Minutes

Minutes of the Annual Meeting and ordinary meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 25 June 2009 at Chamber, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA.

Present

Members

• Boris Johnson (Chairman)
• Kit Malthouse (Vice Chairman)
• Jennette Arnold
• Reshard Auladin
• John Biggs
• Faith Boardman
• Christopher Boothman
• Valerie Brasse
• Cindy Butts
• James Cleverly
• Dee Doocey
• Toby Harris
• Neil Johnson
• Jenny Jones
• Clive Lawton
• Joanne McCartney
• Steve O’Connell
• Caroline Pidgeon
• Deborah Regal
• Graham Speed
• Richard Tracey

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Annabel Adams (Deputy Treasurer)
• Jane Harwood (Assistant Chief Executive)
• Nick Baker (Head of Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Sir Paul Stephenson (Commissioner)
• Tim Godwin (Temporary Deputy Commissioner)
• Chris Allison (Assistant Commissioner- item 10 only)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)

Part 1 (Annual Meeting)

1. Apologies for absence and announcements

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Victoria Borwick and Kirsten Hearn.

2. Declaration of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations were made.

3. Committee appointments and member attendance

(Agenda items 3a & b)

(Agenda item 3a – Members attendances during 2008/09)

3.1 Members received a report that provided them with a record of attendances at MPA bodies to which they were appointed during the year since the last annual meeting in June 2008.

3.2 Members noted that the record of attendances in some cases reflected that some members had not been appointed to the Authority until October 2008 and that the record did not cover such meetings as formal bodies that did not have a fixed membership, members’ briefings or informal member level groups. Nor did the record take account of other member commitments such as their link borough role or to the Authority’s scrutiny investigations.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

(Agenda item 3b - Appointments)

3.3 A report was received asking members to make a number of appointments including: positions of chairmen and vice chairmen of committees; membership of committees; borough link member positions; representation on outside bodies; and approval of co-opted membership.

3.4 Members noted the appointments of Boris Johnson as Chairman of the Authority and Kit Malthouse as Vice Chairman of the Authority.

3.5 In relation to all other appointments the Chief Executive proposed that, as the committee structure had not yet been in place for a full year and would be reviewed in October 2009, all existing appointments remain unchanged until then.

Resolved - That

1. the appointment of Boris Johnson as Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and Kit Malthouse as Vice Chairman of the Authority be noted;
2. the appointments of chairmen and vice chairmen of committees; membership of committees; the appointments of MPA representatives on outside bodies and other fora and existing borough link positions be reconfirmed until the full Authority meeting in October 2009; and
3. co-opted membership of the Corporate Governance Committee and the Community Engagement and Citizen Sub-Committee be agreed as outlined in the report.

4. MPA Standing Orders

(Agenda item 4)

4.1 A report was presented that asked members reconfirm the Authority’s Standing Orders. A number of minor amendments had been made during the year and in particular members were asked to agree a revision to the MPA Urgency Procedure (Part A – Section 6.1)

Resolved – That the Authority agree the Authority’s Standing Orders, including the revised MPA Urgency Procedure (Part A – Section 6.1).

Part 1 (Ordinary meeting)

5. Minutes

(Agenda item 1)

5.1 Members considered the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 28 May 2009.

5.2 It was agreed that paragraph 116 – Commissioner’s report be reworded as follows:

116 ‘In relation to licensing form 696, Christopher Boothman added that he felt that there was still a debate to be had about this form. He stated that there is an unprecedented degree of hostility and condemnation about the use of this form and it is not just a select committee, but people throughout the music industry, promoters, event owners and premises owners. He added that there remained a challenge around music events in London and those challenges needed to be met, including the responsibility of promoters and event owners to enhance their scrutiny arrangements and conduct adequate risk assessments, however he felt that there are assertions that are made about the use of this form that need to be tested. In particular, the assertions that the form is non-discriminatory needed to be looked at, as some people in the community, as well as the music industry, believe the form is targeted at black music and events that black people attend. He felt that there also remained an issue of the form being voluntary or not and privacy and proportionately issues. On the later point, he added that there was a concern that people who complete the form and have committed no criminal act can be expected to provide personal details which are retained on a police data base for up to six years. In conclusion, he asked that the assertion that there was an 11% reduction in crime at events be tested and for further details on who was undertaking the review of the licensing form and when would it be concluded.’.

5.3 Members agreed to amend the resolution to minute 121 (1) Civil Liberties Panel as follows:

(1) the terms of reference be endorsed, subject to the amendments proposed and agreed at the meeting.

Resolved – That, subject to the amendments above, the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 28 May 2009 be agreed and signed as correct record.

6. Reports from the Chairman and Vice Chairman

(Agenda item 2)

6.1 The Chairman and members extended their congratulations to Jennette Arnold and Reshard Auladin on the award of an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

6.2 The Chairman confirmed that an MPA selection panel had interviewed four candidates for the post of Deputy Commissioner last week and the final stage of the process, an interview with the new Home Secretary, the Commissioner and Mayor, should happen the following week.

6.3 He added that there had been four Joint Engagement Meetings over the previous month (in Bromley, Brent, Camden and Harrow) and that the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board, chaired by Cindy Butts, had met. The Board took evidence from Richmond and Greenwich borough and he was pleased to hear that Richmond BOCU has the highest domestic violence arrest rate across London and Greenwich has made notable improvements over the past year.

6.4 The Chairman reported that the MPS had launched the MPS Heritage Collection Centre at Empress State Building. He added that while this was a small, but fascinating, collection, he hoped it is the first step towards creating a world class 'blue light' museum in the capital.

6.5 The Vice Chairman stated that on 13 June 2009 he had attended the anniversary celebrations of the Volunteer Police Cadets and that 1,400 cadets aged between 14 and 21 had marched from Wellington Barracks to Horse Guards Parade. The event showcased the young people of London who give up their time and energy with commitment and a real sense of duty to others.

6.6 Finally, the Chairman added that he had attended the funeral of PC Gary Toms with the Chief Executive and took the opportunity once again to thank the brave men and women of CO19 for the outstanding job they did day in day out on behalf of all of those living and working in London.

7. Motion received byu the Chief Executive

(Agenda item 3)

7.1 The Chief Executive stated that she had received the following motion from Jenny Jones, in accordance with Standing Orders 5.7:

‘This Authority calls on the Metropolitan Police Service to publish immediately the full report by former Commander Cass into the death of Blair Peach’.

7.2 In presenting the motion, Jenny Jones stated that as this case was now over 30 years old the report should be released as legal professional privileged should no longer apply. She added that as similar reports had been released a precedent had been set. Following discussion, she had accepted that the MPS had to ensure fairness to all and that the MPS had to assess the report from a legal perspective and that the report once released may include some minor redactions. She therefore proposed a slight amendment to the motion as follows;

‘This Authority calls on the Metropolitan Police Service to publish before the end of 2009 the full report by former Commander Cass into the death of Blair Peach’

7.3 The motion was seconded by Joanne McCartney. . She added that the request for the release of the report was supported by the family of Mr Peach and by former Commander Cass. She felt that failure to release the report could have reputational implications for the MPS.

7.4 The Commissioner confirmed that the MPS wanted to publish the report and, that as previously stated, the MPS were currently checking for any legal issues that might arise from its publication. He added that the amendment to the motion allowed the MPS to undertake this check properly. If it proved possible to release the report earlier, this would be done.

7.5 Members also suggested that following the legal review the report should be shared with Mr Peach’s family prior to public release.

Resolved – That the amended motion be agreed.

8. Commissioner's report

(Agenda item 4)

Performance issues

8.1 The Commissioner presented a report summarising the progress of the MPS against the objectives in the Policing London 2009-2012 Business Plan. The report covered April 2009 and May 2009 with data for individual measures reflecting the 12-month period ending 30 April 2009.

8.2 The Commissioner highlighted a number of areas where performance had improved, including youth violence. In relation to combating youth violence he confirmed that Operation Blunt, which was now a year old, would continue and in doing so the MPS would continue to work with and seek the community’s support for this operation.

8.3. The Commissioner also highlighted a number of areas of concern and these include: burglary (it was noted that the MPS were planning to re-introduce Operation Bumble Bee) and business crime.

8.4 He added that the MPS continued to enhance single officer patrolling and was developing extra patrolling of town centres. The Commissioner confirmed that he advocated single patrolling, but that it had to be subject to operational factors and needs determined at borough level.

8.5 Members asked the Commissioner about the gap in satisfaction levels between black/minority ethnic and white people and what initiatives were being considered to improve this issue. Members also expressed disappointment that the report indicated yet more reference to new recording practices.

8.6 The Commissioner agreed that there was a need to understand the challenges around the disparity in the satisfaction levels. He explained these challenges included the following elements:

• The crime area contributing most to the ‘satisfaction gap’ was burglary and the MPS were focussing attention in this area accordingly.
• There is a disproportionate number of burglary victims from the BME community
• In particular, there was a difference in satisfaction over times of attendance between white and BME victims and there was a need to better understand expectations.
• Younger people are more likely to be dissatisfied with police and BME victims of burglary tend to be younger.

8.7 He therefore indicated that improvements to the satisfaction gap would need to address matters such age as well as ethnicity issues. Members welcomed this assessment and whilst acknowledging that it could at times be impracticable to provide a lot of specific details relating to disparity in satisfaction levels it was hoped that future reports would build in this level of detail in order build on public confidence and understanding around the complexities of this issue.

8.8 Turning to recording issues, the Commissioner supported members’ disappointment on the constant changes to the way recording practices change and agreed that this leads to confusion and can be undermining.

Issues raised by members

8.9 In response to members’ concerns about a number of serious allegations relating to policing in Enfield, the Commissioner stated that the MPS were taking the allegations seriously and whilst no pre-judgements should be made, a number of early lessons learnt had already been implemented.

Youth violence/rape

8.10. It was noted that the Mayor’s ‘Time for Action’ report on youth violence would be launched in early July and members asked if there was scope for this to be considered by the Authority to ensure a consistent approach. The Chairman agreed that the Authority should receive this report.

8.11 Arising from the discussion, members asked if the MPS could provide details on the impact of events such the G20 and recent Tamil protests in Parliament Square on the capacity to deal with youth crime. Additionally, members asked for more information about youth crime/gangs and rape, particularly following a recent television programme ‘Rape in the City’ and the apparent increase in this crime.

8.12 The Commissioner confirmed that the MPS were continuing to work on combating youth violence. He agreed to report back to the Authority on this matter and added that the issue of gang rapes needed to be looked at as this cut across both rape and youth/gang crime. He added that following the pilot scheme to review the use of stop and search under Section 44, analysis had shown a percentage reduction in the number of stop and searches. He confirmed that this power needed to be used wisely and that the pilot would now be rolled out across boroughs.

8.13 The Temporary Deputy Commissioner added that in response to members’ concerns following a rape case in south west London, the MPS would be working closely with the community to build confidence. He suggested that a future report to the Authority on rape should outline new initiatives the MPS were undertaking to tackle this crime and agreed with members that there was a need to review whether increases in the number of rapes reported to the police were solely the result of increased confidence in reporting.

8.14 The Vice Chairman also agreed to discuss outside the meeting appropriate member involvement in the London Gangs Tactics Board.

Sanction detection rate for drugs and changing trends

8.15 Members welcomed the improved sanction detection rate for trafficking of class A drugs. In doing so members sought further details about changing trends. The Commissioner confirmed that there was a shift in drug trends and that the MPS were monitoring this situation closely. He agreed to report further details to the Authority.

Crime on buses

8.16 Members noted the 18% crime reduction around buses, but raised concerns about a possible increase in sexual offences on buses. The Commissioner acknowledged that there was a small increase in offences around buses and suggested that this could be due to the night time economy. He would provide members with details.

Policing and Crime Bill

8.17 Following a proposed amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill by Lord Imbert, which would give the Commissioner and not the Authority powers to select and appoint senior police officers, members sought the views of the Commissioner on the proposed amendment.

8.18 The Commissioner commented that his views had been openly expressed, for instance during his own recruitment process. He considered that there was an imbalance in process in which the Commissioner was not able to select his senior management team, although he recognised that the Authority should have a continuing part to play in the process. He added that he had concerns relating to the disciplinary process where the Commissioner had no authority to deal with the actions of senior officers.

8.19 Members were disappointed that the amendment to the Bill had been very late and had lacked the views of the Authority, which could have led to unnecessary tensions between Authority and the MPS. The Chairman agreed with members that the Authority should at the earliest opportunity receive a report on the Bill which would allow for a fuller debate.

Environmental issues

8.20 Members welcomed the news that the MPS Transport Services and Environmental team are leading on a feasibility study of the GLA vehicle fleet and the potential for utilising electric vehicles as part of the GLA Cleaner Transport Forum. They also welcomed the progress being made on the implementation of a climate change action plan and congratulated the MPS Head of Environment and Sustainability on being awarded the Environment Manger of the Year Award at the national Energy and Environment Awards.

Resolved – That the report be received.

9. MPA/MPS Policing London Annual report 2008/9

(Agenda item 5)

A copy of the MPA/MPS Policing London Annual report 2008/09 was tabled. It was noted that the MPA had yet to complete its part of the report and it was proposed to defer the report until the July meeting of the Authority.

Resolved - That consideration of the report be deferred to the July meeting of the Authority.

10. MPA accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009

(Agenda item 6)

10.1 The Authority was presented with the draft set of accounts for 2008-09. The accompanying report identified key features of the accounts and outlined the structure of the statement.

10.2 In receiving the draft statement of accounts it was noted that they had been scrutinised by Corporate Governance Committee at its meeting on 15 June 2009.

Resolved - That

1. the MPA annual accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009 be agreed and submitted to the Authority’s external auditor for approval; and
2. the Treasurer be given delegated authority to make any minor amendments necessary to the draft accounts prior to finalisation of the audit.

11. Reports from committees

(Agenda item 7)

The Authority received a report outlining key issues that had been considered at recent Authority Committee meetings. The report covered the following meetings:

• Communities, Equalities and People Committee – 21 May 2009
• Strategic and Operational Policing Committee – 4 June 2009

Resolved - That the reports from committees be received.

12. Any other urgent business

(Agenda item 8)

There were no items.

13. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 9)

A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during remaining items on the agenda as they were likely to disclose exempt information as described in Schedule 12(a) of the Local Government Act 1972, paragraph 3 and 7.

Resolved - That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the remaining item (10) on the agenda

Summary of exempt item

14. Opportunity costs in relation to policing the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games

(Agenda item 10)

A report was received that provided details of anticipated opportunity costs in relation to policing the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The meeting closed at 13.00 p.m.

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