Operation Strongbox

Report: 10
Date: 23 May 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report summarises the activity of Operation Strongbox from inception in May 1999 to the conclusion in March 2002 and in doing so provides an update to previously submitted reports. It will provide a brief overview of the operations that were conducted as well as examining the progression from Strongbox to Safer Streets.

A. Recommendations

Members are invited to note the contents of this report

B. Supporting information

What is Strongbox?

1. Operation Strongbox was one of a number of tactics being implemented by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in its effort to reduce 'volume crime'. The crimes which it was concerned with were primarily:

• burglary
• robbery (street crime)
• vehicle crime
• and drugs (recognising that the market for drugs fuels a lot of acquisitive crime)

2. The concept was to provide specialist support (the Strongbox team of around 30 police officers and civil staff) to individual boroughs suffering from high levels of volume crime, in order that they could assist local staff in a concerted effort to impact upon those crimes. TSG and Traffic Officers added considerably to the resource used during each operation. Individual borough operations lasted for about eight weeks. It was the intention that the length of deployment would be sufficient time to permit borough staff to develop the tactics, skills and expertise to sustain the attack on volume crime after the additional support has left.

3. Strongbox has been a learning exercise and a range of tactics has been tried, tested, and improved upon in an effort to develop excellence and best practice which can be spread across London. This has taken the form of Operation Safer Streets, which is currently active in fifteen priority boroughs.

4. Each eight-week operation was 'owned' and led by Borough staff in addition to being allocated a specific operational name.

5. There were a total of seven operations supported by Strongbox and covered by this report:

• Operation Windmill - Lambeth Borough
• Operation Empire - Hackney Borough
• Operation Regis - a joint operation across the boroughs of Camden and Islington
• Operation Victory- Westminster
• Operation Castille – Haringey Borough
• Operation Claymoor– Brent Borough
• Operation Sabre – Tower Hamlets

6. The objectives were:

• to identify development opportunities is support of proactive policing
• to examine and improve systems around intelligence-led policing
• to identify good practice for promulgation
• to identify issues requiring remedial action at local and/or Service level

7. The specialist staff available under the Strongbox banner were:

• experienced operational detectives from Territorial Policing
• officers from the Territorial Support Group (TSG)
• Tactical advisers with expertise in intelligence and covert policing techniques
• Special Branch officers
• Traffic officers
• Higher Identification Officers and other staff from the Forensic Science Support Unit.

8. The Senior Management Team for the identified borough would be responsible for preparing a Gold strategy, for identifying the objectives and performance indicators based on analysis and crime trends that needed to be tackled. This analysis was part of a planning phase that commenced four weeks before the actual start date. This phase had the vitally important task of ensuring adequate systems and structures are in place to support the operation. There was particular emphasis on building a solid intelligence product, identifying offenders, location, victim profiles.

9. Combined operational teams were formed consisting of borough and dedicated Strongbox resources, thereby creating effective and expert teams.

Results for Strongbox operations.

10. Results for each individual Borough are set out in Appendix 1.

11. Analysis was conducted which showed that although significant reductions were experienced at some of the boroughs in the first or second week, sustained reduction does not really start until the middle of the Strongbox operations. Once commenced, it continues until the operations cease. Generally the effects of the operation have a positive impact on crime beyond the activity phase.

12. Strongbox was the forerunner to Operation Safer Streets (OSS) and the boroughs involved have adopted many of the tactics. A separate report details the strategy and implementation of tactics.

C. Financial implications

The total cost of Strongbox in 2001/02 was £1.072 million, for Operations Castile, Claymore and Sabre, as shown in Appendix 2. The previous operations were funded by the Home Office.

D. Background papers

• MPA / MPS Protocol on Compensation Cases (revised 25 October 2001)

E. Contact details

Report author: Commander Robert Quick, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1: Individual Borough Results

Lambeth

This was the first Strongbox initiative, which started in May 1999 and finished in July 1999. Analysis was conducted and the results are shown below:

• The average of eight weeks preceding Strongbox.
• The average of eight weeks during Strongbox.
• The average weekly performance following the Strongbox weeks, between week 15 of 2000 and week 4 of 2001 (April-January). (MPS comparisons are shown for the same time periods.)

Judicial disposals

• Hackney

This operation took place between 17th July 1999 and 10th September 1999. The crime analysis produced the following results:

Hackney (Operation Empire)

Judicial disposals

Hackney (Operation Empire)

Once again it was geographically based and the tactics included the deployment of the Territorial Support Group (TSG) and a number of 'Q-cars' (unmarked vehicle crewed by three officers). A total of 638 persons were arrested and this figure included 86 arrests for street crime, 96 for burglary, 78 for motor vehicle crime and 21 for drugs supply.

• Camden and Islington

Conducted during October and December 1999 and focusing on two neighbouring Boroughs for the first time. One of the main identified 'hot spots' was the Kings Cross area. The Kings Cross Partnership were included in the partnership aspect of the operation. The targets of the operation were persons concerned in drugs activity as well as sex workers. Diversion workers were employed to ensure that the appropriate diversion facilities were available should the client require.

The analysis showed the following results:

Islington (Operation Regis)

Camden (Operation Regis)

Judicial disposals

Islington (Operation Regis)

Camden (Operation Regis)

• Westminster

There is limited crime analysis information available for this operation which occurred between 22nd January 2001 and 18th March 2001. Any analysis would be influenced by the fact that the period before the operation would include Christmas crime figures. Arrest information is available and the activity resulted in a total of 1,842 arrests. That figure included 376 for drugs possession, 65 for drugs supply, 132 for burglary, 147 for street crime, 75 for autocrime, 57 for handling stolen goods and 996 for what was described as 'quality of life' offences.

• Haringey

The operation took place between 17th April 2001 and 10th June 2001. It was called Operation Castille. Once again identified crime 'hot spots' were the focus of activity. Tactics included Q – cars, drugs searches and arrests and one-stop burglary and robbery reporting/investigation teams.

Performance was measured against the exact same period last year 17th April to 10th June. Burglary showed an increase of 1.2% however in relation to Street Crime a 5.9% reduction was achieved.

April 17th 2001 to June 11th 2001 compared against April 17th 2000 to June 11th 2000

A total of 1,929 arrests were made and this figure included 121 arrests for robbery,

115 for burglary, 217 for drug offences and 224 for auto crime. Drugs seizures included 120 rocks of crack cocaine, 24 kg of cannabis, 3kg of heroin and 1,065 ecstasy tablets.

• Brent

This operation was conducted between 16th July 2001 and 9th September 2001. It targeted identified crime 'hot spots' and also included police raids on the Stonebridge Park Estate, which had an impact on the drug activity that was occurring. Thirty-three persons were arrested from this aspect of the initiative. The total number of arrests was 1423 over the eight weeks.

Tactics included deployment of uniform patrols, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology and Operation Seneca (Transport route based crime operations). A review of intelligence systems was also conducted.

Crime analysis was conducted and compared figures eight weeks before the operation, the period of the operation and the same period the previous year. No information was gathered post operation.

• Tower Hamlets

This initiative was designated Operation Sabre and occurred between 17th September 2001 and 9th December 2001. The operation was adversely affected by the events in the United States on 9th September. 'Hot spots' in the Mile End Road, Bethnal Green and Whitechapel were the subject of police activity. Tried and tested tactics such as Q-cars and robbery reporting/investigation teams were used. Analysis showed that Tower hamlets did not experience any significant increase in street crime offences during the operation. This was in marked contrast with the surrounding boroughs,

Newham saw a 28% increase in street crime from an average of 241 offences during June and July to 311 in November. This was mirrored in Hackney which experienced an increase of 73% from 278 offences during June and July to 482 in November.

Appendix 2: Strongbox

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