Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 29 April 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Toby Harris (Chair)
• Richard Barnes (Deputy Chairs)
• R. David Muir (Deputy Chairs)
• Tony Arbour
• Jennette Arnold
• Reshard Auladin
• Lynne Featherstone
• Nicky Gavron
• Kirsten Hearn
• Peter Herbert
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Diana Johnson
• Jenny Jones
• Noel Lynch
• Eric Ollerenshaw
• Sir John Quinton
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Abdal Ullah
• Rachel Whittaker
• Cecile Wright.

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• David Riddle (Deputy Clerk and Solicitor)
• Simon Vile (Head of Secretariat).

MPS officers

• Sir John Stevens (Commissioner)
• Sir Ian Blair (Deputy Commissioner)
• Tarique Ghaffur (Assistant Commissioner)
• Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information)
• Steve House (Deputy Assistant Commissioner)

Part 1

104. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

An apology for absence was received from Cindy Butts. The Chair also reported on the outcome of the recruitment processes for Independent and Magistrate members of the Authority, which had resulted in two new Independent Members – Karim Murji and John Roberts – and one new Magistrate member, Aneeta Prem.

105. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

None received.

106. Minutes

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Authority held on 25 March 2004 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

107. Minutes of committees

(Agenda item 4)

The minutes of the following committees were received:

1. Professional Standards and Complaints Committee, 11 March
2. Consultation Committee, 18 March

108. Chair’s, members’ and clerk’s updates

(Agenda item 5)

The Authority noted updates from the Chair and other members. Lynne Featherstone tabled information about a survey she had carried out in Haringey in relation to unreported crime.

In relation to an update from Cecile Wright, it was agreed to send a letter of congratulation to IanThomas, the Borough Commander for Southwark on the successful policing of a recent National Front march.

109. MPA partnership visits 2003/04

(Agenda item 6)

The Authority considered a report on the third round of visits by the Chair to discuss policing and partnership issues with borough crime and disorder reduction partnerships.

Resolved - That the report be noted.

110. Commissioner’s update

(Agenda item 7)

The Commissioner gave an oral update on a number of issues, including:

End of year performance data

This item was considered in conjunction with item 9 on the agenda.

The Commissioner reported that the end of year data was showing considerable improvements across most crimes. For instance burglary was down 7% and was at a 29 year low; vehicle crime was down 7% and armed attacks on commercial premises down by 25%. Although violent crime showed an increase of 4% overall, the more serious assaults - ABH and GBH - showed only a 2 % increase. The Commissioner pointed in particular to the early indications of positive results of neighbourhood policing.

Issues that were raised in the ensuing discussion included:

• Congratulations from members on the overall achievement, not just in terms of performance against crime but also morale, recruitment and public satisfaction
• That, whilst recognising the MPS’s significant achievements, there is no room for complacency as overall crime levels are still not yet down to the same levels as in 2000
• Issues requiring ongoing attention include response to 999 calls, crime clear up rates, alcohol related crime, homophobic hate crime
• Whilst there has been progress in the MPS’s relationship with Black communities there are still some communities who feel alienated
• Whilst the MPS has achieved significant successes with regard to domestic violence, some boroughs are not monitoring it as a target
• The role of police staff in achieving this successful performance should be recognised – the Authority should look at the relationship between the roles of police officers and police staff over the next four years
• Some of the biggest crime increases have been in outer London
• The police are not solely responsible for crime reduction and extra funding for increased police numbers should be matched by increased resources to other areas
• There should be increased emphasis on local authorities using the civil law to tackle race crime perpetrators, crack houses etc
• Crimes against vulnerable people should be counted rather than just flagged

Resolved – That the performance report be noted and the Authority’s thanks and congratulations be conveyed to the police officers and police staff who have made these results possible.

Soul in the City

This faith-based initiative would be taking place in London during the last week in July and the first week in August. The MPS was one of the principal sponsors and the event had the backing of the Prime Minister and the Mayor. 15,000 young people would take part in a broad range of social action projects and would be camping in tent city locations around the capital. Whilst this represented a policing challenge, it was also an opportunity for the MPS to be involved in some highly effective and sustainable crime reduction initiatives.

Counter-terrorist update

Recent publicity campaigns have resulted in a doubling of calls to the hotline. The MPS remained at a high level of alert.

Recent operations

At the beginning of May officers raided a pub in Brent, using the MPS’s new X-ray machine to search people. 35 were arrested with weapons and drugs being recovered.

Officers in Newham had mounted an operation tackling guns and drugs, raiding two pubs, a barber’s shop and an illegal drinking den – sixty-six people were arrested.

Armed police review

The Commissioner reported that he had ordered a review by Commander Gormley. He emphasised that he did not support the routine arming of officers in London but firmly believed in the need to protect officers and to respond effectively to armed incidents. Management Board had already agreed to make three additional Armed Response Vehicles available from mid-June with an additional three from March 2005. Ministerial approval was also being sought for extending the provision of tasers as part of the pilot.

Tony Arbour asked for information on the numbers of visible and covertly armed officers in London. Peter Herbert asked for information about proportionality in relation to incidents where police firearms or tasers were discharged.

Investigation into the death of Princess Diana

In response to a question from the Chair, the Commissioner reported that his investigation involved eight MPS officers. He hoped to complete it by the end of the year.

May Day

In response to a question from the Chair, the Commissioner reported that indications suggested a peaceful May Day event. However, it was important not to be caught by surprise and 1800 officers would be available, mostly in reserve.

111. Thematic Review of Race and Diversity in the MPS

(Agenda item 8)

In introducing his report, AC Ghaffur reported that an action plan was being produced. It was intended to link implementation with any recommendations from the Morris Inquiry.

In discussion of the report recommendations, members’ comments included that more thought was needed about the viability of recommendation 7, in terms of issuing immigration-approved work permits. It was also suggested that recommendations 28 to 30, in relation to career progression, should be addressed as a matter of urgency and not await the outcome of the Morris Inquiry. As yet the MPS had not developed targets for recruitment to individual units and there were seen to be some parts of the service where minority ethnic recruitment was very low.

Resolved - That the report be received and an action plan reported to a future meeting of the Authority.

112. Holding and sharing personal information under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998

(Agenda item 10 (a))

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner outlining the impact of the Data Protection Act on how personal information is held and shared with other organisations.

Resolved –

1. That the obligations of the DPA on holding and sharing personal data be noted, in conjunction with the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act, 1998; and
2. That the MPS report back to the MPA in the second half of 2004 about the likely impact of the Bichard Inquiry.

113. Freedom of Information Act 2000 – MPS compliance

(Agenda item 10 (b))

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner giving an overview of the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

Resolved – That the Authority notes the anticipated impact of the Act upon the MPS and the MPS’s approach towards compliance.

Richard Sumray asked for information on how it was proposed to deal with vexatious requests for information.

114. C3i / Airwave position report

(Agenda item 11)

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner summarising progress of the C3i / Airwave Programme.

Resolved - That the report be noted and progress made to date endorsed.

115. Protocol on member / officer relations

(Agenda item 12)

The Authority considered a report by the Clerk proposing a protocol setting out the respective roles and reasonable expectations of members and officers.

Resolved - That the protocol be approved.

116. Update report from the Standards Committee

(Agenda item 13)

The Authority considered a report by the Clerk on the work of the Standards Committee.

Resolved –

1. That the report be noted; and
2. That the revised terms of reference for the committee, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved.

117. Action taken under delegated authority

(Agenda item 14)

The Authority noted a report by the Clerk on action taken under delegated authority since its last meeting.

The meeting ended at 12.45 p.m.

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