Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the meeting of the Community Engagement and Citizen Focus held on 13 June 2011 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Clive Lawton (Chair)
• Victoria Borwick
• Valerie Brasse
• Joanne McCartney

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Natasha Plummer (Engagement & Partnerships Manager)
• Michael Taylor (Committee Officer)

MPS officers

• Victor Olisa (Stop and Search Team)
• Andy Walker (Stop and Search Team)
• Duncan Arnold (Human Resources)
• Vasanthi Gnanadoss (Strategic Relationships)

Others: John May (LCP2)

30. Apologies for absence

(Agenda Item 1)

30.1 Apologies for absence were received from Richard Hunt (Co-opted Member), Fay Scott (MPA) and Tony Eastaugh (MPS)

31. Declarations of interest

(Agenda Item 2)

31.1 No declarations were received.

32. Minutes of the meeting held on 11 April 2011

(Agenda Item 3)

32.1 Members requested that the minutes better reflect that the Sub-committee had implemented the 12.5% reduction to CPEG budgets, and had ring-fenced CPEG under-spend.

33. MPA update on MPS Community Engagement action plan

(Agenda Item 4)

33.1 Natasha Plummer introduced the report, which provides a comparison of the MPA and MPS community engagement action plans, and how the two are aligned. Members requested that a further report be provided, that examines how the two action plans support each other, and how joint activities are coordinated. Members also noted that the new Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill includes a duty to engage with victims, which will also need to be reflected in the action plans.

Action: MPA to provide an update report on how the MPA and MPS Community Engagement Action Plans are aligned.

34. Community Police Engagement Group (CPEG) Funding Allocation

(Agenda Item 5)

34.1 Natasha Plummer introduced the report, which outlines the agreed maximum funding allocations to CPEGs, a large portion of which is used to cover staffing costs. An analysis of CPEG diversity data is being conducted; the age profile of CPEG executive groups is primarily 35-60, with a balanced male and female ratio. Members enquired what action is taken to challenge CPEGs where excessive staffing costs are incurred through, for example, local authority administrative services. The officer advised that MPA would raise such issues with the relevant CPEG, but that the value as well as the costs of the services provided would have to be evaluated. Trigger levels have been established to identify CPEG spending that is considerably at odds with that of other Groups, but there are none which consistently exceed trigger levels across the board. Members requested that MPA link members be provided with briefings on any CPEGs which exceed spending trigger levels.

Action: MPA link officers to provide members with briefings on any CPEGs which exceed spending trigger levels.

34.2 John May provided an update on London Communities Police Partnership (LCP2), which is now being funded through subscription fees received from CPEGs. The subscription fee for 2011-12 is £300; 3 CPEGs have declined to subscribe, whilst the remaining 29 have either accepted, or have not decided. These fees will not enable LCP2 to achieve full functionality, and it has therefore discontinued its training programme; although it can direct CPEGs to alternative training providers. Although most CPEGs support LCP2, their 2012-13 budgets will be reduced by 20%, and it is not currently known whether they will then be able to afford the subscription fees, and LCP2 will be seeking alternative funding opportunities. As well as providing professional advice to CPEGs; LCP2 will facilitate quarterly networking meetings with CPEG chairs, administrators and with the MPS, and also the London Communities' Crime Concerns reports.

34.3 Members enquired whether CPEGs would continue to operate under the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC). Although the Chief Executive confirmed that there is no intention for MOPC to discontinue CPEGs, members noted that CPEGs still have concerns over their future status, and that the MOPC may consider other options for conducting community engagement. Until the transfer to MOPC is implemented, the MPA is conducting business as usual; therefore the Sub-committee is able to approve the ring-fencing of CPEG funding. Members agreed to the recommendations, with the proviso that details of the specific conditions be sent to them for approval, prior to implementation.

Resolved: that

1. Members note the conduct and outcomes of the 2011/12 funding assessment process;
2. Members agree to the allocation of £20 000.000 and £15 000.00 to training and development and to an annual conference and award event respectively;
3. Members agree that the retention by the Community and Police Engagement Groups of any identified surpluses be supported by a written business case as in previous years; and
4. Members agree to impose specific conditions, including the renegotiation of the provision of services as necessary, from the three CPEGs with significant deficits. Terms of the specific conditions are to be sent to members for approval, prior to their being implemented.

35. Stop and Search update

(Agenda Item 6)

35.1 Victor Olisa introduced the report, and provided an overview of the MPS community consultation on whether stop and account data should continue to be monitored in London, which concluded on 8 June 2011. The Association of Chief Police Officers has citied it as good practice for police forces to conduct community consultation before making a decision as to whether to continue to record the data. The MPA is analysing the results of the consultation process, and a report will be received at the Communities, Equalities and People Committee in September 2011, although it was noted that the final decision will be made by the MPS Commissioner.

35.2 The number of stop and searches has increased since the last quarter; although this can be attributed to adverse weather limiting the opportunities for officers to conduct pro-active youth engagement activity. Members noted that Lambeth has the highest number of substantiated allegations made against MPS officers, but were informed that this is not consistent across quarterly periods. Members noted that there is still a notable level of disproportionality between the amount of stops involving white and black members of the public. The MPS is investigating the attributing factors for this, and noted that stops often occur as part of operations against specified crimes such as weapons and drugs, which are often disproportionately being committed by Black and Minority Ethnic people.

35.3 Members noted the disproportionately low number of Asians being arrested as a result of being stopped, and that this suggests that officers are misreading their actions. The MPS reaffirmed that all stops are conducted in response to received intelligence, and that this data does not provide details of the circumstances which resulted in stops being conducted. As well as recording the number of stops, the MPS also monitors the positive outcomes of stops, so that their effectiveness can be measured.

35.4 Whilst police officers are able to conduct both stop and search and stop and account operations, Police Community Support Officers can only conduct stop and account. Despite this, the numbers of stop and accounts are only slightly higher than those for stop and search.

35.5 Members noted that the in order to comprehensively monitor the use of stop and search, it would be more useful to receive the data which the MPS uses to analyse the effectiveness of stop and search, rather than just the total figures. Members requested that this information be provided in a briefing note. Members also requested that statistics on stop and search be presented in percentages, so that disproportionality can be more easily identified.

Action: MPS to provide a briefing note on how the effectiveness of stop and search is monitored.

36. MPA Partnership Fund

(Agenda Item 7)

36.1 Natasha Plummer introduced the report, which outlines the assessment of funding bids which have been received from borough command units. Members noted that 14 boroughs have included bids for activities which are not clearly aligned with the priorities of the London Crime Reduction Board, and enquired what action is taken in cases where boroughs identify alternate priorities. In these cases the MPA will be liaising with the boroughs to identify the details of activities they would fund through the budget, to ensure that they would provide value for money. It was noted that boroughs will also have access to other funding sources in order to fund their proposed activities.

36.2 Members noted that the benefits of joint service provision can be promoted to boroughs, along with the potential to utilise CPEGs to facilitate community engagement activities. Evaluations of the activities funded by the Partnership Fund will be conducted through Oracle, and link members will be provided with briefings on the bids which were received by their boroughs.

37. Community Engagement and Citizen Focus Sub-committee Annual Report 2010-2011

(Agenda Item 8)

37.1 The Sub-committees annual report was presented which provided an overview of the 2010-11 work plan, and community engagement work which can be carried forward by the MOPC. In line with the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill 2010-11; the MPA is scheduled to be abolished and replaced with the MOPC in October 2011. It is therefore likely that this will be the last meeting of the Sub-committee; although contingency plans have been made for a potential meeting on 3 October 2011. Should the change not occur, a representative of LCP2 would be offered the opportunity to serve as a co-opted member for the next committee year. The chair offered appreciation to members for their input and MPA staff for coordinating the Sub-committee.

Meeting closed at 11:20

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