National crime recording standard - MPS action plan

Report: 7
Date: 14 February 2008
By: the Director of Strategy Modernisation and Performance Directorate on behalf the Commissioner

Summary

This report reminds members of the Audit Commission’s 2007 report on MPS compliance with National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS) and explains progress in responding to the recommendations from that report.

A. Recommendation

That

1. members note the content of the NCRS action plan at Appendix 1; and

2. consider their approach to recommendation 9, namely that ‘the Authority undertakes a proactive role in the oversight of NCRS and NSIR at BOCUs’

B. Supporting information

1. In May 2007, the Audit Commission document entitled Police Data Quality Review was provided to the MPA and to the MPS. It concluded that overall corporate arrangements for data quality were ‘fair’ and ‘stable’, police authority arrangements were fair and stable but that crime recording overall was fair but ‘deteriorated’. The grading of fair is part of a four-point grading scale ie poor-fair-good-excellent.

2. The MPS crime recording oversight group (CROG), chaired by Commander, Performance Directorate, oversees compliance with the NCRS and National Standards for Incident Recording (NSIR). Territorial Policing, Specialist Crime Directorate, Operational Services (Central Communications Command) and the MPA are represented on CROG, which meets monthly. The MPS ‘Force Crime Registrar’ and ‘Force Incident Registrar’ are also members.

3. Following the Audit Commission report, an action plan was agreed with the Audit Commission and progress is being monitored (see Appendix 1). The action plan is an agenda item at CROG and is reported to the MPS Performance Board, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner. The intention of the MPS is to achieve an NCRS grading, in the first instance, of ‘good’, which amounts to a 90% compliance rate.

4. The action plan is linked to issues raised in the MPA crime data scrutiny, to which the MPS has made an initial response. The MPS has plans to take substantial further action to improve the management of NCRS data quality.

5. As well as reporting regularly on progress against the action plan, the MPS will review compliance through a developing dip-sampling and audit programme. The Audit Commission will visit the MPS in May 2008, to review progress against the plan and consider the effectiveness of governance mechanisms. In May, the MPS will also be hosting a visit from the National Policing Improvement Agency, who will examine the MPS arrangements for NSIR.

C. Race and equality impact

t is possible that an improvement in recording processes will have an impact on proportions of recorded crime victims by gender, age, faith or ethnicity. However, there are currently no such indications. Improved data quality would be expected to improve the service to all Londoners, regardless of background.

D. Financial implications

An increased auditing and compliance regime will have a cost implication for the MPS, both in staffing and individual audit costs. Sample costs of £11,000 or £80,000 for different levels of audit have been indicated in the MPS response to the MPA scrutiny report (1st draft). However, an ongoing compliance regime would have a larger cost. A revised reporting structure and governance regime within the MPS has potential to increase the numbers of individuals involved in achieving compliance with NCRS. However, this must be set against the benefits achieved through higher quality crime and incident recording. NSIR implementation will require staff training and system changes. There may be short-term implications for service delivery while new systems are implemented.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Commander Simon Bray, Performance Directorate, MPS

For more information contact:

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

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