The cost implications of public order events

Report: 08
Date: 29 May 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report sets out the policing costs associated with major public order events that occurred during 2001 and to May Day in 2002.

A. Recommendations

1. The Committee is asked to note the report.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

2. At the Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee meeting of the 19 June 2001, a report (Number 15) was presented relating to the cost implications of public order events that required the deployment of more than 500 officers during the spring of 2001. The report also commented that the MPS would report periodically on costs associated with events requiring more than 500 officers. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the events during 2001 and to May Day in 2002. The largest events during 2001 included:

• National Front Marches in Bermondsey (reprise from earlier report)
• May Day 2001
• Trooping the Colour
• State Opening of Parliament
• Notting Hill Carnival 2001 (see paragraph 9)
• Remembrance Sunday
• New Years Eve 2001

3. The events can fall into the following categories:

• Public order (marches, demonstrations, pickets)
• Ceremonial and military events
• Sporting events
• Religious events
• Community events

4. The costs of the MPS counter terrorism response since the 11 September 2001 have been reported to the MPA elsewhere. Members will, however, be aware the MPS was awarded a grant of £22 million by the Home Office to fund the increased costs borne by the MPS during 2001-2002 on CT activities.

Costing methodology

5. In policing such events resource requirements are assessed and procured by Public Order Branch and deployed through preparation of an Operational Policing Order. Typically this document will set out the numbers of officers and support personnel to be deployed and will provide detailed operational instructions to govern their deployment. The operational policing order forms the basis of public order costs reported to this committee.

6. The costing information reported to this committee is prepared using a standard costing methodology so that input factors, for example, hours worked by police officers assigned to the event, are costed at an average rate per unit of input. There is the possibility that actual costs incurred may differ marginally from the standard costs but the overall effect is not believed to be significant.

7. In the table (see Appendix 1,  see Supporting material), the columns entitled 'Police Normal' and 'Civil Normal' are "opportunity costs" i.e. those resources diverted from other policing activities to be deployed on Public Order duties. Additional costs are those indicated as "overtime" and "other cash costs" resulting in additional, often unplanned expenditure. (Please refer to paragraph 10 below)

Costing of events

8. Costs have been calculated for the following events:

1. National Front Marches, Bermondsey 7 April, 14 April and 12 May 2001.
   Please refer to Report Number 15 (Cost implications of public order events) from MPA Finance, Planning and Best Value Committee meeting of 18 June 2001.
2. May Day Demonstration, Central London 1 May 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 5,095 police officers and 245 civil staff at a cost of £2,418,000.
3. Trooping the Colour, Central London 2 June 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 1,191 police officers and 129 civil staff at a cost of £319,000.
4. Trooping the Colour, Central London 9 June 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 1,188 police officers and 129 civil staff at a cost of £319,000.
5. Trooping the Colour, Central London 16 June 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 1,364 police officers and 129 civil staff at a cost of £364,000.
6. State Opening of Parliament, Central London 20 June 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 1,450 police officers and 157 civil staff at a cost of £384,000.
7. Demonstrations in London, Lambeth/Central London 21 July 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 511 police officers and 16 civil staff at a cost of £145,000.
8. Demonstrations in London, Lambeth/Central London 22 July 2001.
   This event involved the deployment of 511 police officers and 15 civil staff at a cost of £145,000.
9. Remembrance Day, Central London 11 November 2001
   This event involved the deployment of 1,414 police officers and 84 civil staff at a cost of £324,000.
10. New Years Eve 2001, Central London 31 December 2001
    This event involved the deployment of 1,849 police officers and 123 civil staff at a cost of £3,120,847.

A breakdown of the costs is shown at Appendix 1 (see Supporting material).

Notting Hill Carnival

9. It has been considered appropriate to provide a more expansive costing to Members of the policing of the Notting Hill Carnival 2001 (Carnival) given the scale of the event, the policing resources involved and its high media profile.

Given this scale, the costing of the Carnival is now a major financial exercise involving the collation of financial data from a wide range of sources within operational and support departments within the MPS.

Appendix 2 (see Supporting material) provides members with an overview of the policing costs of Carnival, This appendix includes:

• An Introduction providing a brief resume of the history of policing the Carnival, how the Carnival has increased in size during the 1990s and the planning process undertaken in the lead up to policing the 2001 Notting Hill Carnival;
• Financial Highlights summarising the costs of policing the Carnival and in which areas did policing costs increase:
• Summary of Notting Hill Carnival Policing Costs 2001 detailing the costs prior to the event, costs over the actual weekend and post event costs;
• Detailed Notes to Accounts providing information on the areas where expenditure has been incurred; and
• A Summation of the event and detailing the number of arrests made and the number of police and civil staff in attendance at Carnival.

As before, any references to 'Police Normal' and 'Civil Normal' are "opportunity costs". Additional costs are those indicated as "overtime" and "other cash costs". (Please refer to paragraph 10 below.)

The Costs of Carnival 2001 have been calculated as:

• Pre Event Cost
  The total costs incurred prior to the weekend of the Carnival was £594,273 of which £71,934 was overtime and £86,823 was the cost of other preparatory work.
• Costs over the Carnival Weekend
  The total costs incurred over the weekend of the Carnival was £4,898,984 of which £1,954,218 was overtime and £1,118,142 was the cost of such items as catering, property services, transport etc.
• Post Event Costs
  The total costs incurred after the Carnival was £131,729 of which £59,892 was overtime.
• Total Cost of Carnival
  The total cost of the 37th Carnival was therefore £5,624,986 of which £2,395,708 is normal cost of police and civil staffs pay and overtime of £2,086,043. Another £1,143,234 reflects all other costs such as catering, property services, transport etc. This accounts for 10,248 officer days (or the annual equivalent of 51 officers) over the bank holiday weekend and both pre and post event activities.

Recent events during 2002

10. The data collection that is required to provide a robust costing of the following events is in its early stage. A more robust costing will be available in due course.

• The Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
  The estimated total cost of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother is £4,100,00 involving the deployment of 7,955 police officers and 1,302 civil staff between 31 March 2002 and 9 April 2002.
• May Day 2002
  On the day of the May Day 2002 demonstrations, the number of police officers deployed was 3,868. With data collection in its early stages it is considered too early to produce an estimated cost.

Opportunity costs

11. Members are asked to note that – with the exception of overtime and most of Resource Directorate's costs – a large proportion of costs quoted above do not represent additional cash costs to the MPS. Rather, the officers and other staff assigned to a given operation would be assigned to other policing duties or operations. A significant element of the costs incurred in policing these events is regarded as 'opportunity costs' although this will probably impact upon operational resources available elsewhere and thus the MPS's achievements of its performance targets.

C. Financial implications

The MPS resources involved in the 12 public order/ceremonial events, recorded above amount to the deployment of over 17,000 police officers, 1000 civil staff at a total cost of £8.7 million. The MPS resources involved in the policing of the Notting Hill Carnival 2001, amount to the deployment of over 10,000 police officers, 500 civil staff at a total cost of £5.6 million. The MPS resources involved in the policing of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother amount to the deployment of over 7,955 police officers, 1,302 civil staff at an estimated total cost of £4.1 million. There will be financial implications for the MPS as a result of policing May Day 2002.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

Report author: Craig Watkins, Head of Business Support, MPS.

For information contact:

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

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