Custody Capacity Service Improvement Review final report and improvement plan

Report: 7
Date: 19 January 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report sets out the progress to date of the newly established Custody Directorate within Territorial Policing (TP).

A. Recommendations

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

This report will:

1. Provide an update on the implementation plan agreed by Planning, Performance and Review Committee (PPRC) on 12 July 2004, including a progress report of implementation of the Service Improvement Review of Custody Capacity (SIRCC) together with any evidence of outcomes/service improvements.

2. Identify the financial or resource implications of the current work, including how this is being integrated into the capital programme and embedded in the estates strategy, and how longer term financial plans are being addressed.

3. The MPA (PPRC) agreed the SIRCC and associated implementation/action plan in July 2004 and in August, Territorial Policing Command Team appointed Commander Alfred Hitchcock as Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead for this work.

4. In August, Superintendent Phil Morgan was appointed to lead the newly formed Directorate but was unable to be released from his existing post full time until November 2004. However, in the interim, the police officers for the Directorate were recruited and the staffing model agreed. This had the effect of slightly delaying the introduction of the whole Directorate with the associated slippage in terms of the implementation/action plan dates.

5. The extent of this delay is not, as yet, known as the key staff have only recently been recruited. However, the Committee is asked to note that every recommendation within the SIRCC has been tasked to one of four managers within the Directorate and each is currently reviewing and scoping the work involved in order to provide a meaningful and accurate assessment of when the outcomes will be realised. A more detailed plan setting out these revised timescales will be available for the next PPRC meeting in March.

6. At the time of reporting, all eight Police Officers are in place and now working full time within the Directorate and we are awaiting the “Hay Banding” of the seven Police Staff member’s posts before we are able to actively recruit these.

7. The Custody Directorate has thus been operational for 4 weeks and is currently working on the implementation/action plan and prioritising those elements which were identified in the SIRCC that are expected to assist the overall performance of the MPS. Most notably the issues of overall custody provision and the drive to improve our criminal justice performance (detections/ineffective trials/OBTJ’s).

8. The implementation/action plan has 26 elements (with associated tasks) and, for clarity, a summary sheet is included with this report (See Appendix 1).

The work to date includes the following:

• A series of meetings with Premier Prison Services (PPS), our prisoner escort provider. Through these meetings we have established a good working relationship with this new provider and have helped them to improve their performance. As a result of our meetings, joint working and performance management, the rate at which PPS were failing to collect prisoners in a timely manner has dropped, although their performance still falls short of acceptable limits. There is much work still to be done and PPS have been warned about their performance and reminded that the MPS intend to impose contractual penalties should they not be operating within their contract by the beginning of January 2005.
• The Custody Directorate has also established contacts within other MPS departments providing services in and around custody suites. It has already identified some conflict around two cell refurbishment programmes in West London and has taken action to ensure that all such departments now coordinate activity through the Directorate. Furthermore, the Directorate is actively involved in assisting the development of the custody capacity for the new Wembley Stadium.
• In the longer term, the Directorate is working closely with Property Services in identifying “overspill” custody facilities that will assist BOCU’s to deal with times of peak demand or “one off” events. The first of these sites is proposed as Wood Green Police station and the funding for this has been found from within Property Services own budget. Other proposals are being explored and a strategic examination of need based upon demographics and changing business practice is to start soon. It is recognised that this needs to be embedded in the MPS building strategy and a series of workshops/meetings are being established.
• Work is being progressed on providing alternative solutions to the issue of immigration prisoners and our assistance to HM Immigration Service. A range of options is being explored, including dedicated immigration detention facilities in refurbished disused custody suites. A series of site visits are currently underway with colleagues from HM Immigration Service and Property Services.
• In order to provide flexibility in our custody provision, the issue of mobile custody suites/vehicles is being researched. Currently a number of police forces use these and a fast time needs analysis is being undertaken to see how these could be used in the MPS. Visits have been made to some of these vehicles in action and, whilst we have concern over some health and safety issues, we are currently considering recommending the purchase of new vehicles for the MPS that can be built to our standards and design. However, it is important to note that there are no plans to use a floating cell complex to address our cell shortfall (as reported in the national media). It is doubtful whether such a facility would ever come up to MPS/Home Office cell standards but, more importantly, the MPS has no need for such a large number of cells in one place, floating or otherwise.
• The Custody Directorate is keen to establish close working relationships with our internal and external stakeholders. Thus, an exercise to identify these partners has recently been completed and a series of introductory meetings arranged. Furthermore, work has begun on establishing a formal Custody Independent Advisory Group and a London Custody Forum for fellow criminal justice professionals to influence our work.
• The MPA is currently reviewing how it manages and delivers Independent Custody Visiting (ICV) in London and has commissioned work from Ian Smith OBE (ICV National Chief Executive). The Custody Directorate is currently working with Mr Smith and MPA Members to introduce an effective system of visiting that adds value and learning to our services. The Directorate will be represented at the ICV Conference in February 2005.
• The Directorate have also developed a Detainee Care Policy (and associated Standard Operating Procedures) that replaces much previous policy and which ensures we have safe processes and policies in readiness for the introduction of the Freedom of Information, Race Relations Amendments and Disability Discrimination Acts in 2005. Furthermore, work is progressing to influence the national risk assessment work being undertaken by Centrex and Superintendent Morgan now represents the MPS on the National Custody Forum.

C. Race and equality impact

1. The introduction of the Custody Directorate enables the MPS to develop and introduce corporate operating procedures that will ensure fairness and equality across a range of custody services. Through the introduction of an Independent Advisory Group and a London Custody Forum, the Directorate will enable external partners and the public to influence custody policy and practice in the future.

2. The Directorate recently published a revised policy around custody risk assessment that provides a clear structure for identifying individual detainee needs. This policy compliments the new Case Disposal Policy that removes the potential for individual bias within the charging or case disposal process.

3. The Directorate has established an internal programme/project management system that ensures that the diversity implications around each and every new piece of work are considered at an early stage and that these are both documented and acted upon.

D. Financial implications

1. A mid term financial bid has been lodged to cover the cost of the Custody Directorate for 2005/6. At present the posts are unfunded until the end of 2004/5 and the cost is being met from within the current TP budget.

2. An early exploratory meeting has taken place with Property Services who have some funding streams for cell reopening but there is a need to formalise this arrangement and to agree a costed roll out of cell upgrades/opening that can be embedded into the MPS Estates Strategy.

3. Part of the funding (approximately 50%) for the mobile cell project, can potentially, be derived from Transport for London (TfL) through Traffic Operational Command Unit. The cost to the MPS of each vehicle (at the current specification) is in the region of £200K.

E. Background papers

Service Improvement Review of Custody Capacity - Final Report (May 2004)

F. Contact details

Report authors: Superintendent Phil Morgan – Custody Directorate

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback