Complaints management information

Report: 5
Date: 12 January 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report includes data for the 12 months to November 2003. It focuses on the key changes or exceptions within the data, as trends are slow to change. Appendix 1 includes graphs illustrating the trends.

Public complaints allegations continue to decline at 13% annually. The number of public complaint cases under investigation has dropped by 24% from 624 cases in December 2002 to 476 cases in November 2003.Public complaint investigations over 120-days old have more than halved, from 246 (39% of the total ‘live’) to 117 (25% of the total ‘live’).

A presentation will be given to the Committee on the Performance Management Framework within Internal Investigations Command (IIC), and how the senior management team use it to reduce complaints and improve timeliness.

Results are available following further statistical analysis of the diversity data. Some elements continue to suggest that a relationship is present between the figures and the ethnicity of the person involved.

A. Recommendation

That members note the report and the illustration of trends given at Appendix 1.

B. Supporting information

1. Appendix 1 graphically illustrates some of the key trends using data drawn from Appendix 2.

2. The summary of DPS performance indicators is attached at Appendix 2 and focuses on timeliness, quality and outcomes of investigations.

3. The diversity information is attached at Appendix 3.

4. Appendix 4 is the DPS IIC Performance Bulletin

5. The MPS summary of the Investigating Officer Workload Analysis (IOWA) for 05/12/03 is attached at Appendix 5.

6. The MPS summary of the Investigating Officer Workload Analysis (IOWA) for 23/09/02 is attached at Appendix 6.

7. Appendix 7 contains the report of additional analysis conducted into the diversity data contained in Appendix 3.

Key Performance Indicators

8. This report focuses on the key changes or exceptions within the data as the nature of the figures and trends are slow to emerge.

9. Due to the different timings required by the MPS & MPA secretariats for the preparation of the paper for the Professional Standards and Complaints Committee the data may appear dated by the time it is discussed.

Complaints Reduction

Public Complaints (BVPI 21) – chart 1 Appendix 1 & row 1 Appendix 2

10. This shows a significant downward trend in the 12-month rolling average of the number of allegations recorded since December 2002.

11. A comparison is now made between the current rolling 12-month average and that from the same period in the previous year. This reveals that, on average, 13% fewer allegations were recorded in the period December 2002 to November 2003 than in the previous 12 months.

Public Complaints Finalised – charts 1 & 2 Appendix 1 & row 9 Appendix 2

12. The 12-month rolling average of the number of finalised allegations has remained steady at approximately 400 since December 2002.

13. By comparing the totals of recorded and finalised allegations on chart 1 Appendix 1 it can be seen that DPS investigative teams are more than keeping pace with the number of allegations being recorded, and thus significantly reducing the number of cases under investigation and improving timeliness. (The apparent decline in finalised allegations since June 2003 is magnified by the scale of the chart and is not significant.)

14. Chart 2 Appendix 1 shows that there has been an increase in the percentage of allegations that are unsubstantiated and a corresponding decrease in the percentage of other outcomes such as dispensation from investigation. This appears to be a result of the focus on proportionate investigations, whereby Investigating Officers are encouraged to investigate complainants’ allegations in a timely and proportionate manner.

Timeliness – charts 3 & 4 Appendix 1 and rows 10/11 Appendix 2

15. The process improvements and performance expectations set for investigative units and teams continue to have a positive effect on performance.

16. The number of ‘live’ cases under investigation at row 10 Appendix 2 shows that overall the number of public complaint cases under investigation has dropped by 24% from 624 cases in December 2002 to 476 cases in November 2003.

17. The figures at row 10 Appendix 2 show a reduction in the number of current internal investigations over the same period from 151 to 120, a reduction of 21%.

18. Over the last 12 months there have been further reductions in the number and percentage of public complaint investigations over 120-days old, from 246 (39% of the total ‘live’) to 117 (25% of the total ‘live’), a reduction of 52%.

19. Over the same twelve months the number of internal investigations has reduced and the percentage of those over 120-days old has remained between 60%-70%.

Performance Management Framework

20. Attached at Appendix 4 is the Performance Bulletin used by the Internal Investigation Command (IIC) senior management team to reduce complaints and improve timeliness.

21. It contains the performance expectations of each unit within IIC and ‘control charts’ that illustrate both the targets and whether any fluctuations in performance are outside what could be regarded as natural variation.

22. Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Dawson will give the committee a presentation on the monitoring and management of performance within the Internal Investigations Command.

23. Attached at Appendix 5 is the Investigating Officer Workload Analysis (IOWA) summary for the MPS for 05/12/2003, and for comparison an IOWA summary for 13/09/2002 is attached at Appendix 6.

24. The IOWA report is produced twice weekly and in its entirety contains approximately 70 pages. The information in it is produced at three levels: firstly showing the performance at MPS level, secondly at Borough Support Unit level, and finally at Investigating Officer (IO) level where a case list for each IO is produced.

25. Investigating Officers use the IOWA data to manage their caseload on a weekly or even daily basis.

Training – row 17 Appendix 2

26. At the request of the MPA, a training element now features within Appendix 2. The information relates to both training sessions conducted for DPS staff and additionally by DPS staff for Probationer Officers.

27. A process is currently underway to collate the information centrally as supplied by the units who actually deliver the training. Data will be included in the table when it becomes available.

C. Equality and diversity implications

Diversity Information

1. The data provided in Appendix 3 outlines the equality and diversity issues related to the work of the Directorate of Professional Standards.

2. In accordance with the request at the previous meeting details of the Grievances have been removed from Appendix 3. With the introduction of the Fairness at Work policy the MPA HR committee will in future deal with this issue.

3. In a number of categories there are no longer any minority ethnic officers represented. The categories where they are absent tend to be those where the actual numbers are low. This highlights some of the difficulties in identifying trends and patterns where the data is small.

4. The data contained in Appendix 3 for 2002/03 has been subject to further separate analysis to by the MPS Internal Consultancy Group to ascertain the actual areas of disproportionality as opposed to the apparent levels. The full results of this analysis are contained in Appendix 7. A summary of key findings is repeated in the ‘results’ section below.

Methodology

5. Chi-squared tests were used to carry out the analysis because it is appropriate to use on counts of data (e.g. the number of complaints recorded). Chi-squared calculates an ‘expected’ value for each count; i.e. if a count was the result of chance, this is the value that would be expected. If the actual numbers are sufficiently different from this, then the result will be statistically significant.

6. If a result were found to be significant this would mean that a relationship existed between the number of recorded complaints and the ethnic groups. If a result was not significant then the numbers could be a result of chance and no interpretation of a set of data such as this should be made.

7. It should be noted that a significant result suggests that a relationship is present, but it cannot offer possible causes of that relationship and conclusions should be avoided.

Results

Public Complaints (Recorded) Complainants

8. The result of this test was both valid and significant. A far higher number of complaints recorded were from black and other ethnic members of the public than would be expected if the numbers were the result of chance. A lower number of complaints were recorded from white and Asian members of the public than would be expected if the numbers were the result of chance.

Public Complaints (Recorded) Officers

9. The result of this test was both valid and significant. A higher number of complaints were recorded against black officers than would be expected if the numbers were the result of chance.

Stop and Search Only (Recorded) Complaints

10. The result of this test was both valid and significant. A lower number of complaints were received from both white and Asian complainants than expected, and a higher number of complaints recorded were from black complainants than would be expected if the numbers were a result of chance.

Internal Investigations (Recorded) Officers

11. The result of this test was valid and significant. A higher number of internal investigations were recorded of black and Asian officers than would be expected if the numbers were a result of chance.

Written Warnings

12. The result of this test was valid and significant. A higher number of written warnings recorded were for black, Asian and other ethnic officers than would be expected if the numbers were a result of chance.

Other Professional Standards Procedures

13. The following tests were found to be valid but not significant. The consultants recommend that no further interpretation of these results should be undertaken.

• Suspended Officers
• Informal Discipline as a Result of Investigation - Public Complaint (excluding Written Warnings)
• Informal Discipline as a Result of Investigation - Internal Investigations (excluding Written Warnings)
• Misconduct/Discipline Hearings (Public complaints)
• Misconduct/Discipline Hearings (Internal Investigations)
• Dismissals or Required to Resign Sanctions as a Result of Misconduct/Discipline Hearings (Public complaints) (Not valid)
• Dismissals or Required to Resign Sanctions as a Result of Misconduct/Discipline Hearings (Internal Investigations)
• Commissioner's Appeal/AC Review (Public complaints)
• Commissioner's Appeal/AC Review (Internal Investigations)
• Secretary of State/Police Appeals Tribunal (Public complaints and Internal Investigations)

Further Research

14. A MA student at the London School of Economics has been identified to assist with the disproportionality issues evident in relation to complaints made by members of the public. The terms of reference for this research are currently being drawn up by the student in conjunction with the MPS.

D. Financial implications

There are no direct financial implications coming from this report.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Michael Clark and Tony Dawson Detective Chief Superintendent, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

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