Response to Mayoral priority on bus crime and anti-social behaviour

Report: Additional item
Date: 29 May 2008
By: Chief Executive

Summary

This report sets out details of Operation Tyrol a response to the Mayor’s announcements to provide additional resources to enhance policing on the Transport System. This follows on from briefings that have recently been provided to MPA members..

A. Recommendation

That 

1. the content of this report on this new initiative be noted; and
2. members support the further development of the initiative and the financial arrangements, which will underpin it.

B. Supporting information

1. The Metropolitan Police Service recognises the opportunity the Mayor’s announcement of additional resources for policing the bus system will bring us to assist provide greater focus on crime, disorder and public reassurance. Operation Tyrol is an immediate and visible response to the Mayoral priority and a process to develop sustainable and properly funded improvements. The Operation has four objectives:

1. Implement an immediate operational plan at three development sites to develop the concepts; and impact on crime and disorder.
2. To establish evidence based approach to enhance the current approach to anti-social behaviour, crime and reassurance on the bus network.
3. To develop an implementation and change plan to introduce this across London.
4. To work with the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), Greater London Authority (GLA), The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to establish an effective and properly resourced policing infrastructure to respond to crime and disorder on the bus network.

2. This report seeks to inform and obtain Metropolitan Police Authority support for Operation Tyrol and to formally approve the drawing up of service delivery agreements with TfL.

Current arrangements

To achieve this position and to respond to the new Mayoral priority the MPS has developed a proposal for how policing on the buses could be improved with additional investment. Policing on the buses is currently delivered through three streams of activity:

Transport OCU within Central Operations.

4. They deliver a range of policing responses in partnership with TfL which range from policing disorder and crime on the buses, to dealing with Taxi and minicab enforcement and keeping the transport system running. Historically these resources have focused on routes and are being realigned to a more geographic [Borough] approach. This is fully funded by TfL.

Safer Transport Teams within Territorial Policing.

5. These teams deliver a neighbourhood policing style response to the other 21 Boroughs. Working in partnership with TfL they have developed a reassurance and problem solving methodology to bus route policing. They are funded through a partnership arrangement between the MPS and TfL. Whilst effective, the learning from these teams is a different mix comprising supervisors; PCs and PCSOs could further improve performance.

Generic policing services provided by the MPS.

6. Crime and disorder that happens on buses or at bus premises is responded to by Borough based units, which, where appropriate, are supported by all parts of the MPS.

7. This approach, and the various partnerships with TfL, BTP and local CDRPs, has been effective in making significant reductions in crime on the routes (13% in 07/08 compared with 06/07). However, our analysis has already indicated the need to change both our structural and operational approach. Analysis of the crime and disorder data held by both TfL and the MPS has indicated that there are significant hotspots at major transport hubs. The MPS’ understanding of reassurance policing suggests that in addition to maintaining (and improving) our current approach, the MPS need to significantly impact on this if we are to reduce peoples’ fear of crime and experiences of anti-social behaviour. The MPS therefore see this new funding as a significant opportunity to enhance our current response and believe that through Operation Tyrol we can develop the concept into a new more effective approach.

New Approach

8. The new approach will introduce new teams at bus hubs. These teams will develop an approach to provide greater confidence in the security of the bus network system. In effect this will create an environment at hub locations where disorder is not tolerated. This will be supported by the Safer Transport Team who will work on routes through the hub, the Safer Neighbourhoods Team, which will work on the journeys to the hub, and the Safer Schools Partnership, which will work with young people who use the transport system. Once the change has been established and sustained at the transport hub this will set the expectations for travel on routes that go through it.

9. To achieve this the MPS must look at the composite of staff within the Safer Transport Teams to ensure that teams are operating effectively to provide fast and effective responses to crime and to provide visible reassurance and engagement to the public. It is anticipated that the final model will therefore comprise of 32 new hub teams working in an integrated way with 21 enhanced Safer Transport Teams and 11 realigned Transport Operational Command Unit teams. The growth will be mainly in Police Community Safety Officer (PCSO) posts but will also include Inspectors, Sergeants and Constables. Most significantly is the support that these new teams will receive from an increase in Special Constables (MSC) to provide additional resilience and officers into the evenings when police powers become more relevant. However, the purpose of Operation Tyrol is to develop the detail and evidence of the most appropriate deployment of this new resource.

10. The MPS therefore believe that the most effective model for reassurance policing on buses is in units of 1 Sergeant, 1 Constable and 7 PCSOs. This will require the current Safer Transport Teams to each be enhanced by 1 Sergeant, 2 PCs and 3 PCSOs. In addition we believe the combined hub and Safer Transport Teams will require an Inspector to lead and integrate the teams. The hubs will also be supported by an additional 50 MSC officers (allowing for 4 to be deployed each evening). Anticipated growth would therefore be:

Delivery plan

11. Analysis of data has shown three areas where development of this approach will fit directly into other organisational priorities. These are West Croydon (ZD), Wood Green and Turn Pike Lane (YR) and Canning Town (KF). Operation Tyrol will have three phases

• May 2008 to September 2008. During this stage we will work within existing resources to develop the concept at the three development sites. From 15 May 2008 the MPS will introduce teams of an Inspector, Sergeant and on a daily basis 6-8 officers working predominantly afternoon and evenings Mondays to Saturdays. This will provide an immediate change and create the time to recruit and train the new teams.
• September 2008 to December 2008. During this stage there will be a run three formal pilots at the development sites. They will have fully established teams covering from morning till late evening 6 days a week. This will enable us to learn from the pilots to establish the most effective approach to use during implementation. During this time we will also implement a major programme of recruitment and training.
• January 2009 to June 2009. Having learnt the lessons from the pilot we will then roll out the most effective structure at the rate of 6 teams a month. This will be into temporary accommodation whilst appropriate premises are procured and fitted.

Current Position

12. Operation Tyrol was formerly launched by the Mayor Boris Johnson, Commissioner for transport Peter Hendy and the Commissioner on Friday the 16 May 2008 at West Croydon Bus Station.

13. Since the evening of the 15 May officers have been deployed from a range of business groups both through Operation Sphere and our own employer supported program Special Constables to support a core of a sergeant and four PCSOs, which have been redeployed internally from Safer Transport Teams. These officers have worked with officers from the Transport OCU, British Transport Police and TfL revenue protection officers to create the interim teams. Recruiting of the teams for the pilots sites has commenced and it is the intention that these teams will be replaced with the proper teams within 12 weeks.

14. Introduction of the teams and day-to-day deployment is being managed through a gold group chaired by Commander Jarman and including MPA officers. This group is able to monitor on-going activity, ensure adequate resources are available and review the quality of the work being carried out. The Silver Commander, Superintendent Alan Horton, is the head of the MSC Operational Command Unit and he has been full time deployed on this initiative to ensure direction during the early stages. However local operational decisions are being made within borough processes.

15. The data below represents six days of operation, which is equivalent to a normal week of work. On the chart below is the aggregate of tours of duty and hours worked by the people involved. The dedicated sergeant and PCSOs have come from redeployment of Borough staff from their Safer Transport Teams.

16. Activity for the first week resulted in 29 arrests [including offensive weapon, criminal damage, theft, possession of class A drugs and other offences], 4 PCSO detentions, 30 penalty notices for disorder, 42 seizures of alcohol, over 70 searches and 500 stop and accounts. Revenue protection officers from TfL have spoken to over 2000 people with over 50 people reported for offences and another 50 issued with penalty notices. The emerging picture is one of a high degree of enforcement as the teams of officers create a new standard of behaviour. In addition to this activity the teams have also started the engagement activity, which we know will lead to longer term problem solving. 14 Street briefings explaining what we are doing and getting direct feedback and involving 145 members of the public, 3 surgeries engaging another 30 and 3 leaflet campaigns delivering 164 leaflets have been carried out. To assist this engagement work the local teams are working with the bus drivers to better understand the issues on the routes passing through the hubs.

17. The overwhelming feedback in these early days has been positive with TfL staff indicating a dramatic improvement in behaviour by young people. The MPS are working with TfL to quantify the levels of criminality and disorder within the hubs and to create a meaningful performance framework. We are still defining the exact parameter of the hub to quantify impact both locally and on the routes that pass through. This work will be completed by the time the newly recruited teams are in place and it has always been our intention to trial a number of approaches during this early phase before we move to very formal evaluation of effectiveness.

Conclusion

18. Of the four objectives for operation Tyrol objective A is well developed; the evidence will be built as we move through this phase and into the 3 formal pilots and plans are in being developed to achieve the overall implementation objectives. A formal change program is being developed and will replace the current gold group arrangements in due course.

19. There are significant challenges in this new approach. It is dependent upon considerable recruitment, development and equipping of staff over a relatively short timescale; and the provision of new accommodation for them. Whilst the police officer deployments can be catered for within our current deployment plan, this will change the mix of supervisors and managers and will require the recruitment of an additional 287 PCSOs and 1200 Special constables.

C. Race and equality impact

There are considerable opportunities for enhancing community and race relations through this approach. The MPS know for instance that young people have particular fear of crime when travelling home from school and our ability to intervene and reduce this fear will benefit them. It is intended that a full equalities impact assessment will be developed by Operation Tyrol to establish how this approach can best enhance community relations. The mix of PCSOs and Specials show these are excellent routes for recruiting a more representative [both in terms of Black and Minority Ethnic Communities and Gender] workforce.

D. Financial implications

1. The financial implications of the proposals outlined in this report are set out below:

Notes:

1. All costs are at 2008/09 prices and will be adjusted as pay awards are settled. Any agreement with TfL will reflect appropriate pay and price increases.
2. Existing TfL funding for STTs is expected to continue at current level.
3. Costs and funding exclude the existing arrangements for TOCU, which total £68.24m a year, which are expected to continue.
4. Costs assume that posts vacated to support this initiative are back-filled as soon as is practical.
5. The initiative will be supported by 1,600 Special Constables of which 400 already exist. The analysis, therefore, covers the recruitment and uniform costs of 1,200 additional specials.

2. These provisional costs and funding sources are based on the information currently available and may change as the initiative is developed and having regard to the experience of the pilots. The funding proposals are dependent on:

1. TfL entering an agreement with the MPA for the delivery of this service and providing additional resources of up to £18.9m a year (i.e. in addition to existing support for STT of £10.1m and TOCU of £68.24m). Funding, under these agreements, is matched to actual expenditure incurred.
2. MPA/MPS resources being reallocated to support this initiative on a permanent basis.

3. In a full year the MPA/MPS has identified the following resources to support this initiative:

1. NI Employers Contribution (£5m)
   In finalising the 2008-11 Policing Plan and Budget the Authority set aside this saving for Youth and Violent Crime initiatives in the current year. It would, however, be available from 2009/10 to support this proposal.
2. Operation Reclaim
   In April 2008 the Authority agreed to the rollout of the power of seizure to all TP officers in respect of vehicles being driven without insurance cover. This operation is expected to generate additional net income of £3.2m in a full year basis on 50,000 seizures.

4. In progressing Operation Tyrol on the funding basis proposed the Authority need to be mindful that it will adversely affect the Service’s flexibility to reduce its budget requirement in line with the guidance provided by the GLA in developing the 2008-11 Policing Plan and Budget. That guidance indicated the MPA/MPS would, based on an annual 2.25% increase in the budget, be required to identify savings of at least £40.5m in 2009/10 and rising to £64.1m in 2010/11.

5. These proposals will also need to be supported by a permanent accommodation solution. Given the size of the proposed operation it could take several years to get the permanent accommodation arrangements in place and could cost some £30m (capital) to deliver with related ongoing revenue costs. Provisional estimates of accommodation costs have been built into the analysis. However options for dealing with this issue will be developed with TfL and GLA during the remainder of this year and the resultant financial implications will be built into future reports for consideration by the Authority. In particular, the MPS will work with TfL to identify TfL accommodation, which could be used for this initiative. Some of the TfL contribution may, therefore, be in kind support by way of free accommodation.

6. The Authority currently has agreements with TfL in respect of the services provided through TOCU and STT. Officers are exploring the possibility of extending one of these agreements to cover the delivery of Operation Tyrol subject to the Authority’s agreement.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Commander Rod Jarman

For more information contact:

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

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