Corporate strategy for 2005-2006 – statement of intent

Report: 10b
Date: 17 March 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report outlines the statement of intent for the corporate strategy for 2005-2006. It outlines the legislative requirements, rationale for the statement of intent and next steps for the development of the corporate strategy 2006 – 2009.

A. Recommendations

That PPRC discusses and agrees the statement of intent for 2005 – 2006 strategy position (statement of intent letter attached as Appendix 2)

B. Supporting information

1. There are legislative requirements on the Authority and Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to produce a strategy. See Appendix 1: Extract from Police Reform Act 2002, for the full legislative requirement. A summary of the legislative requirement can be found in the Statement of Intent letter at Appendix 2.

2. It is proposed that a statement of intent is published by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, in respect of the corporate strategy position for 2005 –2006. See Appendix 2: Statement of Intent letter.

3. As the Commissioner took office on the 1 February 2005 and a significant number of new appointments have been made to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Management Board, it would not be appropriate to publish a full three year corporate strategy in April 2005 for two reasons:

• The new senior team would not have had the opportunity to contribute to the formulation, together with the MPA, of the strategic direction of the MPS
• The Service Review [1] of the MPS, which reports its recommendations in September 2005, will have significant impact on how the strategy is delivered

4. The statement of intent outlines the Aims and Challenges for the MPS from 2005 onwards; these will form the basis of the 2006 – 2009 corporate strategy.

C. Race and equality impact

The nature of the strategy development means there is a race and equality impact. This will be managed by assessing the potential impact during the early stages of development involving consultation with the Diversity Directorate and other key stakeholders

D. Financial implications

There are no specific financial implications arising from this report, as the development of the strategy will not have implications outside the current budget

E. Background papers

• Appendix 1: Extract from Police Reform Act 2002 – full legislative requirement
• Appendix 2: Statement of Intent letter.

F. Contact details

Report authors: Sarah Brader

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1: Extract from Police Reform Act 2002

Three year strategy plans

(1) Every police authority maintaining a police force for a police area in England and Wales shall, before the beginning of every relevant three-year period, issue a plan ("a three-year strategy plan") which sets out the authority's medium and long term strategies for the policing of that area during that period.

(2) Before a three-year strategy plan for any period is issued by a police authority, a draft of a plan setting out medium and long term strategies for the policing of the authority's area during that period must have been-

1. prepared by the chief officer of police of the police force maintained by that authority; and
2. submitted by him to the police authority for its consideration.

In preparing the draft plan, the chief officer of police of a police force shall have regard to the views, obtained in accordance with arrangements under section 96, of people in the police area in question.

(4) A police authority which has issued a three-year strategy plan for any period may modify that plan at any time during that period.

(5) It shall be the duty, in issuing, preparing or modifying a three-year strategy plan or a draft of such a plan, of every police authority or chief officer of police to have regard to the National Policing Plan in force at that time.

(6) The Secretary of State –

1. shall issue guidance to police authorities and chief officers of police as to the matters to be contained in any three-year strategy plan, and as to the form to be taken by any such plan; and
2. may from time to time revise and modify that guidance;

and it shall be the duty of every police authority and chief officer of police to take account of any guidance under this subsection when issuing, preparing or modifying any such plan or any draft plan prepared for the purposes of subsection (2).

(7) Before issuing or revising any guidance under subsection (6) the Secretary of State shall consult with-

1. persons whom he considers to represent the interests of police authorities;
2. persons whom he considers to represent the interests of chief officers of police; and
3. such other persons as he thinks fit.

(8) A police authority which is proposing to issue or modify any plan under this section shall submit that plan, or the modifications, to the Secretary of State.

(9) Where a police authority issues a three-year strategy plan or modifies such a plan, it shall-

1. send a copy of the plan or the modified plan to the Secretary of State; and
2. cause the plan or modified plan to be published;

and the copy of any modified plan sent to the Secretary of State and the publication of any modified plan must show the modifications, or be accompanied by or published with a document which sets them out or describes them.

(10) If the Secretary of State considers that there are grounds for thinking that-

1. a police authority's three-year strategy plan, or
2. any proposals by a police authority for such a plan, or for the modification of such a plan,

may not be consistent with any National Policing Plan applicable to a financial year wholly or partly comprised in the period to which the strategy plan applies, he shall, before informing the police authority of his conclusions on whether or not it is in fact so inconsistent, consult with the persons mentioned in subsection (11).

(11) Those persons are-

1. the police authority in question;
2. the chief officer of police of the police force maintained by that authority;
3. persons whom the Secretary of State considers to represent the interests of police authorities; and
4. persons whom the Secretary of State considers to represent the interests of chief officers of police.

(12) Before a police authority-

1. issues a three-year strategy plan that differs in any material respect from the draft submitted to it by the chief officer of police of the force maintained by that authority, or
2. modifies its three-year strategy plan,
3. it shall consult with that chief officer.

(13) Any best value performance plan prepared by a police authority under section 6 of the Local Government Act 1999 (c. 27) for any financial year must be consistent with any three-year strategy plan which sets out the authority's current strategies for policing its area during any period which includes the whole or any part of that financial year.

(14) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for-

1. the procedure to be followed on the submission to him of any plan or modifications for the purposes of this section; and
2. the periods which are to constitute relevant three-year periods for the purposes of this section;

and those regulations may provide for a period of less than three years to be the first period treated as a relevant three-year period for the purposes of this section.

(15) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament."

(2) In section 8 of that Act (local policing plans), after subsection (2) there shall be inserted-

"(2A) The local policing plan for any financial year must be consistent with any three-year strategy plan under section 6A which sets out the authority's current strategies for the policing of its area during any period which includes the whole or any part of that financial year."

1. In section 9(2) of that Act (annual report by police authorities to include assessment of extent to which local policing plan carried out), for the words from "the local policing plan" onwards there shall be substituted", during that year proposals have been implemented, and things have been done, in accordance with the following plans-

1. the three-year strategy plan issued under section 6A for the period that includes that year; and
2. the local policing plan issued for that year under section 8."

Appendix 2: Statement of Intent

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) took office on the 1st February 2005. The MPS Management Board has been substantially changed, including the Deputy Commissioner and three new Assistant Commissioners appointed. The new senior team will be in place and fully effective from mid March 2005.

The Police Authority and the MPS Management Board recognises that to publish a full three corporate strategy in April 2005 would be inappropriate for two reasons (see legal requirements section)

1. The new senior team would not have had the opportunity to contribute to the formulation, together with the MPA, of the strategic direction of the MPS
2. The Service Review [1] of the MPS which reports its recommendations in September 2005, will have significant impact on how the strategy is delivered

Statement of Intent

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, with the support of the Metropolitan Police Authority, issues the following statement of intent:

1. A corporate strategy will be developed in draft format for 30th September 2005
2. The corporate strategy will be published at the end of March 2006
3. Public consultation will be undertaken to inform the corporate strategy
4. The 3 year Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRP) Strategies, effective from April 2005, will inform the corporate strategy
5. It will be a three year (2006-2009) rolling strategy, which will be regularly reviewed and from which the Annual Policing Plan will ‘fall out’ on a yearly basis; this will enable ongoing alignment with central and CDRP planning cycles
6. The corporate strategy will link with the 3 year financial planning process

The Aims & Challenges for 2005 onwards

The Commissioner’s aims, acknowledged by the Police Authority and the MPS Management Board, which will form the development of the 2006 – 2009 corporate strategy, are as follows.

The widening mission

People do not define how safe they feel by crime statistics alone, they define it by how their neighbourhood, their journey to work and their leisure time are affected by anti-social behaviour.

The MPS aims to tackle this kind of anti-social behaviour through Safer Neighbourhoods, dedicated teams of police officers and police staff who will patrol every council ward in London – supported by local borough police officers and the resources of the entire Metropolitan Police Service.

At the same time, the MPS will not relent on more serious crime. The MPS will take on prolific offenders, particularly those whose crimes are fuelled by drugs; and will continue to make a concerted effort to defeat the men of violence, whether they commit domestic violence or are part of the gun culture emerging in many of our communities. The MPS will do its utmost to keep Londoners safe from those who carry out terrorist acts.

Working Smarter

For all this to be a success the MPS must work closer with Londoners, doing more to follow up on initial enquiries, ensuring that, as far as possible, the public are satisfied with what they have been told and are kept informed of what is going on.

The Service Review will redirect people and money to the front line, freeing up the capacity to deliver the corporate strategy.

The MPS will work together will all its citizens, partners and colleagues towards its ambition of making London the safest major city in the world.

Legislative requirement – key points

Key points of the requirement (see Annex A for full legislative requirement)

The Police Reform Act, 2002 states that every police authority maintaining a police force for a police area in England and Wales, must issue a three year strategy plan which sets out the authority’s medium and long term strategies for the policing of that area during that period.

Before the police authority issues the 3-year plan, a draft of the plan must be prepared by the chief officer of police (the Commissioner) and submitted to the police authority for consideration. In preparing the draft plan the Commissioner has to consult for the views of people in the police area.

The three-year strategy plan may be modified at any time during the three-year period; any modified plan must be sent to the Secretary of State and must be published. In preparing or modifying the plan it is the police authority’s or Commissioner’s duty to have regard to the National Policing Plan in force at that time. The Secretary of State will issue guidance as to the matters to be contained in the plan. This guidance was withdrawn in 2004, and will not be re-issued before November 2005.

Next Steps in strategy development

• Initial meetings with key MPA & MPS Stakeholders– March 2005
• Public consultation – commencing March 2005, ongoing throughout strategy development
• Refining the vision, values & key outcomes – March & April 2005
• Consultation across the MPA and MPS will be ongoing throughout the development process.
• Refining the MPS planning processes, including linking business planning with the financial planning process – March till August 2005

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback