About the Scheme
Introduction to Metropolitan Police Service
- EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES STATEMENT
- INTRODUCTION TO THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE
- MISSION STATEMENT
- THE ROLE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE
- THE PROCESS OF CHANGE
- THE METROPOLITAN POLICE AUTHORITY
- FINANCE SERVICES
- FINANCE SERVICES OVERVIEW
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES STATEMENT
The Metropolitan Police Service seeks to employ a workforce, which reflects the diversity of backgrounds and cultures within which we operate and to provide a working environment free from any form of harassment, intimidation, bullying, victimisation or unjustifiable discrimination. We shall treat individuals openly and fairly with dignity and respect. We shall value their contribution towards providing a quality service to the people of London. All members of the Service will demonstrate their commitment to these principles and will challenge behaviour which is unacceptable, in particular on the grounds of gender, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation or marital status. We shall ensure that our policies and procedures reflect these principles.
INTRODUCTION TO THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE
MPS Organisational Chart
Arguably the most famous police force in the world, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is responsible for policing 620 square miles of London. Policing the largest capital city in the European Union, inhabited by over 7.1 million people, presents a range of challenges that are often unique. To meet these challenges successfully, the MPS employs over 30,000 police officers and 15,000 Police Staff. The MPS budget of £2.9 billion represents nearly a third of the total national police expenditure, with workforce costs (including pensions) accounting for nearly 80% of that spend. The MPS non-workforce resource base includes over 1300 buildings with 185 police stations, over 4000 vehicles, 24 boats, 3 helicopters and 430 horses and dogs.
All of these resources are employed in working towards the corporate vision of making London the safest major city in the world. Moreover this is achieved through treating everyone fairly, being open and honest, working in partnership and changing to improve.
The role of the uniformed ‘beat’ officers is fundamentally important to the MPS work, but there is a wide range of specialist functions that enhance their role; these include the dog section, mounted branch and public order teams, as well as dedicated firearm officers. Many officers also work out of uniform, fulfilling a need for detectives in the CID. Police Staff perform essential operational support roles covering a diverse range of occupations from specialist functions like forensic scene examiners, uniformed Police Community Security Officers (PCSO’s) and traffic wardens and communications officers who release more police officers to patrol London’s streets. There are then the professional functions such as architects, accountants, lawyers, estate surveyors, procurement specialists through to administrators and general managers.
The MPS also has a distinct role in respect of additional national and international functions. These include Royalty and Diplomatic protection duties, a counter-terrorism role and work on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government abroad (i.e. war crimes investigations etc).
The delivery of direct operational policing predominately takes place from 32 local Borough Command Units (BOCUs) with a senior police officer in charge of each area.
As the organisational chart shows, the MPS Management Board comprises the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and four Assistant Commissioners who are each responsible for Territorial Policing; Specialist Operations; Specialist Crime and Human Resources. A key player in Management Board is the Director of Resources, who has overall responsibility for the MPS’s finances on behalf of the MPA Treasurer. In addition he directs the majority of other support functions from property to procurement and from transport to catering.
Since July 2000, the MPS has been directly responsible to the newly created Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), bringing arrangements in line with the rest of England and Wales. The MPA is an independent legal entity but part of the wider Greater London Authority family. Developing crucially important relationships with the MPA, and the Mayor of London has been vital in ensuring that we all work together to improve the service provided for and to the people of London.
The Metropolitan Police Service has undergone huge change in recent years and there is a determination to continue with this evolution to ensure that the Service becomes more business orientated and customer focused. The message is clear; all the elements of this large, diverse and complex organization must contribute to the Service’s collective responsibility of ‘Making London Safer’.
All in all, the MPS is in the midst of an exciting period of change more rapid and wide ranging than at any time in its history, constitutionally, culturally and structurally. There has simply never been a better time to join and help shape the future of the country’s largest and most famous police service. More information is available on the MPS Internet site that can be found at www.met.police.uk.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission
- Working together for a safer London
Our values
Working together with all London’s citizens, our partners, and
our colleagues
- We will have pride in delivering quality policing.
There is no greater priority - We will build trust by listening and responding
- We will respect and support each other and work as a team
- We will learn from experience and find ways to be even better
We are one team – we all have a duty to play our part in making
London safer.
THE ROLE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE
- The Commissioner has said, “The Metropolitan Police is there for one fundamental reason - to make London and Londoners safe”. We will focus on that by:
- Identifying and capturing wrongdoers and bring them to justice, forcing them to realise we simply won’t allow crime to pay, making them understand there is once more no hiding place from the forces of law and order
- Protecting our citizens from the activities of criminals and the effects of anti-social behaviour
- Building effective partnerships with our colleagues and every level of the community to fight and defeat crime
THE PROCESS OF CHANGE
The Agenda for Action
The Commissioner has said that in policing London we intend to:
- Cut crime and the fear of crime;
- Concentrate on policing at a local level;
- Gain the confidence of all sections of the community by listening, understanding and meeting their needs;
- Work with all our partners to meet those needs;
- Lead and support our professional staff to deliver a truly professional service;
- Be performance led;
- Operate to clear standards and achieve best value from our resources;
- Be open, honest and transparent;
- Make the best use of technology; and
- Recognise the need to embrace change to improve our performance.
THE METROPOLITAN POLICE AUTHORITY
Established on 3 July 2000, the Metropolitan Police Authority’s introduction marked a fundamental change in the way London is policed. The MPA gives Londoners a process of democratic accountability for policing that previously did not exist. Indeed, as the Commissioner of the MPS, Sir John Stevens himself stated:
“With the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), we have undergone the most fundamental change in our 172-year history. We welcome the new democratic accountability and the changes this has brought about. For the first time London, as one of the most important capital cities of the world, has its own independent voice on policing.”
(Policing Plan 2001/2 p.7)
The Authority consists of twenty-three members: twelve drawn from the Greater London Assembly, seven independent and four magistrate members and its functions include ensuring that the MPS is efficient and effective. It proposes the police budget and, working with the MPS, sets the annual priorities and targets and monitors police performance against them. In addition, the MPA discharges its important duty to secure best value for the MPS. Members of the MPA appoint senior police officers and also have a role in appointing senior civil staff Directors.
The Authority is responsible for consulting with the people who live and work in London about policing. Having listened to their views the MPA and MPS Joint Policing and Performance Plan aims to ensure the Service addresses its top priorities of making the streets of London safer; reducing burglary even further; tackling drug dealing; confronting hate crime. The MPA hold regular public meetings and details of these can be found in local libraries or on the MPA Internet site at www.mpa.gov.uk.
FINANCE SERVICES
Our Vision
To provide an excellent Finance Service – that supports its customers, values its staff and facilitates the best use of resources in the MPS
Our Mission
Is to:
- Be focussed on customer needs
- Support and develop our staff
- Provide quality financial support and information for decision making
- Be creative, innovative and continually improve
- Be professional at all times
Our Values
For individuals and teams to:
- Be open and honest
- Respect, support and trust each other
- Value everyone’s contributions
- Challenge, question and provide feedback
- Be professional and act with integrity
- Change to improve
FINANCE SERVICES OVERVIEW
Since the election of the Mayor for London and the creation of the Metropolitan Police Authority in July 2000, the MPS has been required to operate under Local Authority regulations in line with all other police forces in the UK. Our accounts are in the public domain and there is a great amount of scrutiny into the way in which we use our resources and balance operational needs against the funds available.
The finances of the MPA are complex, partly due to its unique constitutional position within the Greater London Authority (GLA), and also due to its size and the diverse nature of its activities. The resources available for deployment consist of Revenue and Capital.
The MPA has a net budget of £2.9 billion, of which approximately 80% relates to workforce costs, including pensions. It is funded by central government police grant, revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates, a precept levied on the relevant borough councils and receipts for the provision of certain service e.g. to Heathrow Airport and the Palace of Westminster.
Finance Services maintains the MPS’s corporate accounting and budgeting systems and provides financial services for the whole organisation.
Finance Services has 220 staff and a budget of just less than £9m.
Our key activities are:
- To ensure budgets are set in compliance with MPA/GLA timescales
- To provide timely and accurate responses to MPA requests regarding budgetary information including the monthly reporting cycle
- To ensure accounts are closed in accordance with required timescales
- To coordinate the annual MPS Efficiency Plan
- To ensure our computer systems are available to users
- To pay all invoices within 30 days (of date of invoice)
- To ensure payments are received from debtors on time
- To ensure the right people receive the correct pay and pensions
Finance Services is formed of the following functional areas:
Exchequer Services manages the payment processes for creditors and staff (including the management of the outsourced payroll and pensions contracts), collection of income and invoicing of charges for services. The division also provides cash management including banking facilities and managing the MPA’s borrowing and investments, along with advice on VAT and Tax issues. From April 2006 the division will also assume responsibility for the administration of the MPS Charities and PPAF accounts.
The remit of the Finance Business Development team includes the operation and development of MPS Financial Systems (which were upgraded in early 2004 to the latest versions available), training and development of staff on all Finance-related issues including training for Finance and Resources staff and provision of Financial Awareness Training across the MPS. The group is also responsible for performance management, business planning, and business improvement.
Finance Business Support provides financial management and accountancy services to Business Groups through Business Accountants dedicated to each Business Group. The team is also responsible for monitoring and forecasting of both the revenue and capital budgets and reporting consolidated budgetary information to MPA/MPS committees, along with responsibility for managing the financial arrangements for partnership activity and for costing and charging of events/police services.
Strategic Finance is responsible for Macro financial planning and preparation of the Medium Term Financial Plan and Five Year Capital Programme, ensuring that the processes for financial planning and budget setting are aligned with MPA and Service business plans and requirements, and conforms with best practice. Strategic Finance produces the MPA statutory accounts and determines financial accounting standards and policies in accordance with the CIPFA statement of Recommended Practices and any other relevant statutory or best practice accounting protocols. The group is also responsible for coordinating the MPS Efficiency plan, the introduction of Activity Based Costing and for the Charities and Special payments function.
Finance Services has the following objectives:
- To develop and improve Financial Management and Control across the MPS
- To provide high quality and consistent financial support to our customers
- To deliver and maintain efficient and effective finance systems
- To provide the most supportive environment and culture for the development of Finance Services staff
- To develop and maintain effective communication processes with our customers and staff
- To strive for continuous improvement to facilitate the best use of resources across the organisation.
