Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 24 September 2009 at Chamber, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA.

Present

Members

• Boris Johnson (Chair)
• Kit Malthouse (Vice Chair)
• Jennette Arnold
• Reshard Auladin
• John Biggs
• Faith Boardman
• Christopher Boothman
• Valerie Brasse
• Victoria Borwick
• Cindy Butts
• James Cleverly
• Dee Doocey
• Toby Harris
• Kirsten Hearn
• 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 (Acting Treasurer)
• Jane Harwood (Assistant Chief Executive)
• Nick Baker (Head of Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Sir Paul Stephenson (Commissioner)
• Tim Godwin (Deputy Commissioner)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
• Martin Tiplady (Director of Human Resources)

25. Apologies for absence and announcements

(Agenda item 1)

25.1 There were no apologies for absence.

25.2 The Chairman informed members that since the last meeting of the Authority Met Forward had been circulated across London and that the budget scrutiny process had begun. Elsewhere on the agenda a report detailed the timetable for the business plan.

25.3 He confirmed and was pleased to announce the appointments of Bob Atkins as the new MPA Treasurer and Julie Norgrove as the new MPA Director of Internal Audit. The Chairman also noted the retirement and service to the MPA of Peter Tickner, Director of Internal Audit.

25.4 The Chairman thanked the Commissioner and his officers and staff for the professional and peaceful policing of a number of recent events including the Notting Hill Carnival and the Climate Camp at Blackheath.

26.5 The Chairman reminded members that this week was London Week of Peace, which gave communities across London the opportunity to work together to express their commitment to challenge and reduce crime. He also thanked Christopher Boothman for presenting peace awards on behalf of the MPA.

26. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

26.1 No declarations were made.

27. Minutes: 23 July 2009 (Part 1)

(Agenda item 3)

27.1 Members considered the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 23 July 2009

Matters arising

London Gangs Tactics Board

27.2 Jennette Arnold asked if a date for a meeting had yet been set following the cancellation of the first meeting of the Board. She also asked if the membership of the Board included MPA representation. The Vice Chairman confirmed that a date had been agreed (November) and that an invitation had been extended to Jennette Arnold to attend.

Form 696

27.3 Jennette Arnold requested that the minute 18.27 of the July meeting of the Authority reflect that she had raised concerns relating to the use of this form.

Protocol for members on handling confidential information

27.4 Joanne McCartney asked when members would be able to consider this protocol. The Chief Executive confirmed that the Authority was hoping to work alongside the GLA in developing a protocol, but the GLA had not been in a position to initiate this work and therefore the MPA had started to develop its own. It had been reported to the Authority’s Standards Committee which met to initially discuss the protocol on 23 September 2009. Following initial work by the Standards Committee the protocol would be considered by the full Authority.

Resolved – That the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 23 July 2009 be agreed and signed as a correct record subject to the change outlined at para 27.3.

28. Commissioner's report

(Agenda item 4)

Performance issues

28.1 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 July and August 2009 with data for individual measures reflecting the 12-month period ending 31 July 2009.

28.2 The report set out the monthly figures which related to the critical performance areas and presented a number of headlines including: a 10.4% reduction (1,413) in violent crimes involving knives; confidence in local policing (the single overarching measure established by the Government) had risen by 2% to 49.3% in the first six month since the Home Office had set the baseline and an increase to 4,881 (as of the end of July) in the number of police community support officers.

28.3 The Commissioner highlighted a number of challenges for the MPS which included a slight increase in burglary and some worrying trends in gun crime.

28.4 The Commissioner outlined a number of initiatives to resolve the increase of burglary and these included the re-introduction of Operation Bumblebee, working with partners on the rehabilitation and release of previously convicted burglars to prevent reoffending, improving intelligence and forensics, targeting vehicle thieves and working to improve victim satisfaction. In response to members, the Commissioner agreed to provide members with cost details of Operation Bumblebee.

28.5 In concluding his report the Commissioner informed members of the successful policing of the Notting Hill Carnival. He requested that his thanks be recorded to Chris Boothman and his fellow event organisers, as well as to Commander Bob Broadhurst, Chief Superintendent Mick Johnson and fellow officers for the policing of this event. In turn Christopher Boothman emphasised the positive policing of Notting Hill Carnival and particularly thanked his colleagues on the Carnival Trust and Sergeant Trevor Jenner for their work and contributions.

28.6 The Commissioner also reported on the effective policing of the recent Climate Camp at Blackheath, particularly thanking Superintendent Julia Pendry and Chief Superintendent Ian Thomas. A number of members added their congratulations for this policing of this event.

Issues raised by members

Form 696

28.7 Jennette Arnold raised concerns relating to the continued use of Form 696. In addition to her belief that the form was overly bureaucratic, she was very concerned with the reference to ‘ethnic groups’. She also asked if the MPS had received any input from the Information Commissioner on requests to hold the information on forms for a six year period. Confirmation was also sought on when the consultation process was going to be extended through police consultative groups and IAGs.

28.8 In response, the Commissioner stated that there was a body of support for the use of Form 696 and informed members that reference on the form on the ethnic makeup of patrons was to be removed. He confirmed that the proposals for consultation with communities would continue as described and he would welcome continued dialogue on this matter. Some members felt that there was a question to be asked as to whether the appropriate licensing agency and not the MPS should be administrating the use of this form. The Commissioner thought that this suggestion could be further considered during the on-going discussions on this matter.

Demonstration outside a mosque in Harrow

28.9 Kirsten Hearn submitted a question relating to the policing of the demonstration by ‘Stop Islamisation of Europe’ outside a Harrow Central Mosque. In particular, she asked if an equality impact assessment had been undertaken and whether the local community been asked if they had felt safe during the demonstration. Members felt that the policing of this demonstration had been very positive and asked that the level of briefings to community leaders of Harrow be replicated across all boroughs. Members also raised issues relating to the demonstration including significant policing costs for a relatively small demonstration and the need for a long term plan for dealing with these types of highly provocative types of demonstrations. Members also raised concerns on the location of the demonstrations, which on this occasion had been next to a war memorial. The Commissioner confirmed that an impact assessment had been undertaken. He explained that demonstration was legitimate, but the MPS were examining whether any possible race hate crime offences might have been committed. The Deputy Commissioner added that feedback on the policing of the demonstration and that the partnership working prior, during and after the demonstration, had been very positive.

Protection of VIPs

28.10 Jenny Jones had submitted a question on the cost of protecting VIPs. The Commissioner felt that it was inappropriate to discuss this issue in a public meeting and agreed to do so with interested members in confidence. He agreed that there was a debate to be had about the reimbursement of costs.

Accommodation expenses

28.11 Following a recent media report on the costs of MPS hotel costs, Richard Tracey asked if the MPS were finding ways of reducing this cost. The Commissioner outlined the policy and process for booking accommodation and confirmed that most of the reported accommodation costs could be linked to CT and/or operational issues. However, the Commissioner acknowledged the need for the MPS to address cost issues and that he had instigated a review of policies relating to accommodation and travel. Arising from the discussion members suggested that as part of the forthcoming budget scrutiny workshop, it would be useful to have a case study on the impact on the budget of accommodation and use of transport. The Commissioner also agreed to circulate details of any savings made on accommodation to members.

Cancellation of demonstration

28.12 Jenny Jones had submitted a question seeking further information on the cancellation of a demonstration by Al Quds in Trafalgar Square. She also asked whether the MPS had advised insurance companies about potential liabilities. The Commissioner stated that the cancellation of the demonstration was a matter for the Mayor as he has responsibility for events in Trafalgar Square. He was not aware of any advice to insurance companies about this event but would check.

Sapphire Teams

28.13 Victoria Borwick had a number of questions around Sapphire teams; in particular what were the implications of moving teams to the Specialist Crime Directorate and whether victims would still be interviewed on borough. The Commissioner confirmed that decision to centralise the teams was right but would be kept under review. He believed that the centralisation of the teams would drive up standards and achieve a level of consistency. He also confirmed that victims would be interviewed on their own borough. He offered to provide members with a more detail response including how he anticipated centralisation would help prosecution rates.

Centralisation’

28.14 ‘ In the light of the centralisation of Sapphire teams, members asked if this was going to be developed to other areas of the MPS. The Commissioner stated that centralisation was not being developed as policy and that many matters would remain borough based or lead. He stressed that there was a need to ensure that the MPS was getting maximum benefit from an asset and ensuring that a high standard was maintained.

Rape

28.15 The Deputy Commissioner, in response to questions that had been submitted by Richard Tracey, confirmed that the MPS had received 2,939 allegations of rape during 2008/09. He added that 2,180 of those were classified and confirmed as rape offences within the Crime Reporting Information Systems. Richard Tracey also asked about those rapes reported to the MPS but not committed in the MPS area. The Deputy Commissioner explained that where a rape is reported within the MPS area but has that had taken place outside the MPS boundary the incident was initially recorded but then transferred to the appropriate police service.

Met Call

28.16 The Commissioner agreed to provide members with an analysis of data on reductions of preventable deaths as a result of moving to Met Call.

Other issues raised by members

Blair Peach

28.17 The Commissioner confirmed that the MPS were still reviewing the possibility of releasing the investigation report into the death of Mr Blair Peach. The Commissioner reiterated that he was committed to the release of the report, but it had to be undertaken following due process and in association with Mr Peach’s family.

Summary Justice

28.18 The Commissioner raised concerns over summary justice and the amount of diversion away from magistrate courts. He suggested that there was a need to make the summary justice system more dynamic, faster. He added that by speeding up court processes more people could be dealt with in court with magistrates giving the right sentence and reducing cautions and fixed penalty notices. As part of this process he reminded members that the MPS was piloting ‘virtual courts’, which were showing positive signs in speedier sentencing. Members were supportive of the comments on summary justice and the need for it to be reviewed.

Youth Survey

28.19 Members noted that the MPS were undertaking a youth survey which would give young people in London the opportunity to complete an on-line survey that would indicate to police what their fears and concerns were and how best to find long-term solutions to the issues that concern them most. Members asked the Commissioner how the survey was being disseminated to young people and he agreed to circulate details.

Stop and search of young people

28.20 Several members raised concerns relating to recent reports of young children (under 10) being stop and searched. The Commissioner provided members with details of two cases that had appeared in the media and he confirmed that one had been stopped in the presence of an adult. The second young person was stopped and search following a knifing incident. He added that there had to be occasions when young people would be stopped and searched if a crime had been committed. In doing so, he reiterated the importance of officers being properly trained and, as with any stop and search, it was being done in a professional manner.

Town centre patrols

28.21 Members noted the positive effect that town centre patrolling was having on crime figures. However, a request was made that this was put into some context in relation to crime figure for surrounding areas, particularly as there might have been some extraction of resources.

Joint tasking with local authorities

28.22 In response to members’ discussions around joint tasking with local authorities (such as marrying together a local community policing presence, with environmental enforcement and other local council activities) the Commissioner agreed that this type of work was important and that discussions were taking place with a number of partners developing this. At the request of members he agreed to circulate to members details of recent discussions on this matter.

CT prevent officers on borough

28.23 The Commissioner was asked if every borough still had a least one prevent engagement officer and he agreed to provide members with details

IPCC/Complaints

28.24 Members asked the Commissioner for a view on the IPCC report that indicated that the MPS had seen a significant rise in complaints recorded against it. The Commissioner suggested that this was a difficult situation to comment on as the increase could be caused by the public having more confidence in reporting. He also added that the IPCC had widened the remit for complaints and it now included complaints against police community support officers and that there was more access to the complaints system. The Commissioner also outlined the need for intrusive supervision which could help in the reduction of future complaints.

28.25 The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that monitoring of complaints took place through the Directorate of Professional Standards and the MPA’s Professional Standards Cases Sub-Committee and that trends and issues were scrutinised. He was concerned by the increase, but added that the MPS remained below the national average in terms of complaints per police officer.

28.26 Those issues that the Commissioner undertook to report back on to members have been circulated in the form of an addendum report and are appended to these minutes at Appendix 1.

Resolved – That the report be received.

29. Race and Faith Inquiry

(Agenda item 5)

29.1. The Chairman announced that he had been notified that the Race and Faith Inquiry (RFI) report would not be presented to the meeting and he had agreed that the Chair of the RFI Panel, Cindy Butts, should give an oral update and present the emerging findings of the inquiry.

29.2 Cindy Butts informed members that the RFI report deadline had been extended on two previous occasions, once to allow a number of organisations an opportunity to give evidence to the panel and once in order to produce a draft report of sufficient quality.

29.3 She added that the Panel acknowledged the unease which had arisen as a result of the report’s delay, but felt that an Inquiry of such complexity demanded a report of significant quality and depth. She felt that because so many people had committed a considerable amount of time and energy to the Inquiry and as there were such high expectations invested in publication of its findings, a partial report should not be issued merely to meet an artificial deadline.

29 .4 Members were also informed that the Panel remained committed to completing the task with which it had been entrusted and was united in a desire to secure the appropriate level of resources to produce a report which represented the importance of this task and to have a meaningful and lasting impact on the equality and diversity agenda within the MPS.

29.5 In conclusion, Cindy Butts presented members with some of the emerging findings of the Inquiry and highlighted two areas; first the lack of clear direction and vision in which the MPS is heading. On this point, she asked members to disregard media speculation. The Panel intended no personal slur against the Commissioner. The Panel felt that a new direction was needed and it was confident that the Commissioner and his senior management team want to see change. Secondly, she highlighted that the Panel had looked at the MPA and the emerging findings had highlighted that there was scope for improvement. A particular area of concern was that there was currently no senior officer with equalities and diversity expertise and therefore members lacked support in holding the MPS to account.

29.6 Members welcomed the emerging findings. The Panel encouraged the Chairman to afford the resources to deliver the report and its recommendations. Members were particularly keen to know when the final report would be presented and raised a number of other points which they hoped the final report would address. These included:

• Improving working relationships with the Black Police Association.
• That recommendations highlight the areas of the organisation into which BME staff have never been recruited/promoted/seconded.
• That the final report outline specific costs associated with its final recommendations.
• An assurance that the final recommendations will be monitored and implemented.
• That there is confidence in the rigour of evidence based information provided to the inquiry.

29.7 Members also suggested that the final report and recommendations needed to be resourced to allow an ‘independent eye’ ensure that the report had both rigour and that the evidence provided at the inquiry could stand up to proper examination.

Resolved – That the report be received.

30. Metropolitan Police Service 5Ps

(Agenda item 6)

30.1 Members received a report that set out the Commissioner’s direction of travel for the Metropolitan Police Service, outlining the five P strands - Presence, Performance, Productivity, Professionalism and Pride.

Resolved - That the report be received.

31. Budget and Business Plan 2010/13

(Agenda item 7)

31.1 As a part of the approach and timeline for delivering the Policing London Business Plan 20010/13, in line with the Mayor’s guidance, including MPA consultations, members considered a report that provided progress to date in priorities, performance indicators and resources implications through the interim budget submission 2010/13.

Resolved - That

1. members note the approach and timescale for delivering the Policing London Business Plan 2010-13 in line with the Mayor’s guidance: and
2. progress towards the Policing London Plan 2010-13, particularly priorities, performance indicators and resources implications as detailed in the interim budget submission 2010-13.

31. Scrutiny of crime and disorder matters – Under sections 19 and 20 of the Police and Justice Act 2006

(Agenda item 8)

31.1 A report was considered that informed members of the newly implemented statutory powers given to local authority members to scrutinise Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and ensure their accountability.

31.2 The report, which had been considered by the Communities, Equality and Peoples Committee, recommended an option that link members of the Authority be issued with a standing invitation to attend the relevant local CDRP scrutiny committee as an expert advisor.

31.3 In considering the options outlined in the report, members asked if there was an option for the Authority to be exempt. The Chief Executive stated that option 2 offered the greatest opportunity for flexibility for Authority members.

Resolved – That

1. the new power given to local authority councillors to review and scrutinise CDRPs and ensure their accountability be noted; and
2. members adopt the recommendation from the Community Equalities and People Committee, that Option 2 - that link members of the Authority be issued with a standing invitation to attend the relevant local authority CDRP Scrutiny Committee as an expert advisor – be approved.

32. THE MPA’S member role

(Agenda item 9)

32.1 Members received a report that sought approval to agree a new statement of the member role and responsibilities together with proposals for assisting members in that role through assessment and development.

Resolved - That

1. the statement of the member role, responsibilities and expectations set out in paragraph B2 of the report be agreed; and
2. an assessment and development process, as set out in paragraphs B3 and 4 of the report be agreed.

33. MPA restructuring

(Agenda item 10)

33.1 Following the introduction of Met Forward, which set out the vision for the Authority for the next three years, a report was received that provided members with the process for the finalising the restructuring proposals prior to notification to staff.

Resolved - That

1. members note the update on the MPA restructuring; and
2. the final proposals of the new structure be circulated to all members and subsequently endorsed by the Chairs of the MPA main committees and the Chair of the Human Resources and Remuneration Sub-Committee at the Business Management Group meeting on 25 September 2009, prior to a final decision by the MPA Chief Executive.

34. Amendments to standing orders

(Agenda item 11)

34.1 A report was considered that outlined a number of amendments to the Authority’s Standing Orders.

34.2 These included: amendments to the terms of reference of the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee, Corporate Governance Committee and HR and Remuneration Sub-Committee. It also proposed amendments to scheme of delegation, in relation to Professional Standards matters and amendments to the financial regulations, contract regulations and scheme of delegation which had also been considered by the Finance and Resources Committee.

34.3 Following discussion it was agreed that the statement of accounts should continue to be considered by the Corporate Governance Committee and approved by the full Authority and therefore members decided not to support the amendment to the Corporate Governance Committee terms of reference.

Resolved - That

1. the amendment to the terms of reference of the Strategic and Operational Committee and the HR and Remuneration Sub-Committee as outlined in section B paragraph 2 of the report be agreed;
2. the addition to the terms of reference of the full Authority and the four main committees (Communities, Equalities and Peoples, Finance and Resources, Corporate Governance and Strategic and Operational Policing Committees) as outlined in section B paragraph 3 of the report be approved;
3. the proposed amendment to terms of reference of the full Authority and Corporate Governance Committee as outlined in section B paragraphs 5-6 not be approved;
4. amendments to the financial regulations, contracts regulations and the scheme of delegation considered by the Finance and Resources Committee on 17 September 2009 be approved; and
5. section 4.18 of the scheme of delegation be amended as outlined in section B paragraph 10 of the report be agreed.

35. Reports from committees

(Agenda item 12)

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

• Corporate Governance Committee – 15 June 2009
• Finance and Resources Committee – 18 June 2009
• Strategic and Operational Policing Committee – 9 July 2009
• Communities, Equalities and People Committee – 16 July 2009
• Finance and Resources Committee – 30 July 2009

Resolved - That the report be received

36. Any other urgent business

(Agenda item 13)

36.1 There were no items.

The meeting closed at 12:20 p.m.

Addendum to the Commissioner’s report

Report by the Commissioner

Summary

This report follows up on the actions and commitments made verbally by the Commissioner at the Full Authority meeting on 24 September 2009.

A. Recommendation

That members note the content of the report.

B. Supporting information

1. The Commissioner committed to provide an update to Members on the following issues:

• MPS to replicate the level of briefing provided to community leaders of Harrow across all boroughs
• Consider the positioning of protests
• Provide a breakdown of last year's allegations not ultimately classified as rape
• Clarify if discussions took place between MPS and insurers on the cancellation of the Al Quds demonstration
• Confirm why the Safe Bus initiative started in July
• Explain what methods the MPS is using to access the young in its Youth Survey
• Do all BOCUs have their own Prevent Engagement Officers
• Provide analysis to show if town centre patrols have simply displaced crime to elsewhere in the borough
• Provide a briefing note, with examples, on joint working with Local Authorities and the sharing of good practice
• Provide an update on the centralisation of Sapphire teams
• Provide analysis of preventable deaths (pre and) post the introduction of MetCall
• Confirm the cost of Bumblebee
• Provide details of savings made on accommodation to be circulated to members
• Protection of VIPs - Commissioner to discuss with members
• Ensure consultation with members continues over form 696.

MPS to replicate the level of briefing provided to community leaders of Harrow across all boroughs

2. Communities Together Strategic Engagement Team is working closely with TP to ensure that appropriate messages and information is provided to key stakeholders and community contacts.

Consider the positioning of protests

3. Each demonstration has to be considered on a case by case basis and it is not possible to make a pre-determined decision about where protest can and cannot take place.

4. The Public Order Act 1986 deals with processions and static assemblies differently. There are few controls on static demonstrations. There is no obligation to notify police of an intention to hold a static assembly and there is no power to ban an assembly. Police can impose conditions as to the location of the assembly, the numbers participating and the duration of the assembly if certain criteria, as set out below, are met:

1. the demonstration may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community, or
2. the purpose of the persons organising it is the intimidation of others with a view to compelling them not to do an act they have a right to do, or to do an act they have a right not to do.

5. In coming to a conclusion about whether (a) or (b) are met, the police have to consider the anticipated or actual behaviour of those taking part in the protest. When deciding on a proportionate response to protest issues, police have to keep in mind case law which tells them that they are only able "to take steps to prevent lawful conduct if it gave rise to a reasonable apprehension that the lawful conduct would provoke unlawful violence which would not be entirely unreasonable." The case of Redmond-Bate v DPP [1999] goes on to say "Free speech was not confined to the inoffensive, but extended to the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and the provocative provided it did not tend to provoke violence." The MPS are keenly aware that imposing conditions which change the location of an assembly can frustrate the very purpose of the demonstration and the command team has to consider all options in a particular event to try and achieve a balance between the competing interests.

Provide a breakdown of last year's allegations not ultimately classified as rape

6. At Full Authority there was a discussion around the difference between allegations and those finally classified as a rape. The breakdown provided is from live data which changes every day as crimes are added or decisions around disposals are made. The information below represents the figures as of week commencing 5 October 2009.

7. Last year, 852 initial allegations were not ultimately classified as rape. Of these:

• 48% (405 cases) were because the victim provided police with a statement retracting the allegation.
• 35% (299) were cases where there was verifiable evidence that the crime didn't occur, e.g. witnesses, CCTV etc.
• The remaining crimes (148) are a combination of: duplicate offences, reports made via a third party where no victim came forward and errors in initial classifications.

8. There were also 134 cases that were transferred out of the MPS - but these figures are not part of the 852. The allegations were made in the MPS but were then transferred out to be investigated by the police force where the crime actually occurred.

Clarify if discussions took place between MPS and insurers on the cancellation of the Al Quds demonstration

9. The decision not to allow the Al Quds demonstration to use Trafalgar Square was taken by the GLA alone and the MPS were not involved in advising them.

Confirm why the Safe Bus initiative started in July

10. Phase one of Safe Bus was initiated at the end of July 2009 to address anti-social behaviour and crime at the end of the school summer term and continued at the beginning of September when pupils returned to school. This initiative was maintained during the holiday period, albeit with reduced resources, in order to provide a service proportionate to the demand.

11. Phase two will cover the Halloween and Guy Fawkes period (19 October until 14 November 2009) in conjunction with the TP crime reduction initiative 'Autumn Nights'.

12. Phase three will provide a similar tactical response to seasonal demands around the night time economy issues experienced in the build up to Christmas.

13. Each stage of Safe Bus is supported by the activities of local Safer Transport Teams and Transport Hub teams who in addition to preventative patrols also undertake longer-term problem solving within their defined area. Safe Bus is an intense period of operational activity that overlays and enhances the existing police presence and problem solving activities.

Explain what methods the MPS is using to access the young in its Youth Survey

14. Every secondary school head teacher was sent details outlining the rationale for the Youth Survey and requesting their support and participation in parallel with other parts of the ‘good citizen’ curriculum. This was augmented by Safer School Partnership and Safer Neighbourhood officers attending school assemblies, liaising with school teachers to incorporate the survey into lesson plans (e.g. allowing pupils 10 minutes at the start of Information Technology lessons to complete the survey).

15. The results will be fed back to the Borough Senior Management Team, analysts and Safer Neighbourhood Teams so that they may develop local plans to tackle the issues raised. Each school will be provided with their individual findings upon request.

16. To support the initiative we have developed a London-wide poster and leaflet campaign which is being delivered by local officers to schools, youth clubs and other locations where they feel it will have most effect.

17. In conjunction with an on-air marketing campaign, staff from Choice FM and XFM, will be meeting young people within selected Town Centres across London to promote and encourage them to complete the youth survey.

18. A number of schools have signed up to the SHARP website which is an MPS funded internet based website designed around safety within schools and includes a section on the youth survey.

19. Finally, each borough is required to promote the survey through existing local media links.

20. The survey target is to achieve 500 respondents from each borough with an overall target of 16,000 by 31st October. At the close of week three of the campaign we have already received 13,000 completed surveys. Once the survey closes a detailed borough report will be produced by week commencing 16th November 2009 for local analysis to be completed and action plans developed to feed into local policing plans and problem solving initiatives.

Do all BOCUs have their own Prevent Engagement Officers (PEO)

21. Dependant on the strategic needs of the borough, six BOCUs will not have a dedicated PEO post, fifteen BOCUs will have one dedicated PEO post, seven BOCUs two posts and four BOCUs three posts.

22. Supporting BOCU commanders and their teams from SO15 PEO assets is a PEO advisory and management structure of six sergeants, three Inspectors, three Chief inspectors and one Superintendent. Those BOCUs without dedicated PEOs will have direct access to a named officer and services of the support structure including the dedicated PEO co-ordinator.

23. The dedicated deployment plan for PEOs has been developed and agreed based upon a number of data sets including perceived risk within communities. There has been active review and consultation with TP, Office of Security & Counter Terrorism and sighted to GoL through the (Prevent) London Overview Meeting. The original deployment plan took a one size fits all approach. That approach was considered unanimously as a less productive and informed assessment upon which to deploy limited resources commensurate with the risk/threat.

24. In respect of risk/threat, there is no one definitive data set able to set out level of risk. Analysis has been made of data available, which includes census data, percentage of Muslims within communities and the level of extremist behaviour as identified through sensitive sources (origins HMIC/Security Service). Based upon that data and the first Counter Terrorism Local Profiles the deployment plan was re-aligned as described above. The deployment plan is subject to six monthly review with partners through the London Overview Meeting.

25. In developing this plan we have used past experience and learning from the deployment of CT Intelligence Officers and their cover and use, which is now well established. The PEOs will be working with local officers and SNTs, to assist and enable delivery.

Provide analysis to show if town centre patrols have simply displaced crime to elsewhere in the borough

26. Boroughs determine operational requirements in line with the National Intelligence Model and deploy resources according to strategic assessment of need. A comparison of the offences for April to August 2009 with the same period in 2008 demonstrates:

• Violence against the person (VAP) – no displacement - Town Centre increase 1.31%, MPS decrease –0.17%
• Theft & Handling – no displacement – Town Centre increase 6.64%, MPS increase 0.13%
• Criminal damage – no displacement – Town Centre decrease –6.26%, MPS decrease –3.82%
• Offensive Weapons - no displacement - Town Centre decrease -33.92%, MPS decrease 29.49%

27. These figures suggest (for VAP, theft and handling) that the increase in offending in town centres reflects the increased policing activity i.e. the offending is being contained and reported to town centre teams and does not appear to be displaced to other areas.

28. In town centres and across the MPS in general, criminal damage appears to be falling. Town centre locations are reporting a –6.26% decrease, with the MPS showing a decrease of –3.82%. Again, there doesn’t appear to be displacement of criminal damage overall.

29. In the category Possession of Offensive Weapons, the offence data for the MPS is very much static over the five month period, whereas offences within the town centre locations have varied each month perhaps as a result of the deterrent affect coupled with the proactive intervention of more patrolling officers. This would again suggest however that the variance within the town centre locations has not affected the offence rate across the rest of the MPS.

Provide a briefing note, with examples, on joint working with Local Authorities and the sharing of good practice

30. A briefing note will be provided to the MPA.

Provide an update on the centralisation of Sapphire teams

31. The centralisation of the Sapphire Command has not involved centralisation of operational delivery and there remain 18 operational teams located across London, each supporting either one or two Boroughs. Every Borough therefore has a specific Sapphire team to support them, located either on that Borough or on an adjoining Borough. Sapphire teams will continue to have access to all of the MPS's video interview suites and will make arrangements to interview victims at the most appropriate location and time for that individual, be that near their home, work, place of reporting or another agreed location. The Borough where the victim lives will continue to provide victims with access to wider support services.

32. The Sapphire Command will report on overall performance to the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee. Reports on changes to date have been provided to this Committee's meetings in May and October 2009. The Command will also report to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Board (DSVB) on services delivered within specific Boroughs in support of the current work plan of the DSVB. A verbal update was provided to this Board on 6th October 2009. The MPS acknowledges the importance of monitoring the impact of centralisation to demonstrate improvement (e.g. on prosecution rates) and will report back through the above fora.

33. All BOCU Commanders have been provided with information about the changes in responsibility for the investigation of serious sexual offences and the creation of the Sapphire Command and they have been asked to share this with their local crime and disorder reduction partners and local media. Each Sapphire team will co-ordinate a local sexual offences forum to engage with local partners, support services and community groups, to tailor services delivered to the needs of local communities wherever possible. A new Reference Group and network of community contacts is also being developed to support the Command centrally.

34. The existing rape victim survey has been revised and its use extended to all victims whose crimes are investigated by the Sapphire Command. It is hoped that this survey can soon be available in an electronic format. It is expected that the volume and relevance of feedback received will improve.

Provide analysis of preventable deaths (pre and) post the introduction of MetCall

35. The MPS is in discussion with the member who raised this issue and are involved in a dialogue about the detail required. This will take some time and we will ensure that the final outcome is provided as a briefing note to all members.

Confirm the cost of Bumblebee

36. The estimated cost of Bumblebee has been confirmed at £2.1m.

Provide details of savings made on accommodation to be circulated to members

37. A briefing note will be provided to members shortly.

Protection of VIPs - Commissioner to discuss with members

38. Arrangements are in hand to provide a briefing to members in due course.

Ensure consultation with members continues over form 696

39. Dialogue continues with MPA members who are being invited to individual visits to CO14 to see how the form is used and the information managed and further reports will go to Community Equalities and People Committee in the future.

C. Race and Equality Impact

There are no specific race and equality implications arising directly from this addendum report.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications arising directly from this addendum report.

Report author: Brett Dalby, Strategic Relationships, MPS

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