Minutes

Minutes of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 10 June 2005 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Len Duvall
• Reshard Auladin (Deputy Chair)
• Richard Barnes
• Cindy Butts (Deputy Chair)
• Toby Harris
• Kirsten Hearn
• Karim Murji
• Richard Sumray
• Graham Tope
• Rachel Whittaker
• Abdal Ullah

MPA officers

• Catherine Crawford (Chief Executive and Clerk)
• David Riddle (Deputy Chief Executive, Deputy Clerk and Solicitor to the Authority)
• Ken Hunt (Treasurer)
• Nick Baker (Head of Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Paul Stephenson (Deputy Commissioner)
• Alisa Beaton (Director of Information)
• AC Brown (Directorate of Professional Standards)

Also present: Murad Qureshi (items 1-5)

65. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

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

66. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No interests were declared.

67. Minutes - 13 May 2005

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 13 May 2005.

Resolved - That the minutes (Part 1) of the meeting held on 13 May 2005, be agreed and signed as a correct record.

68. Monitoring of deaths following police contact

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a report, which informed members of the number of deaths following police contact in the year April 2004 – March 2005 and the initiatives currently being undertaken to reduce and prevent similar deaths in future.

The report reminded members of the definitions of deaths following police contact at outlined in the Home Office circular 12/2002; details of organisation of custody suites; investigation and monitoring systems following a death and the involvement of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The report also provided details of police/health interface, including mental health and substance abuse, duty of care, training developments, and the designing out of suicide self ham risks from cells.

The Committee welcomed the report and noted that there had been a decline in such incidents. In doing so, members suggested that the MPS should be communicating this to London’s communities, highlighting the work being undertaken in this area. Members also acknowledged that the work of custody visitors which had driven up standards.

Members raised issues relating to training of officers and felt that there was a need for development in this area. Concerns were raised at the amount of time investigations into deaths had taken, although the MPS suggested that the timescale had reduced and that work on further reducing it, in association with the IPCC, was being undertaken. The Sub-Committee also noted that the outcomes of the scrutiny on mental health would likely raise a number of issues around the deaths following police contact.

In response to members’ questions regarding the lack of information relating to incidents involving police vehicles, the MPS confirmed that these incidents varied in circumstances and may involve other indirect conditions. Each incident is reviewed with the element of ‘lesson that can be learnt’ undertaken. The MPS also noted comments from members relating to the modernisation programme and confirmed that this along with the ‘Northumberland Project’ would be reviewed on its completion.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

69. MPS implementation update - Bichard

(Agenda item 5)

A report was considered that outlined the taking forward by the MPS of the recommendations arising from the Bichard inquiry on how police services store, manage and exchange information.

Members were informed of the current progress and associated risks of the development of a national IT system; the development of the PNC and inputting of PNC data; the development of information management codes; and the reaffirmed guidance in ‘working together to safeguard children’ and implementation on practice child abuse investigations command.

In general the MPS informed members of their concerns in implementing some of the recommendations and in particular the lack of clarity from the Home Office on this matter. Members were asked to support the programme for the integrated information platform to support internal and external requirements and a business case, which costs activity that, meets Bichard Inquiry recommendations.

Resolved – That

1. the MPS programme for the Integrated Information Platform (IIP) to support internal and external requirements be developed and supported.
2. A business case costing activity which directly meets the Bichard recommendations to be submitted through Change Coordination to the MPS Investment Board.

70. Proposals for pay progression arrangements in MPA

(Agenda item 6)

Following consideration by the Human Resources Committee of the revised proposals for pay progression arrangements in the MPA, a recommendation was made that the Co-ordination and Policing Committee further consider this matter and in particular the financial implications arising from the proposals.

The Chair invited Rachel Whittaker, Chair of the Human Resources (HR) Committee to comment on the proposals and she raised a number of concerns relating to the move to an incremental pay structure. Among these were the HR Committee’s opposition to the move away from the performance related pay (PRP) structure and that the review of PRP was an attempt to address inconsistencies in the system and not to replace it with another system. Other points raised included concerns about the costs of an incremental pay scheme, it was suggested that to limit costs within an incremental scheme, this would have to be through turnover and that this was currently relatively low and how the introduction of a incremental pay scheme would relate to the development of the HR Strategy. It was also indicated that proposed spine points were the same at the top of one band and the bottom of another.

In considering the report, members supported the move away from the PRP system, to an incremental pay system in principle as this would provide clarify. In doing so, members reiterated that in doing so it should be supported by a robust and effective appraisal system. The Chair also requested that prior to the report being considered by the full Authority the current arrangements for SMT pay arrangements be reviewed.

The Chief Executive and Clerk, informed the Committee that SMT supported the implementation on a incremental pay scheme, together with a robust appraisal scheme, which it was felt would not inhibit manager’s and staff’ capability to engage in a two ways discussions about performance.

Resolved – That the incremental pay system outlined in the report, be approved, in principle and be recommended to the full Authority.

71. Any other urgent business

(Agenda item 7)

There were no urgent items.

72. Exclusion of Press and Public

(Agenda item 8)

A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during an urgent item 6, as it was likely to disclose exempt information as described in 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 item 6.

73. C3i/airwave status report

(Agenda item 9)

Member received an update report on progress of the C3i/Airwave programme.

The meeting closed at 12.10 p.m.

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