Minutes - draft

Please note these minutes are currently draft and are subject to committee approval.

Minutes of the meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 23 February 2006 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Len Duvall (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin (Deputy Chair)
• Cindy Butts (Deputy Chair)
• Richard Barnes
• Dee Doocey
• Toby Harris
• Kirsten Hearn
• Peter Herbert
• Damian Hockney
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Jenny Jones
• Karim Murji
• Aneeta Prem
• Murad Qureshi
• John Roberts
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Abdal Ullah 
• Rachel Whittaker

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Ken Hunt (Treasurer)
• David Riddle (Deputy Chief Executive)
• Simon Vile (Head of Secretariat)

MPS officers

• Sir Ian Blair (Commissioner)
• Paul Stephenson (Deputy Commissioner)
• Keith Luck (Director of Resources)
• Steve House (Assistant Commissioner)
• Stephen Rimmer (Director of Strategy, Modernisation & Performance)

89. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Tony Arbour, Jennette Arnold, Nicky Gavron and Bob Neill and for late arrival from Abdal Ullah.

90. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

None notified.

91. Minutes

(Agenda item 3)

The Chair confirmed that the Co-ordination and Policing Committee would consider the items deferred at the January meeting of the Authority. The agenda would be copied to all members and any comments received from them taken into account at the meeting.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meetings of the Authority held on 26 January 2006 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

92. Minutes of committees

(Agenda item 4)

The minutes of the following committees were received for information:

• Professional Standards and Complaints Committee - 12 January 2006
• Finance Committee - 19 January 2006
• Co-ordination and Policing Committee – 3 February

93. Chair’s update

(Agenda item 5)

The Chair reported that the Mayor’s budget had passed unamended through the London Assembly. This was good news for policing and would enable the full rollout of Neighbourhood Policing.

94. Corporate strategy 2006-09 and annual policing plan 2006/07

(Agenda item 7)

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner seeking approval to the Corporate Strategy and Annual Policing Plan.

Richard Sumray, Chair of the Planning, Performance and Review Committee, commented that unlike previous plans the Annual Policing Plan showed the high-level areas of concentration, although this was not to say that the detail performance would not also be kept under review. There were some areas where further development was needed for inclusion in the plan, such as the link between drugs and acquisitive crime, Special Operations’ counter-terrorism work and the impact on communities and the reduction of crime in the most challenging wards.

It was agreed that a report was required on what outcomes, in policing terms, could reasonably be expected from Safer Neighbourhoods. The report should also address the relationship of the Safer Neighbourhood teams with the rest of the MPS in terms of tackling crime, intelligence sharing etc.

In response to a question from Cindy Butts, Stephen Rimmer acknowledged the difficulties in coming up with a meaningful target for disrupting criminal networks. He offered to discuss this further with her.

The Chair reiterated that the Authority would want to receive information about S.44 stops presented on a borough-by-borough basis in a way that did not prejudice operations. He asked the MPS to discuss this further with him.

In conclusion, the Commissioner commented on the importance of establishing realistic expectations for the Safer Neighbourhoods programme, as it could not solve all problems. Further thought was needed on the entry point for public accessing MPS services, as with the advent of Safer Neighbourhoods, MetCall and the single non-emergency number there was scope for confusion.

Resolved – That

1. the content and format of the MPA/MPS Corporate Strategy 2006/09 be agreed;
2. the MPA/MPS Annual Policing Plan 2006/07 with the corporate objectives, measures and targets be agreed; and
3. the critical focus areas for 2006/07 of the Met Modernisation Programme be agreed.

95. MPS race and diversity strategy 2006-09

(Agenda item 10)

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner presenting the MPS Race and Diversity Strategy for approval.

In the discussion, members raised a number of issues, including the need to achieve buy-in and consistent standards across the organisation. It was important to be able to measure the number of encounters with the public on a borough-by-borough basis and an assessment of public satisfaction with those encounters. Rachel Whittaker also suggested that it should be explicit that the treatment of officers would be consistent and fair, for instance in relation to disciplinary action in relation to drink driving offences.

Resolved –

1. That the MPS Race and Diversity Strategy 2006-09 be endorsed;
2. That, in addition to reports to the equal Opportunities & Diversity Board, a progress report be made to the Co-ordination & Policing Committee or the full Authority at an appropriate stage; and
3. That DAC Fitzpatrick and her team be congratulated on the production of this strategy.

96. Outgoing sponsorship policy

(Agenda item 11)

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner proposing a policy for MPS sponsorship of external events, organisations and activities.

After discussion it was

Resolved – That

1. That the sponsorship policy be approved;
2. That an interim progress report on implementation be put to the full Authority in July 2006;
3. That the full Standard Operating Procedures be made available for members’ inspection in the Members’ Room;
4. That the results of the June 2007 review be reported to the Authority; and
5. That Borough Commanders be asked to discuss with their Borough Link Members their approach to local sponsorship.

97. External Audit annual letter 2004/05

(Agenda item 12)

The Authority considered a report by the Treasurer on the action plan developed in response to the External Audit Annual Letter 2004/05.

Resolved – That

1. the external auditor’s annual letter be received; and
2. the action plan be agreed and that a summary of progress be reported to the Authority in July 2006.

98. Events of July 2005 – MPS response to suicide terrorism – update

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner outlining progress made in relation to MPS procedures and resilience in a range of key areas that developed from the response to the events of July 2005.

In the discussion a number of issues were raised. Damian Hockney commented that the report did not address the issue of the relationship with the press – he understood that some members of the press had felt that there had been efforts to restrain their reporting. AC House commented that a media strategy was part of every major MPS operation. Officers were well aware of the need not to block the media – this may have been an occasion when officers were attempting to move people away from a situation. The Chair said that he would discuss this matter further with Damian Hockney.

Some members felt that the membership of the Kratos Review Group was drawn too narrowly, particularly in relation to community representation. There was an issue as to whether MPA member representation on this Group was appropriate and the Chief Executive undertook to consider this further.

Jenny Jones asked for her concerns about the report to be recorded. She was not reassured by the report and felt that it did not address what changes were needed so that a future operation did not result in the death of an innocent man.

Peter Herbert raised a number of issues. He considered that the report contained insufficient detail for instance in relation to: the role of army and secret service personnel; the effectiveness of available communications systems; what learning about suicide bombers the MPS is receiving from other countries, such as Spain; and the risk of over-penalising particular communities in looking to deter attacks.

Toby Harris suggested that it would be helpful at some stage to receive a report on operational communications systems and their quality and whether system developments were meeting expectations when under stress. He reiterated a previous request for a review of the MPS’s capability to conduct hi-tech investigations.

Murad Qureshi expressed concern about the make-up of the Muslim Safety Forum and whether the MPS should see the Forum as representative of Muslim communities. The Commissioner responded that the MPS had an important but not exclusive relationship with the Forum.

Richard Sumray pointed to the importance of adequate support mechanisms for the Designated Senior Officer role, together with clarity both within the MPS and publicly about the role. It was also important to ensure that all communities were engaged with Operation Kratos and he was not sure that the current structure delivered that.

In summarising the discussion, the Chair pointed out that the Authority had called for an open report, to promote open debate of the issues. Inevitably this constrained what the MPS were able to say in the report, so it was not reasonable to criticise the report for a lack of detail. However, a number of issues had come out of the discussion which the authority would need to return to, including:

• Communications and command and control issues
• The use and role of army personnel in counter-terrorism operations
• Deterrence, community engagement and the impact of counter-terrorism activity on particular communities
• The MPS’s capability to conduct hi-tech investigations

The timing and format of these reports would need to be discussed further, as well as whether they should be public or confidential documents.

Resolved - That the report be received, subject to the above comments on further reports.

99. The MPS response to CBRN incidents

(Agenda item 9)

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner outlining the current response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents.

After discussion it was

Resolved - That the report be received.

100. Commissioner’s update

(Agenda item 6)

The Commissioner reported orally on a number of matters. Monthly performance information was also tabled. He referred to Commendation Ceremonies held the previous week for officers involved in the response to the Tsunami and for those involved in the response to the events of 7 July. It was an indication of the dedication shown by officers in responding to these events that whilst there had been four High Commendations the previous year, this year there had been 86.

Whilst not all performance indicators were going in the right direction there were a number of positive areas. For instance the MPS was aiming for the lowest level of recorded crime for five years. The Offences Brought To Justice (OBTJ) target for the year had already been exceeded and the MPS might get close this year to the 2006/07 target. Richard Sumray commented on the inter-relationship between the OBTJ target and the Total Notifiable Offences (TNO) figure. An achievement would be to meet the OBTJ target whilst reducing the Total Notifiable Offences.

The Commissioner referred to the policing of the recent demonstration at the Danish Embassy. The Management Board had met the following week to review the policing operation and had agreed with the tactics used on the day. The MPS’s normal policy was not to make arrests unless these became necessary because of attacks or threat of violence, so as not to inflame the situation. However he expected arrests to be made in the next few weeks. Members recognised that this was a matter of professional judgement, whilst reflecting the view expressed by some members of the public that arrests should have been made in view of the inflammatory nature of some of the placards. The MPS did need to explain the policing issues to the public so that it did not seem as if different approaches were taken depending on who was demonstrating.

Karim Murji asked in relation to the death of Mr de Menezes about allegations that surveillance officers had tampered with their logs. The Deputy Commissioner responded that if there had been any impropriety the MPS would be outraged and appalled. The MPS had written to the IPCC to say that it would offer any assistance to enable them to investigate the allegations fully. The Deputy Commissioner would want to see anyone guilty brought to book or innocent officers exonerated.

101. Recovery of policing costs for Heathrow and London City airports

(Agenda item 13)

The Authority considered a report by the Commissioner on negotiations with operators at these airports in relation to the reimbursement of policing costs. It was agreed, in view of the time, that this report and the linked exempt report, should be deferred to the next meeting to allow fuller consideration. However, as some decisions were required before the next meeting, it was

Resolved –

1. That detailed consideration of the report be deferred to the next meeting, including an update on progress in the intervening period;
2. That a joint MPS/MPA negotiating body be established to conduct future negotiations with Airport Operators at Heathrow and London City Airports. The MPA/MPS should ensure that it has or engages the necessary expertise to conduct these negotiations; and
3. That the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair of the Authority, respond on behalf of the MPA to the Association of Police Authorities.

102. MPA calendar of meetings 2006/07

(Agenda item 14)

The Authority considered a report by the Chief Executive proposing a calendar of meeting from April 2006 to June 2007.

Resolved –

That the calendar of meetings be agreed subject to:

• Deletion of the reference to the workforce modernisation group in relation to the Remuneration Sub-Committee
• The reversal of the order of the meetings where the Professional Standards & Complaints Committee has been scheduled at 12 noon and the Cases Sub-Committee at 2 p.m.
• Further consideration to the dates of the Co-ordination & Policing Committee meetings in May and June

103. MPA membership of outside bodies

(Agenda item 15)

The Authority considered a report by the Chief Executive reviewing membership of the Association of Police Authorities, the Association of London Government and the Local Government Association.

Resolved –

1. That the Authority continue in membership of these organisations; and
2. That membership be reviewed annually.

104. Exclusion of press and public

Resolved –

That the press and public be asked to leave the meeting during discussion of the remaining items of business because exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 9 of Schedule 12a to the Local Government Act 1972 is likely to be made known.

Summary of exempt items

105. Aviation policing costs

(Agenda item 16)

Item deferred to the next meeting of the Authority.

106. The murder of Daniel Morgan – update

(Agenda item 17)

The Authority considered and made decisions on a report by the Chief Executive providing an update on a report about the murder of Daniel Morgan.

The meeting ended at 1.25 p.m.

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