Commissioner’s report

Report: 5
Date: 28 October 2010
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report summarises recent performance in the MPS, as well as operations and initiatives designed to tackle crime and make London safer.

It is intended to update MPA members and give a high-level, strategic view of the work of the MPS. It highlights the Commissioner’s operational priorities of improving public confidence, tackling serious violence and serious youth violence, delivering value for money policing, ensuring a safe and secure Olympics and countering terrorism.

The performance figures referred to throughout are those for April to August 2010, the latest available before the deadline for submitting this report.

A. Recommendations

The report be received.

B. Supporting information

1. The following paragraphs offer Members a summary of recent performance within the MPS. The performance data referred to below is for April-August 2010 compared to April-August 2009. This is the most recently available data at the time of writing. At the Full Authority meeting, the Commissioner will be able to update members on performance in September 2010.

2. The deadline for submission of this report falls before the publication of the Chancellor’s Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October. At the Full Authority meeting, more information will be available regarding the extremely difficult financial challenge the MPS face over the next four years. However, it will not give a full picture of the resources available to the Service over the coming years for some months.

Confidence and Satisfaction

3. Since the Home Secretary’s announcement that the single Confidence measure and the Policing Pledge were being discontinued the MPS has been in discussion with the MPA about our response. A report on progress was submitted to the Strategic Operational Policing Committee on 16 September 2010. A further paper will be submitted to the Communities, Equalities and People Committee.

4. Confidence and satisfaction survey results are published quarterly, so the following data is a repeat of that included in the last Commissioner’s Report to Full Authority.

5. The latest BCS confidence results show that the percentage of people who agree that the police and local council are dealing with anti social behaviour and crime issues that matter in their area rose to 54.7% for the financial year ending 2009/10.

6. The MPS are also placed at number 1 in the Most Similar Forces comparison and the recent Home Office report "Crime in England and Wales 2009/10" stated that London had a statistically significantly higher confidence than the average for England and Wales (the average confidence for E&W was 51%).

7. The latest User Satisfaction Survey results are also pleasing. Overall satisfaction rose to 79.1% (81.0% for White users & 74.2% for BME users) for the first quarter of this financial year (March-June 2010) up from 78.1%.

Performance

Total Notifiable Offences

8. Total Notifiable Offences (TNOs) in the period from April to August 2010 were down 0.6% on the same period last year. That equates to 2,260 fewer offences, and means total crime is broadly stable. It is the lowest number of TNOs in April-August since 1998.

Serious Acquisitive Crime

9. Serious Acquisitive Crime (robbery, motor vehicle crime and residential burglary) continues to fall overall. It was down 2.1% in April-August 2010 compared to 2009, equating to 1,712 fewer offences.

10. Within Serious Acquisitive Crime, robbery continues to present a challenge, increasing by 530 offences (+3.8%) in April-August 2010 compared to the same period last year. The reduction target for 2010/11 is 3.0%. Whilst robbery with a gun has decreased by 15.5% (115 offences) the MPS is closely monitoring the recent rise in knife-enabled robberies and has put plans in place early on to tackle it. An intelligence-led approach is being used, focussing on geographic crime hotspot areas and high-risk offenders.

11. There were 2,281 fewer residential burglary offences in April-August 2010 compared to the same period last year, a reduction of 9.4%. This currently exceeds the end of year target of a 4.0% reduction.

Most Serious Violence

12. While Most Serious Violence (MSV) is showing a reduction of 21.6% and is achieving the 4% reduction target, it is possible that part of this reduction may be due to the way that classification guidance was interpreted last year. A broader and more reliable indicator of the level of violence is MSV combined with Assault With Injury (AWI) which is also showing a 4.8% reduction (1,543 fewer offences).

13. The definition of MSV is all homicides, attempted murder, wounding, GBH and causing death by dangerous driving. AWI includes actual bodily harm and other crimes causing injury, including racial and religiously aggravated actual bodily harm.

14. Overall, knife crime is up by 83 offences (1.6%) in April-August 2010 compared to the same period last year. Knife enabled robberies have increased by 5.7% (162 offences), which has contributed to this overall rise. In recent years knife enabled robberies have accounted for approximately 1 in 5 of all robbery offences. However, instances of ‘knives used to injure’ are now down by 4.7%, reducing from 1,932 offences in April-August 2009 to 1,841 offences for the same period this year.

15. Reducing gun crime also remains a key priority for the MPS. There have been 184 fewer gun crime offences in April-August 2010 compared to the same period last year (a decrease of 12.5%). Instances of firearms being discharged have also reduced; from 370 offences in April-August 2009 to 353 offences for the same period this year. This represents a reduction of 4.6%.

16. The overall figures for knife crime and gun crime can however create a misleading impression to the public who might perceive these to relate solely to stabbings or shootings and can imply that incidents of violent crime are higher than they are in reality. Our preference would be to report ‘knives used to injure’ (i.e. stabbings) and ‘firearms being discharged’ (i.e. shootings) which would provide a clearer and more helpful approach.

17. There was only 1 more victim of serious youth violence for the period April-August 2010 compared to the same period last year (a total of 2,878 victims for the period April-August 2010 compared to 2,877 for the same period last year). Tackling SYV and youth homicide remains a key priority for the Commissioner.

Anti-Social Behaviour

18. The Commissioner made clear to MPA Full Authority in September, he believes that for the MPS to tackle anti-social behaviour it must provide, as best it can, uniformed governance of the streets and public places.

19. Many of the uniformed authority figures of the past (bus conductors are a good example) are no longer present on our streets and in our communities, so it is important that police officers and PCSOs do not leave a gap.

20. The Commissioner remains absolutely committed to Safer Neighbourhood Teams, providing uniformed foot patrol and visible uniformed governance in public places. Police officers and PCSOs, dedicated to local communities and knowing their local communities, help tackle anti -social behaviour. They also deal with the many incidents of anti-social behaviour that are never recorded but dealt with informally by officers.

Uniformed Governance

21. Since the Commissioner took office, single patrol has been the default patrol position of the MPS. Officers, PCSOs and their supervisors know they should patrol alone unless a risk assessment or specific circumstances dictate otherwise (training new officers, for instance).

22. The latest figures show that there are now an additional 330 visible patrols on the streets of London every day compared to the start of the year; increasing our visible presence, ensuring we talk to people, reassuring the public and making our town centres safer.

23. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary is expanding and we are now very close to having 4,000 officers. While it is important to stress that MSC officers do not replace regular officers, it shows the importance that the MPS places on visible street patrolling. The MPS is grateful for the strong support the Mayor has given to Specials recruitment.

24. The MPS can still improve further. Despite the difficult financial challenge the MPS face, the Commissioner remains committed not only to Safer Neighbourhoods, but also the balanced model of policing. The many unseen policing services that support local police - the Flying Squad, the human trafficking teams, the murder investigation teams - all work together to fight crime and keep the streets safe.

Public Order

25. As the Commissioner reported at the last Full Authority meeting, recent months have included a number of challenging public order events, notably the Notting Hill Carnival and the Papal visit.

26. At this year’s Carnival, reported crime was down by 31% on 2009 and there were no firearms incidents for the fourth year running. In the period running up to the Carnival over 100 arrests were made, frustrating criminal activity and removing weapons and drugs from public circulation. Over the three day period 230 arrests were made with 300 fewer officers deployed in 2009 (10,903 compared to 11,219).

27. It is always pleasing when such a huge event passes without significant incident. The MPS worked very closely with partners in the run up to Notting Hill to ensure over one million people had a safe and enjoyable time at Europe's largest carnival. The Commissioner thanked Chris Boothman for his role in this at September’s Full Authority.

28. The first ever State visit of a Pope to this country was an important national event that required a sensitive policing operation. The Commissioner has personally thanked many of the officers and staff whose hard work ensured the successful policing of both this and Notting Hill Carnival. The strong international reputation of the MPS in the policing of major events has been enhanced by these two police operations.

Value for money

29. The deadline for submission of this Commissioner’s Report falls before the publication of the Chancellor’s Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October, however the MPS anticipates a significant reduction in future policing budgets. The Commissioner has prioritised savings in business support and in inanimate objects - for example buildings and vehicles.

30. The Commissioner has clearly stated that all officers and staff must do all they can to maintain our operational capability, to deliver efficient and effective support services at the lowest possible cost and to make the most productive use of our operational assets.

31. As the Commissioner stated to MPA Members at September’s Full Authority, is should be remember that the MPS is not just funded by the Home Office police grant and the Mayor’s precept. A smaller but significant amount of money is contributed by partner organisations, all of whom will be reviewing their own financial position at this time.

32. Against this uncertain financial background the Service continues to work with the Authority and the Mayor in developing the 2011-14 Policing Plan within the terms agreed with the Authority.

Olympics

33. The MPS continues to work closely with its partners to ensure that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games pass off safely and securely. While the security regime will be clearly visible, it will not be oppressive so allowing the focus to be on the sport that is going to take place.

34. With less than two years to go, the Olympic Safety and Security Programme is both on track and within the previously announced budget. In anticipation of a reduction in core policing budgets, work has been undertaken to drive down costs throughout the various projects that make up the programme.

35. Work continues to be undertaken on building the infrastructure that will be required, with the upgrades for Airwave and the Command and Control rooms as well as the creation of the National Olympic Coordination Centre all progressing well.

C. Other organisational and community implications

Equality and Diversity Impact

36. This report is concerned with overall MPS performance, but a number of equalities issues are highlighted.

37. Throughout all the operational activity detailed in this report, the MPS strives to improve the quality of service provided to victims of hate crime, ensuring that a consistent and effective service is provided to London’s diverse communities; to improve performance against domestic violence, ensuring a consistent level of service across all communities and minimising disproportionality issues; to increase community trust and confidence in the police; to develop a workforce that reflects the diversity of London.

38. The first-ever MPS Diversity Excellence Awards were held this month. Officers and staff from across the MPS were recognised for their excellent work to provide a professional service, with the continued challenges of the diverse and international city in which the MPS serve.

39. A DCI who led the MPS approach to investigating so-called 'honour' based crimes and a Safer Neighbourhoods Team who developed a highly successful youth engagement project were among officers and staff who received awards.

Consideration of MET Forward

40. This report fully reflects how the MPS is delivering the three key outcomes of Met Forward: fighting crime and reducing criminality, increasing confidence in policing, and providing better value for money.

Financial Implications

41. The financial challenges facing the Service are highlighted under Section B of this report.

42. Reports on the progress against the current business plan and budget are submitted on a regular basis to the MPA.

43. As at Period 5 (August 2010), the revenue budget is forecast to overspend by £14.8m (0.5% of budget). The MPS will manage expenditure over the remainder of the financial year to ensure a balanced budget position is achieved.

44. The Capital Programme as at Period 5 (to the end of August) shows year to date total expenditure of £56.8m. This total represents 20.6% of the revised annual budget of £276.3m (excluding over-programming). The forecast for the year of £284.0m includes over-programming of £10.1m above the forecast capital funding figure of £273.9m. However, the expectation is that expenditure will be kept within approved funding levels.

Legal Implications

45. As this report is a summary of operational performance data, no legal implications arise.

Environmental Implications

46. This report contains no direct environmental implications.

Risk Implications

47. The risks and opportunities are reflected in the content of this report and controls are in place where appropriate.

D. Background papers

None

E. Contact details

Report author(s): Director of Business Strategy, Michael Debens, MPS

For more information contact:

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

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