Key information
Executive summary
It is proposed that MOPAC continues its relationship with the Safer Future Communities, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Network via the renewal of the grant agreement for 2016-17. The Network provides the infrastructure that facilitates MOPAC's work with over 550 VCSE organisations in London and provides a valuable conduit for consultation and service development and has a proven track record in supporting MOPAC's work with victims and offenders
Recommendation
- approve a grant of £70,000 to the London Safer Future Communities VCSE network for the continuation of services; and
- delegate responsibility for the finalisation of planning and contractual/grant arrangements related to the conditional grant described below, including relevant terms and the signing of agreements, to the Chief Operating Officer
Non-confidential facts and advice to the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC)
Introduction and background
1.1 The Safer Future Communities (SFC) Network is a diverse network made up of organisations from
right across the criminal justice sector and including organisations from all MOPAC's major work
streams- Gangs and Serious Youth Violence, Reducing Reoffending, Victim's Services Alliance and
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). It includes small, entirely voluntary grassroots groups
through to nationwide charities that received significant government and statutory funding.
1.2 This sub-group of the london Voluntary Services Council includes over 550 organisations working
with victims of crime; offenders; young people at risk of both offending and victimisation, and those
working with people whose mental health puts them more at risk of victimisation.
1.3 The victims work is covered by a further sub-group of SFC, the Victim Service Alliance (VSA). This
group alone is attended by organisations supporting victims of race hate crime; victims of faith hate crime; violence against women and girls; young victims and victims pursuing a Restorative Justice
outcome.
1.4 Data from the Evidence and Insight team highlight that Criminal Justice agencies could do more to
provide support for those who are vulnerable. Better identification of need and support to those
victims and witnesses will lead to better outcomes for those victims and less attrition from criminal
justice procedures. MOPAC is working with the relevant VCSE organisations, facilitated by the SFC
network. to help identify changes to the way the Criminal Justice agencies address vulnerability as
part of its victim's services redesign programme across the Criminal Justice System.
1.5 The SFC Network was funded by the Home Office between 2011 and 2013 to support the
development of local networks of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations to
engage with and influence Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and the new commissioning
landscape in which they operate.
1.6 In london this has been an ongoing arrangement that adds value by:
(a) enabling VCSE engagement with the development of the Police and Crime Plan;
(b) engaging with the MOPAC and other local community safety commissioners to promote the role of the VCSE sector in local community safety activities and development of
commissioned services;
(c) highlighting community safety concerns of VCSE organisations and the people they work
with;
(d) influencing decisions and agendas set by MOPAC to ensure they are reflective of local needs;
and
(e) helping to build capacity in the sector and supports VCSE organisations responding to
MOPAC tenders.
1.7 SFC's workplan helps MOPAC achieve important objectives:
assists MOPAC's communications with the widest possible number of VCSE organisations delivering service in the above areas;
facilitates sub-groups relating to work with victims; Violence Against Women and Girls; Gangs and Serious Youth Violence;
and Reducing Reoffending; and ensures MOPAC's victims commissioning strategy is current and takes account of provider and service-user perspectives, as well as identifying gaps in provision. This has led to increased coverage of vulnerabilities including health, mental health and learning disabilities.
Financial Comments
2.1 This decision paper will commit MOPAC to providing £70,000 from existing MOPAC budgets via a conditional grant agreement for the continuation of services delivered through the London Safer Future Communities VCSE Network.
Legal Comments
3.1 MOPAC's general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must "'secure the maintenance of the metropolitan police service and secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective." Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 MOPAC has wide incidental powers to "'do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office." Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements.
3.2 Section 143 (1) (b) ofthe Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or commission services "'intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour."' Section 143(3) specifically allows MOPAC to make grants in connection with such arrangements and any grant may be made subject to any conditions that MOPAC thinks appropriate.
3.3 Under MOPAC's Scheme of Delegation, approval of the strategy for the award of individual grants and the award of all individual grants (for crime reduction or other purposes) is a matter generally reserved to the OM PC. The release of funding in accordance with the proposals set out in this decision form is accordingly to be approved by the OMPC. The delegation of responsibility for the finalisatlon of planning and contractual/grant arrangements, including relevant terms and the signing of agreements, to the Chief Operating Officer is in accordance with the general power of delegation in paragraph 12.4 of DMPCD 2016 44.
Equality Comments
4.1 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.
4.2 As highlighted through the independent review of victims' services commissioned by MOPAC and through analysis of police crime data, there are some communities that are over-represented amongst victimisation data and/or who fall within the scope of the EU Directive, i.e. victims of more serious crimes, vulnerable victims, particularly those whose circumstances make it difficult for them to access support, and repeat or persistently targeted victims, who must receive a prioritized service. In addition, the analysis indicates that those living in more deprived neighborhood’s are more likely to be targeted
4.3 Service data from current grant arrangements shows that fewer than half of victims in London describe themselves as White British. Data from the MPS is shown in the table below and shows that victims' ethnicity generally follows the overall population ethnicity trends. However, compared to the general population there is a higher proportion of victims of Violence Against the Person who are of Black ethnicity relative to population
4.4 Service data from current grant arrangements shows that over 19% of victims are under 25 years of age.
4.5 Service data from current grants also shows that 51.6% of victims self-identify as male and 48.4% as female. Also 26.72% of victims self-identify as having a disability.
4.6 MOPAC's service provision, commissioning intentions and work with SFC reflects and takes account of these findings. For example:
- SFC's extensive membership of over 550 organisations ensures that MOPAC can reach the broadest possible range of victims and offenders, with a particular focus on those more deprived areas where people may be more likely to be targeted;
- MOPAC's work with SFC on gangs (see work plan at Annex 1) helps to support those affected by the disproportionate amount of victims and offenders of Violence Against the Person who are of Black ethnicity (52% of victims with a gangs flag are Black; 72% of offenders with a gangs flag are Black);
- this work also address the disproportionate amount of victims who are young people (74% of victims with a gangs flag are under 25 years; 76% of victims of serious youth violence are aged 11 to 18 years); and
- coverage of vulnerabilities including Health, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities issues in the wider context of victimisation and offending are covered through SFC work with NHS England, MH Trusts, Health and Wellbeing Boards and local Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Signed decision document
PCD 27