Minutes

Minutes of the Planning, Performance & Review Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 9 October 2003 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members:

• Richard Sumray (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin (Deputy Chair)
• Anthony Arbour
• Lynne Featherstone
• Sir John Quinton

MPA Officers:

• David Riddle (Deputy Clerk)
• Claire Lambert (Analyst)
• Elizabeth Turner (Treasury)
• Agnes Kitto (Performance and Review)
• Yvonne Peart (Committee Officer)

MPS Officers:

• AC Tarique Ghaffur (Serious Crime)
• D Ch.Supt Frank Hooley
• T/Cmdr Simon Bray
• Cmdr Rose Fitzpatrick
• T/Cmdr Gerry Howlett (Criminal Justice)

Also present: The parents of Victoria Climbié (Item 6).

Part 1

18. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Elizabeth Howlett. Members welcomed Sir John Quinton to his first meeting of the Committee and also welcomed T/Commander Bray to the meeting.

Members also thanked Claire Lambert for the hard work that she has given to this Committee and wished her every success for the future.

19. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No interests were declared.

20. Minutes

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved – That the minutes of the Planning, Performance and Review Committee held on 10 July 2003 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

21. Street crime update

(Agenda item 4)

Members received a report that focused on street crime performance over the first five months of 2003/04.

The MPS provided an overview of the street crime performance figure. Although showing a reduction they had not met the 10% target. Members were also informed of a number of initiatives and in particular asked to note Operation Safer Streets Phase 3 (OSS3), which was launched on 29 September 2003. This was a two-week intensive initiative during which all Boroughs were expected to focus their resources towards an immediate reduction in street crime offences.

The Chair asked for further detailed information on the results of OSS3 once the initiative had been running for a sufficient period of time. This would enable members to understand the issues around street crime in relation to the allocation of resources. The Chair also expressed concern with the wide variation between Boroughs and asked for an analysis of the issues regarding the 10% target. This is to include an outline of the reasons that contribute to certain Boroughs inability to meet the target and the reasons why other Boroughs are on track to meet and exceed this target.

The Chair commented that street crime offences were higher than is acceptable and showed little reduction compared to previous years. He also emphasised that this is a key priority by which the public measures the performance of the MPS.

Members were disappointed that the expected improvements in offence figures for street crime, following the implementation of mobile phone initiatives, had not been seen. They requested feedback on the effectiveness of systems for blocking stolen phones.

In response the MPS reported that joint working with other agencies is ongoing to track the market for mobile phones and to determine how they remain usable. This information would be presented to a future meeting of this Committee once the information had become available.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. reports be submitted to a future meeting on the results of Operation Safer Streets Phase 3, the issues around Boroughs performance against the 10% target and further assessment of mobile phone initiatives.

22. MPS response to organised immigration crime

(Agenda item 5)

A report was received which provided an update on the progress of the MPS response to human trafficking and organised immigration crime.

The MPS reported that it has adopted a programme-based approach to tackling organised immigration crime, which includes a steering group, the Proactive Team and the multi agency Joint Intelligence Cell. Success in primary activity was highlighted through the results of the pilot phases of Operation Maxim.

Members asked if the current level of activity in making arrests and obtaining convictions could be maintained. In response, the MPS indicated that resources are targeted at areas from which they are gaining a vast amount of intelligence. Although the MPS are tackling a huge programme it is expected that the level of activity could be maintained.

In response to a question, members were informed that the MPS have confiscated over £7M in assets and have received about £¼M of this.

Members were informed that ‘Operation Payback‘ will when launched strip London’s criminals of their cash and assets, from which the MPS would receive some finance. Previously the Treasury held about 98% of all confiscated assets.

The Chair requested a further report that addressing MPS relationships with other agencies and how these are being developed and the barriers to improvements. He also requested information on the resources implications of this particular area of work on the MPS.

The Chair emphasised that the success of the Community Reference Group and the involvement of Independent Advisory Groups was important in respect of providing reassurance to communities.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a report on the MPS relationships with other agencies be presented to a future meeting of the Committee, to include how these are developed; the barriers to improvements and the resources implications of this activity on the MPS.

23. Child protection – implementation of the Laming report

(Agenda item 6)

The Committee received a report on progress regarding the changes in the MPS approach to child protection following the death of Victoria Climbié.

The report covered four main areas:

• the action taken by the MPS towards meeting the recommendations of the Laming report;
  § an update on joint working between the MPS, local authorities and other stakeholders on joint child protection;
• a briefing on the Government’s proposals for responding to Laming; and
• an update on resourcing issues relating to child protection in the MPS.

Members were informed that the first inaugural meeting of the Independent Advisory Group was held on the morning of 9 October 2003 and that this forum would be helpful in shaping the child protection group and the MPS.

Members were also informed of documents that relate to child protection and the implementation of the Laming report, these being:

• child protection procedures - each London Borough is in process of launching these;
• ‘keeping children safe’ - the Government response to the Climbié inquiry; and
• ‘every child matters’ – a Government Green Paper.

The Chair welcomed the child protection procedural manuals, which would provide a London-wide, standardised approach. He also welcomed the setting up of the Independent Advisory Group that would allow MPS to listen to the community and be able to respond.

The Chair said that important issues have emerged from the 3-month pilot of Operation Paladin that discovered over 300 children arriving at Heathrow each week. It is now likely that the Operation Paladin will have a permanent presence at Heathrow, and discussion with other ports of entry needs to be developed.

In relation to the National Policing Plan he said that an early effort is required in order that the MPA and MPS can influence the content.

The Chair requested that further information be provided at a future meeting and he also requested feedback on the results of the 3-month pilot of Operation Paladin.

The Chair thanked the parents of Victoria Climbié for their attendance and assured them that the Authority was determined to make continuous improvement in this area.

Resolved – That

1. the progress in addressing child protection issues since the death of Victoria Climbié be noted; and
2. a further report be presented to a future meeting that provided an update on child protection and feedback on Operation Paladin.

24. Operational Policing Measure

(Agenda item 7)

The Committee received a report that explained the Operational Policing Measure (OPM) and its purpose. It updated members on implementation progress and detailed the management information developed to date.

Members expressed concern that the public had not been consulted on the development of measures around visibility.

In response the MPS said that care would be taken to ensure that the next phase of OPM could be communicated to the public and that the correlation between visibility and customer satisfaction could be understood.

The Chair welcomed this work and noted that there was a significant variation between boroughs. He noted the requirement to look closely at the good practices and explore how and why some boroughs perform better than others. He said that OPM is a useful development tool that would enable the provision of information on where police officers are and what they are doing.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted;
2. the proposals to continue to promote the OPM as a viable alternative to the Home Office Frontline Policing Measure be noted; and
3. the level, detail and format of the management information provided by the OPM team for future monitoring be agreed.

25. Specialist Crime Management Information

(Agenda item 8)

Members considered a report that summarised the Specialist Crime Directorate’s (SCD) performance against their key objectives between April and September 2003.

The MPS informed members that the report covered SCD’s key functional areas and detailed the efforts being made. A customer report is soon to be produced that would let Londoners know the work they are undertaking.

The Chair expressed concern with the skills shortage in forensic services and enquired what impact this had on performance. He requested that this matter be brought to the attention of the Human Resources Committee.

The Chair requested a further report be presented to a future meeting of the committee that would highlight issues that cause the MPS concern and any particular issues to be followed up.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a report highlighting issues that cause the MPS concern and particular issues to be followed up be presented to a future meeting of this Committee.

26. Gun crime performance information

(Agenda item 9)

Members received a report that provided an update on the information submitted to the MPA Gun Crime Scrutiny Panel in June 2003 covering the period April to July 2003.

The Chair enquired about the impact of gun crime on communities. Members were informed that the predominant firearms issues relate to Trident in the connected boroughs. However gun conversion factories had been found in affluent areas and that south-east London had recently seen a spate of betting office robberies.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

27. MPS drugs strategy action plan 2003-2006

(Agenda item 10)

The Committee received a report that provided an update on the implementation of the MPS Drugs Strategy 2003-2006, which focussed on the Drugs Action Plan.

The Chair requested that future reports focus on one or two issues each time arising from the Drugs Action Plan. It would then be possible to gain a better understanding of the issues and discuss different aspects of the implementation of the strategy.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. further reports be presented to a future Committee focussing on one or two issues each time arising from the Drugs Action Plan.

28. Update on MPS action plan on CDRP Scrutiny

(Agenda item 11)

The Committee received a report on MPS progress in implementing the recommendations of the MPA Scrutiny on the MPS contribution to and effectiveness of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

The Chair said he was pleased that the MPS had taken the work on CDRP scrutiny seriously. He also remarked that it highlighted the work still to be done by the MPA, though he acknowledged that the MPA had experienced problems with the recruitment of staff.

The Deputy Clerk informed members that the MPA have one partnership officer in post and that a further two are to start in a few weeks. Work to build relationships with members is ongoing.

The Chair stressed the importance of working closely with the Government Office for London to ensure that work is not duplicated. This work should feed into the Civil Renewal agenda.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

29. Policing Performance Assessment Framework

(Agenda item 12)

The Committee received a report that provided an update on the development of PPAF, a policing performance assessment framework for England and Wales police forces.

The MPS informed members that discussions continue to be held to ensure that PPAF measures are developed and that they are used alongside qualitative measures.

The Chair asked for information on the impact of PPAF on the MPS.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a further report be presented to a future Committee, to include information on the impact of PPAF on the MPS.

30. August 2003 performance report

(Agenda item 13)

Members considered a report that summarised the MPS performance against policing plan objectives for 2003-4 and informed members of discussions in the MPS Performance Review Committee.

Members were informed that September Performance figures were not yet available.

Members noted that the target for hate crime judicial disposals is not being met. Although PCSO sickness levels were meeting targets, it had seen a decline on the previous year. Improvements in sickness levels for police officer and civil staff were also noted.

The Chair was satisfied that the key performance indicators were improving and particularly highlighted the long-term decline in recorded burglary offences.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a further report be presented to the Committee highlighting the issues relating to a decline in response times.

31. Update on Policing Plan 2004/05

(Agenda item 14a & 14b)

A report was considered that summarised the public and internal consultation processes, to be used to inform the 2004/05 priorities, and set out the next steps in the planning cycle.

The MPS reported that three key issues emerged from the Commissioner’s conference:

• risks to London associated with terrorism and serious crime; for which there is a plan for London to address serious crime;
• desire for joined-up working; for which there are plans for workshops to take place following discussions with three operational business groups;
• recognised structured approach for business planning and corporate planning.

The Chair said he felt that coverage within the Policing Plan on issues regarding providing reassurance to Londoners needed to be further developed.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. the need for further development of the Policing Plan be noted.

32. Business plan element of mayor’s budget submission

(Agenda item 15)

The committee considered a report that sought the approval of specific elements of the Business Plan, included in the MPA 2004/05 budget submission to the Mayor. The full Authority will approve the complete budgetary package on 30 October.

The Chair commented that there was a need to look at developing a three year rolling strategy.

Resolved – That the MPA budget submission to the Mayor as given at appendix 2 and 3 to the report be approved.

33. Service improvement reviews 2003/04

(Agenda item 16)

A report was considered proposing a delay to the planned service improvement review of staff deployment pending the HMIC thematic inspection of civilianisation. The report presented an alternative area for review in 2003/04.

Resolved – That

1. the postponement of the planned staff deployment review until after the HMIC inspection of civilianisation has been completed be agreed; and
2. cells provision be approved as the replacement review to be carried out in 2003/04.

34. Crime Management Best Value Review and establishment of the central telephone investigation bureau – update report.

(Agenda item 17)

This report was circulated with less than five working days notice, under the provisions of Section 100B 4b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The Chair agreed to accept this report at this late stage because, relevant information had not been available to enable the report to be produced within the notice period.

A report was considered that provided a brief overview of the impact on Central Telephone Investigation Bureau (CTIB) following a recommendation made by the Finance Committee on 15 September 2003 to withdraw funding for the Crime Management Best Value Review (CMBVR).

The MPS reported that due to budgetary constraints progress on the CMBVR is not in the form as anticipated a year ago. Local TIB will now be developed to support the C3i Programme. The CMBVR recommended central implementation. A meeting is schedule for 10 October 2003 to consider the implications of the decision made by the Finance Committee.

The Deputy Chair said that he was present at the Oversight Committee at which the decision was taken to implement local TIB and could therefore confirm that this would remain a live issue.

Resolved – That

1. the progress made in developing the CTIB recommendation of the CMBVR be noted; and
2. the impact of the implementation of CMBVR as a result of budgetary restrictions be noted.

35. Records Management Best Value Review (RMBVR) implementation update

(Agenda item 18)

The Committee received a report that summarised the progress towards achieving the improvements in records and information management detailed in the RMBVR. The report also sought approval for changes to the initial Implementation Plan submitted to Members in September 2002.

In response to a member’s enquiry on the preservation of valuable documents, the MPS said that there are systems in place to ensure that such documents are passed on to national archives.

The Chair said that RMBVR was an effective and important piece of work, which has led to dramatic improvements.

Resolved – That

1. the costs and realised benefits arising from the implementation of the recommendations be noted;
2. the changes to the Improvement Plan detailed in this report be approved; and
3. members continue to receive reports on the progress of implementation including costs and realised benefits, at six monthly intervals.

36. Change to the HMIC inspection methodology

(Agenda item 19)

The Committee received a report that provided an update on the changes to Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Constabulary methodology in the inspection of police forces.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

37. Criminal Justice update

(Agenda item 20)

The Committee received a report that provided an update on the work carried out by the Department of Criminal Justice with the ultimate aim of bringing more offences to justice.

Commenting on cracked and ineffective trials the Chair said that improvements in performance are not apparent in the court and this must affect increased confidence in the system. He said that the interface between the MPS and CPS is essential to achieving improvements in the criminal justice system and asked for openness about where the problems lie.

In response the MPS said that this issue is recognised by both the MPS and CPS and that a meeting was held last week to discuss how improvements could be made more quickly in terms of cases coming to court.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

The meeting ended at 5 p.m.

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