Reports from committees

Report: 9
Date: 24 February 2011
By: Chief Executive

Summary

At each meeting of the Authority members will receive a report from committees that have meet in recent weeks.

This report from the authority’s committees provides members with details of the key items considered at each of the committees and their sub-committees.

This report covers the following meetings:

• Strategic and Operational Policing Committee – 13 January 2011
• Finance and Resources Committee – 20 January 2011

Strategic and Operational Policing Committee – 13 January 2011

Members present: Toby Harris (as Chairman), Chris Boothman, Cindy Butts, Jenny Jones, Joanne McCartney, Caroline Pidgeon, and Valerie Brasse.

Headline performance report

AC Ian McPherson raised a concern that suspected offenders had been placed on police bail for longer time periods prior to the case being considered due to the impact of cuts on the CPS. Members asked whether the MPS had devised a strategy to deal with the fallout of partner disengagement. The MPS responded that discussions with all partners are ongoing, and although they have received indications of cuts to some services, they currently have no plans to absorb the functions of others.

Members requested figures indicating the scale of abstractions for public order events – including those serving on overtime or called back from leave. They reminded the Committee of the difficulty in planning for public order events – does one plan for the worse and police comprehensively with a large number of abstracted officers or rely on a smaller number and risk greater disruption?

Members asked what the next tactic in tackling gang related crime would be, and reaffirmed the role of Safer Neighbourhood Teams in informing people of the dangers of leaving expensive items on display in parked motor vehicles. The MPS responded that whilst Operation Blunt 2 has been successful, these tactics should be reviewed (as with anything). They cited Operation Connect, a renewed emphasis on hotspot analysis (and public education about these), and improved tasking, as steps forward. They argued that one third of robberies take place in only five boroughs and focussed intelligence gathering will leave the MPS best placed to identify such trends – including victim profiles and objects being targeted.

TP Development report

A strand around programme benefits and financial management will bring together TP Development with the Estates Strategy and other areas of MPS business (including ICT requirements). She noted that the HR strategy around the plan is critical, and that staff are being engaged by consultation forums and within the structures of MetFed. An internal programme is in place to manage displacement. Communication is being achieved by building in challenge panels and user forums. Strategic risks include organisational alignment and buy-in – Richard Clarke is involved to this end.

Members agreed to note but not ‘support’ the Programme on the basis on this report, citing insufficient substantive detail. They asked that the Committee be sighted on savings and a realization plan as soon as possible. The MPS agreed to provide a substantial programme of reporting which will include briefings (as with Operation Hannah). They agreed that oral presentation would be helpful insofar as the environment is fast-changing and this may not be captured in written reports.

Members asked what the phrase ‘significant displacement’ meant, to which the MPS replied that this did not mean redundancy or spare capacity but moving officers to different places. Whilst emphasising that the changes were aimed toward reducing inefficiency and duplication, the MPS could not confirm that no police officers would end up replacing police staff. They did, however, confirm that there was no explicit intent that police staff is reduced only to be replaced by officers – rather the opposite is the truth insofar as this Programme aims to align force asset to operational requirements.

Finance and Resources Committee – 20 January 2011

Members present: Steve O’Connell, Reshard Auladin, John Biggs, Faith Boardman, Chris Boothman, Amanda Sater, Valerie Shawcross and Graham Speed.

Revenue and capital budget monitoring

At period 8 (to the end of November) the revenue budget is forecast to overspend by £2.7m (0.1% of budget). The capital programme at the end of period 8 shows year to date total expenditure of £115.6m. This total represents 41.8% of the revised annual budget of £276.3m. The forecast for the year of £230.6m represents an under-spend of £45.7m (16.5% of the revised annual budget).

Disposal of former police stations

There is a schedule of properties which have been identified for disposal in the current financial year. The Committee received reports in connection with the outcome of several of these disposals and approved the recommended bids which had been made in respect of the following former police stations: Penge (Bromley), West Street (Harrow) , Collier Row (Havering) and Upminster (Havering). An open market tender was carried out in each case.

Olympic Games business cases (exempt)

A process is in place for managing the flow of Olympics related business cases from the Olympic Sub Committee to the Finance and Resources Committee under which the Olympics Sub Committee presents a written report to the Finance and Resources Committee supplemented by an oral update by the Chair of the Sub Committee . At this meeting the business case relating to Muster, Briefing and Deployment Centres was agreed.

Contact details

Report author: Nick Baker, MPA

For information contact:

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

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback