Recommendations - Metropolitan Police Service, June 2024

Metropolitan Police Service · Ref: 2023/182542

Recommendation date: 4 June 2024

Response due: 30 July 2024

Published: 7 August 2024

Welfare and vulnerable people

We identified organisational learning from an investigation into a relationship between a police officer and a 17-year-old child who was in foster care.

View on IOPC website

Recommendations (3)

Recommendation 1 Accepted

Recommendation

The IOPC recommends that, where information or intelligence is obtained by the MPS about a potential declarable association, or an actual or perceived inappropriate relationship which does not amount to potential conduct, that an intervention with the officer or staff … Read more

Force Response

Accepted The recommendation has been accepted by the DPS (Directorate of Professional Standards) Intelligence Bureau and is predominantly managed by the DPS Integrity Assurance Unit. Below is a general response with further detail extracted from the MPS Declarable Associations Policy … Read moreAccepted The recommendation has been accepted by the DPS (Directorate of Professional Standards) Intelligence Bureau and is predominantly managed by the DPS Integrity Assurance Unit. Below is a general response with further detail extracted from the MPS Declarable Associations Policy added at the end of this response. The current and published MPS policy on Declarable Associations provides for circumstances whereby an association has been identified that may present risk but the officer or member of staff has not disclosed the association and/or maybe be unaware of the need to disclose. The published process allows for the association to be risk assessed and managed by the Directorate of Professional Standards whilst ensuring compliance with GDPR and Data Protection Legislation. The policy is readily available on the MPS Intranet. New recruits are given training input regarding Declarable Associations and local awareness and reinforcement is provided by BCU/OCU-specific Professional Standards Units. We are consistently finding information regarding potential Declarable Associations through the ongoing integrity screening measures we have adopted. This includes regular checks as to maintain high standards and as part of the aftercare of our officers and staff, and information we find through legacy operations such as our PNC and PND data washes. We are using these as opportunities to remind our officers and staff of the Declarable Opportunities policy and to consider their current relationships relative to this. The case in question was, on both occasions, dealt with as potential misconduct and referred for assessment and recording and was not initially treated as a Declarable Association.” Extracted from the MPS Declarable Associations Policy on the MPS intranet: ‘MPS officer or staff member becomes aware of a relationship held by another MPS officer or staff member that it considers might be declarable. All MPS police officers and staff are required to report and challenge conduct that has fallen, or appears to have fallen, below the required standards. Where an officer or staff member becomes aware of an individual who has an association that should be declared in line with this policy, they have a responsibility to report them to their line manager, or Appropriate Authority. Further options are available via the Raising concerns Policy.’ Show less

Recommendation 2 Accepted

Recommendation

The IOPC recommends that the MPS should increase awareness amongst officers regarding the Resource Management Policy, particularly concerning the booking on and off of colleagues other than themselves through the CARMS system. Training should be put in place to ensure … Read more

Force Response

Accepted The recommendation has been accepted by MO6. Below is a list of what is already in place and has been augmented to increase awareness with regards to individual responsibilities in terms of booking on and off duty. This not … Read more

Recommendation 3 Accepted

Recommendation

The IOPC recommends that MPS takes steps to ensure that all police officers who regularly come into contact with members of the public, whether face-to-face or by some other means, receive training created by NPCC in 2021 on APSP. They … Read more

Force Response

Accepted The APSP video content is currently being converted to a format that is suitable for the MPS Learning Management System (LMS) in order to track progress and completions. The APSP video will then be assigned to every officer in … Read more