Update from February Equality and Diversity Sub-committee meeting paper - MPS Central Communications Command (CCC)

21/11
13 April 2011
MPA briefing paper 21/2011

Author: Ben-Julian Harrington, Chief Superintendent CCC, MPS

This briefing paper has been prepared to inform members and staff. It is not a committee report and no decisions are required.

Summary

This briefing note outlines the responses to questions raised following the presentation of the CCC paper on equality and diversity issues affecting the operational command.

MPS to provide a briefing note detailing what work CCC is undertaking (including work with staff associations) to encourage its staff to provide more complete diversity monitoring data.

There is no evidence to suggest that there is a refusal to complete these forms and it is clear that when applications for promotion or transfer that staff are willing to include the monitoring forms.

The issue of administration cannot be overlooked and with staff joining from other departments and many being within the employ of the MPS for many years it is not unrealistic to conclude that many people have either never been asked to complete a form.

In order to improve the understanding of the diversity within CCC and establish if there are any underlying trust issues about the completion of biographical data forms all staff will be asked by invited by line managers as part of their 2010/11 performance review to complete a form. This will be a voluntary exercise and a further assessment can be made following this. This process should be completed by the end of May 2011.

The results of this process will be discussed at the CCC Equality and Diversity Forum that has staff association representation.

MPS to provide a briefing note on how much the ‘recruitment lag’ (i.e. the time taken to work through the system/career path) accounts for the lack of BME supervisors.

Examination of the levels of BME representation at supervisor level and the overall representation of BME people among staff do not give any indication of a recruitment lag. In the records that are available the difference appears to be the same in previous years.

CCC’s new work based assessment process will address this with 33% of the 15 successful applicants describing themselves as BME. The first of two courses started on 11 April with the second starting on 18 April. These staff members will be in operational supervisor roles and immediately start to address the issue of non representation of BME staff as Communications Supervisor level.

The selection process for this was conducted with independent community oversight and all future promotion processes for this grade and role will be conducted in this way.

MPS to provide a briefing note confirming whether an EIA was conducted when deciding to remove the vacant CCC posts.

There was no EIA completed for the removal of police staff posts in financial 2010/11. It was not deemed necessary as this did not directly affect any staff as these were vacant posts.

MPS to provide a briefing note on whether a review of the SMS service has taken place, whether it has been judged successful, and whether the service will be mainstreamed.

The Emergency SMS system (ESMS) was created by British Telecom under guidance of the ‘999 / 112 Committee’ which is chaired by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

As outlined in the meeting the MPS has been involved in the trial of this service since inception in September 2009. The full roll out across the UK will take place on 18 April 2011. The MPS will continue to be a part of this service.

MPS to provide a briefing note on the first quarter results of the 2011-12 user satisfaction survey. This note is to include information on the disproportionality between white and BME respondents and how this satisfaction gap might be closed.

The User Satisfaction Survey results for January to April 2011 (quarter 4 of the survey) will not be published until 16 May 2011. These will then be available from the MPS Strategic Research and Analysis Unit (SRAU).

MPS to provide a briefing note detailing work that has been undertaken to investigate the disproportionality between white and BME individuals with regard to misconduct and disciplinary action.

This work is ongoing and a working group representing the MPS Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate, Department of Professional Standards, Human Resources Expert Services and CCC Senior Management is being commissioned with the intention of reporting back through the CCC Equality and Diversity Forum in July 2011.

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