Met Connect - having a better conversation with those we protect

5. Met Connect

Londoners must believe that the Met is on their side, listening and responding to their concerns. Building on, and strengthening, the partnership between the police and Londoners is critical. We must ensure that there are effective mechanisms to engage Londoners to effectively hold the Met to account for delivering a service which is truly customers focused and accessible.

Increasing community confidence through effective engagement

Despite the removal of the statutory requirement for partners to measure confidence, the Authority and the Met are committed to monitoring and improving its performance in this area. The Met have deployed the Met confidence model which will enable a better understanding of the drivers of confidence in policing – police effectiveness, engagement, fair treatment and alleviating anti-social behaviour. However, this must be placed firmly in the context of the changing population and needs of Londoners.

London already has a number of engagement structures in place to hold the Met to account, including Safer Neighbourhoods Panels and Community and Police Engagement Groups (CPEGs).

The Authority must be assured that engagement models remain relevant and continue to build on the work undertaken to identify areas for improvement, crucially that engagement models are open and accessible to vulnerable and underrepresented groups.

The Authority will build its engagement model using three interlocking themes – capacity building, collaboration and commissioning:

•  capacity building – building the capacity and confidence of Londoners to get more actively involved in policing;
•  collaboration – working together with Londoners to develop joint sustainable solutions to policing and community safety issues; and
•  commissioning – to commission engagement models that have the ability to deliver real value for money.

For those who choose not to get involved in formalised engagement structures there will be clear, accessible and effective communications to ensure Londoners are better informed about policing. The Authority will require the Met to develop its approach, clearly outlining how it will improve the quality and accessibility of information provided, and to have a clear communications strategy to inform people about what they can expect and how they can hold the Met to account for delivery. For example, the Authority will consider how the current crime mapping capabilities can be improved to incorporate additional themes, including confidence and value for money or the quality of web-based communications.

Delivering quality customer service and improved user satisfaction

Every contact leaves a trace and it is important that Londoners’ experience of policing is a positive one. Community perception and user satisfaction is determined by these experiences. Improving the public’s contact experiences with the police must focus on all encounters. Front line officers must adapt to the changing needs and expectations of Londoners. This must be underpinned by clear leadership from all ranks within the Met and an organisational culture that supports the delivery of quality customer care.

The Met continues to have a gap between the levels of satisfaction experienced by white and BME victims of crime. Reducing this satisfaction gap will require additional focus. The Authority will continue to challenge the Met to improve user satisfaction and to model a service that puts the customer firmly at its heart. User satisfaction is not just confined to Territorial Policing but to all operational and support units. The Authority needs to be assured that Londoners receive the highest quality, seamless service, no matter which unit or borough they engage with. The development of a set of Quality Customer Service Standards will assist the Authority and Londoners to judge performance and identify areas for improvement and action.

Improved access to policing services

Londoners must feel confident that policing is open and accessible, whether this is through the service they receive on the telephone, at a front counter or via the internet. The Authority will challenge the Met to develop and improve its accessibility, taking into account the needs of Londoners and using the latest technological innovations.

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