Capital Crime Conference 2003

Report: 5
Date: 25 June 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

The Capital Crime Conference took place on Thursday 3 April 2003 and was the largest consultation event ever undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Service on serious and specialist crime.

The conference, principally sponsored by the MPS Specialist Crime Directorate, generated a large quantity of information, advice and ideas from the delegates. This information will now form the basis of a programme of action focused on meeting the conference aim of engaging and listening to local communities and businesses to reduce specialist crime in London.

A. Recommendation

That members note the report

B. Supporting information

1. The Capital Crime Conference was held on the 3 April 2003 at the Novotel West Conference Centre, Hammersmith and was sponsored by the Metropolitan Police Service and the Government Office for London. It was supported by the MPA, the Mayor of London and the Home Office.

2. The conference aim was to engage with and listen to local communities and businesses with the aim of reducing specialist crime in London. The conference programme set out to allot the maximum time to consultation whilst maintaining its market appeal through its plenary speakers. This was achieved by devoting three hours to workshops on Specialist Crime Directorate, business areas that were of a major concern to London’s communities. A final Question Time session gave the delegates the opportunity to debate serious crime issues with a wider partnership panel.

3. The Commissioner launched and signed the London gun declaration against guns before opening the conference. He was joined by partners from all the sponsors and young people from the Bears Youth Project in Brent.

4. This partnership initiative was launched to coincide with the start of the Home Office gun amnesty. Unlike the amnesty, this initiative will be sustained throughout the year by being taken to London’s boroughs to encourage a reduction in gun violence. Particular focus will be made in the Trident boroughs and educating young people.

5. A 483 delegates registered before the event. 401 delegates attended the conference.

Programme of action

6. The event was extremely successful and the following initiatives are being implemented as a result of the conference:

• Gun declaration – an opportunity for Londoners to demonstrate their commitment to an anti gun culture in their community by signing the declaration. This campaign will focus on young Londoners particularly in the Trident boroughs.
• Knowledge forums – These are monthly meetings with community, business leaders and stakeholders at New Scotland Yard about specialist crime issues. At these meetings there will be a short presentation by detectives involved in a particular area of fighting specialist crime followed by an open forum to discuss issues, share knowledge, and consider how such crime can be prevented or reduced.
• Strategic partnership development – The development of a Specialist Crime partnership database. The analysis of the workshop report and the development of an action plan for each of the operational units to implement within Specialist Crime Directorate. The outcomes of the action plan will be reported to Conference in 2004

C. Equality and diversity implications

1. The conference workshop themes of murder and serious violence, gun crime, class A drugs in the community, children as victims of serious crime, economic crime against businesses, and organised crime in vulnerable communities are issues that directly impact upon the way the MPS addresses equal opportunity and diversity issue in the community. The results of the consultation with key stakeholders in the relevant communities will directly impact upon future MPS procedures.

2. The delegate feedback highlighted the need for the Directorate to recognise that the ‘one size fits all’ ethos is not appropriate to specialist crime investigation. There was specific feedback relating to meeting differing needs in respect of victim care, family liaison, witness support and protection as well as working with communities in respect of jointly tackling these crime problems.

3. This feedback is being developed into specific action plans to improve the business of the Directorate and will be implemented through the next twelve months.

D. Financial implications

1. The total cost to stage the Capital Crime Conference was £189,000. A total of £15,000 was received in sponsorship from the Government Office for London

2. The cost of initiatives arising from the conference will in the main be absorbed by the Specialist Crime Directorate through opportunity costs. The exception will be the exhibition of the Gun Declaration throughout London’s boroughs and key stakeholder venues.

3. In the short term, there will be a small cost implication to exhibit the Gun Declaration board in each of London’s boroughs. This project will be implemented for twelve months principally focusing on the ten Trident London Boroughs.

4. A medium term initiative currently being planned in partnership with the GLA is to interact with London’s youth and schools to reduce gun crime in the capital. This project is currently seeking central Government funding and is not expected to be implemented until early 2004. It is anticipated that the gun declaration board will be included in any such bid because it is not only seen by the partnership as holding the gun crime issue in the public consciousness whilst this project is being planned but will become an integral part when implemented.

5. The success of the event has led to the conclusion that it will be beneficial in holding a further conference in 2004 and Specialist Crime are already actively pursuing sponsorship to reduce the cost to the MPS budget.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Chief Inspector Nick Hallett, MPS.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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