“Commitment to fairness must be translated into sustained change throughout the Metropolitan Police Service”, MPA tells Morris Inquiry

11/04
23 February 2004

Toby Harris, Chair of Metropolitan Police Authority, today told the independent Morris Inquiry that the Metropolitan Police Service is policy rich, but implementation poor.

His comments were part of the MPA’s submission to the inquiry it established to review the handling of internal investigations, complaints and grievances involving MPS staff.

Toby Harris emphasised the Authority’s hope that the inquiry will make recommendations to ensure that top-level commitment within the Metropolitan Police Authority and Metropolitan Police Service is translated into effective, sustained change through the organisation.

Toby Harris said:

“It is the Authority’s belief that recommendations from the inquiry will assist the MPS to manage a programme of cultural change skilfully and with lasting effect that will benefit Londoners. The inquiry can, through its report and recommendations, enable and equip the MPS to move forward to a system that embodies and reflects the principles of equality, impartiality and consistency of treatment.

“Following the Macpherson Report into the death of Stephen Lawrence, the MPS has put in place strategies to ensure that diversity is integral to policing practices. It has developed effective models for managing critical incidents, improved family liaison and established strong victim support practices. Much of this work does not get the public recognition that it deserves. However, there appears to be a lack of organisational learning in the sense that experience gained in managing diversity in the community has not been applied to employment issues or investigations into allegations against officers.

“The Authority believes that there is a need to draw the distinction between institutional racism or discrimination, and institutional competence. The MPS needs to move away from a blame culture, and to shift from a bureaucratic, legalistic approach towards one which is more ‘customer’ focused.

“The emphasis of the system should be on problem solving and performance enhancement rather than in confrontation and inflexibility, with more use made of restorative justice and mediation principles. Outcomes in complaints and grievance cases should be reached impartially, after a timely and fair process.”

Toby Harris also told the inquiry that MPA members were aware of, and shared, the views of many communities in London that the MPS had fallen short of the ideal despite a very strong commitment at the top of the organisation. This affected trust and confidence in the MPS both internally and externally. The way in which the MPS handles complaints, grievances and allegations against individuals and conflicts in the workplace all have an important bearing on public confidence and trust in policing.

He continued:

“The Authority is also alert to wider concerns among black and minority ethnic staff that they are treated unfairly by the service. There was a view that the MPS was a pressure cooker which let things simmer till the lid blew off. We believe it is vitally important to restore their trust and confidence. We also recognise that proportionality is a major issue. It seems to us that, in dealing with a race or diversity issue, the organisation has a tendency to overreact and, sometimes, to over manage an issue that might be resolved more effectively and swiftly by other means.”

The Authority considers that procedures and practices are characterised by rigidity and inflexibility, and by adopting a narrow legalistic approach. In the view of the Authority, this is partly a consequence of the statutory regulatory framework, and partly the legacy of organisational culture. The approach tends to be confrontational and adversarial rather than problem solving. One observation is that once the process had started it became like a runaway train - there seemed to be no understanding of when or how to stop it.

The Authority considers that HR issues, including employment tribunal matters, should be dealt with primarily by HR professionals. HR staff should be better trained and equipped to deal with performance issues and prevent escalation. The organisation must do more to resolve issues speedily; the proportion of cases that have dragged on for years is damaging to individual and organisational self-esteem and performance.

The Authority considers that there may be a case for a fundamental structural reform to put the investigation of professional standards matters at arms length from the management of the force, and to underline its independence by making it directly accountable to the MPA. Although the Independent Police Complaints Commission will enhance the independence of investigation of some complaints, for the near future, the vast majority of complaints against police and internal allegations will be investigated by the MPS itself. Redefining the relationship of the investigating unit to the Authority could boost community confidence in the complaints process, complementing the role of the IPCC.

Toby Harris concluded:

“We are convinced that it is essential to establish an objective baseline assessment of the MPS’s current performance, to measure that against best practice, and to identify the areas for improvement. This should provide the powerful stimulus needed for change.

“The inquiry is a vital opportunity to determine what must be done to make the MPS and its policies and procedures fit to address the challenges of a diverse workforce in a diverse and changing environment.”

Notes to editors

1. The Metropolitan Police Authority set up the Morris Inquiry to investigate the handling of internal investigations, complaints and grievances involving staff following a number of high-profile cases within the Metropolitan Police Service. The inquiry panel comprises Sir William Morris OJ (chair), Sir Anthony Burden OStJ, QPM and Anesta Weekes QC.

2. Transcripts of all the evidentiary hearings are posted on the inquiry’s website

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