Performance and Risk Oversight Board meeting minutes - 24 June 2022

Present         

MOPAC

Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC)

Diana Luchford, Chief Executive

Kenny Bowie, Director of Strategy and MPS Oversight

James Bottomley, Head of Oversight and Performance

Elliott Ball, Head of Corporate Services and Financial Oversight

Natasha Plummer, Head of Community Engagement

MPS

Sir Stephen House, Acting Commissioner

Helen Ball, Acting Deputy Commissioner

Roisha Hughes, Director of Strategy and Governance

Helen Harper, Commander, Crime Prevention, Inclusion & Engagement

Commander Jane Connors

Commander Alexis Boon

The minutes of the 21 April 2022 Oversight Board meeting were agreed and the completed actions noted.

The 2021-22 Q4 Performance Report and MPS Q4 Business Plan Progress Report were presented.

The DMPC noted the continued worrying decline in trust and confidence and noted that this had the potential to have negative operational consequences. She also noted that there was variance of trust and confidence at the borough level. There was a discussion of how the MPS identified where good practice in boroughs was having a positive impact on trust and confidence and how they shared that across the MPS.

Action 1: MPS to complete evaluation of engagement work in Croydon and share outcome with MOPAC. For discussion at the DMPC-AC Professionalism meeting in autumn.

It was noted that the number of Safer Schools Officers (SSOs) and Dedicated Ward Officers (DWOs) were not at the levels expected. The MPS advised that the growth in the number of Wards and the recruitment of PCSOs were challenges. They noted that PCSO recruitment was not being prioritised due to the need to recruit officers to meet Police Uplift targets.

Action 2: MPS to provide a briefing note on the issues with recruiting PCSOs. For discussion at the next DMPC-Chief of Corporate Services meeting.

There was a discussion of the work of the SSOs. The DMPC asked for clarity on their locations, training and work.

Action 3: MPS to provide the DMPC with a list of the schools which do not have a Safer Schools Officer in place and why.

Action 4: MPS to review the ways of working for Safer Schools Officers and share outcome with MOPAC. For discussion at the DMPC-AC Frontline Policing meeting in October 2022, including the barriers to achieving a named officer in every school and the training provided to support the officers.

There was also a discussion of the abstraction of DWOs. It was noted that as DWOs were ringfenced, they should only be abstracted in exceptional circumstances.

Action 5: The MPS undertook to remind BCU Commanders that DWO posts must be filled and not abstracted.

The DMPC noted the increase in the number of crimes screened-out within 24 hours. She queried what impact that might have on victim satisfaction, and requested a briefing advising what screening-out crimes meant in practice and the advice the MPS gave to victims.

Action 6: MPS to provide to the DMPC a note detailing what screening out crimes meant in practice and what victims were advised. For discussion at the DMPC-AC Frontline Policing meeting in August 2022.

There was a discussion of the reduction in the sanction detection rates for a number of crimes and when the uplift in officers and detectives would start to have a positive impact on this rate. The MPS explained the length of time it took for a new direct entry detective to be fully trained and experienced. DMPC asked when they thought this would lead to an improvement in sanction detection rates, and in what crime types.

Action 7: MPS to provide their assessment of when and how the increased number of detectives will have an impact on sanction detection rates, for discussion at the DMPC-AC Frontline Policing meeting in July 2022.

There was a discussion of the MPS’s assessment of resources needed to meet demand. MOPAC noted that having that understanding would allow for better resourcing decisions to be made and more nuanced oversight to take place.

Action 8: MPS to provide an assessment of the officers and staff needed to meet current and likely future demand, including a breakdown across Business Groups. For discussion with the Acting Commissioner prior to the new Commissioner taking up his post.

The DMPC noted that the number of officers trained on the PNC app was 17 per cent against a target of 90 per cent.

Action 9: MPS to advise the DMPC of their targets and dates for training officers on the PNC app. For discussion at the next DMPC-AC Professionalism meeting.

The DMPC noted that it had been six years since the HMICFRS published its report on the MPS child protection work and that, while there had been improvement in some areas of child protection, further work was required for the MPS to be performing at the required level.

Action 10: DMPC to discuss with AC Frontline Policing at their next meeting, how the MPS assured itself that improvement in Child Protection is continuing at the pace required.

The Board noted the paper in which the MPS set out is approach to engagement, the achievements and outcomes of such engagement, and its plans for the future. The paper drew attention to the MPS’s recently published Community Engagement Handbook. 

The DMPC noted the MPS’s commitment to improving community engagement. She asked how the MPS assured itself that it was reaching the communities it needed to and how it measured the impact of that engagement.

The MPS advised that one avenue of assurance was via the Chairs of the Independent Advisory Groups (IAG). There was a discussion of the work the MPS was undertaking to understand the reach of the IAGs into wider communities.

Engagement via the work of the Police Encounter Panels was also noted. As was the work of the volunteer police cadets in reaching a diverse range of communities.

The DMPC queried how the MPS analysed the issues that were being raised via this engagement, and how the force identified themes that could apply to policing across London.  

Action 11: MPS to provide a paper on the pan-London themes arising from community engagement and the actions being taken to address them. The paper to also set out how the MPS assured itself of the impact of its engagement and that it is reaching all the target communities. For discussion at the DMPC-AC Professionalism meeting in November 2022.

There was a discussion of the impact of the revised BCU model on links to communities via partnership working with councils and the need for strong links to be maintained.

Both the MPS and MOPAC were undertaking reviews of their community engagement. The DMPC noted the importance of ensuring those reviews were aligned.

Action 12: MPS and MOPAC to work together to align their reviews of community engagement.

The MPS provided an update on progress in delivering the items listed with the Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP) to improve trust and confidence. The MPS advised that it had delivered 21 of the 23 actions, with the remaining two on track or in progress.

Issues discussed covered:

• How the MPS was incorporating into its plans, implementation of the College of Policing’s and the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s ‘Police Race Action Plan’.
• The MPS connecting the use of handcuffing data with stop and search data.

Action 13: MPS to provide to MOPAC the data connecting the use of handcuffing with stop and search. For discussion at the DMPC-AC Frontline Policing meeting in August 2022.

• The MPS advised that they had completed their report on Safer Schools Officers.

Action 14: MPS undertook to provide MOPAC with their SSO report by 27 June.

• MPS’s work to reduce disproportionality in the grievance and misconduct processes was raised. Disproportionality in outcomes had reduced, and the MPS was focussed on reducing disproportionality in officers entering the process.

Action 15: Disproportionality in the misconduct process, including how the Casey Review will assist with this issue, would be discussed in upcoming discussions on the Casey Review.

• The MPS’s new Strategy for Inclusion, Diversity and Engagement (STRIDE) and its role in progressing its plans to be inclusive and diverse.

The MPS provided a report outlining its annual corporate risk register refresh process, the new register for 2022-23 and its processes for ensuring progress was made to manage the risks.

The MPS provided the reasoning behind the decisions taken by its Risk and Assurance Board for the risks that were included in the corporate risk register and those that were not.

MOPAC queried why serious violence had been removed, noting it is a top priority for the Mayor.

MPS advised that violence was no longer in the corporate risk register because it was a controlled risk with sufficient oversight and governance through other routes. It gave assurance that focus on the issue was not reduced by it not being included on the register.