Met must move quickly on Lindo report recommendations to rebuild trust, says MPA

09/01
30 January 2001

The Metropolitan Police Authority today called upon the Metropolitan Police to implement the recommendations of the Lindo Inquiry, set up to look into events surrounding the Lindo family and the Metropolitan Police in Haringey between 1992 -2000.

Speaking this morning, MPA Chair Toby Harris, said:

"I welcome the Met’s decision to publish last night the report into the concerns of the Lindo family, which will go some way towards reassuring the ethnic minority communities that they are anxious to share the lessons learnt, rebuild trust and move forward.

"It was always the MPA’s intention to publish the report by bringing it to a full Authority meeting, or to one of our committees for discussion and analysis.

"We understand that some of those referred to in the report might like to have had more time to consider the contents and respond before publication.

"But we need to be open about what has gone on, and it is now important that the MPA work with the Met, the Lindo family and the wider community to ensure that the recommendations arising out of the report are implemented as speedily as possible.

"Too many people have been waiting too long to see progress in this particular case, and there are major issues highlighted by the report that need to be urgently addressed.

"The MPA’s view is that the report is ground breaking in the way that it approached its consideration of all events surrounding the Lindo family and in terms of its presentation of its findings and recommendations. It clearly provides the opportunity for organisational learning.

"We are keen to ensure that failures and shortcomings identified in the report are addressed by the MPS in a way that will benefit the service as a whole and the Borough of Haringey in particular.

"We have asked the MPS to submit an action plan which will address the findings and recommendations of the report, which we fully endorse.

"It is envisaged that the MPA’s Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring committee, chaired by magistrate member Richard Sumray, will receive the plan and monitor the implementation of necessary measures on behalf of the Authority."

The MPS’s response should include the following three areas:

• Mediation
• Organisational learning and management Issues
• Community relations

Although the Inquiry, headed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, found no evidence of an organised conspiracy to harass Mr and Mrs Lindo by police officers, there was evidence that harassment had taken place because of negative stereotyping of the Lindo family.

The report says that this led to a disproportionate number of ‘interactions’ with the Lindo family, misuse of discretion of police powers and inappropriate comments within intelligence reports and official documents.

The report identifies a weakness in organisational issues about quality control, management and supervision, and recognises that these collective failures have put the Metropolitan Police Service at a serious risk of undermining the confidence of sections of minority ethnic communities within the Borough of Haringey.

Toby Harris added:

"We must not allow any more time to pass before positive and clearly defined action is taken which will satisfy all those concerned with this particular case.

"We must reassure the wider public that this type of breakdown between police and individual members or sections of the community it serves is never allowed to happen again.

"And we must help the Met rebuild confidence in its ability to handle sensitive cases such as this in the future, honestly and openly."

The report recommends that:

• The Deputy Commissioner on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service apologise publicly for the harassment that has been caused to Mr and Mrs Lindo;
• The current senior police management team at Haringey should be given the opportunity to mediate and conciliate the ‘way forward’ with the Lindo family, and others, in order to demonstrate their intent in practice;
• A Fairness Audit be undertaken on the Borough of Haringey in order to support the forthcoming community and race relations training;
• The corrective action taken is subject of a compliance inspection by the Territorial Commander. During the Inquiry, two short-term ‘corrective action strategies’ were identified. These were:
  • The need for the senior management team to develop a strategy that would deal positively with any further situations involving the Lindo family.
  • The need for a quality control of inappropriate language used on criminal intelligence reports.
• Five long-term corrective actions were also identified, which were:
  • a review of the complaints system across the MPS, which has already been implemented. The changes will be assessed for their effectiveness in handling cases of this type in the future;
  • development of practices relating to stop and search policy involving third parties;
  • the development of a Fairness Audit as a benchmarking exercise;
  • consideration of the formulation of a Community Reference Group that would manage critical incidents that directly affect the wider community;
  • The Police Complaints Authority should examine the findings of the report and review their ability to question the quality of complaint investigations effectively.
• The considerable learning gained from this case is used for the benefit of organisational development of the Metropolitan Police Service and incorporated into a variety of different training forums.

The Inquiry was jointly commissioned by the MPA and the MPS to look into the complaints and concerns of the Lindo family.

Notes to editors

The Lindo Inquiry

This inquiry was jointly commissioned by the MPA and the MPS to look into the complaints and concerns of the Lindo family.

DAC T Ghaffur was appointed by the Deputy Commissioner to conduct the inquiry.

The MPA’s view is that the report is certainly ground breaking in the way that it approached its consideration of all events surrounding the Lindo family and in terms of its presentation of its findings and recommendations. It clearly provides the opportunity for organisational learning. The MPA would wish to thank DAC Ghaffur and his team for their hard work in the preparation of this report.

The MPA is keen to ensure that failures and shortcomings identified in the report are addressed by the MPS in a way that will benefit the service as a whole and the borough of Haringey in particular. Its intentions is to ask the MPS to submit an action plan which will address the findings and recommendations of the report. It is envisaged that the Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring (PSPM) committee of the MPA will receive the plan and monitor the implementation of necessary measures on behalf of the Authority. The MPS’s response should include the following three areas.

Mediation

The report analyses, in detail, the many complex interactions that took place between the Lindo family and the police in Haringey. It found that many of the interactions the ended in conflict of some sort. It also found that in some of the interactions the Lindo family were partly instrumental in creating a conflict situation. It found no evidence of an organised conspiracy to harass Mr & Mrs Lindo by police offers either because of the connection with the Winston Slot campaign or for any other reason. It did, however, find that harassment has taken place because of a number of factors including the fact that the Lindo were subject to unwarranted and unreasonable targeting by police officers.

The report recommends a process of mediation and conciliation to deal with the above issues. It’s view is that the Lindo family can and is willing to assist in the process. The MPA wholly supports this process, which is understood to have already started. The MPA believes this is the best way ahead for both the Lindo and the police in Haringey to achieve a satisfactory conclusion to this affair. The MPA is keen to see a mutually agreed solution.

The MPA is seeking the following measures from the MPS:

1. To present its objectives for the mediation process;
2. To report on progress made to date;
3. To provide regular updates on the process as determine by the PSPM committee;
4. To look at ways of providing an appropriate apology as recommended by the report.

Organisational learning and management issues

The report identifies many instances of failure and weaknesses. It talks of organisational and operational weaknesses, management lacking in competence in certain areas and endemic sloppiness in investigative and criminal justice functions. It reveals failures in quality assurance and expresses serious concerns about the North Area Complaints Unit.

The MPA will be seeking an assurance from the MPS that it will put measures in place to address all areas identified in the report as needing attention.

The MPA would like to see an action plan with the findings and recommendations. The plan should include measures to address the management failures identified in Haringey particularly with regards to the following areas:

1. supervision and training;
2. lack of systems needed to ensure management to pick up emerging trends and to intervene in situations where patterns are beginning to evolve;
3. quality assurance issues, specially in respect of assessment of evidence by custody sergeants;
4. criminal justice functions within the borough;
5. implementation of police priorities set by the MPA and the MPS at both corporate and local levels;
6. the serious weaknesses of the complaints unit.

Community relations

The MPA believes that it is crucial for the MPS to develop trust with all communities in Haringey and in London as a whole. The report suggests that a number of community groups valued the experience of dialogue with the inquiry team. It recommends that the MPS builds on this experience and process. The MPA supports this recommendation fully.

The MPA would like to see the following measures put in place by the MPS:

1. steps for confidence building within the community in Haringey;
2. a report on the Community and Race Relations (CRR) training taking place in the borough and adoption of a fairness audit as recommended by the report;
3. the formation of a community reference group that would manage critical incidents in the borough.

The report highlights areas of concerns in the way the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) dealt with a number of complaints made by the Lindos. The MPA should make representation to the PCA regarding these concerns.

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