Minutes

Minutes of the Co-ordination and Policing Committee held on 3 February 2006 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

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

MPA officers

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

MPS officers

• Paul Stephenson (Deputy Commissioner)
• David Hamilton
• Nana Cope
• Chris Reeves
• Simon Heart

Also present: John Roberts.

31. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Jennette Arnold and Kirsten Hearn.

32. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

Toby Harris declared a personal interest in regard to agenda item 6 – ‘Update on progress with the Bichard Inquiry and the national impact programme’. During consideration of this item Toby Harris took no part in the discussion.

33. Minutes – 2 December 2005

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 2 December 2005.

It was noted that Elizabeth Howlett had submitted apologies for absence for this meeting.

Resolved - That the minutes (Part 1), of the meeting held on 2 December 2005, be agreed and signed as a correct record.

34. Review of Police Structures

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a report that set out the response of the Authority and the MPS to the Home Office review of police structures from a Londonwide perspective.

Members noted that the original deadline date of 23 December 2005 for draft submissions was no longer the absolute deadline and with this in mind the response from the Authority was considered an interim submission.

Resolved – That the report be received.

35. Future management and disbursement of MPA partnership funding

(Agenda item 5)

Members were invited to consider three of options for the future management and disbursement of the partnerships funding.

The report outlined the strengths and weaknesses of three options; option 1 No change; option 2 – Enhance the current system; and option 3 Local and regional funding with approved spending plans.

Following consideration of the options, members supported option 2.

In supporting option 2, members requested that a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee providing a detailed cost programme of the partnership funding and including proposals for centrally maintaining the fund. The report should outline areas that could be funded, provide details of any surpluses and an outline of local area agreements.

Resolved – That

1. members agree the arrangements for the provision of partnership funding at the borough level to commence 2006/07;
2. option 2 as the preferred model of options, be agreed; and
3. receive a further report on partnership funding be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee.

36. Update on the progress with Bishard Inquiry and national impact programme

(Agenda item 6)

A report was received that provided members with an update on the progress with the Bichard Inquiry. It also provided information, where available, on the financial implications associated with the implementation of the National Impact Programme.

In response to members, the Deputy Commissioner confirmed that the current mechanisms, implemented by the MPS following the Bichard Inquiry had bought the organisation to a position whereby it could meet the requirements of those recommendations.

Members were provided with a financial position of the programme. It was noted that reference to the corporate data warehouse and associated cost of the programme had been included and submitted to the Mayor as part of the Borrowing and Capital Spending Plan, as part of the 2006/07-2008/09 Medium Term Financial Plan. Members also noted that figures within the capital programme schedules had been based on the programme previously approved by the MPA and did not take account of new proposals. They were informed that a review of the Capital Programme would be undertaken by the Finance Committee at its meeting on 16 February 2006 and this would include further consideration of funding the data warehouse.

Confirmation was given that the launch of the programme, on initial deliverables, was scheduled to take place on 9 February 2006.

Resolved – That

1. Members note the update on the National Impact Programme; and
2. the development of a corporate data warehouse to meet the requirements of the Bichard Inquiry and the National Impact Programme be supported.

37. Charging for police events update

(Agenda item 7)

At the Committee meeting on 7 October 2005, members considered an update report on charging for policing of events. They raised a number of issues, including clarification regarding legal liabilities being with a promoter of an event and limited liabilities with the MPS; clarification on any financial burden arising from policing the Caribbean Showcase; details of charging policing of local events; and information about the effect of the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003.

Members now received a report providing them with further information on these issues.

Arising from the discussion, clarification was sought by members on the difference between crowd control and disorder. The Deputy Commissioner, in order to give further thought and a full response to members, requested that he circulate a detailed note to members outside the meeting.

Members also raised a number of concerns relating to commercial and community events. In particular, the issue of the dates of football fixtures being changed at short notice and the effect it had on the community and on local policing levels, as officers who attend such events are entitled to a further day off, yet no or little cost recovery was sought.

The Deputy Commissioner acknowledged that in some areas of London, particularly the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which have three football clubs, the issue of fixture changes and its implications can be difficult. In also acknowledging that changing football fixtures can on occasions be of benefit to the MPS, he agreed that there was need for proper negotiation with other authorities, football clubs, those with commercial interest and the Borough Commander and in being both robust and fair in showing how any decision was reached. He supported members’ suggestion that there was a need to for appropriate guidelines on reaching these decisions.

Resolved – That the report be received.

38. The role and work of the Directorate of Legal Services

(Agenda item 8)

Arising from a recommendation from the Morris Inquiry, the Committee received a report that provided an update on the work and role of the MPS Directorate of Legal Services (DLS).

David Hamilton, the Director of the MPS Legal Services, provided members with an outline of the role of the Directorate and its work, including examples of significant past cases and details of support provided both within the MPS and to other agencies.

In receiving the report, members raised a number of issues.

Members felt that there was a greater need of clarity around the role of DLS and the MPA when the MPA was the client and that often information required by the MPA was not being made available. This was of particular concern when attempting to settle cases.

In response to a member’s question on the proportionate amount of work DLS puts into a case, Mr Hamilton confirmed that there were guidelines within the Directorate on this matter. He also confirmed that there were times when advice from DLS was given, but not followed. The Deputy Commissioner provided members with an example of this and suggested that when advice was sought it was to assist in forming a judgement, and on occasions in forming that judgement, legal advice may not be followed.

Members welcomed the report and agreed that the Committee should receive twice-yearly reports on the Directorate. In doing so, members requested that the next report should include details on the Directorate’s budget; how early are the Directorate’s services sought in MPS issues; the role of the Directorate in the service review of the MPS and clear details of the Directorate’s relationship with its clients. The Committee supported the suggestion that the Authority should also be provided with performance information relating to DLS and that future reports address race and equality issues.

Mr Hamilton suggested that any future report should include how better the Directorate should market itself.

Members were informed that Mr Hamilton would soon be leaving the MPS and thanked him for his work within the DLS.

Resolved – That report be noted and that the Committee receive twice-yearly reports on the role and work of the MPS Directorate of legal services.

39. Programme Board – responding to major disasters

(Agenda item 9)

The Committee were invited to nominate a representative to the MPS Programme Board – Responding to Major Disasters.

It was agreed that in the interim, the Chief Executive and Clerk should represent that MPA on the programme board. A member appointment should be made when the Authority next considers its lead members appointments.

Resolved –That Chief Executive and Clerk be nominated to the MPS Programme Board – Responding to Major Disasters, until such time as the Authority appoints a lead member for this matter.

40 Any urgent business

(Agenda item 10)

The development of the MPS values and behaviours.

The Chair agreed to receive an urgent report from the Commissioner on the grounds that preliminary discussion on this issue were required, prior to the promotion of the proposals by the Commissioner on 9 February and the presentation of the Corporate Strategy 2006-2209, which includes the refreshed MPS values, to the full Authority meeting on 23 February 2006.

The report provided members with an overview of the process taken to develop the MPS values and underpinning behaviours.

Members were informed that the MPS values would underpin the culture change the MPS needed to deliver its Corporate Strategy and that behavioural change was critical to the modernisation of the MPS to enable an enhanced level of performance and service.

Members welcomed the report and particularly praised the presentation format of the values and behaviours. In doing so, members highlighted the need for the values and behaviours to be cross cutting throughout the organisation and for them to be communicated in an effective way.

Confirmation was given that the values and behaviours would include all the police family. Details were given on how values and behaviours would be included at the recruitment level, form the basis of appraisal systems and be shared with both agencies working for the MPS and the communities which it serves.

It was also acknowledged that following the introduction of the new values and behaviours, there was a need to establish a suitable mechanism to assess if there had been the required culture change.

Resolved – That the report be received.

41. Exclusion of press and public

(Agenda item 8)

A resolution was put to exclude the press and public from the meeting during an item 12, 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 9.

42. Minutes – 2 December 2005

(Agenda item 12)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 2 December 2005.

Resolved - That the minutes (Part 2), of the meeting held on 2 December 2005, be agreed and signed as a correct record.

The meeting closed at 13.05 p.m.

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