Drugs scrutiny recommendations update

Report: 4
Date: 06 March 2008
By: Assistant Commissioner Specialist Crime on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report seeks to update members on the progress made by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) against the recommendations listed in the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) Drugs Scrutiny. The report also outlines the standards and measures used to validate any recommendations the MPS is proposing to have fully addressed. It will provide an indication of the time frame required to address all outstanding recommendations.

An update on cannabis classification will not be included but will be the subject of a separate report.

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members agree the following recommendations listed in the MPA Drugs Scrutiny are complete 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22 and 23;

2. Recommendation 18 should be linked to 17 above and agreement is sought that it is also complete;

3. Recommendations 8, 10, 16, 20 and 24 require further work and timescales for expected completion to be noted;

4. Recommendations 2 and 9 are to be considered by the Members as to whether any additional work is required; and

5. Recommendation 13 should be linked with 2 and therefore treated as above.

B. Supporting information

Recommendation 1 – As a priority, we urge Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office to agree a definition of harm.

1. Correspondence has been exchanged between the MPS, MPA and Home Office Drug Strategy Unit. The Home Office has set out a common definition on what drug harms should be focussed upon across government in the new Public Service Agreement (PSA) Delivery Plan – Reducing the Harms Caused by Drugs and Alcohol. These will be used to underpin the delivery of the various programmes and initiatives that will be included within the new drug strategy.

It is suggested to the Members that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 2 – The MPS Drugs Strategy needs to better articulate the relationships between Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs)/Drug Action Teams (DATs) and the MPS to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of key partners and that shared priorities are established.

2. The Drugs Directorate has sent every Borough Commander a copy of the Drugs Strategy and the MPS response to the Home Office consultation in order that they can share these with DAT & CDRP partners and also incorporate them into strategic thinking.

They have provided the Territorial Policing Command Team with a presentation of drug related issues and an update in relation to the recommendations of the MPA for policing drugs in London and specifically for this recommendation. Additionally similar presentations are being provided to each of the cluster commands within the MPS with an invitation to all Boroughs for presentations to their Senior Management Team (SMT) and CDRPs meetings.

Members are asked to consider if any additional work is required.

Recommendation 3 – The MPS needs to determine, agree and disseminate a set of definitions underpinning their Drug Strategy such as ‘open drug markets’ and ‘drug related crime’.

3. After conducting thorough research and using National Definitions where possible, the following definitions have been agreed:

• Open Drugs Market
  Section 3.3.1 of the draft National Policing Improvement Agency - Practice Advice on the Investigation of Drug Offences (Level 1) the definition of “open markets” is given as:
  In an open market a dealer will sell to anyone. These markets can be: On the street, where several street dealers can congregate to offer drugs or wait to be approached by users; off the street at premises, such as clubs, cafés, pubs or crack houses, where they can be approached by anyone.
• Drug Related Crime
  From the Metropolitan Police Service, Drugs Crime Prevention Strategy, 2005 – 2010 “Drugs Crime” is a deliberately broad term. It includes crimes pertaining to the possession and supply of controlled drugs; acquisitive crime committed by people in order to buy controlled drugs; violent crime and intimidation by those wishing to protect their illegal drug trafficking; and anti-social behaviour, violence, public order, neglect offences by those misusing the controlled drugs.
  This is closely aligned to the more comprehensive description of drugs related crime, specifically for level I and II under the National Intelligence Model, provided by the Home Office on their website.
  The definition of other terms include:
• Associated turf wars - this refers to drug suppliers protecting their market through violence.
• Cross-border regional drug dealers - this refers to dealers that operate across borough boundaries.
• Emerging drug threats - changes in usage, new drugs and poly-drug use.
• Problem areas - those geographical areas that crime analysis has identified as being associated with drug dealing and drug related crime.

All these definitions will be placed on the Drugs Directorate intranet site available to all MPS staff.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 4 – We recommend that the MPS facilitate a wide-ranging study aimed at assessing the relative harm caused by cannabis and poly drug use. Where necessary changes should be made to the MPS Drugs Strategy and Delivery Plan.

4. The MPS has spoken with a range of partners on this matter. We are not aware of such a study currently being conducted and this is not seen as something the MPS would undertake ourselves but we would as recommended, fully support and facilitate such a study.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 5 – The MPS Drugs Strategy should address the approach to recreational drug use.

5. The MPS position is that the organisation recognises that 'recreational' drug misuse is no different in law and will be policed. Equally, celebrities will not be targeted but are not immune from police activity on an intelligence-led or cause-related basis. We will use the priorities in our Drugs Strategy to inform our approach. Our strategy allows for 'localism' - responding to concerns expressed by local communities in their neighbourhoods (1.2 in strategy matrix). We can and will respond to 'recreational' use if highlighted through this process.
There are other areas within our strategy where we can address 'recreational' drugs misuse, e.g:

• Support enforcement through better understanding of the problem (2.2)
• Understanding of drugs within communities and deal with community concerns with regards to drugs (6.1)
• Seek to reduce the number of new users by increasing awareness of consequences of drugs misuse (6.2).

Our strategy is also based on focusing on areas of greatest harm. On balance, and as a generalisation, this is likely to mean that we end up not focusing on 'recreational' drugs misuse. This is because this is not the area of greatest harm. To be consistent with our strategy we need to accept this. Making 'recreational' drugs misuse a priority would clearly be incompatible with our strategy. We will address recreational drug use within the elements of our strategy, not as a separate activity as it would be likely to cause a loss of focus and create confusion.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 6 – The MPS needs to develop a performance framework that highlights the importance of tackling drugs and drug related crime at a local level, but allows sufficient flexibility so that borough commanders can focus on locally agreed priorities.

6. Assistant Commissioner (AC) Specialist Crime has nominated a Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) to take responsibility for delivering the MPS Strategy. To this end an MPS Drugs Strategy Delivery Group has been formed with a re-vamped Performance Information Bureau (PIB) performance report to inform and support the group. Meetings are bi-monthly; performance is reviewed and a check is made to ensure the correct tasking is in place. Boroughs are represented by the attendance of a Borough Commander on a rotating basis. Commanders from Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD) and Territorial Policing (TP) are held to account for performance on drugs.

For the year 2007/08 there are no formal Home Office drug measures with the exception of information from perception surveys, however drugs targets are being developed for the introduction of the new Assessment of Policing and Community Safety (APACS) measures to be introduced in April 2008. The MPS drugs strategy supports Borough Commanders and Safer Neighbourhoods Teams with tackling locally agreed priorities centred on drugs and drug related crime.

Safer Neighbourhoods Teams work locally to tackle the issues most effecting the safety and security of the community within their neighbourhood. Neighbourhood Ward Panels are responsible for agreeing the priorities for their area by examining the results of the wide community consultation and research undertaken by police and partners. This includes taking account of results from public events and meetings where the community has voiced concerns. This will include any issues around drugs and drug related crime at a local level.

If a priority set by a particular Ward Panel is 'to tackle an area affected by drug dealing and drug abuse' then the Safer Neighbourhoods Team for that particular Ward will focus on problem-solving activity that will deal with the wider issues at the same time as short-term enforcement.
To date the teams have found that drug related issues are normally identified as being part of a wider community priority such as anti-social behaviour, it is therefore quite right that any performance framework centers around the holistic problem rather than a single-focus issue such as drugs. The Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are measured on their outputs through a performance framework referred to as EPIC, which stands for Enforcement, Prevention, Intelligence and Communication activities.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 7 – The MPA and the MPS need to recognise the impact drugs have on overall crime by ensuring that appropriate priorities and objectives are reflected in the annual Policing Plan supported by outcome targets and measures for success.

7. One of the six MPS-wide objectives for 2008-11 is to 'Disrupt more criminal networks and reduce the harm caused by drugs'. Essentially, it is the MPS drugs strategy that is included within the delivery plan.
For 2008/9 it has now been agreed that drugs should significantly feature in the MPS critical performance areas. The measure specifically for drugs is to improve the number of sanctioned detections for class A trafficking offences and of these the number for cocaine and heroin. Two other measures relating to drugs include the targets being set for tackling more criminal networks and through this, asset seizure. These are three of the key measures used by the MPS Drugs Strategy Delivery Group referred to in the response to recommendations six,seven and 19.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 8 – In order to develop successful, sustainable mechanisms for tackling drugs and drug related crime the MPS must undertake more detailed evaluation of pilot projects. Such evaluation should include cost effectiveness and transferability to other boroughs.

8. A range of pilots and other initiatives are taking place and are subject to evaluation. Work has taken place in Camden in conjunction with the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) impacting at level I and level II crime. Substantial work has taken place within Hammersmith & Fulham to reduce drugs crime as is the case at Tower Hamlets and Newham. A full evaluation of the operation at Brent (Operation Saunton) has also been commissioned in order to assess its effectiveness and to explore the viability of replication elsewhere.

The MPS have recently put forward nineteen nominations, some from the Boroughs mentioned above, for the Home Office awards for tackling drugs. Each of these is to be reviewed with the intention of identifying best practice. A summary of the work and relevant contact details will be circulated to all Boroughs and be made available on the Drugs Directorate intranet page.

The MPS has the lead for the pilot project of testing of drugs for simple possession cases referred to in the response to recommendation 24. This project is at an advanced stage with the pilot period having concluded at Ealing and nearing completion in Nottingham and Liverpool. It is anticipated that this pilot will be rolled out nationally later this year with significant projected savings.

This work will be complete over the next three months.

Recommendation 9 – The MPS needs to develop multi-dimensional enforcement strategies so that drug activities are reduced rather than displaced.

9. The MPS acts in partnership with other agencies to reduce demand as they recognise that enforcement alone will only have a partial impact. We have liaised closely with other enforcement agencies including Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and SOCA where we have made significant contributions to the UK threat assessment on the illegal drugs trade in the UK. On 26th February 2008 the MPS will host a national conference on the commercial cultivation of cannabis. The focus of the conference is on the necessity to tackle the problem using all available partner agents and a wide variety of tactics in order to dismantle the criminal networks and not merely displace them.

The MPS works closely with partner agents in developing enforcement strategies as detailed in the response to recommendation 22.
The work completed on a large number of wards within the MPS includes a problem solving approach as detailed under recommendations six and 12.

The members are asked to consider if any additional work is required.

Recommendation 10 – The MPA requests sight of the findings of the MPS investigation of the disproportionate use of disposals in relation to cannabis possession. A clearly timetabled action plan aimed at reducing any unjustified disproportionality is also requested.

10. The findings of the MPS investigation of the disproportionate use of disposals in relation to cannabis possession will be summarised within the MPS Monitoring Report. A significant source for research in this area relies on census data from 2001, which is widely recognised as being inaccurate. The MPS have explored a number of alternative data-sets and have commissioned an academic to review the opportunity of using schools data in seeking to provide a more realistic overview of the relationship between cannabis warnings and any associated disproportionate impact affecting younger people.

If considered appropriate the MPS would be able to provide a presentation to interested members on the current findings of the research conducted.

This matter remains outstanding and should be complete within the next three to six months.

Recommendation 11 – The MPS should undertake regular analysis of sanction detections and Offenders Brought To Justice (OBTJs) to ensure that cannabis disposals are not being used to bolster performance.

11. The MPS does already undertake such analysis and publishes monthly data. However, the issue of cannabis warnings in the context of measuring policing performance will change in April 2008 and a significantly reduced emphasis will be placed on cannabis warnings which will only feature as a subset of a subset as detailed below:
PSA 23 and 24 relate to making communities safer and criminal justice. PSA 24 makes reference to OBTJs to be used as an indicator of performance, consistent with crime types in PSA 23 where cannabis possession does not feature. However PSA 24 also states that for the first year a proxy indicator of OBTJs will be used and details of the crime categories are provided. They have headings of serious, violent and sexual crimes; serious acquisitive crime; and 'other crime'. Within 'other crime' cannabis possession does feature and so thus will cannabis warnings for possession.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 12 – The MPS must devise long-term strategies for sustained engagement by Safer Neighbourhood Teams, which will target and focus on the young and hard to reach Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.

12. The MPS has developed a comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy which incorporates a variety of activities to ensure the service is fully engaged with communities, including hard to reach communities, that fully reflect London’s diverse population. The Safer Neighbourhoods engagement activity is included within this service wide strategy.
The Safer Neighbourhoods Programme has delivered a dedicated police resource to every ward in London by way of local Safer Neighbourhoods Teams. The teams are required to follow a community engagement model in order to identify local priorities through public consultation. The teams undertake a variety of engagement processes and activities that are focussed towards capturing information that will help them identify and deal with the issues that matter most to the communities within their area. These engagement activities are long term and improve with time and experience. Good practice with what works is circulated to team sergeants on a regular basis.

The Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are required to engage with young people within their area including hard to reach BME youth in order to identify a ‘youth priority’ for each ward. This engagement activity is undertaken in areas such as youth clubs, parks, schools, streets and any other places where young people meet in order that they get a wide representation of the issues within their ward.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 13 – The MPS must clearly identify how its work with local CDRPs supports its overall strategy to tackle drug misuse and drug related crime.

13. This is directly linked to recommendation two and consideration should be given to amalgamating the two recommendations.

It is suggested that this recommendation should be linked with recommendation two and that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 14 – The MPS needs to ensure an appropriate balance is maintained between focusing on prolific offenders with problem drug use and ensuring early intervention with first time offenders.

14. The two groups are already dealt with separately and quite differently. Prolific offenders are dealt with through the three phases of the PPO programme and first time offenders for trigger offences through either the DIP or Drugs Referral for a tiered treatment process.
There are proportional disposal options for all offenders coming to notice with cautions for adults and warnings for juveniles.
The MPS wishes to draw some alignment of the two schemes by the use of discretionary testing of PPOs so that they can be provided with treatment under the DIP.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 15 – We recommend that the MPS evaluate whether there is a business case to extend Drugs Interventions Programme (DIP) to all 32 boroughs. If there is, we recommend that the MPA together with the MPS lobby the Home Office to ensure DIP funding is available in every Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU).

15. In May 2007 the MPS lobbied hard to get an expansion of DIP across all London BOCUs. This resulted in a formal multi agency bid being submitted to the Home Office from the MPS, National Treatment Agency (NTA), Government Office for London (GoL) and members of the London DIP Implementation Group (courts, prisons & NOMS).

The rationale for the bid was based on:

• Consistency of approach – there are boroughs in London that are surrounded by non-DIP boroughs. For example Barnet is flanked by Enfield, Haringey, Camden and Brent. Bromley is flanked by Croydon, Lewisham and Greenwich. People arrested in Barnet and Bromley do not have the same intervention opportunities as those in neighbouring boroughs.
• Perceived crime reduction of DIP so far.
• PPOs are targeted with drug tests through DIP. This activity is only possible in DIP boroughs; the MPS wanted to expand that activity across all BOCUs.

The bid was not successful due to Home Office budgetary restrictions. It did help fuel the publication of guidance by the Home Office of how local partnerships can apply to become DIP intensive on a self-funding basis. The estimated cost to self-funded expansion for the MPS is £1.8million, which would need to be matched with £4 million from the relevant Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). That money is not currently available. Since our bid the Home Office have released a report based on the offending of 7700 DIP offenders and a reduction of 26% in crime has been measured. The MPS still supports the principle of DIP expansion across London, especially in the light of most recent research.

Whilst the lobbying will continue it is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 16 – The MPS should consider how best to engage with community based service providers within boroughs.

16. The MPS currently engage with service providers through local DATs. The MPS contributes to the tendering process by sitting on relevant boards. There are drug referral workers in custody suites. DAT already commission for local need and police have a local input.
Work remains outstanding in formalising the process of capturing the local knowledge and expertise embedded in local communities. It is recognised that there is a reliance on voluntary organisations. Further work will be carried out over the next six to twelve months.

This matter remains outstanding and should be complete within the next six to twelve months.

Recommendation 17 – The MPA urges the MPS to ensure the prioritisation of drugs within the Met Intelligence Bureau (MIB) work programme.

17. The MIB conducted a Strategic Intelligence Assessment identifying certain serious crimes including drugs as a priority for the MPS. This has been acknowledged as part of the Corporate Plan for 2008-11. The six MPS-wide objectives for working across boundaries, bringing different groups and teams together includes our commitment to tackling drugs in that, we will disrupt more criminal networks and reduce the harm caused by drugs.

The MIB has been structured to focus on priority crimes that arose from their Strategic Intelligence Assessment and have created a dedicated drugs desk that supports the MPS drugs strategy. The MIB are actively recruiting analysts and police officers to fill the current vacancies within the unit, including the drugs desk.

The MPS Strategic Intelligence Assessment is currently being updated and the issues on drugs will be included in that assessment.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 18 – The MPS should undertake an evaluation into the advantages of having dedicated drugs desks either in the MIB or within boroughs.

18. Each borough has its own focus desk reflective of the borough profile. This is directly linked to recommendation 17 and consideration could be given to amalgamating the two recommendations.

It is suggested that this recommendation should be linked with recommendation 17 and that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 19 – The MPS needs to clarify how the priority on Asset Confiscation – Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) in their new Drugs Strategy is to be implemented and assessed at borough level.

19. The MPS Drugs Strategy has, as one of the key objectives:

• To achieve a 50% increase per BOCU on the number of asset recoveries against those charged with trafficking offences.
  The DAC chair of the MPS Drugs Strategy Delivery Group has directed that this target be stretched and aligned with the Governments national target of increasing POCA activity by 100% by 2010. Therefore the following measure will be submitted to the MPA as a variation of a performance target in the next two months:
• To achieve a 100% increase of the MPS incentivisation score.
  The incentivisation score is a measure which includes:
  • Each final court result; i.e. a forfeiture or confiscation order.
  • The number of people charged with money laundering.
  • Each cash seizure.
  • Each person served with a restraint order.
  • Each case which uses a suspicious activity report.

Agreed bespoke targets have been set for each borough and will now be completed for specialist units to achieve this challenging target. This area of activity will continue to be monitored by the Drugs Strategy Delivery Group SCD and TP Commanders in attendance who are held to account. A quarterly report is produced to inform the meeting of the contribution to the strategy from each borough and specialist unit. A borough Commander is invited to each meeting on a rotating basis.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 20 – The MPS should examine the findings of the pilot drugs court to assess how it can be applied to enhance more effective partnership arrangements to tackle drug misuse and drug related crime.

20. The Courts Innovations Branch (CIB) (part of the Crime and Enforcement Directorate) at Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) run the Dedicated Drug Court Project. They are currently running two magistrates' courts pilots, one at Leeds and the other at West London. They hope to complete an evaluation of the two pilots very shortly.

This matter remains outstanding and should be complete within the next three to six months.

Recommendation 21 – The MPS should revise the prevention material aimed at young people, to include information about the harms and dangers of participating in dealing drugs.

21. The Drugs Directorate has taken part in the 'experts' consultation process regarding the young peoples section of the ‘Drugs: Our Community, your say’ consultation paper. Strong recommendations were put forward that drugs education delivered by schools should include the consequences of participating in drug consumption and being involved in the unlawful supply. This element of work is featured in the MPS Drugs Crime Prevention Strategy 2005-10. It includes a commitment to continue to contribute to prevention especially for providing advice regarding drug identification, the law relating to controlled drugs and the consequences of any breach.

Additionally we have had a clear indication that young people and families will feature strongly in the national dugs strategy due to be launched later this year.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 22 – the MPS and partners should develop more proactive, holistic approaches to drug prevention.

22. Our own MPS Drugs Strategy was drawn up after consultation with a wide range of partners. The MPS accept this recommendation and we continue to work with these partners in seeking such an approach; this is achieved through a comprehensive meeting structure that includes:

• Greater London Alcohol and Drug Alliance (GLADA) (Health Service, Probation, London Drugs and Alcohol Network (LDAN), MPA)
• The Drugs Strategic Committee (GoL, Home Office, NTA)
• ACPO Drugs Committee and the Standing Work Group for drugs.

At a borough level there are Local Strategic Partnerships with CDRPs and Local/Multi Area Agreements to facilitate this approach. These structures are linked to community-based groups in order to bring about an holistic approach in tackling drugs.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 23 – The panel recommends that further investigation of the findings of the Joseph Rowntree report on drug consumption rooms to reduce the harm drugs cause to individuals and the community be conducted.

23. The MPS is unable to support this recommendation, as it is contrary to ACPO guidance published in a letter dated 22 May 2007.
Members of the ACPO Drugs Committee agreed that the official position of ACPO should be made clear. It is as follows:

• ACPO Drugs acknowledge the valuable contribution made by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to our collective understanding of the complex social, legal and health issues surrounding the use of illegal drugs.
• With regards to the Foundation’s support of DATs exploring the potential for harm reduction offered by the concept of DCRs, given the law as it currently stands ACPO does not formally support the introduction of Drug Consumption Rooms.
• ACPO Drugs are firmly of the opinion that if such schemes are to be considered, the principles and practical implications should be more fully discussed by all parties concerned. The Home Office would have a significant role to play in any such deliberations.

It is suggested that this matter is complete.

Recommendation 24 - This recommendation was not numbered in the main report – The MPS needs to encourage and support innovation and development of new technologies as part of their strategy to tackle drugs.

24. A multi faceted approach is being adopted for this recommendation, working towards providing appropriate scientific intervention at different levels of drug crime and offending. An alternative framework of analysis, making full use of the Evidential Drugs Identification Testing (EDIT) programme in possession cases, will enable further resources to be channelled towards supply cases and organised drug crime activity.
Currently Forensic Services and the Drugs Directorate are driving forward to progress custody testing in both guilty and not guilty possession cases. We are reliant on partners such as National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) to progress work streams from the Home Office.

Forensic Services maintain the commercial relationship with our two main forensic providers. Negotiation is active to streamline drugs services offered and channel intelligence products direct to MIB who will become a single point of reference and the clearing-house for MPS drug intelligence activity. With intelligence being divided into strategic and tactical strands this will enable a framework of forensic links to be developed.

Research activity continues with police partners, universities and private enterprise companies. Progress towards developing analytical apparatus for police use in custody and other locations for all drug offence types continues. Whilst a long-term project, it is complemented by work in developing more accurate and user-friendly drug testing kits to replace those currently available. A review of available and emerging technology for chemical drug profiling continues. If methodology is proven, this has the opportunity to impact on providing positive links between drug consignments/seizures from street level upwards to source.
Improving knowledge of those attending crime scenes, particularly scene examiners will result in more forensic retrievals to tackle drug crime and improve our detection capability. Easier access to current drug trends and information, complemented by additional drug scene training provision is currently under discussion with key stakeholders.

This matter remains outstanding and should be complete within the next six to twelve months.

Abbreviations:

AC

Assistant Commissioner

ACPO

Association of Chief Police Officers

APACS

Assessment of Policing and Community Safety

BME

Black and Minority Ethnic

BOCU

Borough Operational Command Unit

CDLO

Controlled Drug Liaison Officer

CDRP

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership

CIB

Courts Innovations Branch

DAC

Deputy Assistant Commissioner

DAT

Drug Action Team

DIP

Drugs Interventions Programme

EDIT

Evidential Drugs Identification Testing

GLADA

Greater London Drug and Alcohol Alliance

GoL

Government Office for London

HMCS

Her Majesty’s Court Service

HMRC

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

HOSDB

Home Office Scientific Development Branch

LDAN

London Drugs and Alcohol Network

MIB

 Met Intelligence Bureau

MMDP

Middle Market Drugs Partnership

MPA

Metropolitan Police Authority

MPS

Metropolitan Police Service

NPIA

National Policing Improvement Agency

NTA

 National Treatment Agency

OBTJ

Offenders Brought To Justice

OCU

Operational Command Unit

PCT

Primary Care Trust

PIB

 Performance Information Bureau

POCA

Proceeds of Crime Act - Asset Confiscation

PPO

Prolific and Priority Offender

PSA

Public Service Agreement

SCD

Specialist Crime Directorate

SMT

Senior Management Team

SOCA

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

TP

Territorial Policing

C. Race and equality impact

1. The MPA considered the race and equality impact of the MPS Drugs Strategy as a key theme in the scrutiny of how we police drugs in London. The strategy is subject to an equalities impact assessment and it is recognised that disproportionality is known to exist. This is closely linked to the substantial work and close monitoring of stop and search procedures under Operation Pennant. It is recognised that there is a generic concern especially among ethnic minority groups about stop and search and the possibility that this tactic might be used in the course of implementing the Drugs Strategy just as it is used to combat most acquisitive crime types. There may be a risk that certain communities, coming into contact with stop and search via intelligence-led operations in a geographical area, may perceive they are unduly targeted.

D. Financial implications

1. For the purpose of responding to the MPA Drugs Scrutiny recommendations it is extremely difficult to address the financial and resource implications. All Boroughs and other Operational Command Units (OCUs) within the MPS have their own budgets for tackling the wide range of problems they have responsibility for, which often include drugs. Examples of the finances made available to tackling drugs are detailed below but only to give a small indication of how finances and resources are used. The extrapolation for the whole of the MPS would be logistically highly challenging and extremely time consuming.

2. The MPS has a Drugs Directorate whose sole responsibility is tackling drugs issues for the MPS. The unit is split into three parts which are, Controlled Drug Liaison Officer (CDLO) work with Primary Care Trusts, the Drugs Intervention Programme for testing on arrest and facilitating tiered treatment provision and the remainder of the unit provide assistance, guidance, policy, procedures and project work for all matters relating to drugs in London. The unit has 15 members of staff and the full budget is £789,000.

3. The MPS has the Middle Market Drugs Partnership (MMDP) whose responsibility is to tackle criminal networks in London who are involved in the supply and use of class A drugs. In such cases the minimum indicative level of class A drugs is 0.5kg heroin or 1kg of cocaine. Live operations undertaken by the unit should be capable of completion within 8 weeks. The MMDP also provides a fast-time response to referred intelligence and will seek all opportunities to seize the cash proceeds of drug supply. The 60 strong unit is staffed between the MPS, SOCA and the City of London of which the MPS has 26 members of staff. For the financial year 2006/7 the MMDP had a full year budget of £1,927,786.

4. Centrally funded operations conducted by Territorial Policing since 01 April 2007 to January 2008 are indicated below. The figures under the heading ‘amount’ reflect overtime costs and associated expenses for the deployment of borough officers:

Table 1: Centrally funded operations conducted by Territorial Policing  01 April 2007 to January 2008

5. A typically busy Borough, in this case Brent, ran 114 proactive operations from 01 April 2007 to January 2008 specifically targeting drugs. Of these, 24 were provided funding for the deployment of officers covering overtime costs and associated expenses to a total of £26,332.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Sue Inwood, Detective Inspector Drugs Directorate, MPS

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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