Minutes

Minutes of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 8 October 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Len Duvall (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Cindy Butts
• Toby Harris
• Kirsten Hearn
• Elizabeth Howlett
• Karim Murji
• Rachel Whittaker
• Abdal Ullah

MPA officers

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

MPS officers

• Sir Ian Blair (Deputy Commissioner)
• Ailsa Beaton (Director of Information)

Part 1

19. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Richard Barnes, Elizabeth Howlett Richard Sumray, Graham Tope and Abdal Ullah.

20. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No interests were declared.

21. Minutes– 10 September 2004

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered the minutes (Part 1) of the meeting held on 10 September 2004.

The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that the Home Office had agreed that the use of Taser would be restricted to use by firearm officers.

Resolved - That the minutes (Part 1) of the meeting held on 10 September 2004, be agreed and signed as a correct record.

22. MPA draft budget 2005/06

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a report that set out proposed MPA budget for 2005/06 and the forecast outturn for the financial year 2004-05. The budget proposals included four additional bids for resources, which had been endorsed for members’ consideration by the Senior Management Team. The four additional bids were: additional support to members; members’ allowances; public relations; and MPA oversight of MPS professional standards.

In addition to these four bids the Chair proposed the inclusion of a ring-fenced provision of £100,000 to help address issues of capacity building in the MPA. The question of HR resources to manage the performance process for ACPO ranks would be addressed jointly with the MPS.

It was agreed that members needed to also look in further detail at the staffing arrangements for race and diversity and the funding arrangements of PCCGs. It was agreed that these issues could be considered further at the next members’ awayday.

Resolved - That

1. the draft MPA budget for 2005/06 be endorsed, with the inclusion of the MPA capacity building provision, and referred to the Finance Committee for incorporation in the draft budget submission. The full Authority will be requested to confirm the MPA budget in the context of the overall budget submission at its meeting on 28 October; and
2. the forecast outturn for 2004/05 be noted.

23. The front line policing measure – proposals for targets

(Agenda item 5)

Members considered a report that requested that the Authority targets for front line policing through to 2007/08.

Confirmation was given that the Home Office had grated an extension to the 20 September 2004 closing date to 8 October 2004.

The Deputy Commissioner raised concerns at the method of calculating figures required by the Home Office and members agreed that this point needed to be taken up with HMIC. Members in receiving the proposed targets agreed that they should be monitored by the Planning Performance and Review Committee.

Resolved – That

1. the Home Office be advised that initial proposals for MPS growth over the next three-four years are likely to result in achievement of around 67% police officer time spent on front line duties (as given at paragraph 21 to the report).;
2. formal targets be set for the front line policing measure as part of the MPA’s 2005-06 target setting process (as given at paragraph 21 to the report);
3. the target for 2004-05 for the front line policing measure be to maintain the current level of performance, given MPS growth and civilianisation plans (as given at paragraph 22 to the report); and
4. targets are not set against the Home Office subsidiary measures of ‘percentage of time spent on front line duties by all police officers and staff’ and ‘percentage of police officer time spent on visible patrol’ (as given at paragraphs 24 and 28 to the report).

24. London Anti Social Behaviour Strategy

(Agenda item 6)

Members received a report that sought approval to the London Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy 2005/08.

In welcoming the general principle and noting the specific MPA actions contained with in the draft London Anti-Social Behavioural Strategy, members requested that there was a need for feedback on the delivery of the strategy. Members also requested that they receive an evaluation of the £50,000 provided to each borough command unit for partnership activity.

Resolved – That

1. the Committee agree the general principles and specific MPA actions contained in the draft London Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy shown as Appendix 1to the report; and
2. agree that the MPA be a signatory partner to the strategy.

25. Proposal by Transport for London to decriminalise red routes provision of traffic warden services

(Agenda item 7)

Members considered a report that outlined the Special Services Agreement (SAA) with Transport for London (TfL) which would enable MPA traffic warden services to continue to be provided, funded by TfL, subsequent to decriminalisation of the existing red route network in November 2004.

It was noted that the existing objectives of the SSA would remain unchanged, although a proposed new objective 5 was made as follows:

‘To ensure the efficient movement of buses, other road traffic and other road users on the TLRN by, in particular, the enforcement of decriminalised parking offences and moving vehicle contraventions’.

Resolved – That

1. approval to the variation of the Special Services Agreement between the MPA and TfL for the provision of traffic warden services be given;
2. approval be given to the Clerk to be authorised to affix the MPA’s seal to the documents and to make all other arrangements for its completion, including any minor formatting amendments that may be necessary; and
3. the agreement will also need to be approved by TfL, and that formal sealing of the document of the agreement will only take place after such approval had been obtained be noted.

26. Police use of bicycles – situation paper

(Agenda item 8)

Members received a report that set-out the use of bicycles for operational policing use.

Resolved - That the report be noted.

27. Response to the Home Office consultation on modernising police powers

(Agenda item 9)

The Committee received a report, that outlined the MPAs response to the Home Office consultation document ‘Policing: Modernising Police Powers to meet Community Needs’, proposing the reform of police powers better to position the police service response to community expectations.

Members supported the proposed MPA response. In doing so, members raised concerns about Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) being granted the power of stop and search and that any non-arrested officers exercising police powers must be held accountable. The Deputy Commissioner, whilst supporting this suggestion, highlighted the possible need for PCSOs to be able search an individual for a weapon, stressed that this should not be under stop and search powers.

Resolved – That the draft response to the Home Office be approved

28. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 10)

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

Resolved – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of an additional urgent item

Part II: Summary of exempt minutes

29. Minutes - 10 September 2004

(Agenda item 11)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2004 (Part 2)

Resolved - That the minutes (Part 2) of the meeting held on 10 September 2004, subject to a minor amendment to minute 18 agreed and signed as a correct record.

The meeting closed 12:40pm.

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