Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the Olympics/Paralympics Sub-committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 6 October 2011 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members:

• Dee Doocey
• Chris Boothman
• Victoria Borwick
• Kirsten Hearn
• Toby Harris

MPA Officers:

• Annabel Adams (Deputy Treasurer)
• Siobhan Coldwell (Head of Policing Policy, Scrutiny and Oversight)
• Thomas Foot (Policing Policy, Scrutiny and Oversight)

MPS Officers:

• Richard Morris (Commander, Olympic and Paralympic Coordination Team (OPC))
• Alaric Bonthron (Detective Chief Superintendent, Integration and Community Relations Lead)

Others: John M James (Newham Chamber of Commerce), Saskia Nelson (East London Business Alliance), Jan Scott (Victim Support), Anne Ambrose (Tower Hamlets CPEG), Janet Dooner (Pubwatch), Philip Dundon (Waltham Forest CPEG), Mike Cave (Waltham Forest CPEG), Alastair Currie (The Mall, Waltham Forest), Paul Langford (Waltham Forest Council), Sheila Suso-Runge (Hackney CPEG), Nicola Baboneau (Hackney, CPEG), and Bola Lemon (Waltham Forest Tenants Council)

13. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

13.1 Apologies were received from Jennette Arnold.

14. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

14.1 No declarations of interest were received.

15. Minutes: Olympics / Paralympics Sub-committee – 21 July 2011 (PART 1)

(Agenda item 3)

15.1 The minutes of the last meeting were agreed.

Resolved – That the minutes of the Olympics and Paralympics Sub-Committee (Part 1) held on 21 July 2011 be agreed and be signed as a correct record.

16. Community and business roundtable discussion

(Agenda item 4)

16.1 The Chair welcomed all those present, stating that community and business representatives from the five Olympic and Paralympic host boroughs had been invited to attend in order for the Sub-committee to gain a broader understanding of the impact of securing planning for the Games and for it to hear the concerns of those affected.

16.2 Alaric Bonthron informed the Sub-committee that the Olympic Policing Community Relations Team had been established to: enable communities to gain a degree of control over how the Games will impact upon them; allow for any safety and security concerns to be identified and addressed early; and to ensure that vulnerabilities are not accentuated by the Games.

16.3 DCS Bonthron went on to say that the Olympics would involve over 14,500 athletes from 205 countries, and that London is home to immigrant communities from most of these countries. He noted that over 20,000 media representatives are likely to attend the Games, and that 2012 will be a busy year for policing large public events – including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and World Pride. As such, the MPS faces significant operational and reputational challenges and is therefore seeking to engage with all of these groups as far as is possible.

16.4 The Sub-committee were informed that the Community Relations Team have already been in contact with Community Police Engagement Group (CPEG) chairs, business communities, youth groups and faith groups, and have hosted community meetings with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The MPS are working within Merton, Camden, Brent, Westminster, Hackney, Greenwich, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, and soon Haringey to deliver youth engagement projects in partnership with the Youth Offending Teams (YOT). This project – Changing Places – encourages young offenders to look after and take pride in their localities, and has been identified by LOCOG as best practice. The team has also worked with No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events (NOGOE) and other protest groups to facilitate peaceful demonstrations.

16.5 DCS Bonthron noted that planned events include: further joint agency events – including one at the Stratford Westfield Shopping Centre; and a briefing to be communicated to all Safer Neighbourhoods Inspectors – with the expectation that they will cascade information to their officers and communities. He noted that Reshard Auladin is advising in relation to challenges around the Olympics being held during Ramadan. He also introduced the Sub-committee to the Neighbourhood Link Community Messaging Service – which will be used to inform registered persons – currently 17000 – of operational challenges during the Games.

16.6 The Chair informed those present that whilst the Sub-committee will only be able to respond to concerns regarding safety and security, rather than those relating to transport, for instance. She did, however, commit to taking any additional questions to LOCOG or other partner organisations for answer. Alaric Bonthron noted that the security arrangements for the Games will mirror those at a football game – with the MPS being responsible for outside of stadia and LOCOG for security and safety inside.

16.7 John M James noted that the MPS would be responsible for policing outside of the stadium and asked whether this would extend to proactive searches of vehicles. The MPS responded that policing plans, which outline the respective responsibilities of the MPS, LOCOG and other partner organisations, have been devised for each area of the Olympic Park and the surrounding transport hubs. They stated that there are no plans in place for large-scale vehicle search areas, although screening processes were being put in place for vehicles entering the Park and at Westfield, for instance. The MPS stated that LOCOG will be providing remote accreditation to vehicles will enable them to limit the time taken to access the Park.

16.8 Philip Dundon, Chair of the Cann Hall Safer Neighbourhoods Panel, noted that 400 additional officers would be deployed in Waltham Forest over the course of the Games, and he asked whether these officers may be usefully applied in preventing disorder resulting from passenger action in the event of a failure of transport systems. He stated that the transport network was barely coping as it was, and that, notwithstanding calls for commuters to stay at home, it is likely that routes will be further stretched. The MPS replied that concerns around transport – including passenger flow and evacuation - have been built into security planning and various scenarios are being modelled. They noted that ticket holders will be given guidance on alternative routes, and that the majority of the projected 30% reduction in non-Olympics traffic would be in those varying the times at which they travel to and from work. The work in this area has been based upon learning from Sydney and Atlanta.

16.9 Paul Langford stated that Neighbourhood Link could become a useful service if it were to contribute to communities being provided consistent messaging around the security of the Games in real-time. He asked how the MPS intended to achieve this and get the message out to host boroughs. The MPS responded that their objective is to achieve a single system by which to communicate to citizens (to include the Games and broader issues of public concern) and that Neighbourhood Link would be that system. Discussions are on-going with regard to the relationship of this scheme and existing MPS twitter accounts. Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are being briefed on the scheme (and refreshed regularly thereafter) in hopes that they will then propagate messages locally. They noted that over 7,000 people signed up over the course of the disorder in August, and suggested that those in attendance could assist in getting more signed up (a meeting with CPEG Chairs to discuss this and other issues has also been scheduled for 7 November 2011).

16.10 Mike Cave requested that a description of the ‘pyramid of command’ for the Games be provided in order for those present to get a sense of how organisations will complement one another in providing effective security. He also asked what funding had been made available for the safety and security effort, and whether any plans for the enforcement of a no-fly zone were in place. The MPS replied that there were plans for an air traffic exclusion zone, which would preclude all but pre-registered flights from flying over certain protected areas. Secondly, they assured those present that the MPS and the Commissioner are committed to providing a secure Games, and that a full command structure had been agreed, with Commander Bob Broadhurst in place as Gold Commander. They proposed that more detail as to the various responsibilities of those involved in delivering security would be made available to those present. The Chair noted that a budget envelope of £600 million had been set aside by Government for the delivery of an Olympic security strategy, and that the MPA had spent considerable time over the previous two years in scrutinising each project business case. A Member added that the Home Office also considers each project with a fine toothcomb and that a Select Committee are also involved in this formal scrutiny process.

16.11 Janet Dooner noted that information as to plans and structures in place to ensure a secure Games were publicly available. She recommended a member of the London 2012 staff who had been particularly useful, and noted that a number of those around the table had received or were soon to receive updates from her.

16.12 Jan Scott noted that a number of specialist courts will be closing over the period of the Games and asked whether the impact of these events on victims and witnesses – from communities within boroughs and visitors to London - more broadly was being considered. The MPS noted that Ms Scott’s details had been passed on to the Operation Emerald team – who are involved in liaison with criminal justice partners – and they will be reminded to make contact. They noted that ticket-holders will be provided with crime prevention advice and that information which will be made available to visitors is being developed by LOCOG (who are working with accommodation providers).

16.13 Bola Lemon noted that as a resident in the area of Wanstead Flats she remained unsure as to plans for a muster, briefing and deployment centre and how this may impact residents. The MPS noted that the plans for the proposed centre were currently undergoing judicial review, but stated that five or six discussions were held with residents in the run up the selection of the Flats, a website was developed, flyers posted and leaflets delivered, as well as notices in local council papers. They informed those present that officers will be briefed at the site prior to being deployed at the Park, and that the MPS will maintain a 24/7 presence at the site over the course of the Games. They assured Ms Lemon that the presence of additional officers will in no way impact the delivery of local policing strategies by Safer Neighbourhoods teams, who will remain in post. In terms of impact, it is anticipated that the police presence may have a positive tangential impact on crime levels. They committed to ensuring that the relevant Safer Neighbourhoods teams deliver updated information to communities around the Flats. Philip Dundon affirmed that there had been extensive consultation.

16.14 Saskia Nelson noted that during 7/7 businesses were not sufficiently informed as to what was happening in order to respond as appropriate and ensure the safety of their staff. The MPS replied that a more robust process for producing guidance for the business community was in development and that they are continuing work with London First to engage commerce groups via a ‘communications hub’. Alaric Bonthron also stated he was due to speak to East London Business Association (ELBA) later that week.

16.15 Philip Dundon was informed that the proposed MPS transport route from the Flats to Stratford would be via the A12 and not Forest Gate – which will be used for horses only.

16.16 A Member noted that many of the issues discussed suggested that communication with the public as to how the Games would be secured remained an issue. The MPS responded that there is a lot of information publicly available and committed to distributing the Home Office’s Olympic and Paralympic Safety and Security Strategy. They noted that they were seeking to reconcile all available information in one location – the London 2012 website – and that Gold Commander Bob Broadhurst was looking to develop an information booklet on Olympics planning.

16.17 A Member suggested that the provision of accessible information – to those who are not native English speakers, for instance – should be discussed with partner organisations including LOCOG and the ODA at the forthcoming Sub-committee meeting, which is due to take place on 10 November 2011.

16.18 Nicola Baboneau asked how ‘live sites’ would be policed and how day passes for non-ticket holders may be allocated. She noted that London is home to immigrant communities from many of the countries involved in the Games and those with conflicting allegiances may clash at these venues – requiring officers to be abstracted from other duties. The MPS replied that these issues remain to be decided but that all applications for such live sites are to be provided to the Mayor and considered thereafter.

16.19 In response to a question posed by Sheila Suso-Runge, the MPS noted that young people were being engaged in a number of ways (as noted above) and in separate forums to adults in order to encourage them to speak up about their own safety concerns.

16.20 The Chair thanked all of those who were in attendance and noted that a minute of the meeting would be made available to them (and those who did RSVP but were unable to attend) shortly.

17. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 5)

17.1 The Chair invited the Sub-committee 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 was likely to be made known.

Resolved – that members of the press and public be excluded for the remaining items of business.

18. Minutes: Olympics / Paralympics Sub-committee – 21 JULY 2011 (PART 2)

(Agenda item 6)

18.1 The exempt minutes of the last meeting were agreed.

Resolved – That the minutes of the Olympics and Paralympics Sub-Committee (Part 2) held on 21 July 2011 be agreed and be signed as a correct record.

19. Chair’s update

(Agenda item 7)

19.1 Updates were received on Olympics policing and security related issues.

20. Olympics policing coordination status report update

(Agenda item 8)

20.1 The Sub-committee was briefed on Olympic policing activities and issues which had arisen since the last Sub-Committee meeting.

21. Urgent items (if any)

(Agenda item 9)

21.1 No urgent items were raised.

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