PCD 1520 Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator

PCD 1520 Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator  

This Decision sets out a proposal to extend the Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator funding to HMPPS (London Prisons Group) to cover the period to the end of March 2025.  The role provides strategic leadership to reduce violence within London Prisons and through the gate. The funding and rationale for this role was originally agreed in PCD 1197 ‘Funding for Prisons Violence Reduction Lead’. 

HMPPS and MOPAC have collaborated to put in place a London Prisons Violence Reduction Strategy, which focuses on information sharing, custodial practices and commissioned services.  In order to fully implement this, a coordinator is required with strong links within HMPPS and MOPAC.   

This Decision requests £112,500 is granted to HMPPS to extend the post to March 2025.  

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve maximum funding of £112,500 to fund the Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator role for 18 months to March 2025. 

2. Approve the grant funding of this post to HMPPS for 18 months.  

3. Approve the carry forward of £25,000 from 2023/24 to fund this post in 2024/25. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background 

1. Reducing and preventing violence is a key priority for both the Mayor of London and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The Police and Crime Plan emphasises reducing and preventing violence as one of the key priorities for London. The HMPPS London Reducing Reoffending Plan also reflects this focus and the alignment of these two documents is consistent with the duty imposed as part of the government’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PPC) Review recommendations. 

2. The London Prison Violence Reduction Strategy aims to address the high levels of violence in London’s prisons and through the gate into London’s communities. Addressing violent offending in prison has the potential to have a significant positive impact on violence in the community and the prison environment is also currently an area where comparatively little structured violence reduction work is being undertaken. 

3. A Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator has been in post since October 2022, this additional 18 months worth of funding will ensure that the strategy can be delivered.  

2. Issues for consideration  

2.1 Published statistic show that in the 12 months to June 2022 assault incidents in prison increased nationally by 12% to 20,551 (a rate of 260 incidents per 1,000 prisoners). The rate of assaults in the latest 12 months was 11% higher than in the previous 12 months. There were 13,371 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the 12 months to June 2022 and there were 7,459 assaults on staff in the 12 months to June 2022.  

2.2 Following analysis within London Prisons (which included engagement with prison staff, prisoners, and stakeholders, in additional consideration of local and national data), three priority areas have been identified as the focus of the strategy: 

• Information sharing – improving the exchange of information within, as well as between, prisons and with community services;  

• Custodial considerations – looking for opportunities to strengthen relationships between staff and prisoners, staff morale and some operational processes;  

• Interventions – addressing gaps in provision to address violent offending in prison and through the gate into the community.  

2.3 The Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator undertakes a vital role, pulling together the delivery plans, working across the partnership, and maintaining strategic oversight through a Programme Board.  Additional benefits also include building existing relationships across the CJS to address violence in prison and other systemic issues relating to prisons in London.   

Recommendations following Casey Review & Engage 

1. The development of the London Prison Violence Reduction Strategy has included extensive consultation with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), to ensure that plans to address violence in prisons and share information more effectively include enhanced co-operation with MPS resources. Many of the priorities for planned interventions have been informed by strategic discussions with the MPS about the key factors linked to violence and harm to communities, both in and out of prison.  

2. The strategy will align MPS more closely with evidence based work taking place across HMPPS and seek to improve the systems response to violent offenders who spend time in custody.  

3. Financial Comments  

1. The total budget requirement for the Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator post will be up to £112,500 (including on-costs) for 18 months. This funding will be used from October 2023 to March 2025, across the financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25, as follows: 

2. The funding for this post has been identified from the 2023/24 Violence Reduction Role budget (carry forward of £25,000 to be approved as part of this decision) and the 2024/25 Violence Reduction in Prisons budget (£50,000). 

3. This role will remain within the employment of HMPPS during this period, with MOPAC providing funding via grant agreement. MOPAC will only provide funding for the time when this post is filled. 

4. Legal Comments 

1. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at sections 17(1) (a)to (c) places MOPAC under a duty to exercise  its  functions  with  due  regard  to  the  likely  effect  of  the  exercise  of  those  functions on, and the need to do all it can to prevent, crime and disorder (including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment), reoffending in its area, and the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances in its area. These proposed funding arrangements are consistent with MOPAC’s duties in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. 

2. Section 143 (1) of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or arrange for the provision of (a) services that in the opinion of the local policing body will secure, or contribute to securing, crime and disorder reduction in the body's area and (b) services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.” The work of the Prison Violence Reduction Coordinator post directly contributes to crime reduction in line with these powers. 

3. Paragraph  4.8  of  the  MOPAC  Scheme  of  Delegation  and  Consent  provides  that  the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has authority to approve offers made for grant funding.  

5. Commercial Issues  

1. Officers must ensure Financial Regulations and Contract Regulations are complied with.  

2. HMPPS are the only agency with statutory responsible for the group of London prisons and hence are the only agency with which this partnership arrangement and grant agreement can be entered into. 

3. The extension of this role will be carried out via a grant modification of the original grant agreement, following standard MOPAC procedures for sign off. 

6. Public Health Approach  

1. This piece of work has been informed by discussions and feedback from the Violence Reduction Unit and it is agreed that the provision of more integrated services in prison to reduce violence and a system that better promotes rehabilitation across the London CJS supports the public health approach to reducing violence. 

7. GDPR and Data Privacy 

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

2. The role will not involve the sharing or transfer of personally identifiable data from HMPPS to MOPAC and as such a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) will not be required. All information and data exchanged will be aggregate and anonymised. 

8. Equality Comments 

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. The recruitment for this post will be carried out jointly with HMPPS in line with good practice around promoting diverse recruitment. 

9. Background/supporting papers 

1. Appendix 1 - PCD 1197 Funding for Prisons Violence Reduction Lead