Minutes

Minutes of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 10 May 2001 at Romney House, Marsham Street, London, SW1.

Present

Members

• Toby Harris (Chair)
• Jennette Arnold
• Anthony Arbour
• Reshard Auladin
• Richard Barnes (Deputy Chair)
• John Biggs
• Cindy Butts
• Roger Evans
• Lynne Featherstone
• Nicky Gavron
• Peter Herbert (Deputy Chair)
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Jenny Jones
• Cecile Lothian
• R David Muir
• Sir John Quinton
• Angela Slaven
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Abdal Ullah
• Rachel Whittaker.

MPA staff

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• Nick Baker (Secretariat).

MPS staff

• Sir John Stevens (Commissioner)
• Ian Blair (Deputy Commissioner)
• Keith Luck (Director of Resources).

85 members of the press/public and other MPA/MPS staff were also present.

Part 1

167. Apologies

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies were received from Darren Johnson and Nicholas Long.

168. Minutes: 19 April 2001

(Agenda item 2)

Resolved:
that the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 19 April 2001 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

169. Minutes of committees

(Agenda item 3)

The Authority received the approved/draft minutes (previously circulated) of the following committee meetings:

Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring Committee 10 April 2001;
Human Resources Committee 19 April 2001;
Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee 17 April 2001;
Consultation, Diversity and Outreach Committee 27 March 2001 and 24 April 2001;
Co-ordination and Urgency Committee 22 March 2001; and
Audit Panel 8 March 2001 (special meeting).

Arising from the draft minutes of the Human Resources Committee held on 19 April 2001, it was agreed that the Committee be asked to re-evaluate the inner/outer boundaries for the payment of London allowances.

Resolved:

1. that the minutes be received; and
2. that Human Resources Committee be asked to re-evaluate the inner/outer boundaries for the payment of London allowances.

170. Question to the Authority

(Agenda item 4)

In accordance with Standing Order 15, the Authority were asked the following question from Mr John Hilary, Chair of the Greater London Working Group, London Cycling Campaign:

“The Crime and Disorder Reviews to be carried out in 2002 under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 offer an unparalleled opportunity to consult Londoners on issues of community safety. At the time of the first Crime and Disorder Reviews in 1999, both the then Home Office Minister, Alun Michael and the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Paul Manning, encouraged local police-borough partnerships to include the issue of road safety in their community safety consultations. Sadly, only four of London's police-borough partnerships did so.

“ACPO data from across England and Wales reveal that when police-borough partnerships did consult on road safety as part of their 1999 Crime and Disorder Reviews, 86% of partnership areas rated it as an issue of high concern to rank alongside burglary and muggings. Evidence from other public consultations suggests that Londoners would have given a similar response, had they been given the opportunity.

“Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has now also suggested that road safety should be included in future consultations under the Crime and Disorder Act. Will the MPA please direct all local constabularies in London to include road safety and road safety data in their consultation papers for the 2002 Crime and Disorder Review process, so as to allow the people of London to voice their opinion on road danger alongside other community safety issues?”

The Clerk made the following response:

“The MPA welcomes the timely reminder from the London Cycling campaign that the forthcoming crime and disorder reviews present an ideal opportunity to test the strength of opinion in the community about road safety issues. The Government’s Road Safety Strategy ‘Tomorrow’s Roads - safer for everyone’ notes:

‘The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires police and local authorities to produce joint strategies which are firmly in the issues of concern to local people’

“and goes on to say:

‘Consultation is revealing a demand for greater emphasis on making roads safer. Some police forces and local authorities are responding by producing a joint road safety.’

“As part of the preparation for carrying out the crime and disorder reviews, borough commanders attended a conference on 19 and 20 march which was hosted by the Crime Reduction Director for London. At that conference, they were given information and advice on the minimum dataset that should be included in the crime and disorder audit process. The datasets include information about accidents within the London area.

“The MPS’ Borough and Road Policing unit provides further follow-up advice to borough commanders on the type of questions which might usefully be asked in any public consultation process. This will enable crime and disorder partnerships to place road safety issues within a set of local priorities and agree courses of action where appropriate.

“The MPA would circulate the letter from the London Cycling Campaign to all Borough Commanders for information and their consideration.”

Resolved:
that the question from the London Cycling Campaign be noted and the letter from the London Cycling Campaign sent to all Borough Commanders for information and consideration.

171. Road safety issues

(Agenda item 5)

The Authority considered a report that informed Members of the current position on various aspects of road safety. In doing so, Members were informed that the Mayor’s interim draft road safety plan was still being assessed by the MPS.

The Deputy Commissioner in presenting the report stated that the MPS recognises the human tragedy caused by injuries and deaths on roads in London. He highlighted the dilemma facing the MPS and MPA in determining the priority of road safety within the overall strategy of the MPS in the face of other competing demands. The Deputy Commissioner added that the MPS would continue to keep road safety as a sustained activity of major importance.

Members sought clarification on the impact on road safety of the reduction of local authority highway maintenance budgets across London. Further information was also sought on the apparent reduction in resources by local authorities for road safety education. The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that following all road accidents the condition of the highway was examined and these figures would be presented in future reports. He emphasised however that most fatalities and/or accidents were as a result of speed and that the MPS were keen to development camera technology as one means of reducing accidents and speeding.

With regard to road safety education, the Deputy Commissioner confirmed that this was a statutory requirement for local authorities; however, some police borough command units have provided road safety education on a voluntary basis.

Members also commissioned a further report on road safety issues and asked that the report addresses the following: details of police pursuit accidents; working with other organisations/local communities, such as local authorities and crime and disorder partnerships on road safety issues; obtaining proper resources for road safety, including the possible retention of fines for traffic related offences; and an assessment of further use of camera technology as part of routine enforcement.

Jenny Jones asked a number of questions relating to road safety. The Deputy Commissioner undertook to respond to Jenny Jones on these.

Resolved:

1. that the report be received;
2. that a further report on road safety issues including the comments raised by Members be considered at a future meeting of the Authority.

172. Chair’s and members’ update

(Agenda item 6)

The Chair updated Members on recent key activities undertaken by him since the previous meeting of the Authority. These included: regular meetings with the Commissioner and other leading officers to discuss arrangements for the policing of the Mayday demonstrations, along with various press conferences and interviews; attendance on Mayday at the control room at New Scotland Yard; attendance at a briefing session to discuss MPS vehicle management contract; and interviewing for assistant commissioner posts.

The Chair also made a personal statement about the recent press coverage concerning his son.

As agreed at the April meeting of the Authority, Members submitted accounts of their recent key activities to the Secretariat prior to the meeting and these were tabled for information.

It was noted that in relation to those key activities submitted by Cecile Lothian the correct name of the meeting attended on 26 April 2001 is the ‘Safer Southwark Partnership’

Resolved:
that the report be received.

173. Commissioner’s update

(Agenda item 7)

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Sir John Stevens, gave the Authority an update on the following developments and current issues:

May Day

The Commissioner briefed the Authority on the policing of the May Day demonstrations.

He informed Members that detailed discussion of the policing operation would not appropriate at this time whilst there was a possibility of legal proceedings against the police. The Commissioner undertook to provide the Authority with a fuller report in due course. He reported that the provisional costs for policing this demonstration were estimated at £1.7 million.

The Chair informed the Authority of a letter from the Confederation of British Industry that congratulated the MPA, the MPS, the City of London Police and Transport Police on the handling of the demonstration.

Members thanked the Commissioner for the transparent way in which MPA Members had been enabled to observe this operation and congratulated the MPS on the overall handling of the demonstration. They recognised that it is a difficult task to balance the rights of the individual to protest peacefully against the rights of Londoners to go about their usual business in safety. However, some Members, including Jenny Jones and Peter Herbert, raised specific questions relating to the policing operation and the legality of the containment operation. It was agreed to hold a private workshop in the near future to discuss the policing operation and to review the lessons learned and best practice, so that these could be incorporated into future May Day strategies. This workshop should address Members’ questions. Where it is possible to answer these questions publicly, they should be included in a report to a future meeting of the Authority.

In conclusion, the Chair invited Members to forward any questions or comments to the Secretariat. These would be passed to the MPS so that they could be addressed at the workshop.

Recent explosion in north London

The Commissioner reported on the recent bomb in north London and reiterated the continued terrorist threat, particularly during the forthcoming general election campaign.

Operation Trident

The Commissioner updated Members on Operation Trident. It was noted that several key arrests had been made.

Operation Strongbox

Details of Operation Strongbox, which is currently operating in Haringey, were given at the meeting and the Commissioner confirmed that this Operation continued to be successful.

The Commissioner encouraged Members to observe this Operation. Members commissioned a report on the effects on an area once the Operation had moved on.

Arrest of Ronnie Biggs

The Commissioner gave details of the arrest of Ronnie Biggs. It was noted that the scale of the police presence at Northolt Airport had been required by the Ministry of Defence because of their concerns about the likely size of the press contingent.

Diversity conference

The Commissioner reported on the recently held diversity conference and that issues around religious dress and religious holidays would continue to be progressed.

Members congratulated the Commissioner on this conference.

National Front march

Members expressed concern about another National Front march in Bermondsey, in particular relating to cost and the effect on the local community.

The Commissioner commented that, having taken legal advice, it had been his judgement that the banning of this march would not have stopped the National Front from marching in the area and could have caused serious public disorder. The Commissioner acknowledged that this issue needed to be monitored and confirmed that the appropriate resources would be made available for the forthcoming march.

Resolved:

1. that the report be received; and
2. that a report on the effect an area once Operation Strongbox has been completed be presented to a future meeting.

174. Policing the Notting Hill Carnival

(Agenda item 8)

A report was considered that updated the Authority on the planning for the policing arrangements for the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2001.

The Commissioner and the Chair expressed concern that the arrangements for this year’s Carnival did not appear to have been finalised, in particular the issue of ensuring that stewarding of the Carnival would be adequate. Members reiterated the need for a long-term strategy for the Carnival and the importance of suitable stewarding of the event.

It was reported that the Mayor’s Review Group had met earlier that morning and had indicated that the GLA would be financing the stewarding at the carnival (via a stewarding company) for this year.

It was agreed that the Chair and relevant Members should meet with the Mayor’s office to discuss the final arrangements for this year’s Carnival.

Resolved:

1. that the report be noted;
2. that the Chair and relevant Members should meet with the Mayor’s office to discuss final arrangements for this year’s Carnival.
3. that the Authority receive a report on the long term strategy for the Notting Hill Carnival.

175. Summary of delivery of options for C3i

(Agenda item 9)

Following a request from Members to the MPS C3i project team for an assessment of various configurations for service delivery of the C3i project and a recently held workshop on this issue, the Authority considered a report that summarised the delivery options for project.

Members were informed that the project team, in conjunction with C3i Steering Committee and MPS Management Board had concluded that the ‘do minimum option’ (option 1 in the report) did not meet the operational requirements and that the single call centre option did not provide the necessary resilience and/or business continuity. MPS Management Board favoured option 4 - centralised call handling with borough based despatching - but acknowledged that financial restraints made this preferred delivery configuration unlikely.

Members accepted, on balance, that whilst option 4 might offer some operational advantages it was not financially viable. Members also acknowledged that the options in the report would involve the deletion of 1,000 police posts. Accordingly, they selected the three-centre configuration (option 8) as the best option within the financial parameters, whilst recognising that it would need to be engineered to achieve maximum ownership on the part of borough commanders. Members also agreed that further discussions with the Home Office about funding should continue.

Resolved:
that option 8, as detailed in the report, be agreed.

176. Funding of C3i

(Agenda item 10)

Arising from the discussion on the assessment of various options for services delivery of the C3i project, Members considered a report that outlined the funding implications for the options put forward by the MPS Management Board and advised on the feasibility of those preferred options.

Resolved:

1. that Members note that funding for C3i beyond the affordability benchmark already set was not realistic;
2. that Members note that on this basis option 8 was feasible, but not option 4; and
3. that continued discussions with the Home Office take place on funding for this project.

177. Recruitment and retention

(Agenda item 11)

The Authority received a progress report on police and civil staff recruitment and retention against budgeted workforce targets for 2001/02.

Resolved:
that the report be received.

178. MPA accommodation requirements

(Agenda item 12)

Following consideration by the Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee at it meeting on 17 April 2001, the Authority received a report setting out options for the future location of the MPA offices following the departure of the Greater London Authority. The Treasurer commented that the MPA should seek to move at the same time, or before, the GLA move to avoid the possibility of becoming responsible for the whole costs of the lease on Romney House.

Members were informed that there will be no room for the MPA support organisation in the GLA building at More London Bridge, but the MPA does have a ‘no commitment’ option on separate accommodation on the same site. It was noted that a decision would need to be made by September 2001 on whether to take up this option. In addition, the report informed Members that this accommodation was unlikely to be completed by July 2002 and consideration should be given to obtaining short term accommodation with a view to securing long term office accommodation at a later time.

Resolved:
that the options for accommodation in Victoria area be investigated whilst retaining the option on accommodation at London Bridge.

179. Anti-social behaviour orders

(Agenda item 13)

The Authority considered a report that detailed the current position on the use of Anti-Social-Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), as prescribed by Section 1 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

It was agreed that time did not permit a full discussion of this report at the present meeting and it was therefore

Resolved:
that the report be deferred to the June meeting of the Authority.

180. Criminal Justice and Court Service Act 2000 - implications for the MPS

(Agenda item 14)

The Authority considered a report that highlighted the impact of the provisions of Sections 67 and 68 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000 on the Metropolitan Police Service.

Resolved:

1. that the Authority note the report;
2. that a costing review be considered by the Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee at its meeting in June 2001; and
3. that a further report be submitted to the Authority in November 2001 following review

181. Members’ allowance scheme

(Agenda item 15)

Members received a report that considered the MPA members’ allowance scheme (which applies to independent and magistrate members) and in particular the ceiling on that allowance scheme for the financial year 2000/01.

Resolved:

1. that a further report on members’ allowances scheme be presented to the Authority in October, with particular reference to the adequacy of the ceiling agreed by the Authority in March 2001 and any guidance produced by the Association of Police Authorities; and
2. that the Authority approved retrospectively raising the ceiling for 2000/01 to £13,500 for independent and magistrate members.

182. Appointments at the MPA Annual Meeting

(Agenda item 16)

In preparation for the MPA Annual General Meeting to be held in June, the Authority considered a report on the current committee structure and sought the endorsement to the process proposed for making appointments for Chairs, Deputy Chairs and membership of committees and some outside bodies.

Resolved:

1. that the Authority agree that the committee structure currently in operation be maintained; and
2. that the process for making appointments as outlined in the report be agreed.

183. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 17)

A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during agenda items 18 as they were likely to disclose exempt information as described in Schedule 12(a) (9) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Resolved:
that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following item of business.

184. Affordability of the C3iM Phoenix Proposal

Members considered an exempt report that discussed further details relating to the C3i scheme.

The Chair declared a pecuniary interest and withdrew from the meeting. Richard Barnes, Deputy Chair, took the Chair for this item.

Resolved:
that Members endorse the recommendation of MPS Management Board that the Phoenix proposal does not provide sufficient grounds for reviewing the decision to cease negotiations.

The meeting closed at 1.10 p.m.

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