Minutes

Minutes of the Equal Opportunity & Diversity Board held on 20 July 2006 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Kirsten Hearn (Chair)
• John Roberts (Deputy Chair, for agenda item 5)
• Cindy Butts
• Damian Hockney
• Aneeta Prem

MPA officers

• Annabel Adams (Deputy Treasurer)
• Laurence Gouldbourne (Head of Race and Diversity)
• Hamida Ali (Policy Development Officer Race and Diversity Unit)
• Juliett Fear on-Knott (Policy Development Officer Race and Diversity Unit)
• Doug Lewins (Policy Development Officer Race and Diversity Unit)
• Melissa Wagstaff (Performance Analyst)
• John Crompton (Committee Services)

MPS officers

• Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rose Fitzpatrick (Diversity and Citizen Focus)
• Denise Milani - Diversity
• Supt Mick Morris - Territorial Policing
• Supt David Wildbore - Transport OCU Richard Henderson, Child Abuse Investigation Command

Also present:

• British Transport Police - Assistant Chief Constable, Operations, Alan Pacey
• Transport for London - Dave Wildbore
• Jerone Wymar Transport For London

1. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence was received from Cindy Butts and Lee Jasper . A number of apologies from members of the invited community organisations were also received.

2. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No interests were declared.

3. Minutes of the meeting held on 6 April 2006

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 April 2006 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

4. Chair and Members’ update

(Agenda item 4)

Resolved – That the report be noted.

5. Focus item reports on young people as victims of crime

(Agenda items 5 and 5a)

A report from the MPS was submitted which highlighted issues around youth crime and victimisation. It also described activities in which police officers are engage to prevent young people from becoming crime victims or offenders.

A concurrent report by the MPA outlined some of the key opportunities, challenges and concerns from a range of equality and diversity perspectives for key stakeholders including the MPS, Transport for London (TfL) and British Transport Police (BTP) in relation to young people as victims of crime.

Resolved That

1. the reports be noted;
2. the MPS be requested to work towards an agreed definition of what constitutes a ‘young victim’;
3. the MPS be requested inform members within six month of activities undertaken with young people aged between 18 – 24, particularly (but not exclusively) in further and higher educational establishments;
4. the MPS explores what steps can be taken to record the disability, faith/non-belief and sexual orientation of young people as victims of crime; and
5. the MPS be urged to continue its work with key stakeholders such as Transport for London (TfL) and British Transport Police (BTP) on relevant and appropriate joint initiatives.

6. Discussion on the focus item

(Agenda item 7)

Standing Orders were suspended for this item to enable contributions to be made from non-members.

Introduction

The Chair said felt that the MPS was to be congratulated on producing a well researched and interesting report. Before the discussion she would ask to Rankin' S to perform a song she had written following a distressing incident involving the use of guns at a party which she had witnessed.

General points about young people gathering in groups and attitudes towards young people.

Aneeta Prem, MPA member said there was concern that young people were targeted by the police just because thy sometimes chose to be out on the streets in groups with their friends. The wording used in things like dispersal orders was not clear and led to allegations that young people were being targeted for reasons that were not clear. Damian Hockney, MPA member agreed that the language used was important as was getting accurate information out to young people.

Several young people agreed that it was important that police officers paid attention to the manner in which they dealt with young people. Young people could also have a role in educating each other about their rights and obligations

Kamal Siddiqui, MPS Disability Independent Advisory Group (DIAG) – spoke of a sense of isolation in the community

Alfred John, Deputy Support Co-ordinator, MetBPA & National Cabinet, National BPA felt that during the past 20 years there had been an improvement in the way the MPS treated young people.

Superintendent Morris said that new instructions were going out on dispersal orders which were intended to be clearer . The rationale behind the orders was to get a balance between wanting to stop young people from becoming victims and stopping anti social behaviour. He added that young people congregating in a particular area could be seen as threatening by members of the public and could lead to problems such as criminal damage and anti social behaviour to which the police had a duty to respond . The advent of the safer neighbourhood teams presented new ways of tackling these issues in co-operation with young people.

Lauren Bennett-Headley, Development Officer for Crime Safety (BME), Black Londoners Forum agreed with the point made about the opportunities provided by safer neighbourhoods but it was noticeable that at a recent conference she attended there did not seem to many examples of actual working going on in this area

Child abuse

In reply to a question about the resources devoted to child abuse Superintendent Morris said that he did not have this information to hand. Richard Henderson, Child Abuse Investigation Command on children coming forward to report offences field work was being done in co-operation with partner agencies particularly In the more deprived boroughs so that children felt more confident to support crimes

Stop and Search

Several young people said that the ways these were carried out continued to be a source of major dissatisfaction. It appeared to be the case that young people were sometimes stopped for no other reason that they were young and were out on the streets with their friends. This could feel like harassment.

John Roberts, MPA member with special responsibility for stop and search asked for a progress report on the key encounter training which was designed to improve the quality of the encounters which took place.

DAC Fitzpatrick explained that the need for this encounter training had been identified in view of the impact of being stopped and searched has on the individuals. The encounter training referred to would be introduced in borough. It would emphasise the dual necessity to carry out the procedure in a sensitive manner and also to explain why it was being done

Alfred John, Deputy Support Co-ordinator, MetBPA & National Cabinet, National BPA said he would stress the particular importance of the first encounter.in shaping a person’s perception of the police for years to come He felt that consistency of approach and treatment was particularly important

Natalie Stewart, Chair, Westminster Race Equality Council asked for details of the statistics for when young people were searched but no further action was taken

Recording of details in stops and searches

Several young people said that there was no consistency about the provision of the details of the encounter which were required under Recommendation 61with some police officers denying that they were required to give out the details

Natalie Stewart, Chair, Westminster Race Equality Council said there was no excuse for police officers not to be aware of their responsibilities in this direction

Carrying of knives

In reply to questions Superintendent Morris said that the research indicated that some young people who carried knives and joined gangs did so through fear. The work in schools carried out by the police was about educating people not to carry knives and the police were endeavouring to make schools and the areas surrounding them safe for pupils

Alan Pacey - Assistant Chief Constable, Operations, British Transport Police pointed out that knives were potentially a very serious problem in a confined area such as a railway carriage. Steps taken to combat the problem included metal detectors and stop and searches. Thanks to funding from Transport for London it had been possible to introduce a neighbourhood policing style in locations across London. They would be run in tandem with the MPS safer neighbourhood teams.

Natalie Stewart, Chair, Westminster Race Equality Council said it was important not to get hoodwinked by the media and she would stress that the vast majority of young people do not carry knives as they were fully aware of the penalties for doing so.

Young people as leaders

The Deputy Chair of the Metropolitan BPA referred to various pieces of outreach work which were being carried out

Benedicta Osei-Bonsu, Director of Leaders In Training Ltd outlined some of the initiatives which were being carried out and individual young people involved in the programme also spoke about their experiences and hopes.

Lack of facilities

Several speakers referred to the general lack of things to do at times such as after school and during the school holidays led to children being out on the streets. Provision seemed to be better in some areas e.g Tottenham than other It was also the case that many pupils did not want to go straight home after school was finished but there was often nothing much to do.

Benedicta Osei-Bonsu, Director of Leaders In Training Ltd referred to the KICKz football project which had quickly established itself as a popular activity on a local estate in Tottenham. However this only operated for a few hours each week As a secondary school teacher she felt it important that facilities like this were coupled with education . The leadership programme which she helped to run catered for 50 young people in Haringey. She said it was important said it was important to take notice of the kind of events which young people said they wanted to see happen.

DAC Fitzpatrick said that the safer neighbourhood teams would be exploring opportunities to work with local authorities and other partners to make young people aware of what facilities were on offer.

Supt Mick Morris said that initiatives included breakfast clubs and the police were involved in liaising with head teachers to ensure school buildings were used outside school hours.

Gun crime

In reply to a question about the arrangements for reporting information about the perpetuators of gun crime DAC Fitzpatrick said that Operation Trident had demonstrated the need to have community support for fighting gun crime. There were ways in which information could be supplied without going into a police station. It was the case however that trials were far more effective in certain people were prepared to give evidence in court and again the police had various ways of supporting people so that they felt more confident about doing this.

LGBT young people

Gary Rowland, London LGBT Youth Council Co-ordinator, Consortium of LGBT Voluntary and Community Organisations said that a lot of the young people he worked with had been the victims of assaults as a result of their sexuality. They were often afraid to report these incidents to the police for fear of being outed to parents and others

Dave Farrington, LGBT youth and mental health project worker, Freestyle London Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Project (Consortium of LGBT voluntary and community organisations) asked about the equality of treatment for homophobic indents which happened in schools and outside schools – the young people affected were equally victims of a crime which could affect their mental health and sense of self esteem.

DAC Fitzpatrick said the MPS was working with a number of organisations e.g GALOP so that young people know in advance what the procedures were for reporting this type of crime and the ways in which privacy could be obtained such as third party reporting.

Students

Nicky Grant, Vice-President Welfare & Student Affairs, University of London Union referred to the problems which students encountered on campuses.

Supt Morris outlined the work which was being done in campuses to ensure and felt they were generally safe s Some safer neighbourhood teams were based on University campuses so there were police officers based in some Universities

Schools

The Deputy Head of St Thoms More School in Haringey said that consistency was important and it was regrettable that the community liaison officers were often called away from schools. There were particular issues around the time it took for incidents which happened outside school – e.g. on buses to be resolved. The school pointed out the dangers of guns and knives.

Supt Morris Surveys did show that year on year figures showed that crimes against young people were falling but it might be the case that this trend was not true for certain categories of crimes

Summing up

DAC Fitzpatrick said it has been a very useful to hear young people talking about their personal experiences

The Chair thanked the representatives of the community organisations for attending and for their contributions. There had been some very good points about challenging the perceptions of young people being the cause rather than the victims of crime and the need for respect. The MPA intended to do some further work with young people

7. Diversity issues within Transport Operational Command Unit

(Agenda item 7)

A report was submitted which outlined the work of the Transport Operational Command Unit (TOCU), provides details of its demographics and of work in progress to ensure equal opportunity and address under representation. It also describes how TOCU manages enforcement activity in relation to disproportionality, particularly where young people are involved, and informs of its community engagement activity.

Standing Orders were suspended for consideration of this item

Supt David Wildbore - Transport OCU said that although safety on buses was an issue for the OCU the boroughs were also very closely involved. the Transports OCU had 22 priority bus routes and other hot spots . Key encounter training would be starting this year. It was designed to raise the awareness of the officers of the impact that their encounter with a young person could have. The training was being done in conjunction with the community and would involve the revenue protection officers.

Aneeta Prem, MPA member said that a particular problem arose in connection with mobile phones and expensive personal music players which were attractive to thieves – sometimes violent ones. She sad that young people who were victims of this crime had told her that bus driver were not particularly helpful when these incidents occurred She wished to know what training drivers received What advice was given about having this type of equipment marked?

Jerone Wymar Transport for London confirmed that TfL funded BTP and some of the MPS initiatives and worked very closely with the MPS to ensure that public transport was safe. The Safer Travel at Night scheme was an example of the initiatives TfL were undertaking to ensue the system was safe. Free transport for young people had been introduced to encourage greater use of public transport by young people. It was acknowledged that there had been an increase in anti social behaviour on buses but this tended to be concentrated in particular areas and was not seen as an entirely youth related issue. All drivers were in permanent radio contract with the control room were police officers were located . TfL did encourage drivers to deal with crimes committed on their bus it was the case that there was inconsistency of approach.

Alan Pacey BTP said that sight should not be lost of the fact that despite the problems which had been referred to public transport network remained a low crime system.

David Wilbore, Transport OCU agreed that the chances of being a victim whilst using public transport were very low but it had to be remembered that buses were public spaces so users needed to be aware that the chances of having valuable items such as phones stolen were similar to they would be in the street. Overall however he felt that the incidences of “youth on youth” crimes had not changed simply due to the introduction of the free public transport.

Several speakers said that the issue of lack of facilities and activities which had been referred to earlier was also relevant to this item and it could be the case that young people were travelling around on buses for the lack of anything more constructive to do.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

8. MPS budget and equalities report for 2005/06 and business plan and budget for 2006/07

(Agenda item 8)

A report was submitted which provided an overview of the budget and equalities report for 2005-06 and business plan and budget for 2006-07 and highlights key areas of work for the MPS.

Resolved –That the content of the report to the Greater London Authority be noted.

9. MPA budget and equalities report for 2005/06 and business plan and budget for 2006/07

(Agenda item 9)

This report provides an overview of the Budget and Equalities Report for 2005 – 06 and Business Plan and Budget for 2006 – 7 as requested by the Greater London Authority (GLA). It highlights key areas of work for the MPA in relation to equality and diversity.

The Head of Race and Diversity, MPA reported that he had discussed the report in detail with the Policy Director for Policing and Equalities at the GLA.

Resolved –That the content of the report to the Greater London Authority be noted.

10. Work programme

(Agenda item 10)

A report was submitted which provided details of the workplan for the Board for 2006-7
Aneeta Prem said that in order to better acknowledge the importance of the issues the information which currently appeared as a footnote to the meeting on 16 November concerning which appeared as a footnote should be incorporated into the main body of the table.

Resolved

1. the key objectives for EODB as outlined in paragraph 8 and Appendix 1 be agreed;
2. the workplan for EODB, which also includes the Morris workplan, outlined in Appendices 2 be agreed subject to the amendment in respect of 16 November detailed above;
3. the continued use of ‘mini-reviews’ to assist their scrutiny role as outlined in paragraphs 10 & 11 be agreed; and
4. the revised timetable to the MPA Corporate Equality & Diversity objectives for 2004 – 2007 as outlined in paragraphs 15 be agreed.

11. Annual report of the Board 2005/06

(Agenda item 11)

A report was submitted which provided a brief resume of the work of the Board during 2005/06.

Resolved - That the annual report of the Board be endorsed.

12. Reports from EODB sub-groups

(Agenda item 12)

The following oral reports were given:

Domestic Violence Forum

Noted that the next meting was due to be held in September.

Stop and Search Review Board

Noted that the meeting due to be held in July had been cancelled which meant the next one would be held on 26 October.

Race Hate Crime Forum

A meeting involving Waltham Forest had been held. The next meeting was due to be held on 22 August.

Disability Oversight

Noted that the group was due to meet on 28 July.

The meeting closed at 12.25 p.m.

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