Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation - London Coordinator

DRAFTERS NOTE UPDATE 27/01/2017

Following this signed DMPC decision the Home Office announced its intention to partner with the Institute of Community Safety (ICS) to provide a nationwide programme of local area support around Ending Gang Violence & Exploitation (EGVE). Following discussions with both the Home Office and ICS, MOPAC reallocated funding (to the amount of £40,000) from this decision to ensure that there was a dedicated provision for London boroughs from ICS offer. As a result, MOPAC and the Home Office jointly provide contract manage the ICS EGVE provision.

Executive Summary

The Home Office Ending Gang and Youth Violence (EGYV) programme was created following the August 2011 disorder. The aim of the EGYV programme was to reduce violence, and to achieve this through supporting a change in the way that public services respond to gang and youth violence, notably through the use of expert advice through a frontline team and the 80-strong peer network of trained volunteers.

The Home Office have taken a decision to disband the front line team at the end of the 2015/16 financial year. This decision proposes to retain a dedicated post for London, maintaining core elements of the review process and access to the pool of Peer Reviewers, and seeks approval for £100,000 from within existing MOPAC budgets to fund an Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Coordinator post and associated programme costs for London for an initial twelve month period.

The DMPC to approve £100,000 from within existing MOPAC budgets to fund an Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation London Coordinator post and associated programme costs and stockholder costs for an initial twelve month period.

1. Introduction and background

1.1 The Home Office Ending Gang and Youth Violence (EGYV) programme was created following the August 2011 disorder. The aim of the EGYV programme was to reduce violence, and to achieve this through supporting a change in the way that public services respond to gang and youth violence, notably through the use of expert advice through a frontline team and the 80-strong peer network of trained volunteers.

1.2 On 16 December 2015, the London Crime Reduction Boards’ Gangs Panel received a presentation from the Home Office, which outlined an intended development of the programme to better reflect the needs identified by local areas to address exploitation through gangs in tandem with the violence and other harm linked to gang-related criminality. It was also outlined that the front line team would be disbanded in the New Year. At this meeting, the DMPC, Cllr Lib Peck and panel members expressed their concern that the expertise and experience within the frontline team would be lost to London boroughs and partners.

1.3 At the following meeting, having reviewed a set of Options, the LCRB Gangs Panel agreed that a dedicated post for London should be created. This London Coordinator post would ensure that EGYV frontline expertise was retained on behalf of London. It is envisaged that this is for a trial 12 month period to establish whether this regional approach works for MOPAC, local authorities, and supports engagement with the Home Office. The post would be based at MOPAC, reporting to the Senior Programme Manager in the Gangs, CSE and SYV team, at a Grade 5 level. All London boroughs would be able to access support from the London EGVE Coordinator.

2. Issues for consideration

Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Programme Context

2.1 In January 2016, the Home Office announced a new approach to tackling gangs; the ‘Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation’(EGVE). This approach builds on the EGYV programme and establishes a new Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum, which will bring together peer reviewers, local area contacts and national partners. The EGVE approach contains six key priorities:
• Tackle county lines – the exploitation of vulnerable people by a hard core of gang members to sell drugs.
• Protect vulnerable locations – places where vulnerable young people can be targeted, including pupil referral units and care homes.
• Reduce violence and knife crime – including improving the way national and local partners use tools and powers.
• Safeguard gang-associated women and girls – including strengthening local practices.
• Promote early intervention – using evidence from the Early Intervention Foundation to identify and support vulnerable children and young people (including identifying mental health problems).
• Promote meaningful alternatives to gangs – such as skills development, education, training and employment.

2.2 The utilisation of the London EGVE Coordinator post is supported and informed by London partners. On 29th February, London Heads of Community Safety were consulted via their quarterly meeting. They supported the creation of a London post and will be engaged in shaping a work programme. The LCRB Gangs Panel, chaired by the DMPC, was consulted on 3 March 2016 and agreed to trial a London EGVE Coordinator Post.

EGVE London Coordinator role

2.3 The post would be based at MOPAC, reporting to the Senior Programme Manager in the Gangs, CSE and SYV team. All London boroughs would be able to access support from the London EGVE Coordinator.

2.4 The support for London boroughs would be in the form of assistance to;
o Understand the problem by undertaking a rapid assessment of issues around gang activity, CSE, illegal drug markets, safeguarding issues, serious youth violence, radicalisation/extremism and victimisation through drawing upon the experiences of practitioners, communities, victims and offenders.
o Test the prevalence of issues identified through cross-referencing opinions from interviewees/groups and relevant quantitative data.
o Identify barriers to effectively understanding local priorities (in relation to threat, risk and harm), and rationalise cohorts, structures and interventions.
o Support for local areas to review and revise their engagement strategies.
o Access training, workshops and seminars bespoke to the local area.

2.5 The EGVE London Coordinator post aligns with the objectives of the London Crime Reduction Board’s Strategic Ambitions for London: Gangs and Serious Youth Violence. One of the strategic ambitions is ‘All London boroughs will use a partnership profile of gangs and youth violence in their borough’, for’ Identification and risk assessment for gang members will be better aligned across agencies and fully reflected through the CJS decision making process’, and for ‘London agencies will routinely share information and data to facilitate partnership working’, all of which are supported through this post.

2.6 The sharing of what works from boroughs with established models, and the modification of the continual improvement process for local borough responses to gangs will also support the overall aim of the Strategic Ambitions for London: Gangs and Serious Youth Violence to ‘reduce the harm caused by gangs’. Access to this learning and best practice will also support MOPAC to shape any gang-related activity under a new administration. Consultation with local authorities before the post is implemented will ensure that we use the opportunity to shape the application of the EGVE model to best suit MOPAC and London partners.

3. Financial Comments

3.1 The post is for an initial fixed term period of 12 months. The post will be based on the existing front line team posts and will be matched to existing MOPAC grades.

3.2 It is anticipated that the post will be at a MOPAC Grade 5, at an estimated value of £65,583 per year including on-costs. The cost of the EGVE London Coordinator, including a single Coordinator post, on-costs, and associated programme costs will be £100,000 and will be met through existing MOPAC budgets, utilising existing underspend. The remaining £34,417 will cover the cost of the cost of coordinating, training, and paying expenses for the pool of London Peer Reviewers who wish to remain involved with the London programme.

3.3 The benefits of this role will be conferred on a range of London partners beyond MOPAC, so on that basis MOPAC are pursuing financial contributions for the programme from partners.

4. Legal Comments

4.1 MOPAC is a statutory body and must act in accordance with its statutory powers and duties. Section 3(6) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (PRSA) requires MOPAC to secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective. For the reasons set out in more detail above, officers consider that the proposed EGVE Coordinator role will

4.2 Schedule 3 paragraph 2(2) PRSA provides that MOPAC “may appoint such...staff...as the Office thinks appropriate to enable the Office to exercise its functions” and Schedule 3 paragraph 6 provides for the remuneration of such staff. MOPAC HR requires a formal decision in order to complete a Recruitment Request form and this decision form will meet this requirement.

4.5 As decision-maker for a public authority, DMPC must comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires DMPC 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. Specific equalities comments relating to this proposal are set out below and have duly been taken into account.

5. Equality Comments

5.1 We know that gangs and serious youth violence have a disproportionate impact on certain sections of London’s diverse communities. Research undertaken to inform the Strategic Ambitions found that:
• The majority of those on the Trident Matrix are young adults – 70% of the individuals are aged between 17 – 23 years of age;
• The majority of individuals on the Trident Matrix are identified as Black and Minority Ethnic (BME).
The Strategic Ambitions were subject to an Equality Impact Assessment, which is published online.

6. Background/supporting papers

6.1 The Strategic Ambitions for London: Gangs and Serious Youth Violence can be found online here: /programmes-strategies/mayors-office-policing-and-crime/mayors-mission/gangs-and-serious-youth-violence

6.2 The Home Office EGVE programme can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ending-gang-violence-and-exp…