Commissioner’s report

Report: 5
Date: 25 March 2010
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report summarises the progress of the Metropolitan Police Service against the objectives featured in the Policing London 2009 – 12 Business Plan.

This report covers initiatives and activities that occurred in January and February 2010. Unless otherwise stated, the data and the indicators in the tables reflect the financial year to date (FYTD) for the period April to January in 2009/10. It is intended to highlight progress against corporate targets and identifies key operational activities that deliver a safer city for all London’s communities.

A. Recommendations

That the report be received.

B. Supporting information

1. This report provides updates on performance against the corporate objectives featured in the Policing London Business Plan. For each objective we summarise progress and report on key initiatives. For ease of reference a summary table giving an overview of performance is attached at Appendix 1 with a green (G), amber (A), red (R) assessment against the Critical Performance Areas (CPAs) under each objective.

OBJECTIVE: Make our services more accessible and improve people’s experience of their contact with us, especially victims and witnesses.

Progress Summary - quarterly data

• Due to the quarterly reporting of this data - the performance shown above is the same as was provided last month and hence the commentary provided is very similar.
• The 51.2% for confidence in the police and local council dealing with local issues is almost hitting the MPS target for 2009/10. It is the third successive rise and as such an encouraging sign that the MPS is on course to meet its Home Office target of a 55.4% rate by March 2011.
• User satisfaction (victims of violent crime, burglary, vehicle crime and road accidents) with the service provided by the police stands at 77.8% for the FYTD missing the 80% target. However the 79.1% satisfaction rate for quarter 3 (Oct -Dec ’09) is the best quarterly performance for over 3 years.
• The gap for the satisfaction of white and BME victim is unlikely to hit the 3.8% pts target. A report on this topic went to SOP Committee in March and was well received by Members in anticipation of further research into the underlying causes behind the gap.
• The percentage of people who think that the police would treat them with respect is derived from the MPS’s survey of the public in London (PAS). Performance has been at a similar level for the last 3 quarters at 77-78%.

Recent Operations/initiatives

2. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIC/P) carried out an unannounced joint inspection of Hackney's Custody Suites in early January, which resulted in an overall rating of 'Good & Positive'. HMIC/P were very impressed with the leadership and management of the custody facilities and noted the advantages of having a dedicated management team. All suites were considered to be safe environments and the inspectors reported that a good professional service was being delivered. The inspectors particularly noted that a member of staff is dedicated to dealing with people with mental health issues, acting as a link between the BOCU and the Primary Care Trust.

3. The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Sapphire Unit at Kilburn Police Station in February. She was given a tour of the facilities’ and had an informal chat with SCD2 staff and praised their work.

4. The Ealing Broadway Town Centre Team, made up of seven Special Constables, is now working alongside police officers from the local Safer Neighbourhoods team, providing an increased police presence to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the city centre and two shopping malls.

OBJECTIVE: Make our neighbourhoods safer through local and city-wide problem solving and partnership working to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and road casualties

Progress Summary

• The decrease in serious acquisitive crime (SAQ) for the FYTD at 4.5% / 7,481 offences is on track to meet the 2009/10 reduction target. A drop of just over 10% (9,407 offences/ 10.3%) in motor vehicle crime has made a key contribution to this.
• Residential burglaries are up by 3.8% FYTD but operations such as Bumblebee have had a significant impact and led to a reduction since Christmas.
• Robbery is showing a very small rise of 0.3%/ 87 offences FYTD compared to last year, however this should be placed in the context of figures for the past five years which have shown a year on year decline. We remain confident that the overall downward trend will continue.
• We continue to work with our partners to improve the safety of London’s roads. In the last ten years the number of people killed or serious injured in road collisions has reduced by more than half, with an even greater reduction for child casualties. Our work to educate road users, while targeting dangerous and reckless drivers will continue in order to make our roads as safe as possible.

Recent initiatives and operations

5. The Mayor’s London Cycle Hire Scheme will be launched in July 2010, involving 6,000 cycles at 400 docking stations. The Safer Transport Command (STC) are working closely with Transport for London and the Traffic OCU to minimise the impact of the scheme on cycle theft and on collisions involving cyclists. Operation Bike, conducted on all 32 boroughs for a week in February, involved high visibility patrols at transport hubs and asking members of the public to complete questionnaires about cycle security. Four boroughs conducted pro-active operations using a cycle with a tracking device attached.

6. The DPA’s anti-knife crime advertising campaign received the highest accolade at the Creative Circle Advertising Industry awards on Monday 1st March. The campaign’s YouTube film was singled out to receive the only platinum award of the night as well as picking up two gold awards for best on-line and best viral campaign (a video that is so compelling that prospective customers forward it to their contacts quickly building up an audience of millions). The unique campaign is an interactive film in which the viewer controls what happens next and watches the story unfold, choosing how their story ends via interlinked YouTube videos. To see the campaign in full visit: http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/anti_knife_crime/index.htm

7. Offenders in high-visibility jackets removed graffiti in Grimsby Street, Bethnal Green as part of the Community Payback project in Tower Hamlets. Weavers Safer Neighbourhoods Team worked in partnership the London Probation Service, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and local residents to identify an area in need of improvement.

OBJECTIVE: Reduce serious violence and protect young people

Progress Summary

• While MSV for the financial year to date is off target, the FYTD decrease over 2008/09 that was seen last month has been maintained. Homicide, a component of MSV, is at an all time low with 31 fewer homicides over the FYTD comparison.
• Whilst knife crime has reduced over the FYTD, the target for knife crime reduction is not being met (-1.2% / 122 offences). Trends over recent months show that the reduction is getting smaller. If that trend continues we may still achieve an overall reduction compared to 2008/09.
• The sanction detection rate (SD) for serious sexual offences is 22.9% for the FYTD, against a target of 31% for 2009/10. The rise in recorded rapes is due partly to an increase in victims coming forward, and because of the centralised recording of allegations. We recognise that rapes and sexual offences remain under-reported and we continue to encourage victims to report these serious crimes to police. A comprehensive report on the investigation of rape went to SOP in March, with a further report scheduled for October.

Recent Initiatives, Operations and Trials

8. Richmond officers arrested a man for a series of 12 linked street robberies involving weapons (knives, scissors and broken bottles) over a 6 week period in Richmond and Wandsworth. A number of the victims were elderly and so traumatised they were unable to identify the parties suspected of carrying out these violent crimes. An e-fit was issued after studying CCTV footage of one incident. The defendant was arrested for another matter and the analyst realised he resembled the outstanding e-fit. A search of his home revealed clothing matching the CCTV footage.

9. A man suspected of a number of gun enabled robberies on Wandsworth was arrested after officers were called to a robbery in progress in the Borough. Four armed males, one with a knife and two with firearms, attempted to steal the contents of the till at an off licence but left with a pot of custard and bottle of alcohol (both of which were later found in the place of arrest). The subject was tracked using CCTV and witness sightings of the escape vehicle. The main subject of this arrest had been the subject of dedicated tasking from the BOCUs overt and covert asset.

10. In February, officers from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command arrested a 40-year-old man in Suffolk on suspicion of the murder of Police Constable Keith Blakelock in 1985. The man, originally from Tottenham, was taken to Bury St Edmunds police station where he was questioned. He was later bailed to a date in May. PC Blakelock was murdered 25 years ago, during the Broadwater Farm Riots on 6th October 1985.

11. On 5 February, Christopher Farley was jailed for three years for the manslaughter of Jade Defoe in April 2009. The pair, who knew each other, met in the street and exchanged words before Christopher Farley punched Jade Defoe in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, hitting his head. He died in hospital 24 April, prompting an investigation by the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

OBJECTIVE: Disrupt more criminal networks and reduce the harm caused by drugs

Progress Summary

• The target for the number of criminal networks disrupted will be exceeded for 2009/2010 and the developments to the Criminal Networks process mean that all Business Groups will have contributed to that performance. The panel process that approves a disruption is seen nationally as best practice and work that is underway to more effectively assess harm, will allow us to better understand the impact of our disruptions on Communities.
• The value target in respect of cases where assets are seized will not be met. This measure is impossible to influence in year as it can reflect POCA activity from up to two years ago. Within the MPS and seen nationally POCA performance has reached a plateau. There are several identified reasons, more robust defence from counsel challenging POCA orders and a reduction in the market value of assets seized due to the current economic climate.'
• The Sanction Detection targets for overall numbers of Class A drug trafficking and those for cocaine related Sanction Detections are unlikely to be met. The average for the last 4 months has been 172 Sanction Detections versus a target of 210 for all Sanction Detections.

Recent Initiatives, Operations and Trials

12. In Lambeth on 10 February, Thornton Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) with assistance from Brixton Hill SNT executed a Misuse of Drugs Act search warrant at an address in Kings Avenue SW4, seizing approximately 300 cannabis plants. The team were following intelligence that the address was exuding a strong odour of the illegal drug. In the aftermath of the search Thornton SNT conducted reassurance patrols in the locality and gave courtesy calls to all the flats in order to make them aware of the police action taken.

13. On 27 January Sutton officers returning from providing football aid happened across a cash in transit robbery whilst it was in progress. Their marked police mini-bus passed a Securicor van which was parked close to and parallel to Santander Bank branch. Two operatives were in the bank re-loading the ATM machine with cash. The suspects were using a club hammer to smash the glass in the doors in order to get to the guards. Officers chased the suspects, commandeering a member of the public’s car and four suspects were arrested. The Commissioner has personally seen and thanked the officers involved - five of whom were new probationary officers.

14. Two drug dealers were sentenced to a total of 23 years in prison on 10 February after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply more than £1.6 million of heroin. Anthony Martin Maher, 58, of Buckinghamshire, and Mohammed Akram, 48, of Luton, were sentenced following an intelligence-led operation by SCD7 and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

15. An investigation by the Central Task Force resulted in three men receiving prison sentences for supply and possession of heroin. Israar Shah, 25, received a total of 16.5 years for two counts of possession with intent to supply heroin, involving a total of more than 2.5kilos of the Class A drug. Janwais Khan, 24, was sentenced to six years for a single count of possession with intent to supply 600grammes of the same drug. Cory Cowell was sentenced to three and a half years in prison last year after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply two kilos of heroin.

OBJECTIVE: Enhance our counter terrorism capability and capacity -

How we monitor our performance

16. The MPS continues to report its performance in relation to counter-terrorism to the MPA/MPS Counter Terrorism Protective Services Sub-committee, chaired by Lord Toby Harris. The next meeting of this group is on 25 March 2010. Internally reports are also regularly provided to MPS Performance Board.

17. Terrorism remains a significant threat to the United Kingdom. The current international threat level was increased to Severe in January 2010. The threat from dissident Irish Republican terrorism is Moderate here, but Severe in Northern Ireland, reflecting the increase in attacks over the last year, including targeting of the police and army. To address this, the MPS continues to deliver the Government counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST 2. There remains a strong likelihood that a no-warning terrorist attack could happen in London or elsewhere in the UK. The MPS continues to review its contingency planning and policing tactics.

18. A national counter-terrorism campaign, 'No Call Is A Waste Of Time', to encourage public reporting was launched across the UK on Monday 8 March 2010. The public are being encouraged to report any activity or behaviour which is suspicious or out of the ordinary to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline. It follows the success of previous publicity campaigns in improving the amount of public reporting. The annual campaign will run for a month on national and regional radio, press and magazines.

Recent Operations and Trials

19. Daniel Houghton, aged 25, of north London appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on 3 March, charged with one count under the Theft Act 1968 and one count under the Official Secrets Act 1989. He was remanded in custody to appear on 11 March. The fact he was a former MI6 officer and had allegedly attempted to sell MI6 material to an unnamed foreign intelligence service was widely reported in the Press.

20. On 23 February 2010, a Blackwood man was jailed after a home-made firearm, pipe bomb and gunpowder were found at his home address in October 2009 by Gwent police who had entered the house on a drugs warrant. The MPS Counter Terrorism Command took over the investigation. Mr Darren Tinklin pleaded guilty to the charges at Cardiff Crown Court and was jailed for concurrent sentences of three years for two Explosives Act offences and eight months for a firearms offence.

OBJECTIVE: Plan for, and effectively police, major events in London and prepare for the 2012 Olympics

How we monitor our performance

21. The MPS does not use PIs for this corporate objective, which is linked to the wider milestones for delivering the national Olympic Security Programme that goes beyond policing and are the responsibility of the Home Secretary. However, the MPS are held to account by the Olympics and Paralympics Sub-Committee, which is chaired by Dee Doocey. The next meeting of the sub-committee is 15 April 2010.

22. As was reported verbally at last month’s meeting, there was significant learning gleaned from a visit by a number of MPS officers to the Vancouver Winter Olympics. We know that without joint working, it simply will not work. The UK plans are being developed on that basis but the trip really re-enforced this message.

• The live sites in Vancouver attracted over 30,000 people per day. The sites in London (4 currently being planned) will be bigger and will have to have the same levels of security.
• The Cultural Olympiad - with the Olympics comes an atmosphere and series of events that we need to start planning for now.
• A combination of physical security measures and significant numbers of police officers in and around all venues made for a highly visible and effective security operation but its delivery was not oppressive.
• While the Winter Olympics was only about a quarter of the size of the summer Olympics, the learning was very relevant and applicable to the UK. It hammered home the complexities of multiple events at multiple venues in a City that came out onto the streets to celebrate.
• With all of this in mind, our planning is on track and in a good place.

OBJECTIVE: Lead and manage our service to ensure the most efficient, effective and economic use of all the resources entrusted to us

Progress summary

• The proportion of BME police officer recruits is unchanged since November when it was 14.3%, because there were no intakes of recruits in December and January. The recruits for the February and March intakes have now been informed of their starting date and the overall performance for 2009/10 will be 16.6% (minimum) as previously projected. This is an improvement on last years 16.2%.

Recruiting BME Officers

23. BME police officer strength increased from 2,864 at the end of March 2009 to 3,033 at the end of January 2010, an increase of 169 officers and a rise in percentage terms from 8.8% at the end of March 2009 to 9.1%.

Our People

24. At the end of January 2010 the MPS had:

• 33,235 regular police officers - 23% female and 9.1% BME.
• 2,973 special constables - 31% female and 32% BME.
• 4,513 Police Community Support Officers - 34% female and 29% BME.

Procurement

25. The MPS has recently achieved a level five (the highest score available) on the Flexible Framework, ahead of its commitment as part of the GLA Responsible Procurement Four Year Plan to achieve this by 2011.

C. Race and equality impact

1. Many of the key areas of specific activity in this report relate to equalities issues. This is indicative of the Met's commitment to diversity and demonstrates our recognition that effectiveness in these areas is essential to the success of the MPS.

2. The aim of this report is principally to highlight overall performance; the issues raised in this summary are subject to greater scrutiny across other MPA committees. For example:

• 11th March Communities, Equalities & People Committee received a report on Recruitment Targets outlining the prospective details of recruitment targets within the MPS for five years from April 2010.

D. Financial implications

1. The current revenue budget position is that the outturn forecast, as at Period 10 (January), is to overspend by £7.2m (approximately 0.2% of budget).

2. The Capital Programme as at Period 10 (January) shows year to date total expenditure of £120.9m. This total represents 56.5% of the revised annual budget of £214m. The forecast for the year of £191.3m is £22.7m below the revised annual budget.

3. The 2010-13 Policing London Business Plan, including the revenue and capital budgets, was considered by the joint meeting of the SOP and F&R Committees on 18 March and is presented to the Authority for approval elsewhere on the agenda of this meeting.

E. Legal implications

1. There are no direct legal implications arising from this performance monitoring report.

2. The MPA is required to monitor compliance of the performance of the MPS in accordance with s6ZA of the Police Act 1996 as inserted by the paragraph 8, Schedule 2 of the Police and Justice Act 2006 and The Police Authorities (Particular Functions & Transitional provisions) Order 2008.

F. Background papers

• Appendix 1: Summary of Critical Performance Areas

G. Contact details

Report author(s): Colin Barker, MPS

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 2: Glossary of Terms

APACS

Assessment of Policing and Community Safety performance indicators set devised by the Home Office for police forces in England & Wales for it and other Government bodies to use to monitor and assess policing and community safety

BCS

British Crime Survey – a Home Office managed survey of UK residents conducted face-to-face to capture levels of crime, public attitudes to crime and other criminal justice issues. Surveys ~48,000 citizens across England & Wales annually, ~3,000 in London, results are published quarterly and relate to a rolling 12-month period. Respondents 17 yrs +; business crime not included.

CPA

Critical Performance Areas - the suite of MPS corporate measures used to track progress against the delivery of corporate objectives

Criminal network

a network of individuals involved in ongoing criminal activity for personal gain (usually profit, can also be social standing).

Disruption

a disruption has been achieved when a network is unable to operate at its normal level of activity for a significant amount of time.

Harm

where the consequence of pursuing an activity is seen to have an adverse effect on the social, physical or economic well being of individuals or a community.

LCJB

London Criminal Justice Board

MIB

Met Intelligence Bureau

MSV

Most Serious Violence - includes homicide & child destruction; attempted murder; wounding/GBH; causing death by driving (dangerous, under the influence of drink or drugs, careless or inconsiderate) or by aggravated vehicle taking.

NSID

National Security and International relations and Development (Protective Security and Resilience)

PURE

Police Use of Resources Evaluation

OGC

Office of Government Commerce

SD

Sanction detection - police generated detections of a crime including charges, cautions, fixed penalty notices [FPN], taken into considerations [TIC], summons and cannabis warnings

SAQ

Serious Acquisitive Crime (Includes robbery, residential burglary and motor vehicle crime)

SOCA

Serious & Organised Crime Agency

SPI

Statutory Performance Indicator

TIC

Taken into consideration – the clear up of multiple crimes attributable committed by one criminal e.g. multiple burglaries

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