Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the annual and ordinary meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 28 July 2011 at City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA.

Present

Members

• Kit Malthouse (Chairman)
• Reshard Auladin (Vice Chairman)
• Jennette Arnold
• John Biggs
• Christopher Boothman
• Victoria Borwick
• Valerie Brasse
• Cindy Butts
• James Cleverly
• Dee Doocey
• Toby Harris
• Kirsten Hearn
• Jenny Jones
• Clive Lawton
• Joanne McCartney
• Caroline Pidgeon
• Amanda Sater
• Valerie Shawcross
• Faith Boardman
• Tony Arbour
• Steve O’Connell
• Graham Speed.

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Bob Atkins (Treasurer)
• Jane Harwood (Deputy Chief Executive)

MPS officers

• Tim Godwin (Acting Commissioner)
• Bernard Hogan Howe (Acting Deputy Commissioner)
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources) and Gary Pugh (Forensics)

Minutes of the ordinary meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on Thursday, at 10.00 a.m. in the Chamber, City Hall, The Queens Walk, London SE1 2AA.

11. Apologies for absence and announcements

(Agenda item 1)

11.1 Apologies for absence were received from Neil Johnson.

12. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

12.1 No declarations of interest were made.

Resolved – That:

1. the list of memberships of functional bodies and London Borough Councils, as set out in the table above, be noted;
2. the gifts and hospitality received by members, as set out on the Authority’s gifts and hospitality register, be noted; and
3. all members declare any other personal or personal prejudicial interests in specific items listed on the agenda over and above items listed in the table above and including any interest arising from gifts or hospitality received in the last 3 years or which are not at the time of this meeting reflected on the Authority’s register of gifts and hospitality.

13. Minutes: 30 June 2011

(Agenda item 3)

13.1 Members considered the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 30 June 2011.

Resolved – That the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 30 June 2011 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

14. Chairman’s update

(Agenda item 4)

14.1 The Chairman began by offering condolences to the people of Oslo and Norway following the unbelievable horrors experienced there the previous week. He also wished an MPS constable a speedy recovery after being shot in the arm whilst in Croydon pursuing a suspect.

14.2 The Chairman then welcomed Bernard Hogan Howe as temporary Deputy Commissioner, thanking him for stepping in to assist the MPS at this critical time.

14.3 A way to handle the business of the meeting was then proposed by the Chair. It was agreed to tackle the recent phone hacking related events in the first part of the meeting and then move on to other business.

14.4 The Chairman then said a few words about recent events and referred to letters he had circulated to explain the detail to members. He paid tribute to Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates and clarified that there were legal constraints around the matters to be discussed. He continued by confirming that the temporary appointment process for commissioner and deputy commissioner would be codified in preparation should a similar situation occur in future, and that a method to ensure fast time, confidential communication with members would be sought for future need.

14.5 The Chair then welcomed the appointment of Elizabeth Filkin to look at issues concerning the MPS relationship with the media and explained that the appointment for the new Commissioner would follow the same process as the last time.

14.6 The Acting Commissioner then made a statement about the recent events connected to phone hacking. He began by paying tribute to Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates and explained the recent temporary moves to the senior management team. Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick had moved to Specialist Operations and Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens had taken on additional responsibility for the Specialist Crime Directorate until the post could be filled permanently. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers had moved to focus on the Weeting and Elveden inquiries full time and Alan Gibson had been appointed as Acting Deputy Assistance Commissioner to support Lynne Owens. The Acting Commissioner also welcomed the arrival of Bernard Hogan Howe and the increased resilience and outside perspective provided.

14.7 Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin then said that corruption was in no way endemic within the MPS, that the majority of people in the organisation are honest and hardworking and that corruption by the minority was not and would not be tolerated.

14.8 Turning to issues that required attention, the Acting Commissioner then said that the MPS had not been entirely compliant with the hospitality policy in the past. To rectify this, he said that they intended to publish the register for the last 3 years for the senior management team and take learning from the GLA system. He acknowledged that the MPS needed to learn from media relations experiences.

14.9 The Acting Commissioner clarified that the IPCC was supervising Elvden, the investigation into the corruption of a few number of officers, as well as looking into a number of conduct issues referred by the MPS and MPA. Lord Justice Leveson would be undertaking a two part public inquiry.

14.10 The Acting Commissioner concluded by highlighting the primary objectives of the MPS, to prevent crime and to detect and punish offenders, and continued by highlighting some recent significant successes that had been achieved.

14.11 Members thanked the Chairman for the support that had been given to the Morgan family and asked a number of questions relating to both the Daniel Morgan murder investigation and telephone hacking issues. The full list of questions can be found in Appendix A to the minutes.

14.12 The Acting Commissioner reported that Commander Simon Foy had been appointed to liaise with the Morgan family on these issues. The Chair confirmed that all questions would be made available for public record and gave assurance of his commitment to the family and to ongoing support for the investigation. He also said that he would meet with Commander Foy in the autumn to review progress.

14.13 Members then asked a number of questions on telephone hacking that had been grouped according to a number of themes. These included briefings to the Chair and Mayor, internal resilience, media and ethics, ongoing investigations and due diligence, award of contracts, historical issues regarding News of the World and the future. Members asked officers to provide a comprehensive list of questions that had been asked at this meeting and that of the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee on 14 July and an update on their status. These are provided at Appendix A. The full record of answers to members questions on phone hacking is provided at Appendix B to the minutes.

14.14 The Chair then updated members on a number of other items from his update report. First, he updated on progress of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. He said that the House of Lords report stage ended on 14 July 2011 and second reading took place on 20 July 2011. Ping pong was expected sometime after both Houses return from recess on 5 September 2011. He said that planning is underway for a December 2011 implementation for the new arrangements in London, although this is dependent on the Bill achieving Royal Assent in September 2011.

14.15 The Chair reported that the new 101 non emergency number had been launched and the new budget process was underway. The last of the second round of Joint Engagement Meetings (JEMs) and MPA/ GLA crime and community safety road shows had taken place successfully.

Resolved – That the first part of the report be received.

15. Commissioner’s report

(Agenda item 5)

15.1 The Acting Commissioner began by announcing that in future he would report on meetings he had attended, including those with newspapers. He then outlined to members some of the meetings he had attended the previous month.

15.2 The Acting Commissioner then moved on to performance. He said that performance for the first quarter of 2011/12 had seen a fall in violent crime of 3,914 offences, or 9.8%. He reported that teenage homicides were still too many, but remain at a lower level than the previous year. Sadly a murder of a 16 year old boy had taken place in the last month, but three people had been arrested for that crime.

15.3 The Acting Commissioner reported that gun crime had fallen by 18.8% and offences where a knife is used to injure was down slightly and would be monitored. He said that knife crime and serious youth violence were up by 523 and 250 offences respectively and remained challenging.

15.4 The Acting Commissioner said that the area of biggest concern was robbery, which had increased by 15%. Increases in burglary of 7.9% and theft from the person of 25% were also reported by the Acting Commissioner, highlighting acquisitive crime as a problem area. He reported that this was being tackled through Operation Target and through the Safer Transport Command focusing on key robbery routes around transport hubs. The Deputy Commissioner would be reviewing Operation Target to ensure it hits the core operational objective of reducing robbery.

15.5 The Acting Commissioner mentioned ongoing work in preparation for the Olympics and Notting Hill Carnival and said that the sad events in Norway had highlighted the very real threat of terrorism. He said that the MPS would be joining in the work to review processes around domestic extremism to ensure that they are robust.

15.6 The ongoing work to close the budget gap was also mentioned by the Acting Commissioner. He said 1,200 police staff had recently left the organisation, predominantly through voluntary exit.

15.7 The Acting Commissioner reassured members that the significant challenges being faced by the MPS were not insurmountable and would be met. He also thanked the MPA Chairman, Chief Executive and Members for the support they had given to Sir Paul Stephenson, himself and the rest of the management team through the recent difficult period.

Issues raised by members

15.8 Members had submitted a number of questions in advance of the meeting. These and the responses are recorded below.

Metal theft from public buildings and transport infrastructure

15.9 Members had submitted a question in advance on copper and lead theft, however stated that a written response could be provided. The Chair said that a joint MPA/ MPS action plan had been produced that would be shared. It was intended to hold a conference on the issue in October in City Hall.

Knife crime

15.10 Members asked what more could be done to ensure that more young people do not become a victim of knife crime, as some MPS figures suggest an increase despite the efforts of Blunt2. The Temporary Commissioner responded that he wasn’t sighted on the figures to which reference was being made, but that a lot of work was continuing to tackle knife crime. He said that Blunt 2 targeting of locations and offenders was continuing, that Operation Target tackles high risk areas and that the preventative Operation Connect had been implemented with partners.

Stabbings in Harrow

15.11 Members asked what was being done to reassure the community following two recent stabbings in Harrow. The Temporary Commissioner explained that a number of arrests had been made and that ASBOs had been obtained with the aim of preventing a reoccurrence. Patrol work was also being undertaken with the community with the ‘boys in blue and denim’ scheme.

Sick leave

15.12 Referring to the apparent increase in sick leave, members asked for some clarification about the figures and what is being done to tackle the issue. The Temporary Commissioner agreed to respond in writing so that all the data sets could be circulated.

Launch of non emergency 101 number

15.13 Members had submitted a question concerning the success so far of the 101 number that was launched the previous week. It was agreed that the Temporary Commissioner would respond to this in writing.

Anti drugs campaign

15.14 Members questioned the Temporary Commissioner on whether a public campaign to highlight the victims of the drugs trade through exploitation and death would be useful. The Temporary Commissioner said that a campaign to raise awareness would be a good idea and that there are few victimless crimes. He said the MPS would be happy to support this if initiated by an anti drug unit, for example at the Home Office.

15.15 Members then had the opportunity to question the Temporary Commissioner on other issues raised by his report.

Counter terrorism response to events in Norway

15.16 Members asked what the MPS was doing to look into claims made by the press recently that the individual involved in the recent atrocities in Norway had been recruited in the UK. The Temporary Commissioner assured members that all lines of inquiry would be looked at, identified both in Norway and back in the UK. Learning would also be identified as appropriate.

Fortnum and Mason discontinuances

15.17 Members questioned whether the Fortnum and Mason arrests in March could have been better handled with hindsight now that 109 of those arrested had had the charges dropped. The Temporary Commissioner responded that it was right that they were arrested for aggravated trespass.

Rape and serious sexual offences

15.18 Members referred to the increases in rape and serious sexual offences within the Commissioner’s report and the decrease in sanction detections by 16% and asked for clarity on the reasons for this and what was being done. It was agreed that the MPS would share the report that would be going to the MPS Performance Board with the Authority.

Road traffic collisions

15.19 Referring to pages 32 and 33 of the Commissioner’s report, members highlighted the improvement in numbers of prosecutions, but highlighted the increase in road traffic fatalities. The Acting Commissioner clarified that numbers of traffic fatalities tend to fluctuate and said that enforcement had been increased and awareness of safety issues involving cyclists had been raised. A Cycle Task Force had been in existence for just over a year and engaged with over 6,000 people through exchanging places and events, for example allowing people to sit in the driver’s seat of an heavy goods vehicle or bus.

Race and faith inquiry

15.20 Members asked the Chairman whether he would be having discussions on multi point entry with the Prime Minister and Home Office following the positive reference he made to this when he spoke to the House on phone hacking. The Chairman responded saying that he would be discussing this issue with the Policing Minister.

15.21 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 C.

Resolved – That the report be received.

16. Treasury management financial review 2010/11 (including 4th Qtr update)

(Agenda item 6)

16.1 The Treasurer presented a report to the Authority that outlined the annual review of treasury management for the 12 month period that ended 31 March 2011 and provided an update for Quarter 4 2010/11. The report had already been reviewed by the Resources and Productivity and Finance and Resources committees.

Resolved – that the report be received.

17. Reports from committees

(Agenda item 7)

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

• Strategic Operational Policing Committee – 16 June 2011
• Finance and Resources Committee – 23 June 2011
• Communities, Equalities and People Committee – 7 July 2011

Resolved – That the report be received.

18. Any other urgent business

(Agenda item 12)

18.1 Victoria Borwick announced that copies of the Civil Liberties Panel’s report ‘Protecting the innocent: the London experience of DNA and the National DNA Database’ were available for members to take away after the meeting.

19. Exclusion of press and public

19.1 To resolve that the press and public be asked to leave the meeting during discussion of the remaining items of business because exempt information as defined in Schedule 12a to the Local Government Act 1972 as amended in is likely to be made known.

Resolved - The press and public left the meeting at 12.20 pm.

Summary of exempt items

20. Provision of forensic science services

20.1 A report outlining proposals for future provision of forensic science services

The meeting concluded at 12:50 pm.

Members were thanked by the Chair by their support in ensuring that business was concluded in an efficient manner.

Addendum to the Commissioner’s report

Report by the Acting Commissioner

This report follows up on the actions and commitments made verbally by the Acting Commissioner at the Full Authority meeting on 28 July 2011.

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

• Phone hacking
• Written responses to questions from Members
• Rape and serious sexual offences information

Phone hacking

1. Members’ questions have been consolidated by the MPA.  Written responses will be provided to the issues raised.

Written response to questions from Members

2. Members asked for written responses regarding the below questions

• Metal theft
• Sickness / restricted and recuperative duties
• 101 number

Rape and serious sexual offences information

3. The Acting Commissioner agreed to provide Valerie Brasse information from the MPS Performance Board in August.  Rape and serious sexual offences were scrutinised at Performance Board, however no paper was presented. A/DAC Allan Gibson will provide a verbal briefing to Valerie Brasse.

Report author: Zara Ryder, Strategic Relationships, MPS

Background papers None

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