Schools Policing Update
FAO: Headteachers, DSLs
From Inspector Jas Kaur:
Comms
I am mindful that you are awaiting an update about your SSO’s named or dedicated officer. I would like to reassure you that we are reviewing the resources including new officers that are joining us this and next week; part of this is providing the SSO training and ensuring vetting is up to date before we deploy officers. In the meantime, we shall be asking officers to shadow experienced officers to learn the role; if this is the case, I would expect my officers to explain why two officers are present.
I do not expect SSO’s to inform schools of changes taking place e.g. that they are the new officer and/or they are leaving SSO role such comms should come from the Sgts in advance of their deployment both for courteous reasons and prevent the frustration of officers as described by many of you just rocking up to school for you to be told they are your new SSO’s. This is not the respectful way we wish to work with our partners.
The new officers have been tenured to remain in schools till August 2023 which is positive news; as you are aware there is always a caveat to this in that if officers are successful in a role be it lateral or promotion it would unethical for us to retain the officer, however that said they are officers with 18mth service so not brand new so I am hopeful that they will have a good basis of Policing and a desire to stay and learn.
There is a lot of change going on in the MPS and NA BCU we are rolling out a large IT programme CONNECT that will replace and modernise our dated systems; this will impact on all officers resulting in the need for training so please bear with us.
In addition to this we have extinction rebellion aid to service which will feel like an unsettling period for the next two weeks. I apologise in advance for this period.
Reassurance plan
We have secured Violent Crime taskforce (central unit) to carry out patrols in our hotspots focusing on engagement and reassurance patrols around our key robbery hotspots as often we do see an increase in robberies when children return to school.
Our junior citizen programme that we delivered will hopefully help with the prevention lessons we offered to all year 7 across NA BCU.
Furthermore, we have Territorial Support group (TSG) in their dark blue vans patrolling mainly in the South (Haringey) but will be flexing our resources to be deployed on the North (Enfield) of the BCU.
We are linked in with youth leaders across the BCU for us to work together and we are also mapping out our special constable resources over the next few weeks.
Our YEDOs are actively working with service providers to divert young people – Op Quint. This has been developed in Haringey and to be developed further in Enfield.
An independent peer review has been put in place whereby we have invited HQ Central schools’ team to carry out a review of NA schools. I am mindful that you may feel like it’s yet another review which I had already compiled when I joined whereby you shared lack of resources, abstractions, consistency and in some cases poor service by Met call handlers when you dial 999. The dates are in your diary.19th and 23rd (one date for each side of the BCU).
Dharma, Met CC work has gone someway to remedy these issues, but there is always more we can do and look at ways we can collectively improve the service delivery whilst also maintaining/building our relationships with yourselves as key partners.
In the meantime, please may I respectfully ask that any matters that need reporting are done so via the 999 system, 101 (non-urgent) or via Email via the MPS reporting external website.
I look forward to updating you all at the next Dharma meeting scheduled for 20th, however, to ensure I provide a meaningful update other than above I may push this forward to early October. The agenda may cover a Counter Terrorism Prevent input. If there is anything else, you wish to be covered please let me know.
Dani Lang – Senior School Improvement Advisor for Safeguarding & Inclusion