Minutes

Minutes of the Chair's Co-ordination and Urgency Committee meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority held in AG23, Romney House, Westminster on Thursday 22 March 2001.

Present

Members

• Toby Harris (Chair)
• Richard Barnes (Deputy Chair in the Chair for item 10)
• Peter Herbert (Deputy Chair)
• Nicholas Long
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Rachel Whittaker

MPA staff

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk - for item 9)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• Derrick Norton (Best Value Officer)

MPS staff

• Ian Blair (Deputy Commissioner)

Also in attendance 12 members of the public and MPS/MPA staff.

Also in attendance - Cindy Butts (MPA Member)

42. Apologies

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies were received from Reshard Auladin and R David Muir.

43. Minutes: 25 January 2001

(Agenda item 2)

Subject to the addition of apologies from Richard Barnes.

Resolved:
the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2001 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

44. Calendar of meetings

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered a report that set out the calendar of committee meetings up to June 2002 and which invited the Committee to consider arrangements for this Committee.

Resolved:
the Committee dates, times and arrangements for the Committee, up until June 2002, as outlined in the report be agreed.

45. MPA/MPS protocol on compensation cases

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee considered a report that outlined a protocol for dealing with notification and approval of compensation cases.

Members requested a minor amendment to the protocol: that de-personalised information about cases be provided to the Authority in the form of a report on a quarterly basis and that the appropriate committee be the Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring Committee and not the Chair's Co-ordination and Urgency Committee, as currently indicated.

Arising from the discussion, Members requested that the Authority's Standing Orders be reviewed, in relation to the urgent business process, and in particular, for further clarification of the referral of an urgent matter 'to a pending meeting of an alternative executive Committee.'

Resolved:
the protocol, subject to minor amendment, on compensation cases be adopted.

46. The Mayor's draft Transport Strategy and draft Interim Road Safety Plan

(Agenda item 5)

At the meetings of the full Authority and Co-ordination and Urgency Committee held in November 2000, Members considered the contents of the Mayor's draft strategy and initial thoughts of a response. The Committee now considered a report that, following further discussions with the GLA's Transport Strategy Team and Transport for London, outlined a proposed joint MPA/MPS response.

The report also gave the proposed MPS response to the Mayor's draft interim Road Safety Plan.

It was noted that further reports on these strategies would be presented to Members, as more detailed proposals are developed.

Arising from the discussion, Members highlighted the following areas that should be incorporated in a response:

Further details of the contribution of crime fighting elements to road safety within the strategies.

Specific proposals of the work to be undertaken by traffic wardens, including how their role would be funded need to be looked at in greater detail in conjunction with Transport for London.

The need for greater local consultation on crime implications of traffic management schemes.

Members also commissioned a report to a future meeting of the Committee on the issue of decriminalisation of offences and requested regular liaison between MPA/MPS and Transport for London.

Resolved:

1. the responses contained in Appendix 1 to the report (draft transport strategy) and Appendix 3 to the report (draft interim road safety plan), together with the additional points raised above be incorporated as a response;
2. that final approval be made by the Chair in consultation with Graham Tope;
3. areport be presented to a future meeting of the Committee on decriminalising of offences.

47. Mayor's Air Quality and Biodiversity Strategies

(Agenda item 6)

The Committee considered a report that sought Members comments on the Mayor's air quality and biodiversity strategies.

In supporting the strategies, Members recognised the need for further consideration of single-issue crimes and the priorities of those crimes, as well as reviewing strategies and the way they impact on services.

Resolved:
the MPS response to the Mayor's Air Quality and Biodiversity Strategies be endorsed and that these be put forwarded as a joint MPA/MPS response.

48. HMIC report: calling time on crime

(Agenda item 7)

Following the publication of the report 'Calling Time on Crime' by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Committee received a report that outlined the MPS response and sought an agreed MPA response to the report.

Resolved:

1. the Committee note the MPS response to the HMIC report 'Calling Time on Crime';
2. initially the Consultation, Diversity and Outreach Committee consider a report on crime and disorder partnerships, which should include the role of the MPA;
3. the Consultation, Diversity and Outreach Committee review its involvement and arrangements in relation to the Joint Steering Group.

49. HMIC Winning the Race – Embracing Diversity

(Agenda item 8)

Following consideration by the Consultation, Diversity and Outreach Committee in February 2001, the Members considered a report on the proposed actions of that Committee for monitoring the recommendations of the HMIC report.

Arising from the discussion, Members were encouraged to attend and observe diversity training.

Resolved:

1. the Committee note the report and the process outlined in recommendations 3 (of Appendix 1 of the report) for consulting the MPS on the draft monitoring indicators;
2. following further consideration by the Consultation, Diversity and Outreach Committee a further report be presented to this Committee on this issue.

50. Stop and search conference

(Agenda Item 9)

Following the publication and recommendations arising from the report into the death of Stephen Lawrence, the Home Secretary asked all police authorities in England and Wales, to consult their communities on the implementation of Recommendation 61 of the report.

In order to respond to this request the Authority was holding a consultation event and Members considered a report that gave details of the event.

Resolved:

1. members note the draft programme for the consultation conference on 23 March 2001;
2. a further report giving feed back on the conference be brought back to a future meeting of the Committee.

51. Strategic review of Human Resources

(Agenda item 10)

Due to an urgent commitment the Chair left the meeting during this item and invited Richard Barnes take the Chair.

The Committee considered a report on whether the MPS strategic review of the human resources function should be re-designed as a police authority best value review and that it be included in the formal review programme that was submitted to the March meeting of the Authority.

In conjunction with the report, Members considered correspondence from Reshard Auladin, Chair of the Best Value sub-group on the issue as to when to conduct a best value review of managing people. It also discussed the issues of when to start a best value review of training.

Resolved:

1. managing people is confirmed in the best value review programme for next year (2001/02);
2. training be confirmed in the best value review programme for 2002/03, but following the best value review of managing people;
3. the best value review be defined so that it builds on the current work to ensure the review covers all aspects of managing people;
4. a best value review of records management be scheduled to start in 2001/02 and that the review of managing information be re-scheduled for 2002/03.

52. Exclusion of the press and public

The Chair returned to the meeting.

Resolved:
under section 100 a(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the press and public be excluded from the meeting for supplementary item on the grounds that it involved disclosure of exempt information as detailed in the paragraphs of Schedule 12A (1) of the above Act.

53. Legal proceedings update

(Supplementary item)

The Committee considered a supplementary report on details of current legal proceedings.

Resolved:
authorisation be given to negotiate and agree a settlement, in consultation with the Clerk, but not exceeding the agreed amount.

54. Case update

(Supplementary item)

The Committee received a verbal update from the Deputy Commissioner on a recent incident.

Resolved:
the report be noted.

The meeting closed at 7.30pm.

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