Minutes

Minutes of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 6 September 2002 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Toby Harris (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Cindy Butts
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Nicholas Long
• R David Muir (Deputy Chair)
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Abdal Ullah
• Rachel Whittaker
• Cecile Wright

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• Nick Baker (Head of Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Ian Blair Deputy Commissioner
• DAC Godwin
• DAC S Becks
• Chief Supt
• R Mackie (items 1-5)

Approximately 25 members of the press/public and other MPA/MPS staff were also present.

Part 1

14. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

No apologies for absence were received.

15. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No interests were declared.

16. Minutes

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 19 July 2002 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

17. Street crime update

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a report that provided details of the bodies/agencies involved in addressing street crime.

In considering the report, members highlighted the need for improved representation from of members of London’s ethnic groups on those bodies/agencies involved in addressing street crime. It was agreed that the Consultation Committee should look at engaging effectively with such groups.

Members expressed the need for the issue of the ‘causes of crime’, as well as being ‘tough on crime’ to be higher on the agenda.

The Committee also agreed that the MPA needed to take a lead role in addressing street crime along with other key agencies and that a way forward should discussed further with the Association of London Government (ALG) and any ad-hoc initiatives with the Government Office for London (GOL).

Resolved - That

1. the Consultation Committee be asked to seek ways of engaging with London’s ethnic groups in order for them to be greater involved in the debate of addressing street crime; and
2. discussions with the ALG and GOL on improving the MPA role on addressing street crime and engaging with other key issues be undertaken.

18. Notting Hill Carnival

(Agenda item 5)

The Committee received an oral update on the arrangements for the Notting Hill Carnival which included details of arrests, the new route change, stewarding of the event.

Members suggested that improvements in signage of the new route should be made for next year’s Carnival and that the Mayor’s Carnival Panel should investigate further sponsorship of the event.

Arising from the discussion Members also discussed a recent rally held in Trafalgar Square and suggested that the Mayor and the GLA should pursue those who organised the event despite permission being refused.

Resolved – That the report be received.

19. Committee work areas

(Agenda item 6a)

The Committee received a report that proposed the allocation of the MPA’s various work areas between committees.

In discussing the work plan members requested that the plan include reference to the appropriate link member. It was also agreed that the plan be revised in specific areas; these included revision of lead committees and where they may require a joint lead with Co-ordination and Policing (COP) Committee (MPA internal organisations & management; consultation and PR; police custody issues). Other areas that required further consideration included: appointments, succession planning & postings and whether the Remuneration Sub Committee should lead; Equalities and Diversity, should the Human Resources Committee have an input in to ‘Stephen Lawrence recommendations’ and ‘stop and search’, should Consultation Committee have an input. Members also suggested that Planning, Performance and Review Committee should lead on such issues as ‘homicide’, ‘child protection’ and ‘rape’, with the COP Committee and that COP also lead on Trident issues.

Resolved – That the proposed committee work areas, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be revised and presented back to a future meeting of the Committee along with areas of lead member responsibility falling within committee roles or cross committee roles.

20. Lead member roles

(Agenda item 6b)

The Committee considered a report that proposed how the role of a lead member may be defined and sought to seek areas the Committee would want to allocate lead members.

With regard to the allocation of subject areas for lead members, it was proposed that each Committee should agree specific areas, within the remit of that Committee and that Co-ordination and Policing Committee allocate lead members to areas that are not specific to an individual committee.

Members agreed the ‘job description’ for lead members as outlined in the report and that lead member roles be reviewed annually, with a written report on their activities.

Resolved – That

1. the proposed ‘job description’ for lead members outlined in the report be approved;
2. each Committee agree lead members relevant to that committee, with Co-ordination and Urgency Committee considering those not specific to any committee
3. lead member roles be reviewed annually and that lead members produce a written report on their activities at that time.

21. Health and safety responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Authority

(Agenda item 7)

Following the introduction of the Police Reform Act, police authorities would now have a strategic oversight for health and safety matters and that while chief officers would still lead on a day to day basis on health and safety, police authorities would need specialists and independent advice in order to carry out their role.

In the light of this new role, the Committee received a report that informed members that the Association of Police Authorities (APA) were involved in discussions with the Home Office, the Health and Safety Executive and the Association of Chief Police Officers to consider the implications of this policy change in detail. Members were also invited to nominate an lead member to represent the Authority on the APA’s Health and Safety Liaison Member Network.

It was proposed that a further report be presented to a future meeting of the Committee that outlined how the MPS current role can be linked to the MPA.

Members provisionally nominated Jennette Arnold, subject to further discussion, to represent the MPA on the Health and Safety Liaison Member Network.

(Secretaries note Jennette Arnold has agreed to act as MPA representative on the Health and Safety Liaison Member Network.)

Resolved – That

1. a further report on this issue be presented to a future meeting
2. Jennette Arnold be nominated to represent the Authority on the APA’s Health and Safety Liaison Member Network.

22. Members appointments

(Agenda item 8)

The Committee received a report that sought appointments to the Local Government Association policy review group, a link member role and the Audit Panel.

Members discussed the current membership of the Audit Panel and raised concerns that the existing membership was too small and that it currently consisted of members of the Finance Committee which might be considered bad practice. It was agreed to ask the Standards Committee to consider whether it would be more appropriate to have a separate memberships for the Audit Panel and the Finance Committee. It was also agreed that Cindy Butts would join the membership of the Panel (provisionally for the next two meetings).

In considering an additional link member for Southwark, members felt that it was unnecessary to have a second link member for this borough.

Resolved – That

1. Reshard Auladin, Cindy Butts, R David Muir and Cecile Wight be appointed to the LGA Social Inclusion Policy Review Group; and
2. Cindy Butts and Rachel Whittaker be appointed to the membership of the Audit Panel and that the basis of membership of the Panel should be considered initially by the Standards Committee.

23. Member attendance at the APA annual conference

(Agenda item 9)

The Committee considered a report that sought approval for attendance to the Association of Police Authorities (APA) Annual Conference 2002 ‘Policing Matters’.

Resolved – That approval be given to the attendance of the Chair, MPA members Richard Barnes, Jenny Jones, Rachel Whittaker, Richard Sumray and the Clerk and MPA officer Keith Dickinson at the APA’s Annual Conference 2002, provided that the Clerk could manage to contain costs within the financial envelope.

The meeting closed at 1.20 p.m.

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