Decision Maker: Director for Police, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, GM Deputy Mayor, Treasurer GMCA
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
In late 2023, the Home Office announced a new
Community Insights Fund for research proposals to understand more
about the impact of Grip visible hotspot policing on individuals
and communities outside of the impact on crime. This fund sits as a
companion to the main quantitative evaluation of the impact of Grip
funds on levels of violent crime, which has been conducted by the
Home Office and in February 2024 published their first results
finding an average 7% reduction in violence and robbery offences in
hotspot areas.
The fund invited bids for research pieces to understand how
increased visible policing in hotspots is perceived by individuals
and communities living in, working in, or conducting other
day-to-day activities in hotspot areas, including:
• Whether there is an impact on public confidence in
policing
• Whether Grip visible presence has been noticed by the
public
• How it has impacted their feelings of safety (whether
positively or negatively)
• Any other that would develop a better understanding about
how hotspot operations affect the communities they are designed to
serve.
• The bidding process opened for a short window from the end
of September 2023 to mid-October 2023. The GMCA and GMP submitted a
joint bit in this window based on two streams of work:
• Supplementing the existing Policing and Community Safety
Survey with 3,000 new surveys in hotspot areas conducted by DJS,
and additional geographical analysis of the 55,250 survey responses
to date. This was intended to build on an existing rich and unique
dataset in Greater Manchester and enable us to mobilise the
research quickly.
• A series of interviews and focus groups with marginalised
communities in hotspot areas conducted by MMU’s Manchester
Centre for Youth Studies, allowing for richer qualitative insights
and empowerment of community voices in line with the VRU’s
commitment to community led approaches.
Following a bid submitted by GMCA with support from GMP, in
February 2024, the Home Office notified us that we were successful
in this bid, for a total of £73,500 to be spent in 2023/24
and £140,000 in 2024/25. The remainder of the funding will be
awarded to Manchester Metropolitan University to fulfil the other
asks of the Home Office grant agreement with GMCA, and a separate
Decision and Exemption for that funding has also been
submitted.
DJS Research Ltd deliver and report on the results of the Policing
and Community Safety survey under contract “GMCA 589 Resident
and Victim Perceptions of Policing and Community Safety”, and
so are well placed to urgently mobilise and deliver immediately in
23/24 and onwards into 24/25 against all aspects of the Home Office
grant agreement relating to Community Insights funding. This
contract has been varied once previously, however as the GMCA won
this new tranche of Home Office grant funding in February 2024,
GMCA Commercial Services have agreed to a further variation in
order to urgently deliver against the grant agreement relating to
this new funding award, particularly as the proposed activity
arising from the new grant funding is a direct read across from
DJS’ existing contract with GMCA.
The GMCA is seeking to award DJS Research Ltd
the following funding amounts via a variation of its existing
contract following a successful bid to the Home Office for funding
to understand more about the impact of GRIP visible hotspot
policing on individuals and communities outside of the impact on
crime:
• £53,500 for financial year 23/24
• £70,000 for financial year 24/25
Publication date: 07/03/2024
Date of decision: 05/03/2024