Minutes

Minutes of the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 1 April 2010 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Reshard Auladin (Chairman)
• Jennette Arnold
• Chris Boothman
• Cindy Butts
• Toby Harris
• Joanne McCartney
• Caroline Pidgeon
• Richard Tracey

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive)
• Jane Harwood (Deputy Chief Executive)
• Bob Atkins (Treasurer)
• Siobhan Coldwell (Head of Policing Policy, Scrutiny and Oversight)

MPS officers

• Commander Simon Foy
• Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin
• David George
• Clive Chalk
• Paul Clarke

125. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

125.1 Apologies were given for Tony Arbour.

126. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

126.1 None

127. Minutes of the Strategic and Operational Policing Committee 4 March 2010

(Agenda item 3)

127.1 In reference to the Drugs Strategy, the Chair noted that the relevant Member had been reassured about the MPS’s plans for Drug Intervention Programmes (DIPs), and therefore asked Members if they would be prepared to sign off the strategy. Members noted that their concerns were also about the targets in the strategy and as a result agreed that it needed to come back to a future meeting. Officers were also asked to review the wording of this section in the minutes.

Resolved

• That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2010 were approved and signed as a correct record.
• Agreed that wording on page 9 would be reviewed to reflect Member concerns.

128. Urgent actions and urgent operational issues

(Agenda item 4)

128.1 The Chair agreed to take the policing plan because of the pressing timescale. Significant work had been done following the full authority meeting on 25 March 2010 to agree targets. It was noted that the new plan included more KPIs and a significant increase in the number of targets that populate these KPIs which helped address priorities members felt were paramount.

128.2 It was also noted that many more KPIs could have been introduced but in order to make the plan manageable some had not been included. It was proposed that these could be addressed in the thematic performance reporting regime being developed for future SOP committees.

128.3 Members were pleased there were indicators in place for most areas of hate crime but felt it was a mistake not to include disability. It was suggested that this could be the subject of a thematic scrutiny at this committee and the MPS could provide regular updates.

128.4 The committee was told that there would be exception reporting on all areas of performance and that if emerging trends are clear they will be reported back to the committee. The Chair indicated that a balance needed to be struck and that if the proposals for performance management by SOP are unsuccessful, they can be reconsidered at the end of the year.

128.5 In respect of the wording of KPI 2 (pledge promises), Members were told that now the MPS has baseline performance data in place, they are looking for improvements across the board.

128.6 Members agreed (with the exception of Caroline Pidgeon) to note the changes, approve the plan. The remaining members of Authority would be informed of the decision, and if necessary the plan would be presented Full Authority for ratification. Caroline Pidgeon’s dissention was noted.

Resolved – That the policing plan be agreed by Members of the committee on behalf of the Full Authority.

That other Members of the Authority be informed of the decision.

129. Headline performance report

(Agenda item 5)

129.1 The MPS introduced the headline performance report saying that there had been difficulties in relation to burglary, though there is a steady decline and it should be down by the end of the year. Serious violence was down due to a reinvigorated Operation Blunt and gun crime is flattening out, it will be 10% up at the end of the year. The murder rate has also dropped.

129.2 The MPA asked about Operation Protect, specifically how many officers were involved and how they are being deployed. They also asked what links there were with safer transport teams and whether the Operation was long term. Members were told Protect was a longstanding Operation and had been delivered in different ways such as using specials and getting police officers out of offices and onto patrol. The deployment varies from day to day and arrangements are being revisited following the murder at Victoria Station.

129.3 The MPA were pleased that trends were being picked up (ref paragraph 16), and that action had been taken to target emerging issues but asked whether would Operation Bumblebee continue now that burglary appeared to be under control.

129.4 The MPS responded that while burglary is coming down there is a variation across boroughs. Bumblebee will be continuing to combat very active burglars, it is still up 3.7% on last year the MPS is seeking to reduce this.

129.5 The MPA went on to ask whether the drop in young victims of serious youth violence could be linked to increased deployment of resources. The MPS said that they had some of the figures but proving cause and effect is very difficult. A group has been established to better understand the issue.

129.6 An MPA member brought paragraph 20 to the committee’s attention, and sought clarity on how a new working group reporting to the London Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) would improve the number of sexual offences going to trial. Members were told that attrition in the criminal justice system is a significant problem. The working group was looking at learning and making changes in the whole criminal justice system for example, establishing a dedicated sexual assault prosecution team in the CPS. Members requested an update on this later in the year.

129.7 There was a discussion about whether it was likely that the BME recruitment target would be met. Members were told that the wastage rate was lower than expected so it will be difficult. Members were also told about the aspiration to achieve 10,000 special constables (target 6667). The current proportion of special constables that are BME is 30%. Members were surprised this was not included in the data.

129.8 Members asked why there was no mention of the Special Constabulary in the report. Of particular interest was the current wastage rate and whether it had slowed. Exact figures were not available at the meeting, but the committee was told that has a result of high wastage rates, a sergeant was deployed to each borough to manage the teams, which had brought wastage rates done. It was noted that the requirement to work increased hours had a negative impact. It was noted that Communities Equality and People committee would be discussing a comprehensive paper on the Special Constabulary at a future meeting which would provide some baseline information from which to monitor improvement.

129.9 There was a discussion about performance in Waltham Forest, figures showed it to be in the bottom 3 sanction detection rate for robbery, bottom 3 for knife crime and bottom 3 for sexual offences, Members asked whether this was this due to management or availability of resources.

129.10 The MPS acknowledged that resources are an issue. The area commander and assistant commissioner of Territorial Policing (ACTP) have been out to look at performance in detail. Waltham Forest had a new borough commander and a new senior management team is being established. The situation there has started to improve and there is an ongoing dialogue between the local authority chief executive and the borough commander. The link member for Waltham Forest noted that that ACTP had met the borough partnership twice and the discussions about key priorities for the Local Strategic Partnership and the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership were very useful.

129.11 Asked if ACTP focussed on outliers, Members were told that it was not uncommon to perform badly in one year. There is significant corporate attention from the Deputy Assistant Commissioner and TP commanders to performance.

129.12 Members indicated that the messages within the report about knife crime (paragraph 14) and gun crime (paragraph 22) were confusing. The MPS responded by saying gun crime increased significantly at the beginning of the year. The causes were identified and appropriate action was taken, performance has now improved. In respect of knife crime it was noted that Operation Blunt 2 drove down knife crime in 2008/09, so the 2009/10 target is harder to achieve. There was also some frustration caused by crime recording requirements which has to include intimation which accounted for 11% of knife crime. There had been analysis to identify the reasons for increased crime that has resulted in, for example a diversion resources, and as a result knife crime is now falling.

129.13 In reference to paragraph 24, Members asked why the asset recovery was the target not going to be met. It was reported that there is a significant review at government level on what the measures should be and the impact they would have on the budget. Members were told that challenges at the Court of Appeal have been part of the problem and collection had been slower than hoped. The MPS said that it expected to see new legislation come through to close loopholes. Targets were challenging and require investment to get to the next level. The MPA’s view is that assets recovered should fund this, but the Home Office will not allow it.

129.14 Members were interested to know if there are differences between boroughs as to how pro-active they are in trying to recover assets, and whether there is good practice to be shared. Members also asked about the investment that had been put in and whether there needed to be reconsideration of this if targets were not being reached.

129.15 The MPS said that it is clear that investment should be taken from recovered assets, not existing budgets, and the Home Office stands to gain in the long run. They were seeking a strategic debate about asset recovery with government.

Resolved - That the report be noted.

That future reports contain information about the Special Constabulary.

130. SCD Thematic Performance Report

(Agenda item 6)

130.1 The MPS introduced the paper, focusing on the work of the central e-crime unit. It plays an important role and some of its successes were highlighted including two examples: Trojans – malicious computer software and removal of fake Premier League tickets being sold online etc. Summarising other developments, it was noted that SCD9 is now in place, there will be more information about their work in future SCD performance reports.

130.2 The MPA stated that they were interested in the Trident issues raised in the report, especially the increase in gun crime and robbery figures. The MPS responded by saying shootings remain a great concern. There had been a significant number of shootings, that were at odds with the increased proactive activity including the highest number of firearms seizures. The MPS reported that fatalities were down from 14 to 7. Shots are fired in only 2.3% of firearms offences, the majority of these are in commercial robberies. There was a 133% increase in the number of disguised firearms (replica or fake firearms). This could reflect the impact the MPS has on the availability of guns, though disguised weapons are no less frightening for victims. The MPS added that have been working with bookmakers and ‘cash in transit’ providers to reduce vulnerability of the businesses to robbery. In this aspect there were good relationships being built with these businesses and a close consideration of trends allowing for better targeting of the criminals operating this kind of crime.

130.3 The MPA went on to enquire about seizure hearings, particularly they asked what was being done about the difficulties outlined in the report. The MPS said that there were a number of difficult issues including delays in identifying the assets after a conviction. The delays meant that there was time for criminals to hide assets from the police. Legislation is strong enough but there needs to be some procedural tightening to ensure that the assets are identified and seized more quickly.

130.4 The MPA expressed its satisfaction over the 100% target being met in respect of urgent intelligence applications, and sought to understand how this was done. The Met Intelligence Bureau receives 200 requests a day for intelligence, these are classified by MIB and the urgent packages are put together within 2 hours

130.5 The MPA voiced concerns about the merger of CO14 (Clubs and Vice) into SCD 9, and how the impact of the change will be monitored. Members were concerned that there should be no loss of service. The MPS responded that they were aware of the concerns and are very clear that service delivery will continue. The ethos behind the move is to the unit access to SCD expertise.

130.6 Members noted that the Race and Diversity section talks about increases in BME representation in SCD and were interested to know where they are in the Directorate. It was agreed this information would be provided in a briefing note.

130.7 The MPA continued proceedings by asking what impact the National Fraud Agency (NFA) has had, particularly on reporting crime. The MPS responded by saying that there was debate over the impact the NFA has had. The concept is supported and the MPS are active in the discussion about what viable action can arise and what intelligence may come from a single reporting point.

130.8 Discussing cyber crime, the MPS went on to say that the tactic to combat this was not to leave it to the central e-crime team as it is a small team. The plan is to roll it out to the rest of the organisation and partners with steps already in place to achieve this.

130.9 On the subject of e-crime the MPA stated that a lot of crime has an e-component to it, for example mobile phones and computers, therefore all officers need basic skills. Another MPA concern was voiced over with the small size of the team juxtaposed with the enormity of the crimes.

130.10 The MPS replied by saying that the job has to be shared as the unit will never be big enough, its role has to be to spread awareness, training and to provide expertise.

130.11 The MPA asked whether too much responsibility was being given to the City of London Police over the matter. The MPS noted that they could not speak for the City of London but they share recognition of the fact that all police forces need expertise, even if the City of London Police is the lead Force.

130.12 The MPA went on to ask efficiency savings (paragraph 35) and how this compares to the forensics budget. The MPA went on to ask whether there was an internal recharge from boroughs and what impact did these efficiency savings have.

130.13 Information about the budget would be provided outside the meeting. The increased use of private providers has meant that accessing services has become much more business-like, there is better value for money and the service is improving. There is no local negotiation for forensic services. Over the longer term, OCUs have tracked spending as there needs to be a sensible awareness of cost. There was some concern from Members that decisions about forensics shouldn’t be finance led. In response the MPS said that the savings had been achieved through better procurement and that some scenes do not warrant the use of forensics. Boroughs do not usually pay unless they want it done on a premium service and SCD4 say this is not warranted. They continued by saying that IT forensication remains a challenge as it is expensive. There may be improvement to the service on borough services at least as functional as before the efficiency savings.

130.14 The MPA furthered discussions by asking about the changing profile of cash in transit attacks from organised gangs of white males to younger opportunist black males who Trident usually deal with. Members were interested to know how the MPS was responding to this.

130.15 The MPS confirmed the trend towards more chaotic/opportunist criminals. They went on to say that teams in the SCD are adept at changing tactics to respond to new trends and that information would be shared between teams.

Resolved

• That the Report be noted.
• That a briefing note be produced in response to the questions raised about the location of BME staff and officers within SCD.
• That MPA officers consider whether a Member briefing on forensics is required.

131. TAYLOR Reforms

(Agenda item 7)

131.1 The MPS introduced this report, saying that resolution figures were not as good as anticipated. The IPCC changes should impact on this in the future.

131.2 The MPS continued by saying it was using data to focus training on topics such as incivility. They are using information to identify the BOCUs that cause concern and work would be done with them to develop action plans.

131.3 The MPA said they were not clear on what organisational learning meant in practice and requested an example that provided this and what the outcomes were. Continuing the MPA said it wanted to raise the level of debate and asked what policy changes have been delivered as a result of the learning.

131.4 The MPS responded by saying that policies changed frequently and cited as an example, post custody release arrangements. Inquiries and inquests often lead to change .

131.5 Other examples included work being done with the Territorial Support Group to develop a range of tactics and training for teams in order to achieve a reduction in complaints. Data can be provided to support this. They also highlighted several examples such the introduction of the firearms cadre post 7/7 and 21/7. Whilst they do not necessarily keep records, there is constant change in response to learning.

131.6 The Chair asked whether that there was a satisfactory process in place to manage the process properly. The MPS said that there was a critical incident training process to facilitate good organisational learning. They also considered the MPS to be a learning organisation, though it is complex. They noted that the MPS had organisational learning centres for all major incidents.

131.7 The MPA commented, saying that it was easy to do with high profile incidents but harder with smaller ones. The MPS explained, saying that it was done from analysis of performance and DPS indicators that triggers activity/learning.

131.8 The MPA was pleased with the progress but wanted to ensure that disbanding the Taylor team didn’t lead to complacency.

Resolved - That the report be noted.

132. Directorate of Professional Standards performance indicators

(Agenda item 8)

132.1 The MPS introduced the report by noted that there have been IT failures at the IPCC which means that there are gaps in the data. The report notes that the highest complaints category is failure in duty. It has been adopted by the strategic committee as a key priority. In boroughs with concerns e.g. Hackney, a significant amount of work has been done with the borough commander and his SMT. There has been a change in statutory guidance from the IPCC, on how they dealt with misconduct and complaints. The MPS highlighted that too much concentration was placed on the officer’s guilt, the changes should mean more focus on achieving the best result for the complainant. It was noted that MPS complaint levels are not out of line with ‘most similar forces’.

132.2 In relation to paragraph 11, the MPS said that they were not allowing an overdeveloped bureaucracy to get in the way of what the victim would like to see as an outcome. It was noted that some of this was common sense, like offering apologies on the spot, but there was also a more complex element as some complaints do not come directly to officers and also that officers have not always used the most appropriate response.

132.3 The MPS went on to say that the old system was undermined by a lack of confidence. For example, there were informal resolution regulations but they were very bureaucratic. The police service is trying to get to a position where there is open and honest dialogue that results in the public feeling their complaints are being taken seriously.

132.4 The MPA asked for clarification on the table on page 42. The MPS explained that it was the number of complaints divided by the number of officers on the borough for the first column. It was noted that in the TSG, nearly every officer is operational, unlike on borough where not all officers are, which brings the average down. Members were also told that one incident could generate a significant number of complaints. Better information will be provided in the next paper. Members noted that given this was a public document, the information should be updated more quickly.

Resolved

• That the report be noted
• That the complaints information in the public domain be clarified.

133. New Statutory Guidance From the Independent Police Complaints Commission

(Agenda item 9)

133.1 Members noted the new guidance.

Resolved - That the report be noted.

134. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 10)

134.1 Members agreed to exclude press and public.

Summary of exempt items

135. Report by the Director of Professional Standards on behalf of the Commissioner (request for funding)

(Agenda item 11)

135.1 A request for funding for legal representation was discussed.

Resolved - That the request for funding was denied.

136. Report by the Director of Professional Standards on behalf of the Commissioner (request for funding)

(Agenda item 12)

136.1 A request for funding for legal representation was discussed.

Resolved - The request for funding was agreed.

137. Report by the Director of Professional Standards

137.1 A request for funding was discussed.

Resolved - That the request for funding was agreed.

138. Exempt minutes of the meeting on 4 March 2010

138.1 Members considered the exempt minutes of 4 March 2010 and found them to be accurate.

The meeting finished at 4:30 pm.

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