Minutes

Minutes of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 6 February 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Toby Harris (Chair)
• Richard Barnes (Deputy Chair)
• R. David Muir (Deputy Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Cindy Butts
• Nicholas Long
• Sir John Quinton
• Richard Sumray
• Rachel Whittaker
• Cecile Wright

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Clerk)
• Peter Martin (Treasurer)
• David Riddle (Deputy Clerk)
• Simon Vile (Head of Secretariat)

MPS officers

• Sir Ian Blair (Deputy Commissioner)
• Keith Luck (Director of Resources)
• Cressida Dick (Commander)

Part 1

54. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Jennette Arnold and Elizabeth Howlett.

55. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

R David Muir declared a personal interest in respect of item 5 (grant criteria), in view of his involvement in an organisation that might seek funding if such criteria were agreed. He took no part in the discussion of or decisions on this item.

56. Minutes

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting (Part 1) of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 23 January 2003 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

57. Grant criteria

(Agenda item 5)

The Committee considered a report proposing criteria for assessing grant applications for funding from the Police Property Act Fund.

Members were concerned that the criteria as drafted would exclude charitable or beneficial organisations which helped MPS officers and employees and asked that they be amended accordingly. Neither was it necessary for the organisation to be situated in the metropolitan police district provided it benefited people from within that area. It was also agreed to include an eligibility criteria to the effect that the organisation should not seek to promote or oppose religious beliefs through the activity for which it had sought grant funding. It would be helpful if themes that might attract grant aid be developed. A straightforward application form should be produced.

Resolved – That

1. the Clerk be authorised to finalise the criteria, taking into account the points made above;
2. a report be put to the Finance Committee on the intentions regarding the use of the money accumulated in the Police Property Act Fund;
3. the Co-ordination and Policing Committee should receive a regular (probably annual) report on grants agreed from the Fund under delegated authority by the officers; and
4. a further report be prepared on the wider question of grants made by the MPA/MPS from other budgets, including the extent of this, criteria and development of a policy

58. MPA Gun Crime Scrutiny – final report

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee considered the findings of this MPA scrutiny. The Scrutiny Chair, Cindy Butts, was congratulated on the report, as were the officers involved – Sally Palmer, Agnes Kitto and Natasha Porter.

Cindy Butts pointed to some of the main findings and recommendations of the report:

• the lack of an MPS corporate gun crime strategy which would give boroughs a practical guide
• Operation Trident needed to rethink how gun crime was categorised in relation to ethnicity as an over-emphasis might marginalise the black community
• the recognition that Operation Trident have already widened their remit
• to urge the Home Office to consider an outright ban on replica weapons
• the need for further research into the link between guns and drugs.

In welcoming the report, the Deputy Commissioner reported that a draft strategy was now being finalised. He agreed that the MPS needed to work with the Trident IAG to look at widening the scope of Operation Trident. He also commented that it was now an offence to carry an imitation weapon in a public place.

Commander Dick pointed to the gun crime reductions being achieved in London, as a result of better co-ordination, and greater emphasis on witness protection and working with the community. The shootings team, which dealt with all non-Trident shootings, now reported to the same line management as Operation Trident. She would support improved pan-London inter-agency working, something the Government Office for London might be interested in leading on.

After discussion, it was

Resolved - That

1. the recommendations of the report be endorsed; and
2. if appropriate, it be reported on to the full Authority

59. PNC data quality and timeliness

(Agenda item 6)

The Committee considered a report on the MPS position with regard to PNC data quality and timeliness.

Members agreed that the responsibility for updating convictions records should be transferred to the courts.

Members considered that the snapshot of court performance, anecdotal evidence and MPS experience suggested that the performance of London courts was worse than elsewhere in the country. It was agreed that pressure should or could be brought to bear in a number of ways. The Chair proposed to write to the Greater London Magistrate Courts Authority to ask what improvements they proposed. The MPA should also ask that Authority for details of the worst performing courts. The issue could also be raised with the London Criminal Justice Board and at the monthly Ministerial CJS meeting. It would also be useful to start engaging with the unified courts administration that was due to replace the GLMCA.

Resolved – That

1. action be taken as outlined above to get improvements to the courts’ performance in this respect;
2. that regular updates be made to the committee; and
3. a press release be issued highlighting the MPA’s concern.

60. Any other urgent business

(Agenda item 7)

None

61. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 8)

A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during item 9 and the additional urgent item as they were likely to disclose exempt information as described in paragraph 14 of Schedule 12(a) (1) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Resolved – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of agenda item 9

62. Minutes

(Agenda item 9)

Resolved – That the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2004 be approved and signed as a correct record.

The meeting ended at 12.10 p.m.

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