Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that set out the City of London Police Human Resources monitoring data for the period 1 April - 30 September 2017.

A Member illustrated their surprise at the fact that exit interviews were not employed as the routine method of gaining information from leaving staff.  They emphasised that the information gained would be more useful than that gained by completion of a form.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that exit interviews cannot be made mandatory, and if staff do not want to divulge any information then that is their prerogative.  He explained that an effective method of gaining the insight of exiting staff, currently being promoted by the Force, was by carrying out these interviews when staff come to leave their possessions with HR (ID card, mobile devices etc), at which point they are found to be more receptive to discussion.

A Member noted that the CoLP were several police officers/staff below the full establishment and enquired as to whether carrying this vacancy factor was a deliberate way of managing efficiency savings.  The Assistant Commissioner confirmed that the Force was currently under establishment, but that this was being addressed by a rolling recruitment campaign.  He explained that the total number of CoLP officers would be in excess of 700 when transferees were included.  He explained that the number of CoLP civilian staff was currently being reviewed, but was unlikely to go above the current number at this stage.  The Deputy Chamberlain explained that, as to be detailed within the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), there appears to be significant scope for efficiency savings around this area.

A Member enquired as to the recording and analysis of reasons given for staff members leaving CoLP.  They emphasised the importance of understanding the reasons staff had for leaving within 12 months of joining, as CoLP would bear significant training costs in these cases.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that he had been involved in exit interviews personally, and in those that he attended, the reason for leaving was always for financial rewards available in the private sector.  The Member explained that this information was crucial as it demonstrated that these cases were not caused by a failure of the recruitment process.  They requested that such insight be included within reports.  The Chairman agreed that the omission of HR reports meant strategic insights were being missed.  The Assistant Commissioner suggested that the CoLP and any interested Members sit down to develop an updated template for this report.  (12)

RESOLVED – That the report be received.