Contents

These are the minutes of the 24 November 2011 meeting of the MPA Committee.

Minutes - draft

Warning: This is archived material and may be out of date. The Metropolitan Police Authority has been replaced by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC).

See the MOPC website for further information.

Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 24 November 2011 at City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA.

Present

Members

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

MPA officers

Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
Jane Harwood (Deputy Chief Executive)
Annabel Adams (Deputy Treasurer)

MPS officers

Bernard Hogan-Howe (Commissioner, Designate)
AC Cressida Dick (Special Operations)
Anne McMeel (Director of Resources)
Gary Pugh (Agenda item 8)

40. Apologies for absence and announcements

(Agenda item 1)

40.1 Apologies for absence were received from Kit Malthouse (Chairman). Neil Johnson, Caroline Pidgeon and Bob Atkins (Treasurer).

41. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

41.1 The following members declared personal interest:

Toby Harris - agenda item 4 as Chair of the Deaths in Police Custody Panel: and
John Biggs – agenda item 7 & 7a Policing London Business Plan – as Chair of the GLA Budget Scrutiny Panel.

Resolved – That

the list of memberships of functional bodies and London Borough Councils, as set out in the table above, be noted;
the gifts and hospitality received by members, as set out on the Authority’s gifts and hospitality register, be noted; and
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.

42. Minutes: 15 September 2011

(Agenda item 3)

42.1 Members considered the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 27 October 2011.

42.2 In relation to minute 38 – ‘stop and account’, the Chief Executive reported that following discussions with British Transport Police (BTP) an agreement had been reached whereby they would review their decision not to retain stop and account . She added that if they did decide to retain the process, this would mean that all policing agencies across London would be carrying out ‘stop and account’ and this would provide a consistent approach across London.

Resolved – That the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 27 October 2011 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

43. Question from member of public

(Agenda item 4)

43.1 In accordance with Standing Orders 2.7, the following question from Samantha Rigg-David, who submits the question on behalf of the United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC) and which relates to the policing of the recent Deaths in Custody March in central London on Saturday 29 October 2011.

‘The UFFC, a coalition of bereaved families, has been hosting an annual procession for 13 years in remembrance of loved ones who have died in custody or state care. The stewarded march, led by family members, entails a silent procession from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street. Following this, family members share experiences of the loss of their loved ones and then deliver a letter to Downing Street containing a list of recommendations for consideration by the Prime Minister. Traffic is often temporarily blocked in the process for a short time. Although it is an emotional event, the march has always passed peacefully and typically disperses around 4pm. The march provides a rare opportunity for grieving families to come together to highlight concerns to those in authority and also provide mutual support. Policing of the march in the past has appeared to be proportionate both in response to the sensitive nature of the event and also in recognition that it does not pose a threat to public order.

This year, at about 3pm, after delivering the letter to Downing Street family members and friends found themselves subject to aggressive and degrading treatment at the hands of a large deployment of what we believe were TSG officers. In addition to this a helicopter was flying overhead and we also noticed a FIT team had been deployed. The sudden deployment of around 100 officers, in addition to the large number of uniformed officers already present, and the ensuing treatment caused panic, physical injury and distress to the remaining marchers. Attempts were made by stewards, legal observers and marchers to talk to the police, informing them this move was provocative and appealing for restraint, but this was ignored. The officers performed a ‘sweep’ of the road, as if clearing it of rubbish, pushing aside and trampling on anybody in their way. We believe there was only a small crowd of marchers in the road at this point with around half the march on the opposite side of the road. The actions of the police caused marchers on the opposite side of the road to move forward to join those being swept in an attempt to provide some sort of safety in numbers against this attack.

Many of those that the police ‘swept’ were vulnerable bereaved relatives including parents, grandparents and children. At one point officers picked up the mother of someone who had died in custody by her arms and legs and deposited her on the road like a ‘sack of potatoes’. Children were screaming in fear. After this the police began to form a kettle, which caused widespread intimidation and forced marchers to disperse in an undignified and cajoled manner without any proper closure to the march. Those who attended the march have told me they feel traumatised by the experience. We understand it is not the role of the MPA to investigate the actions of individual officers on the march however it does hold responsibility for holding the police to account over operational and tactical matters.

We believe it was both entirely unwarranted and unnecessarily confrontational to deploy these officers and wish the MPA to fulfil its public duty by assisting us in scrutinising how and why this decision was taken. I wish to attend the full authority meeting to raise this question in person.

We are fully cognisant of the climate of the times, in terms of heightened public interest around deaths in custody and levels of tension around public order policing. However, we believe this calls for intelligent and sensitive policing. We do not accept that the response of the police was justifiable, proportionate or in accordance with ACPO guidance around keeping the peace’.

43.2 The Chief Executive made the following response to the question:

‘May I start by thanking you for raising your concerns about the way in which the annual United Friends and Family march was policed on 29 October this year so clearly. As you acknowledged in your letter, the Metropolitan Police Authority has no remit to investigate the actions of any individual officer or to influence operational decisions but the Authority does have a scrutiny role and I have therefore taken advice from the Metropolitan Police about the events of 29 October.

I am told that, unfortunately, the organisers made no contact with the MPS before the event. Nor did they seek permission from the Greater London Authority to assemble on Trafalgar Square. Since it was not possible to identify an organiser, plans for the policing operation were based on the United Friends and Family Campaign website, supplemented with information from a contact in the community, who did not claim to be an organiser.

The MPS understood the UFFC’s intentions were to hold a rally at Trafalgar Square before a silent march to Downing Street for a ‘noisy’ protest including speeches. The police operation took account of the sensitivities around the march and was planned to be low key, closing Whitehall to traffic southbound so that the group could move onto the east pavement once the march was opposite the gates of Downing Street.

On the day about 200 people assembled on Trafalgar Square. Stewards were present but there was still no identified organiser. The community contact was informed that the road would be closed and that once the group reached Downing Street they would be required to move to the side.

Once the march reached Downing Street the group stopped in the road and a series of speeches were made. Requests for people to move onto the pavement were ignored. A line of police officers was therefore formed on the west side of the group to prevent people moving into the northbound lane which was open to traffic.

Police requests to move continued to be ignored for over an hour. During this time Transport for London raised concerns over the impact of the continued road closure on the bus network.

The group then moved across the road to Downing Street where a letter was attached to the gates. All of Whitehall was now closed to traffic. I am informed that the police reserves were brought forward and that, following further requests to move out of the road, a sweep was made to move people onto the pavement in order to open the road to traffic. One person was arrested for highway obstruction after sitting in the road (with a number of others, who stood up after the arrest). Once on the pavement the group dispersed.

It is clear from your letter that these events caused great distress to many of those on the march, but I have no further detail from the operational commander on individual encounters.

Since the march took place, in light of the concerns raised at the time and in your letter, and following discussions with a member of the Independent Advisory Group, the operational commander has, as I understand it, attempted to contact people involved but no-one has yet responded to his e mails. He is still keen to have a discussion and assures me that the lines of communication remain open. The Commissioner is also aware of your concerns about the policing tactics deployed during the march and he may want to comment further.’

43.3 The Commissioner thanked Samantha Rigg-David for her question. He noted, the concerns it raised and he agreed to initiate a dialogue with the organisers of the march to discuss their concerns about the policing of the march. In doing so, he asked that he be provided with contact details in order to start that dialogue. He also agreed to look at the CCTV of the event and discuss with colleagues the policing arrangements of that march.

43.4 The Chairman invited members to comment.

43.5 Members welcomed the Commissioners offer to open a dialogue with the organisers. Some members questioned why communications between the organisers of the march and MPS broke down for what had been in the past, a long standing demonstration and which had always been peaceful.

43.6 Members asked if they could have a response to his review of the policing of this march before the abolition of the Authority in January 2011. It was also noted that a letter from ‘Inquest’ (independent observers at the march) had been circulated to members and they asked that the Commissioner include their comments as part of his review.

43.7 Arising from the question and subsequent discussion some members highlighted the opportunity afforded for members of the public to raise such issues and concerns in a public forum. They felt that this opportunity should be replicated in future governance arrangements.

Resolved – That the question be received and the MPS report to the Januarys Authority meeting on its review of the policing of the UFFC march.

44. Chairman’s update

(Agenda item 5)

44.1 A copy of the ‘Chairman’s update’ had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting.

Resolved – That the report be received.

45. Commissioner’s report

(Agenda item 6)

Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin

45.1 The Commissioner opened his report by confirming that Deputy Commissioner, Tim Godwin would be retiring from the MPS. The Commissioner asked that his and the MPS’ thanks be noted adding that the Deputy Commissioner had been one of the leading officers of his generation, using his great intellect to lead on a number innovative work and he particularly highlighted his work with the criminal justice system.

Tasers

45.2 The Commissioner then asked if he could clarify comments that he had recently made during a radio interview regarding the possible extension of the use of Tasers.

45.3. The Commissioner pointed out the discussion had been initiated in response to a question from a serving firearm officer who posed the question whether Tasers should become ‘standard kit’ as in certain circumstances firearm officers could not get to a scene quickly. His response was to suggest a review of the current policy.

45.4 In noting the Commissioner’s clarification of his comments members reminded him of the previous involvement of the Authority in the initial decision to deploy tasers within the MPS. This included the Authority, through its Taser Oversight Group, being very stringent in its decision making and which included the MPS being asked to revise its proposals on several occasions. Some members were concerned that in recent weeks and following recent riots and demonstrations in London, comments were being made, usually via the media, about such policy issues as water cannon and rubber bullets, without reference to the Authority. Some members felt that this was inappropriate and questioned the corporate knowledge of the MPS in relation to this issue.

45.5 Some members accepted that the comments made during the interview were a genuine response to a question and that it was timely to undertake a review of how Taser is deployed, adding that Taser was a preferable method of dealing with certain situations as opposed to the use of firearms. They also felt that it was important to take account of officers’ safety. However, they added that there was a need for any review to include a proper consultation process.

Operation Hawk

45.6 The Commissioner informed members of an on-going operation (Operation Hawk). This operation had a renewed emphasis on tackling local crime problems using local community intelligence , for example tackling drug related crimes.

Incident in Kingsbury

45.7 The Commissioner provided members with an update on the stabing incident involving police officers in Kingsbury. Two of the four officers injured remained in hospital and members joined the Commissioner in thanking them for their bravery and best wishes for a full recovery.

Performance issues

45.8 The Commissioner drew attention to his report and provided members with an update on performance issues since the last meeting of the Authority.

45.9 He informed members that in terms of violent crime there remained a reduction of approximately 9% for the year to date which equated to a decrease from 90,000 to 82,000 offences and that this decrease was across a number of areas including: harassment, common assault and violence with intent or serious violence. The Commissioner reported that gun crime also continued to reduce and was down nearly 15%, which were approximately 250 fewer offences. He also confirmed that of those offences where a gun had been fired had decreased by nearly 23% in a quarter.

45.10 Members were informed that reported domestic violence was down 5%, racist and religious crimes were also down and that homophobic offences were down by around 15%.

45.11 Turning to knife crime, the Commissioner was disappointed to report that there was an increase. He suggested that the increase was something that had occurred across London over the last three years. This increase included offences where knives were being used to injure.

45.12 The Commissioner informed members that rape sanction detections remained below the levels recorded the previous year; 61 detections fewer. He informed members that the MPS were focusing on a number of steps to improve in this area and these included joint working with the Crown Prosecution Service to improve case tracking and a review by Homicide Command of unsolved rape cases.

45.13 Members were informed that there was a 1% increase in property crime, with an increases mainly focused on theft from the person and burglary.

45.14 Confidence in local policing currently stood at 66% which is a 1% increase, but below the current target of 67%. The Commissioner added that in terms of victim satisfaction this currently stood at 75% which was below the target of 78%.

45.15 The Commissioner highlighted some targeted operations which included: Operation Bumblebee and Operation Autumn nights. The later operation was a seasonal operation targeting crime and antisocial behaviour associated with the darker nights and events such as bonfire night and Halloween.

45.16 He concluded his report by informing members to a number of public order events that had taken place and outlining the planning arrangements for the forthcoming public sector demonstration and day of action on 30 November. At the request of members he also confirmed the planned route of this demonstration.

Issues raised by members

45.17 Members had submitted a number of questions in advance of the meeting.

Sergeants sharing wards/SNT Sergeants

45.18 Members asked the Commissioner if he was happy with the decisions that borough commanders had taken about which wards should share sergeants in Safer Neighbourhood Teams. Members also asked if he intended to continue with the further depletion of 150 Safer Neighbourhood Team sergeants next year and if so, what is the timetable for this process.

45.19 The Commissioner confirmed that he was happy with the decision that borough commanders had taken about which wards should share sergeants in Safer Neighbourhood Teams. He added that he was aware that there were some areas where there was some dissatisfaction and whist there had been consultation he was prepared to take further comments and reflect on possible changes. He added that it was important, however, to allow the new arrangements to settle, but there may be some areas where there might be some minor changes. Members, in noting the Commissioners comments, drew attention to Richmond and Twickenham, where a decision had been taken against the advice of MPs and local councillors where an option was to share sergeants as opposed to removing them. He noted the example given and undertook to ask the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Territorial Policing to discuss with the borough commander to look at that area to see if there are any better solutions.

45.20 In relation to a continuation with the further depletion of 150 Safer Neighbourhood Team sergeants next year, the Commissioner drew members attention to the Policing London Business Plan which did indicate further savings of 150 sergeants were required in 2012/13. He added that the new Assistant Commissioner for Territorial Policing will review these plans on his arrival to ensure they are the best approach to achieving the required savings. He also added that any proposals would of course be based on the agreed budget.

MPS promotions

45.21 Members asked the Commissioner, how many people had the MPS promoted within the last year who are within one year of reaching their 30 years' service, they asked for this information to be broken down by rank

45.23 The Commissioner informed members that officers for the rank of sergeants to superintendent within the period 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2011 within 12 months of or before they had reach 30 years were: detective sergeants two; detective inspectors four; chief inspectors one; detective chief superintendents two. There was also one officer who had 31 years service who was promoted. Details of officers promoted over the rank of chief superintendents were held by the MPA, but he believed that there had been no promotions. He added that regarding promotions, this was something that the MPS were aware of as it could have a disproportionate effect on someone’s pension which would benefit the individual at a cost to the MPS/MPA.

Policing US security agents during Olympics

45.24 Members suggested that the US government intended to send up to 1,000 security agents to protect American Olympic athletes in London Games in 2012. They asked the Commissioner what levels of security was he expecting from other countries and how could he ensure that these agents would be under MPS direction.

45.25 The Commissioner confirmed that a press statement had been released by the US embassy in which it was suggested that the US government were planning to bring security support. The MPS had discussed and challenged this press statement which had proven to be incorrect and that in general there was no sense that the US or other governments were going to bring large numbers of their own security support. He explained that the MPS had very detailed protocols and arrangements for dealing with dignitaries. He also added that in terms of large amounts of British troops being brought into support security this was a matter for London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) who may be thinking of using troops to support security due to resource issues. The Chairman of the MPA Olympic/Paralympic Sub-Committee added that the sub-committee had not been presented with the figures suggested in the question and that the dialogue on security issues had always been clear when discussed.

45.26 The Acting Deputy Commissioner confirmed that there were continuous discussions with governments about security issues, including protection of VIPs and that this would be under the direction of UK authorities and that all VIPs would be going through vetting procedures.

Maintaining law and order

45.27 Members asked the Commissioner if he would be using similar robust measures in future large-scale demonstrations to keep the peace, as was done successfully at the student protest earlier this month.

45.28 The Commissioner provided members with details of the policing of a recent demonstration which had passed off relatively peacefully. He also compared that with a previous demonstration which was policed by a much smaller amount of officers and which had developed into a serious public order matter. He therefore informed members that when dealing with large-scale demonstrations there was a need to find a middle ground in terms of the number of officers deployed.

Knife and youth crime/Stop and Search

45.29. Some members suggested that there had been a lot of ‘scaremongering’ about knife and youth crime recently. They asked the Commissioner what were the key statistics to consider when considering these types of crime and have figures - such as ‘knife-used to injure’ and ‘violence against the person’ - gone up or down. Members also asked the Commissioner if he would confirm that the new approach to Stop and Search will be introduced by January 2012. They also asked in the light of the recent increase in knife crime, what other new measures are planned to tackle this issue?

45.30 The Commissioner stated that knife crime remained a serious issue within London. In terms of performance he confirmed that knife crime had increased and was up 15% from April to October 2011 compared with the same period last year. Violence against the person where a knife or sharp instrument was used to injure had slightly decreased by 0.7% which is 14 less offences. Violence against a person where an attempt was made to injure was down 10%, which was 99 less offences. The Commissioner stated that knife crime peaked in 2008 where 30 teenagers lost their lives, so there was a significant change. He also provided members with a number of initiatives that the MPS were considering around knife crime and this included working with crime stoppers and focusing on stop and search.

45.31 Members suggested that as part of the work around prevention of knife crime, there was a need to focus on the causes of this particular crime. They also reminded the Commissioner that stop and search was emotive and that there was a need to ensure that positional changes to its use should be discussed with the Authority before any implementation. Arising from this, members asked that any proposals on the use of stop and search as a method of prevention of knife crime be brought back to the Authority at its last meeting in January 2012. In agreeing this, the Commissioner added that any development of stop and search around knife crime was likely to be around better performance and less use and agreed to bring back initial plans to the Authority in January.

Drug-driving

45.32 Members asked the Commissioner how many people have been prosecuted for drug-driving in the last year and how many have been prosecuted for drink-driving. He was also asked how many accidents were linked to drugs in the past year and how many were linked to alcohol?

45.33 He confirmed that during the financial year April 2010 to March 2011 the MPS charged: 353 people for drug drive offences and 8,041 people for drink drive offences. He added that during the financial year April 2010 to March 2011 there have been: 22 collisions where impairment by drugs was recorded as a contributory factor and 397 collisions where impairment by alcohol was recorded as a contributory factor.

Confidence and satisfaction

45.34 Members drew the Commissioner’s attention to a recent report by Harriet Harmon MP, which following the summer riots showed that there was a significant decrease in satisfaction and confidence in the police, particularly from young people. Members suggested that this was an area that the MPS need to focus on. The Commissioner agreed that the MPS could not ignore this matter and were working on building both confidence and satisfaction in policing with communities, including young people. He added that whilst the MPS were undertaking this work they would need support from other agencies.

Cyclist and Pedestrian Casualties

45.35 Members welcomed the direct approach taken by the Met to tackle the problem of illegal vehicles, through the use of ANPR operations. However, they asked what else in particular, would the Met be doing in order to tackle the large number of pedestrians and cyclists who are victims of hit and run incidents.

45.36 The Commissioner confirmed that the MPS continued to work with cyclists and partners on improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians and in particular with schools and Transport for London. Regarding the number of hit and runs which had involved a cyclist and pedestrians, the Commissioner confirmed that figure that the MPS had were that there had been 13 fatalities of cyclist and pedestrians between January and June 2011. He added that there were no direct comparisons.

45.37 Members asked if ways forward were being considered such as video evidence from cyclists and 20 mile an hour zones. Members also asked about a specific case which occurred in Oxford Street where a person was struck by a bus. The Commissioner supported the suggestion that video evidence could be presented as evidence. He also supported the enforcement of 20 miles an hour zones and added that this is something that the properly trained volunteers could become involved in; however, the challenge remained the volume of enforcement. He also felt that there was further work to be undertaken around how incidents either fatal or near misses was recorded and retained and there was scope for closer working with local authorities.

Integrated Prosecution Teams

45.38 Members asked what would be the effect of the removal from boroughs of Integrated Prosecution Teams and what representations had the MPS made on this issue.

45.39 The Commissioner confirmed that the MPS and CPS fully supported new proposals and the opportunities that it provided the two organisations particularly as the new proposals were very stream lined and cost effective. He added that he was scheduled to meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions and that this was one matter that would be discussed. He reminded members that the previous system had been seen by the CPS as providing all the savings to the MPS.

Misconduct

45.40 Following the misconduct hearings of Enfield Crime Squad officers which found they had used overly aggressive approach and discreditable conduct, members asked what work had the MPS done to audit whether there are other BOCUs operating in a similar manner. They also asked had other similar practices been found and what has been done about them.

45.41 The Commissioner confirmed that the investigation was on-going so he could not go into specific details at this stage, but added that an audit across boroughs had been undertaken to ensure similar practices and approaches were not taking place. The Acting Deputy Commissioner reassured members that as a result of this audit she could reassure members that there were minimal areas of unsatisfactory practices and this had been robustly dealt with and subject to professional standards conduct investigations.

Women’s safety

45.42 Members asked the Commissioner how many convictions had Project Azure led to in London in the past year and what more could be done target the practicing of female genital mutilation (FGM).

45.43 The Commissioner confirmed that there had be no convictions regarding FGM in the UK, however, he added that the lack of prosecution does not reflect a lack of rigor in the tackling of this issue. Allegations are rigorously investigated and there is a large amount of work undertaken around prevention, awareness raising and working with families. However, he reported that this was complex issue with victims rarely prepared to give evidence against members of their family. He confirmed that since 2009 there had been 64 allegations of FGM, with 56 of these coming from partnership agencies and from five different victims. however, there was in most cases insufficient evidence to prosecute. Three allegations were on-going. In addition to prevention work the Commissioner added that the MPS were also working on rising awareness with young people at risk and the CPS and MPS have provided guidance for prosecutors and the British Airways Authority at Heathrow airport to raise awareness among travellers.

46. Policing London Business Plan

(Agenda item 7a and 7b)

46.1 Members received a report that presented the draft MPA/MPS 2012-15 Policing London Business Plan.

46.2 Members noted that the Plan had been presented to the joint meeting of the Strategic and Operational Policing and Finance and Resources Committees on 18 November 2011. Members had raised a number of points for consideration as the draft Plan moved forward and these were provided in an addendum report. The Chairman suggested that members be invited to submit any further comments on the draft Plan and these be taken away by officers for consideration as the Plan is developed through future governance arrangements. He also suggested at this stage the report’s recommendations were noted.

46.3 The Chairman invited members to submit further comments on the Plan and these included:

The Plan includes further information and figures regarding potential front counter closures
Further details on possible reduction of overtime is considered.
Consideration be given to a reduction in the number of ACPO ranks
The Plan include details on costs of public order training including possible reduction of TSG
Guidance on police numbers and confirmation if operational strength is a matter for the Commissioner or Mayor.
Details on any potential savings following the abolition of the MPA and establishment of the MOPC.

46.4 In relation to guidance on police numbers and confirmation if operational strength was a matter for the Commissioner or Mayor, the Commissioner added that in his opinion this decision had to taken by the Commissioner in negotiation with the Mayor and that this had worked well in the past. He added that any negotiation would also have to be subject to a reasonability test and make professional sense. Any decision around police numbers for a long period such as 2-4 years could only be made around what the budget could stand.

Resolved – That the following be noted:

the draft 2012-15 Policing London Business Plan, including capital and revenue budget proposals and supporting financial information for submission to the Mayor by 18 November in line with the budget timetable and note that at this stage of the process it has not been possible to develop a balanced budget for 2012/13 or the other two years of the plan.
the annual statement regarding the 2012/13 Minimum Revenue Provision and the key Prudential Indicators calculated from the draft borrowing and spending plan.
a provisional capital programme;
For 2012/13 to a fully funded value of £170.9m, with an over-programming limit of £35.8m.
For 2013/14 to a fully funded value of £130.4m, with an over-programming limit of £33.6m.
the MPA Treasurer’s Statement on the Robustness of the Estimates and the Adequacy of the Proposed Financial Reserves given at Appendix 3 to the report.

47. Civil Liberties Panel review ‘Protecting the innocent’ – The London Experience of DNA and the national DNA database

(Agenda item 8)

47.1 Members received a report that set out the MPS response to the MPA Civil Liberties review ‘Protecting the innocent: The London experience of DNA and the National DNA database’. Members noted that the MPS accepted all of the recommendations made within the review and sought to address the key findings of the Panel and the concerns of London citizens as expressed with the report.

47.2 Gary Pugh (MPS) briefly outlined the MPS acceptance of the recommendations of the Panel’s report. He first focused on the importance of community engagement and DNA profiling and how the MPS were taking this forward. He added that as the Freedom Bill was due to be introduced in May 2012 this would afford an opportunity to use the Bill as a catalyst to combined MPS DNA profiling, to embark on an enhanced engagement with communities. He then outlined proposals around defining the DNA process clearly and this included providing clearer information in custody, improvements in working with those with mental health issues and destroying volunteer samples.

47.3 The Chairman invited Victoria Borwick as chair of the Civil Liberties Panel to comment. She wished to thank members of the Panel and MPA officers for their work and added that she was delighted that the MPS were agreeing and in some case had already taken forward some of the Panel’s recommendations. On a point of clarity she confirmed that regarding Schedule 7 examinations and whether these examinations were loaded on a data base or not, she confirmed that if there was found to be a match then they were placed on the database and if there was no match there were not loaded. She reiterated the importance of community engagement and was pleased that work on this area was already taking place.

Resolved – That members note the MPS response to their recommendations as set out in the report ‘protecting the innocent’: The London experience of DNA and the National DNA database.

48. Reports from committees

(Agenda item 9)

48.1 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 10 October 2011
Strategic and Operational Policing Committee – 13 October 2011
Finance and Resources Committee – 20 October 2011
Communities, Equalities and People – 3 November 2011

49. Urgent action taken under delegated authority

(Agenda item 10)

49.1 Members received a report that provided details on action taken for the approval to commence procurement process by the Chief Executive under delegated authority on the grounds of urgency.

49.2. The reason for urgency was considered and deemed appropriate as the timing of the November Finance and Resources Committee would have caused an unnecessary delay in the procurement process and had a significant impact on the milestones for the project.

Resolved – That the report be received.

50. Any other urgent business

(Agenda item 11)

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011

50.1 The Chairman agreed to receive this report on the grounds of urgency. The grounds for urgency were given as follows: The Chair has accepted this report as urgent on the basis that it provides critical information relating to the governance and management of the MPA details of which were not available earlier and on which members will wish to be sighted before the next meeting.

50.2 Members received a report that provided details of the abolition of the police authority and the establishment of a new functional body, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC).

50.3 In response to members, the Chief Executive confirmed that governance arrangements would be in place from the commencement of the MOPC.

Resolved – That the report be received

The meeting closed at 12:58 pm

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