Directorate of Professional Standards: Strategic Intelligence Assessment

Report: 6
Date: 8 February 2006
By: AC of the Directorate of Professional Standards on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report is submitted to update members on the key strategic issues that have arisen out of the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS), Strategic Intelligence Assessment, which took place in January 2007.

The key strategic issues will be presented in the closed session. These issues will be incorporated into the DPS Planning and Risk Register and subject to the control measures set out therein.

In addition, it has been requested that an update is provide on the recommendation that was made in the November 2005 report that “the key priority for proactive intervention is in further Community Race Relations training for all MPS staff”. A recommendation was made that supervisors be given the skills to confidently deal with more issues locally and that this could be achieved through supervisory training and an increased understanding of policy’. This is supplied at Appendix 1.

A. Recommendations

That Members note the content of the presentation (in part 2 of the meeting) describing the issues arising from the Strategic Intelligence Assessment and the control measures put in place to address them.

B. Supporting information

1. In line with the National Intelligence Model, the DPS undertake an annual Strategic Intelligence Assessment (SIA) to identify the current issues that are a risk to the ethical health of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). This process establishes the risks posed by corruption, dishonesty, unethical and unprofessional behaviour to the integrity of staff and the MPS. It also recommends control measures that are, or need to be, put in place to address them.

2. On 15 January 2007, the Deputy Director of the DPS chaired the quarterly Strategic Coordinating and Tasking Meeting, during which the risks identified by the SIA were discussed. These risks are set out below:

Vetting and identification security

3. There are significant threats posed by inappropriate relationships or criminal associations with MPS employees.

4. Intelligence indicates that current and retired members of staff are misusing warrant cards and security passes.

‘On duty’ behaviour

5. Failures in supervision and training continue to be an influencing factor in wrongdoing behaviour.

6. Discriminatory behaviour by MPS staff continues to affect public confidence. Analysis of public complaints has indicated that the trend remains upwards.

‘Off duty’ behaviour

7. Drug and alcohol abuse by MPS employees remains a significant threat to public confidence, specifically in safety critical posts.

8. Intelligence shows that the level of misuse of controlled substances by staff has risen slightly with cocaine and cannabis remaining the drugs of choice.

9. Domestic Incidents including assaults and sexual assaults continue to give cause for concern.

Information leakage and computer misuse

10. Intelligence reports indicate that the misuse of the Criminal Intelligence system (CRIMINT) has decreased slightly but vulnerabilities remain in the use of Crime Reporting System (CRIS) and Police National Computer (PNC).

Emerging risk

Individual finance

11. MPS employee’s involvement in outside business interests has been identified as a cause for concern.

• Business interests of the police staff are not collated centrally.
• Financial irregularities and debt issues have been identified.
• Continued vulnerabilities around the risk of corruption because of increased debt.

Information quality

12. In 2006, the DPS commissioned an inspection of their intelligence process and products. This inspection identified a number of areas for improvement in relation to data standards, process, systems and intelligence products.

13. In order to combat the above risks, the SCTG discussed and identified a number of measures that were in place, or being put in place. These measures are referred to as the ‘Control Strategy’.

Control Strategy

14. The Vetting Project will be addressing the issues identified within Vetting and Identification Security. The Personnel Security Group has formed a working party to address these issues and in April 2007, it is intended that all the units that undertake forms of vetting within the MPS will be brigaded into one Operational Command Unit, (Operational Information Services). This amalgamation will include the DPS, Personnel Security Group, and it is expected that in time it will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of all units. The ‘title’ of this priority has been changed to more accurately reflect the issues that will be addressed.

15. The Professional Standards Support Programme (PSSP) was developed as a result of recommendations that came from the Taylor Report and was launched on 27 November 2006. Amongst other matters it will address the issues identified within ‘On duty’ behaviour and ‘Off duty’ behaviour, by providing advice, guidance and support to Boroughs and Operational Command Units (OCUs) in relation to professional standards. Part of its remit is to give training in early intervention and handling of conduct and discipline issues. Boroughs and OCUs will also receive a profile of their ethical health, and support from the DPS in addressing the issues identified. This is a vital piece of work being led by the Prevention and Organisational Learning (POL) Command and will reinforce the importance of management and supervision at all levels within the MPS. The issue of Community and Race Relations training is dealt with at Appendix 1.

16. The Domestic Incidents/Violence Project will specifically address the domestic incidents identified within ‘off duty’ behaviour. This project is setting up a process whereby any intelligence that is received indicating that a member of staff is engaged in acts of domestic violence, or violence against vulnerable persons, will be referred to an Investigating Officer (IO) within a Borough Support Unit. They will be responsible for liaising with the Officer In the Case (OIC) for any crime matter being investigated and to collate sufficient information for a Risk Assessment to be completed. The OCU Commander of POL chairs the ‘Internal Risk Management’ meeting and identifies measures that are then put in place to manage the risks around both the vulnerable person and the reputation of the MPS.

17. In order to obtain a better understanding of the assaults reported, they are now being categorised by crime type (Common Assault, Actual Bodily Harm, Grievous Bodily Harm, etc), by the Strategic Intelligence Unit. This has been necessary because at the present time where the matter is a ‘misconduct issue’ there is no requirement under Home Office Guidelines to classify the allegations by crime type. However, where the matter is reported to local police the crime type will be classified on the Crime Reporting Information System (CRIS). In order to obtain the full picture efforts are being made to categorise the crime types wherever possible.

18. The implementation of the Substance Misuse Testing Policy will deal with the aspect of ‘off duty’ behaviour, encapsulating substance misuse. The policy was implemented within the MPS in January 2006. In support of the policy, the Substance Misuse Testing Unit (SMTU) has been set up and will undertake all the tests for recruits, probationers and safety critical posts. Those tests that are carried out ‘with cause’, because of the intelligence held by DPS, will be managed by DPS.

19. Directorate of Information will continue, together with the DPS Prevention and Organisational Learning OCUs, Professional Standards Support Programme, to address the on-going risk of Information Leakage and Computer Misuse. The joint strategies between DPS and DOI have lead to a drop in incidents of Information Leakage. These strategies have included:

• A communication strategy that has reminded staff of there responsibilities.
• The updating and re-issuing of the ‘Information Code of Conduct’, in relation to the personal use of the MPS IT and communication systems.
• The proactive monitoring of users account for: the storage of inappropriate material, the sending/receiving of inappropriate emails and unauthorised internet usage.
• The ratification of the ‘minimum standards of audit data’ for IT systems.

20. Individual finances is an emerging area of concern that was identified in this most recent review. In respect of this, a review of the Business Interest policy is to take place to ensure that: the policy remains ‘fit for purpose’, that organisational risks are managed and that DPS are made aware of which employees have ‘business interests’ which may raise a conflict of interest with their employment. Further work is required in order to assess the magnitude of this risk and to research concerns around financial irregularities and threat surrounding employee debt.

21. The new DPS ‘Reception Desk’ in conjunction the Intelligence Review Implementation Project will address the on-going risk of Information Quality. These projects will improve timeliness, provide consistent decision-making and improve data standards. All the information received will be available to the Intelligence Development Group, Strategic Desk and Performance Analysis Unit, for analysis and management information purposes.

22. The following is a review of the issue of police and community support officers, which along with those matters already reported upon, formed the key strategic issues reported at MPA Professional Standards and complaints Committee on 10 November 2005.

Police community support officers (PCSOs)

23. These officers continue to come to notice of DPS, and whilst there has been an increase in intelligence reports in which they feature, there is not any disproportionality when comparing the number of officers employed, against the number of intelligence reports in which they feature.

24. At the present time, because they are not ‘police’ officers, any discipline matters against them have to be dealt with under the ‘police staff’ regulations. This leads to the difficult position where a PC and PCSO, who are involved in the same incident and subject of the same complaint, have to be dealt with under different regulations and by different discipline authorities. This clearly leads to a lack of uniformity when dealing with incidents of misconduct. A report has been completed in relation to this anomaly suggesting that DPS undertake all investigations into ‘Gross Misconduct’ and has been submitted for consideration to Human Resources.

C. Race and equality impact

With the exception of the risks identified within ‘discriminatory behaviour’ there are no specific issues arising from the SIA. It is submitted that the SIA review and the new Control Strategy, underlines the commitment of the DPS to ensure that it does everything possible to monitor and address any discriminatory behaviour that it identifies within the MPS. This is also supported by the work that continues within DPS in relation to: Morris, Ghaffur, CRE, and Taylor, both within the DPS Review Programme, the rollout of the Professional Standards Support Programme and the MPS Community and Race Relations training as set out in Appendix 1.

D. Financial implications

The financial costs for all work undertaken in relation to the SIA and the planning and risk register are met from existing MPS/DPS budgets.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Detective Chief Superintendent Gregory Faulkner, OCU Commander, Intelligence Command, Directorate of Professional Standards.

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

1. This appendix deals with the request by the MPA to provide an update on information that was provided to Members at the PSCC on 10 November 2005. On that occasion, Members were informed that: “the key priority for proactive intervention is in further Community Race Relations training for all MPS staff.” A recommendation was made that supervisors be given the skills to confidently deal with more issues locally and that this could be achieved through supervisory training and an increased understanding of policy.

2. CRR training within the MPS is now delivered through the Diversity & Citizen Focus Directorate, who lead on the Home Office Strategy, ‘Police Race and Diversity Learning and Development Programme’.

3. Within this strategy is a clearly articulated expectation for the police service around race and diversity learning and development, set out in the, ‘Race and Diversity National Learning Requirement’ (R&D NLR).

4. At the heart of this learning requirement are two distinct strands, which are to be incorporated into all police service race and diversity learning and development.

5. The first part of the requirement is:

Strand 1: Generic Race and Diversity Learning and Development
Needs for the service based on the following areas:

• Race (primary focus).
• Gender.
• Disability.
• Age.
• Sexual orientation.
• Religion and beliefs.

(Race in the broadest sense should include issues around Gypsy, Traveller, immigrant or asylum seeker communities).

6. This first strand seeks to answer:

“What a police officer / police staff member / police volunteer needs to satisfy the basic requirements of the role in 21st century Britain”.

Knowledge and understanding in each of these seven areas should incorporate the service’s responsibilities under various strands of equality legislation awareness in areas such as the Race Relations (Amendment) Act (RR(A)A) and Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) for example.

7. This is not to underplay the significance of:

• Any other diversity issue,
• Localised issues,
• The need to support any knowledge with practical workplace application.

These issues are addressed through the second strand of the learning requirement.

8. The second part of the requirement case is:

Strand 2: Contextual Race & Diversity Learning, & Development.
For this strand, the generic curriculum needs to be embedded in an understanding of the context of the individual’s work environment. These are race and diversity learning and development needs identified, which are specific to:

• Rank / Grade
• Role
• Environment
• Area

9. For example, issues where police officers (and where appropriate, police staff) respond to issues of domestic violence as part of their role, these can be viewed and managed through a better understanding of:

• The perspectives offered by the six strands of the generic strand of the R&D NLR.
• Any relevant MPS policies and SOPs.
• The experience of the citizen (as victim, witness or suspect).

If deemed appropriate, a particular issue, or issue within an issue (i.e. a particular faith or perspective) can be focused on in the learning or training intervention offered.

10. In November 2006, the Professional Standards Support Programme was launched by the Prevention and Organisational Learning Command. Part of its remit is to give training in early intervention and handling of conduct and discipline issues, which will also go a long way towards the addressing the recommendation. It is intended that this training will give line managers the confidence to deal with all issues as the first point of resolution instead of them being the first reporting officer.

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