Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Professional Standards Cases Sub-Committee held on 19 April 2010 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Tony Arbour
• Chris Boothman
• Valerie Brasse
• James Cleverly (Vice Chair)

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Alix Rejman (Acting Professional Standards & Legal Officer)
• Helen Sargeant (MPA Solicitor)
• Chris Benson (Committee Services).

1. Communications

1.1 Apologies for absence were received from Reshard Auladin (Chair) Joanne McCartney Richard Tracey.

2. Declarations of interests

2.1 None were received

3. Minutes of the meetings held 8, 10 February and 31 March 2010

3.1 The minutes of the meetings held on 8, 10 February and 31 March 2010 were approved as correct records.

Resolved that the minutes of the meetings held on 8, 10 February and 31 March 2010 be approved as correct records.

4. Revised statutory guidance from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)

4.1 Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive) and Alix Rejman (Acting Professional Standards & Legal Officer) introduced the report.

4.2 The Sub Committee was advised that one of the main new requirements of the guidance is that the complaints and recording decisions taken by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) are put onto the complaints database held by the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards. This would provide the IPCC with a consistent data set.

4.3 It was noted that the Metropolitan Police Service was already using a bespoke database to record allegations and complaints using the definitions of allegation categories and the links to the standards of professional behaviour as outlined in the guidance. There would be a cost implication of allowing the MPA access to the data base. In addition individual access and the level of access to the database within the respective organisations would have to be agreed and controlled.

4.4 The Sub Committee was concerned that the new guidance had the potential to dramatically increase the bureaucratic burden within the MPA and MPS.

4.5 The Sub Committee was advised that the resource implications of implementing the guidance, including the costs of the data base merger, training and the allocation of staff would be reported to the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee.

4.6 The Sub Committee was advised that the Guidance was clear that as the law stands the Police Reform Act did not permit an appropriate authority to decline to record a complaint simply because it appears bizarre, implausible or intrinsically without foundation. According to the Guidance an allegation such as this will therefore usually require recording, with subsequent action depending on the circumstances and facts of the case.

4.7 The Sub Committee was concerned that the recording of such reports, if they became public knowledge, could have an adverse impact on an officer’s career. The system had to be able to distinguish between legitimate complaints and spurious complaints such as those made against officers who were not present or out of the country at the time of the alleged incident. The Sub Committee considered that in all such cases the allegations should be recorded and immediately investigated with the outcome of the investigation clearly and quickly recorded.

4.8 It was anticipated that the guidance would lead to an increase in the numbers of complaints recorded. It was essential that the Community & Police Engagement Groups are briefed on the reasons for the increased levels of complaints and that the wider community are informed of the changes. To this end the community engagement aspect of the guidance will be reported to Community, Equalities and People Committee.

Resolved

1. to note the report
2. that a report on the community engagement aspects of the report to be submitted to the Community, Equalities and People Committee
3. that the resource implications of implementing the guidance, including the costs of the data base merger, training and the allocation of staff would be reported to the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee.

5. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 3)

5.1. A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during the remaining agenda item as it would be likely to disclose exempt information as described in Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Resolved – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the remaining agenda items.

6. Summary of exempt items

1. Police Pensions Regulations 1987 – Application for Forfeiture.
2. Allegations against a Senior Officer
3. MPA Professional Standards Unit Update

The meeting closed at 1:55 p.m.

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