Minutes

Minutes of an inquorate meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 17 October 2005 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, Westminster, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Elizabeth Howlett
• Rachel Whittaker (Deputy Chair)

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive and Clerk)
• Keith Dickinson (Head of Policing Policy), (items 1 to 9)
• Ken Hunt (Treasurer)
• Steve Hutton (Acting Deputy Director, Internal Audit)
• David Riddle (Deputy Chief Executive and Deputy Clerk)
• Ruth Hastings Iqball (Committee Section)

MPS officers

• Louis Backwell (Head, Health and Safety) (items 1 to 9)
• Richard Bryan (DAC, Chief of Staff and Strategic Development)
• Nick Chown (Director of Risk Management)
• Alan Croney (Director of Property Services) (items 1-8)
• Paul Daly (Director of Exchequer Services)
• Nick Kettle (Team Leader, Health and Safety) (items 1 to 9).

Co-opted member

Richard Stephenson (Director, Group Health, Safety and Environment, Transport for London (items 1- 9).

14. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies were received from Jennette Arnold, Chair of the Committee. In her absence, Rachel Whittaker, Deputy Chair, took the Chair. Apologies were also received from Toby Harris (member) and Peter Ticker (Director, Internal Audit).

The Committee was inquorate, however it was agreed that the meeting should proceed and any decisions be ratified at its next meeting

15. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations of interest were received.

16. Minutes of the Corporate Governance Committee – 11 July 2005

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2005. It was requested that the last sentence at paragraph 11 be deleted. With this amendment, the minutes were agreed.

At the previous meeting it was asked it the percentage of female PCSOs assaulted was higher than male PCSOs or female PCSOs (paragraph 7). Members were informed that this work had yet to be done. The assistance of MPA analysts was offered.

It was noted that a briefing note on the principles that formed the basis for calculating savings made and losses stemmed by Internal Audit had been circulated (paragraph 10). The MPS had been consulted in the preparation of the paper. The Chair asked that the Director of Resources confirm that he was content with the briefing.

At the last meeting, the Director of Resources had stated (paragraph 10) that that the coming year, due to changes bought about by the strategic review financial management measures may slip. Members were told that Deputy Director of Finance Services was responsible for managing this, and members requested that the Authority be kept informed of developments.

The Chair requested that a report on the MPS’s annual plan for corporate risk management be received at the next committee.

Recommended - That

1. the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2005 be confirmed and signed as a correct record, subject to the amendment noted above; and
2. a report on the MPS’s annual plan for corporate risk management be received at the next committee.

17. Chair and members update

(Agenda item 4)

Nothing was reported under this item.

18. Update on MPS health and safety performance

(Agenda item 5)

A report was received updating the Committee on the MPS’s health and safety performance. Members were informed that since the report was written the number of incidents had fallen further. The rise in July and been caused by the amount of police activity following the terrorism attacks in London.

Questions were asked about how the MPS compared with other police services. Members were informed that comparison was difficult because there was no agreed database, but it appeared the MPS compared favourably.

Members were concerned that the MPS should have the ability to be proactive in terms of identification of accidents that could give rise to compensation claims at an early stage, when action to protect MPA/MPS interests is best taken. The DAC, Chief of Staff and Strategic Development, undertook to write to the Chief Executive and Clerk on the processes involved.

Recommended – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. A letter be written to the Chief Executive and clerk on the processes involved in identifying accidents in the MPS.

19. Implementation of the MPA health and safety plan

(Agenda item 6)

A report was received informing members of the progress made in implementing the Health and Safety plan for MPA members and staff. Members were informed that all staff would receive training in January.

Recommended - That the report be noted.

20. Health and Safety Branch response to July terrorist attacks

(Agenda item 7)

Members received a report summarising the Health and Safety Branch response in the immediate aftermath of the July terrorist attacks. The report included safety related issues and radio communication. An oral report was also given on activity following the bomb incidents.

Members questioned the four hours it took to provide the police with sufficient surface to sub surface communication at Russell Square; which was achieved by bringing equipment to London escorted by the Thames Valley Police. This difficulty in communication by police officers in deep level stations underground, which lay outside the control of the MPA or MPS, had been discussed before at this Committee and had been drawn to the attention of the London Resilience. A section on the health and safety in relation to communication on London Underground was requested in the next C3i report to the Co-ordination and Policing Committee. The Committee also recommended that a letter be written to the Chair of the London Resilience Committee asking for the provision of cell enhancers to the MPS.

Members were informed that the MPS, on the advice of Anti Terrorist Branch (SO13), had enough enhanced environment monitoring equipment for three incident sites, and could support a fourth site. The MPS had service level agreements with other companies and agencies for additional support if required.

Recommended - That

1. the report be noted;
2. a section on the health and safety in relation to communication on the London Underground be included in the next C3i report to the Co-ordination and Policing Committee, and
3. a letter be written to the Chair of the London Resilience asking for the provision of cell enhancers to the MPS.

21. Management of swimming pools

(Agenda item 8)

This report was received within less than five clear working days of the meeting. The committee recommended that it be received under the provisions of section 100B 4B of the Local Government Act 1972 as, in the light of the prosecution following the events at Hendon swimming poll, it was felt important that members consider the Authority’s position in relation to health and safety at other MPA owned swimming pools.

Members were informed that one of the swimming pools was sited at Imber Court Sports Club. A meeting would be held on 24 October to consider the legal responsibly of the MPA in relation to the four police sports clubs. A further report was requested to the December meeting of this committee on the legal position regarding these sports clubs.

The pool at Hendon had been now closed. Its condition had deteriorated and there was insufficient funding to repair it.

The pool at Gravesend was owned by the private finance initiative provider, Equion, and responsibility for health and safety around the pool lay with the provider.

Recommended - That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a further report on the wider issues of legal responsibility for the sports clubs be received at the next meeting.

22. Health and safety code of practice for MPA employees participating in MPS operational duties

(Agenda item 9)

A report was received setting out a proposed code of practice for MPA members and officers who accompany MPS staff on operational police duties. It was noted that the code of practice stated that members and officers should not accompany officers wearing stab proof vests when on high alert. However, in some boroughs, such vests were worn by officers all the time. It was suggested that the wording was amended to allow members to accompany officers when wearing stab proof vests, when OCUs were encouraging attendance. It was also suggested that the procedure outlined was bureaucratic and that written permission was impractical. Members welcomed the development of a code of practice, subject to these points being revised.

Questions were asked about the health and safety of members of Community and Police Consultative Groups (CPCGs) (and their equivalents) and Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs). Members were informed that ICVs would be receiving training from the Custody Directorate. If members of CPCGs were invited to observe an operation, it would be for the borough commander to complete a risk assessment.

Recommended – That the Code of Practice be approved, subject to the changes recommended by members and appropriate consultation.

23. Internal Audit progress report – oral update

(Agenda item 10)

The Acting Deputy Director of Internal Audit stated that assurance scores and follow up audits were improving. Internal Audit had also received more assurance on the high-risk audits. The annual audit plan was being progressed. The emerging finding of the Audit Commission had found Internal Audit’s work satisfactory and felt able to place reliance on it. The Director of Exchequer Services thanks Internal Audit for its assistance in relation to pay and pensions transition.

Recommended - That report be received

24. High-risk audit recommendations

(Agenda item 11)

This report provided information about outstanding high-risk recommendations made by MPA Internal Audit and gave details of the work being done to enhance the process by which the MPS would respond to such recommendations in future. To enhance the ability of the MPS to monitor high-risk recommendations, the Director of Risk Management had been tasked with putting together a working group to develop an audit recommendation process to be adopted across the MPS. This work was being done in liaison with Internal Audit. A report on progress would be made to the Corporate Governance Committee quarterly. Members requested that future reports contain the dates of the recommendations, so the timeliness of completion could be assessed, and that the recommendations be described in lay terms. It was explained that some recommendations involved long-term action, such as the development of a computer system. In such cases, the MPS would seek to identify any complementary, cost-effective short-term action to mitigate the risk involved.

Recommended - That

1. 1. the status of outstanding high-risk recommendations made in relation to MPS control systems by MPA Internal Audit be noted;
2. the work being undertaken by the MPS to enhance its ability to respond to high-risk audit recommendations be noted; and
3. further reports be received quarterly.

25. Corporate risk team update

(Agenda item 12)

Members received a progress report made by the MPS Corporate Risk Team in the areas where it provided a professional lead for the MPS, namely business risk management and insurance management. It was noted that the Corporate Risk Business Continuity Team transferred to Central Operations in April 2005 and that the Corporate Risk Team had taken a formal role in supporting continuous improvement of MPS corporate governance from September 2005. The HMIC in its review of current policing structure ‘Closing the Gap’ recommended that ‘the MPS risk management model be considered by the National Centre for Policing Excellence with a view to developing and agreeing a common risk assessment process to be used nationally’’.

Recommended – That

1. the progress report for the first half of the 2005/06 financial year be noted; and
2. that the first quarterly report on MPS corporate risks be submitted to the committee in December 2005.

26. Work programme

(Agenda item 13)

A report was received outlining a workplan by which the committee might fulfil its role as agreed in its terms of reference.

For the current year, the External Auditor plans to complete the audit by the end of November 2005. The External Auditor is required to report to those ‘charged with governance’ matters of substance that have arisen during the audit. This will need to be done before the annual letter is finalised and shared with the Corporate Governance Committee on 5 December 2005. As any response would have to be made before the date of next meeting, it was agreed that comment might be sought from all committee members before the meeting.

Recommended – That

1. the proposed work programme be agreed; and
2. those committee members discuss any matters of substance with the external auditors before the issue of the annual external audit letter to the Authority.

27. Lead member roles

(Agenda item 14)

A report was received asking members to review and appoint any lead members positions. A decision on this item was deferred pending a meeting of all members to discuss committee matters.

Recommended – That the decision concerning lead members be deferred.

The meeting ended at 11.50 a.m.

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