rates within BCU / CDRP families. This is supplemented by HMIC comments, however remains a narrower range of information than that considered internally.

8. The MPS and MPA await access to the QuAnTa system which will allow access to this data, and hence effective anticipation of areas of PSU interest.

C. Financial implications

The proposed processes can be managed within existing resources.

D. Equality and diversity implications

The TP performance reports considered will monitor a range of issues with implications for London’s diverse communities, for example, stop-search rates for different ethnic groups. These will be exception reported upon to PPRC and some reports may also feed EODB. These performance monitoring systems are an important part of the way in which the impact of MPS activity and policy is considered.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Carol McDonald

For more information contact:

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

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