Crime Management Best Value review, Implementation Plan Update

Report: 5b
Date: 19 January 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

An implementation plan for the Crime Management Best Value Review (CMBVR) was approved by the Planning, Performance and Review Committee in September 2002. At the same time it was decided that progress on implementation would be reported in formal, twice yearly reports.

Previous reports have outlined that as a result of a decision to withdraw funding for implementation, the outstanding recommendations of the CMBVR, notably the establishment of a Central Telephone Investigation Bureau (CTIB), could not be progressed. However, a corporate, borough based Telephone Investigation Bureaux (TIB) was required and could be developed, to improve the service provided to victims of crime and to support the C3i Programme.

This report outlines the progress made in establishing enhanced and corporate borough based TIB.

A. Recommendations

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

1. In previous updates to the Authority, the impact of the withdrawal of future funding for the Crime Management Best Value Review (CMBVR) and the resulting development of corporate, borough based, Telephone Investigation Bureaux (TIB) has been outlined.

2. The existing funds set aside for CMBVR implementation is now being utilised to develop a robust telephone investigation system for the MPS to both improve service to the public and support the implementation of the C3i Programme.

3. Territorial Policing (TP) assessed the standard of service provided by existing TIB and outlined corporate standards in preparation for Metcall, thus allowing the new Metcall OCU to pass suitable calls to TIB on boroughs according to set criteria and within agreed opening hours. The scope of crime suitable for telephone investigation was considered by the Authority at the Planning, Performance and Review Committee meeting of July 2004. This scope was evaluated on Enfield Borough in the late summer of 2004 and only minor changes were considered necessary

4. The rollout of the ‘corporate’ TIB will mirror that of the C3i Programme. A Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU) ‘change pack’ has been designed to assist boroughs so that their TIB is working to the approved scope before the transfer of command and control from the relevant BOCU to Metcall.

5. Southwark and Lewisham BOCU are currently ‘Metcall live’. Due to the delay in the introduction of Metcall’s Contact Handling System (CHS) existing Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) technology is being utilised to transfer TIB suitable crime to BOCU. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been developed in conjunction with Metcall to ensure that deployments are made where necessary and that TIBs maximise the number of detections of telephone reported crime as well as ensuring the retrieval of any forensic or other evidence. The CHS will be available for BOCU TIB when it is introduced into the three Metcall buildings.

6. The system of transferring data between Metcall and BOCU will be simplified as a result of the introduction of CHS. It will also allow for simplified systems of Quality Assurance to be introduced, for example, it will ensure that TIB are compliant with the Home Office National Crime Recording Standard.

7. As only two BOCU are currently reliant on the transfer of data from Metcall to BOCU TIB, compliance issues are being monitored by staff within ‘Modernising Operations’ at TP responsible for TIB implementation. Negotiations are in hand for the service provided by TIB to be incorporated into established victim of crime surveys and the MPS Performance Information Bureau (PIB) is assisting TP in developing appropriate performance indicators.

C. Race and equality impact

The under reporting of crime, in particular by minority ethnic communities and vulnerable groups throughout London, was identified by the CMBVR. The enhanced TIB will allow greater access to the crime reporting processes of the service and thus to the more vulnerable groups in society.

In addition, each borough based TIB will be provided with a ‘Minicom’ telephone. This will make telephone investigation accessible to victims of crime that are aurally impaired.

D. Financial implications

1. In the financial year 2003-04, £1.3million was made available for the implementation of the CMBVR. This was ‘carried over’ into the current financial year, making total available funds for 2004-05 of £2.5 million. This has been set aside to develop TIB and to obtain the facilities and equipment necessary to allow it to roll out in conjunction with Metcall. All other funding has been withdrawn.

2. The CMBVR identified the potential for significant opportunity cost savings as the result of telephone investigation, by reducing the requirement for police officers to attend and record allegations of crime, which were suitable for investigation and recording over the telephone. Opportunity Cost savings as a result of the increased use of TIB have previously been reported on. These will continue to be realised as a corporate TIB is developed across the MPS.

3. As previously outlined, in order to allow a link between BOCU TIB and Metcall, a link into the C3i Contact Handling System has been obtained which will work over existing MPS Information Technology (IT) systems. Notwithstanding its unavailability for the first boroughs brought into Metcall, this ‘portal’ has been developed at a cost of £566k.

4. The cost of necessary building works, furnishings and additional IT (portal enabled computers) for the six BOCU in the first tranche of Metcall’s rollout is approximately £243k. The individual BOCU expenditure varies dependent on anticipated workload. The remaining £1.7 million is projected to be sufficient for an MPS wide transition in line with that of the C3i Programme.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report authors: Robert Broadhurst, Commander (Patrol) TP HQ

For more information contact:

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

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