Complaints management information

Report: 5
Date: 8 September 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report includes data for the 12 months to July 2005. It focuses on the key changes or exceptions within the data, as trends are slow to change. Appendix 1 includes graphs illustrating the trends.

Workload

There has been an increase of 18% in the number of public complaint allegations being recorded over the past 12 months from a monthly average of 375 to 454.

There has been an increase of 6% in the number of conduct matter allegations recorded over the same period from 77 to 82.

Timeliness

The average number of days to complete a full/proportionate public complaint investigation, including all other results, remains well below the target of 120-days. It reduced by 22% from 127 days in August 2004 to 99 in July 2005.

The average number of days to complete an investigation into a conduct matter continues to improve and, for the first time, it is below the target of 120-days. It reduced by 44%, from 202 days in August 2004 to 113 in July 2005.

The average number of days between the decision to hold a misconduct hearing and the hearing itself is considerably below the target of 120-days. It reduced by 44% from 146 days in August 2004 to 82 in July 2005.

Operation Theseus

The tasking of officers to the investigation of the London bombings/attempted bombings and the fatal shooting by police in Stockwell is perhaps beginning to have an impact on public complaints. The actual number of complaints made in July has reduced. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a willingness of the public not to burden the police service further and those who have already complained appear content to withdraw their allegation or have it resolved locally. It may be some months before the true affects are known and reflected in the figures.

A. Recommendations

That Members note the report and the illustration of trends in 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 Directorate of Professional Standards (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.

Key Performance Indicators

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

6. Due to the different timings required by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Metropolitan Police Authority (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.

Public Complaints – chart 1 Appendix 1 and row 1 and 2 Appendix 2

7. This shows a gradual rising trend in the 12-month rolling average of the number of allegations recorded since August 2004.

8. There has been an increase of 18% in the number of public complaint allegations being recorded over the past 12 months compared with the previous 12 months from a monthly average of 375 in August 2004 to 454 in July 2005.

9. Interestingly, there has been a slight reduction noted in both actual allegations recorded and the 12-month rolling average in July 2005. Anecdotal evidence, from investigating officers, suggests that the support being shown by the general public in response to the recent London bombings and attempted bombings, has perhaps manifested itself in a willingness by the public not to make complaints.

10. The number of ‘live’ public complaint cases under investigation at row 13 Appendix 2 shows that overall the number of cases under investigation has increased from 537 in August 2004 to a 653 in July 2005.

11. It is likely that the number of ‘live’ cases will rise further as the secondment of DPS staff to Operation Theseus will increase the workload of those remaining such that a backlog of cases may build up.

Public Complaints Finalised – charts 3 and 4 Appendix 1 and rows 5 to 11 Appendix 2

12. The percentages illustrated in these charts and tables are calculated by totalling all of the allegations finalised in the period and establishing the proportion of each result type. Thus, a percentage change in one or more result types will have a corresponding effect to the others.

13. The number of allegations that have been resulted as ‘not recorded’ has been introduced at row 11. Not recorded complaints are ‘issues’ that we have acknowledged and recorded on the complaints system but are not regarded as complaints under legislation because they are not about the ‘conduct’ of a member of the police service. These allegations might include, for instance, relate to the control and direction of officers.

14. Since the introduction of the Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCC) the percentage of allegations falling into the ‘not recorded’ category have increased.

15. Chart 4 Appendix 1 shows there has been a 3% reduction in the percentage of allegations being Locally Resolved, using a 12-month rolling average.

16. Dispensations have also fallen considerably from 27% to 17% of the total.

17. The main, corresponding, increase has been in the percentage of unsubstantiated allegations.

Substantiated Allegations as a percentage of Allegations Fully/Proportionately Investigated – row 12, Appendix 2

18. Fully/proportionately investigated allegations are those that have been investigated to the extent that the investigating officer has determined that they are either substantiated or unsubstantiated. Accordingly, the percentage of substantiated allegations is calculated from the total of both of these result types.

19. Over the current period there has been a reduction in the percentage of fully investigated allegations that are substantiated from 17% in August 2004 to 10% in July 2005. This is due the increase in the percentage of unsubstantiated allegations over the same period.

Timeliness – charts 2 and 5, Appendix 1 and rows 13 to 15 and 19 to 26, Appendix 2

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

21. The average number of days to complete a full/proportionate public complaint investigation (including all other results) row 22 Appendix 2, is significantly below the target of 120-days. It reduced by 22%, from 127 days in August 2004 to 99 in July 2005.

22. Over the last 12 months there has been an increase in the number and percentage of public complaint investigations over 120-days old rows 14 and 15 Appendix 2, from 106 (20% of the total ‘live’) to 120 (18% of the total ‘live’), an increase of 13%.

Conduct Matters – chart 1, Appendix 1 and row 3 and 4, Appendix 2

23. The figures show a slight increase in the number of conduct matters recorded over the previous 12 months from 77 to 82. This equates to an increase, in the 12-month rolling average, of 6% over the same period up to July 2005.

24. The figure at row 16 Appendix 2, shows a decrease in the number of current ‘live’ conduct matters over the previous 12 months from 139 to 125, a decrease of 10%.

Timeliness – chart 5, Appendix 1 and rows 16 and 17 and 27 and 28, Appendix 2

25. The average number of days to complete an investigation into a conduct matter continues to improve row 28 Appendix 2. It reduced by 44%, from 202 days in August 2004 to 113 in July 2005.

26. Over the same period the number and percentage of conduct matters over 120-days old rows 16 and 17 Appendix 2, has reduced from 66 (47% of the total ‘live’) to 52 (42% of the total ‘live’).

Misconduct hearings

Timeliness - Misconduct Decisions – chart 6 Appendix 1 and rows 28 to 30 Appendix 2

27. The average number of days between the decision to hold a misconduct hearing and the hearing itself is considerably below the target of 120-days. It reduced by 44% from 146 days in August 2004 to 82 in July 2005.

28. The percentage of such decisions made within 20 working days has either met, or exceeded the target, in the 12 months to April 2005.

Performance management framework

29. DPS Internal Investigation Command has a performance management framework that enables the senior management team to manage workloads, monitor performance and improve timeliness.

30. A bulletin is compiled on a monthly basis that contains the performance expectations of each unit and ‘control charts’ that illustrate both the targets and whether any fluctuations in performance are outside what would normally be expected.

31. The source data for this bulletin is the Investigating Officer Workload Analysis (IOWA) summary and the Investigating Officer Throughput Analysis (IOTA) for the MPS which are produced at regular intervals throughout the month to present real-time snapshots of performance and achievements.

CPS Decisions Appendix 1 Chart 7 and row 32 Appendix 2

32. The improvement previously noted in the average time for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to reach a decision has not been sustained. Since its lowest point in the 12-month rolling average, December 2004 (113 days), it has risen slightly to 117 days in July 2005.

IPCC Decisions Appendix 1 Chart 8 and rows 35 to 37 Appendix 2

33. The data for IPCC and Police Complaints Authority (PCA) (including legacy cases) has been disaggregated. Where there is sufficient data, i.e. with the PCA decision making, 12-month rolling averages have been used.

34. For the IPCC decision making there is insufficient data to use 12-month rolling averages until April 2006 so the monthly rolling averages have been calculated using the data for as many months available up to that point.

35. The average time for the IPCC to reach a decision in relation to dispensations and investigations has risen steadily since August 2004 and in July 2005 stand at 67 days and 181 days respectively. There is insufficient data accurately to comment on decisions received in relation to discontinuances and local resolutions.

Suspension, Restriction and Removal From Operational Duties – rows 39 to 45 Appendix 2

36. In response to the request by the MPA Professional Standards Officer, the section of Appendix 2 relating to Suspension, Restriction and Removal from Operation Duties has been expanded to include the average number of days, for the month in question, that officers have currently remained in these categories. For example, at the end of June, 39 officers were currently suspended and the average number of days they were suspended for was 208 days.

37. Additionally, row 45 now shows the total number of cases that have been completed in the month in question for officers in these categories.

Prevention – row 48 Appendix 2

38. The Training figures previously presented in Appendix 2 – rows 43 to 45 have been removed and replaced by the percentage of DPS activity that is being undertaken in relation to prevention. A target of 20% has been set initially but 2005/06 is being regarded as a benchmark year.

39. Activities that are regarded as ‘prevention’ are tasks such as training of probationers, Local Resolution or other training for supervisors on Borough or Business Group, Prevention Seminars, Single Point of Contact or other Senior Management Team Liaison and Report Writing where Organisational Learning is a factor. Also included in ‘prevention’ are data and analytical reports in respect of public complaints and conduct matters such as ‘Borough Support Management Information (BSMI)’.

40. The investigation into the London bombings and attempted bombings has had a negative affect on performance in respect of prevention activities in July 2005 as a significant number of DPS officers have been tasked to Operation Theseus and as such the remaining officers are concentrating on core business.

List of abbreviations

MPA – Metropolitan Police Authority
MPS – Metropolitan Police Service
IPCC – Independent Police Complaints Commission
CPS – Crown Prosecution Service
PCA – Police Complaints Authority
DPS – Directorate of Professional Standards
CRE – Commission for Racial Equality

C. Race and equality impact

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 and currently relates to Police Officer data only.

2. In a small 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.

3. The breakdown of ‘informal disciplinary’ outcomes by gender and ethnicity has been introduced into Appendix 3 row 9. It includes the outcomes admonishment, advice, discussion, guidance, and training. This is a direct result recommendations made by the Morris Inquiry, Taylor Report, Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Report and Ghaffur Report to expand the data available in this area.

Further research

4. DPS are working with the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University to progress the research into disproportionality. This includes both an ‘internal’ MPS and ‘external’ public dimension. The MPS Diversity Directorate has agreed to be co-sponsors of this research.

5. During the first phase 1 of the research Cambridge have been provided with 10 years of data relating to both public complaints and internal investigations. They are currently analysing this data.

6. A sample set of public complaint and conduct matter have been made available to the Cambridge team so that they can see the level of information collated in respect of different types of complaint. This sample includes allegations made by and against people of different ethnicities. They have started examining these files to look for avenues of research.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications directly arising from this report.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Michael Clark, Higher Performance Analyst and Dick Wolfenden, A/Detective Chief Superintendent.

For more information contact:

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

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