Minutes

Minutes of the Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring Committee meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held in AG23, Romney House, Westminster on Tuesday 12 June 2001.

Present

Members

• Richard Sumray (Chair - items 1-15)
• Elizabeth Howlett (Deputy Chair - in Chair for item 16)
• Anthony Arbour
• Reshard Auladin
• Roger Evans
• Lynne Featherstone (items 1-13)

MPA staff

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Johanna Gillians (Senior Analyst)
• Nick Baker (Head of Committee Services)

MPS staff

• Ian Blair (Deputy Commissioner)
• Andy Hayman (DC, Head of Professional Standards)
• Philip Hagon
• Cath Kitching (Corporate Performance Analysis Unit)
• Barbara Riddell
• Bill Griffiths
• Steve Roberts

In addition, approximately 28 members of the press/public and other MPA/MPS staff were present.

Part 1

96. Apologies

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies were received from R David Muir.

97. Minutes of meeting: 8 May 2001

(Agenda item 2)

The minutes of the Committee meeting held 8 May 2001 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

Arising from the minutes it was noted that a workshop dealing with youth crime would be held in July and Sir Alistair Graham, Chair of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) had been invited to attend the July meeting of the Committee to discuss the proposed PCA document on guidance on complaints.

98. Chair's and members' update

(Agenda item 3)

The Clerk reminded Members that this item was placed on the agenda of all MPA Committees for the purpose of informing the Committee of any key activities, information or feedback Members may wish to give, with particular reference, in this case, to any professional standards and performance monitoring issues.

No reports were given.

99. Operation Trident

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a presentation from Mr Bill Griffiths, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Serious Crime Group on 'Operation Trident', the operation specifically set up to deal with violence linked with firearms and drug related crimes.

Mr Griffiths gave details of the establishment of the Operation; the current progress it had made and issues relating to certain areas in London were there was continuing concern. It was noted that most of the incidents had involved firearms, but not all of them and that they were mainly drug related incidents. It was noted that not all the incidents involved members from the black community and that many of the firearms that had been retrieved during this operation had an east European source.

Mr Griffiths informed the Committee that several other police forces had expressed an interest in using Operation Trident as good practice and that on Monday 18 June a five year Operation Trident Action Plan would be issued which would outline the operational strategy, including liaison with authorities in Jamaica, the Independent Advisory Group and local communities.

In acknowledging the work and clear up rate of crimes arising from this operation, Members reiterated the importance that this operation be fully resourced.

Members also requested that their thanks to all staff working on this operation be forwarded.

Resolved:
the report be received.

100. April performance monitoring report

(Agenda item 5)

The Committee considered an overview of the MPS performance against the targets in the new policing plan.

In relation to street crime Members requested that where possible details should be presented on a borough-by-borough basis.

Resolved:

1. the report be noted;
2. in accordance with the rolling plan, detailed monitoring should be presented to appropriate MPA Committees for consideration, with any ad hoc issues presented to this Committee.

101. Year end performance 2000/01

(Agenda item 6)

A report was considered by Members that gave a summary of the MPS performance against plans and targets for the year 2000/2001 and which included a full listing of the Policing Plan and Best Value Performance Indicators.

It was noted that the MPS had delivered improved performance against all but one of the key Policing Plan indicators in comparison with the previous year and that headline targets had been met for burglary reduction, increased Class A drugs judicial disposals, referrals to drugs scheme, homicide detections, detections for racist offence and proceedings young offenders (28 days). Other targets met included answering 999 calls and reducing police collisions involving personal injury and response. The report also informed Members that burglary reduction had considerably exceeded the target for the year and was on the way to achieving the five-year crime reduction target.

Areas that required further improvement before targets can be met included street crime and auto crime reduction, judicial disposals (street crime, burglary and auto crime) and processing persistent young offenders.

Members in receiving the report requested that they receive as part of future performance reports scrutiny of complaints on a quarterly basis.

Resolved:

1. the report be received;
2. as part of future performance reports scrutiny of complaints on a quarterly basis.

102. Crime issues – Street Crime

(Agenda item 7)

The Committee considered a report that informed them of current street crime trends and MPS performance, including prevention initiatives.

Members welcomed the report and acknowledged the challenge to the MPS in meeting set targets of a 2 per cent reduction in street crime and a 10 per cent judicial disposal rate, particularly as street crime had been continuing since 1999.

Resolved:
the report be received.

103. MPS performance against drugs

(Agenda item 8)

Following consideration by the Committee of a report on Operation Crackdown in February 2001, Members considered a further report that summarised 2000/2001 performance against drugs targets and indicated borough level performance. The report also gave an independent evaluation of Operation Crackdown and the MPS response.

Members acknowledged the need that this issue needed to be progressed in partnership with such agencies as local health authorities, housing associations and local authorities, as well as seeking consistencies in court when dealing with offenders.

Members commissioned a report to a future meeting on Operation Crackdown.

Resolved:

1. the report be received;
2. a report on the future of Operation Crackdown be considered by the Committee at a future meeting.

104. Homicide – additional information

(Agenda item 9)

The Committee considered a report that looked in detail at the means of death and the relationship between the victim and accused and the cost and length of time of homicide investigations.

In addition to the report, Members were given further information relating to homicide from Mr Griffiths, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Serious Crime Group, particularly in relation to Operation Trident. Mr Griffiths, as part of his presentation to Members, confirmed that Washington and Amsterdam had a higher number of homicides than London. Further information was given relating to unexplained deaths, the need to maintain resources as a high profile for investigating homicides, whilst maintaining accountability, working with other police forces nationally and internationally, working on the public's concern and confidence in relation to homicide and the need to re-examine the process on closures of cases.

Resolved:
the report be received.

105. MPS youth offending initiatives and working with young people

(Agenda item 10)

The Committee considered a report that outlined initiatives that the MPS are currently exploring to work with young people to prevent offending behaviour and therefore reduce the chance of young people drifting into crime.

Among the initiatives being undertaken by the MPS included truancy sweeps, supporting young people by structured intervention programmes, restorative conferencing and reparation work; working closely with school and operating the final warning scheme and restorative justice. In addition to these initiatives, the MPS were also continuing to support young victims along with other agencies.

Resolved:
the report be received.

106. Update on population research

(Agenda item 11)

The Committee considered a report that informed Members of the difficulties and current developments into research of population data that would support the monitoring of Best Value Performance Indicators and stop and search data.

Members in considering the report expressed concern that more up to date figures other than those of the 1991 census are not available and concerns that the recently held census would be incorrect or become out of date very quickly.

Resolved:

1. the Committee note the difficulties with current resident population estimates in performance monitoring;
2. the Committee note the recent developments in research into effective population data;
3. the Committee campaigns for national research to continue into gaining reliable national population data; and
4. the Committee supports the need for further research into population data.

107. Internal and external reviews of MPS and MPA roles, functions and statutory responsibilities

(Agenda item 12)

The Committee considered a report for information and which had also been received by the Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee, and set out the roles, functions and statutory responsibilities of the internal and external reviewers of the MPS and MPA.

Resolved:
the report be received.

108. Proposed scrutiny arrangements on performance management

(Agenda item 13)

Members considered a report that proposed that the Committee now introduce a scrutiny process to extend its performance monitoring capacity. This would also enable a far more thorough and in depth analysis of specific performance issues to be concluded within the overall framework of the Committees remit.

Resolved:

the proposal to scrutinise in greater depth at individual areas of performance be supported;

that a detailed programme of work be presented to the next meeting of the Committee for consideration.

109. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 14)

Resolved:
under section 100 A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for item 15, on the grounds that it involved disclosure of exempt information as detailed in the paragraphs 1 and 12 of Schedule 12A of the above Act.

Summary of exempt items

Agenda item 15
Civil Court Action – Proposed Settlement of Case

The Authority considered details of a current civil court action.

Agenda item 16
Police Regulations

The Authority considered a report that discussed an issue under the Police Regulations 1999

Agenda item 17
Compensations cases – Verbal update

This item was withdrawn from the agenda.

The meeting closed at 5.35pm.

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