Minutes

Minutes of the Planning, Performance & Review Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 12 July 2004 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members:

• Richard Sumray (Chair)
• Reshard Auladin
• Rachel Whittaker
• Lynne Featherstone
• Karim Murji.

MPA Officers:

• David Riddle (Deputy Clerk)
• Elizabeth Turner (Treasury)
• Jane Owen (Head of Planning and Performance)
• Yvonne Peart (Committee Officer).

MPS Officers:

• DAC Richard Bryan (Planning and Performance)
• Cmdr Alfred Hitchcock (Specialist Crime)
• T/Cmdr Simon Bray (Specialist Crime)
• DAC Suzanna Becks (Specialist Operations)
• Cmdr Bob Broadhurst (TPHQ)
• Chief Supt David Morgan (City of Westminster)
• Jeff Fouhy (Specialist Operations MIU)
• David Page (Team leader SIR of Custody Capacity).

Part 1

1. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies for absence were received from Cindy Butts (Deputy Chair).

2. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

No interests were declared.

3. Minutes Of The Planning, Performance And Review Committee– 12 July 2004

(Agenda item 3)

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 22 April 2004.

Resolved – That the minutes of the Planning, Performance and Review Committee held on 22 April 2004 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

4. Policing Plan 2005/06

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a report that set out the proposed high level planning products and timing for the planning process 2004/5.

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 acknowledged that the report had not been circulated within statutory timescales but agreed to accept the report as urgent as relevant information within it was only recently received and he considered it necessary for members to consider this information as part of the report.

Members noted that the planning process could assist with personnel and MPS wide objectives and requested that ACPO personal development review objectives be inserted on the planning timeline for consideration during February 2005.

In response to members’ questions, the MPS confirmed that bespoke targets come later in the process than shown and that there are plans to separate the corporate planning process from the business group planning process.

The Chair proposed that the PPRC scheduled on 21 October 2004 be changed to 4 November at 10.00 and confirmed that this date would fit into the consultation arrangements.

Resolved – That

1. both the high level planning product analysis and policing plan timeline for 2004/5 be agreed;
2. the high-level planning products timeline, the product analysis matrix and the proposed Planning Panel dates be agreed; and
3. the meeting on 21 October 2004 be moved to 4 November 2004 at 10.00

5. Criminal Justice Update

(Agenda item 5)

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

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 acknowledged that the report had not been circulated within statutory timescales but agreed to accept the report as urgent as relevant information within it was only recently received and he considered it necessary for members to consider this information as part of the report.

Members noted the initiatives being carried out to bring improvements to the Criminal Justice System. The report stated that penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) remained constant and Members asked for information on what that constant figure was.

In response to questions, the MPS reported that the £5.5 million secured this year for victim and Operation Emerald would allocate witness care to boroughs based on caseload.

The Chair reported that he had received a response from Dru Sharpling (the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the London Area) to his letter about the failure to consult with the Authority on the London Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) targets for this year and it has been confirmed that the Authority would be consulted in future.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted;
2. future reports include the perceptions of victims and witnesses on the process; and
3. a further report to provide an update on street bail

6. Borough Performance

(Agenda item 6)

Members considered a report that provided an overview of key volume crime indicators in each borough for the financial year 2003-04.

In response to Members’ questions, the MPS reported that work on family groupings is ongoing and the groupings for analysis purposes would be re-visited when this work is complete.

The MPS also reported that abstractions for counter terrorism patrols is given as a reason for boroughs performing lower than expected due to the maximum effort being applied by the MPS in respect of counter terrorism having greater impact on displacement than was anticipated.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted;
2. a further report be presented to the Committee that provides details of best practice that is being disseminated and the impact; and
3. a further report be prepared to explain the street crime performance figures for Sutton and Westminster.

7. Update Report By The Mps Anti-Bureaucracy Team

(Agenda item 7)

Members considered a progress report on the MPS Anti-Bureaucracy Team and noted the progress being made in this area.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a further report be presented to a future Committee to include information on the effect cannabis reclassification has had on police time.

8. Update On Mps Action Plan On Cdrp Scrutiny

(Agenda item 8)

The Committee considered a report that outlined the implementation of the recommendations of the Scrutiny Report, dealing specifically with those recommendations that pertain to the MPS.

The MPS reported that approval has been obtained for the funding of an additional post to assist with monitoring cost and activities of CDRPs. They are also working with the Government Office for London (GOL) to develop a framework of clear understanding for data sharing in CDRPs.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

9. Policing In Schools

(Agenda item 9)

Members received a report that provided an update on School Beat Officers.

The MPS reported that they are working with KMPG to provide a report in September/October 2004 on the impact of police in schools.

Members asked the MPS to ensure that the KPMG report covers incidents that occur outside of school and out of school hours and also requested that a workshop is held for them on this issue.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted;
2. a further report be presented to a future Committee that highlights the impact of police in schools to include effectiveness, the emerging issues, feedback from boroughs that use this facility, the reasons that some schools decline to use this facility and CDRPs assessment of the value of this partnership; and
3. the KPMG report be presented to a future Committee

10. Detection Rates

(Agenda item 10)

This report was withdrawn. The Chair reported that he had agreed to defer a further report on this subject to the September meeting.

11. HMIC Going Local Inspection Programme 2001 – 2002

(Agenda item 11)

The Committee received a report that identified common themes and highlighted the key issues raised during Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) five year programme to inspect every Borough Command Unit (BCU) in England and Wales.

The MPS informed members that this was a catch-up report and more current information would be provided in future reports.

In response to members questions, Jane Owen (MPA officer) reported that she had taken up the issue of HMIC failure to involve MPA link members in ‘going local inspections’ and could confirm that protocols have been developed to ensure they are involved in future.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted;
2. the format of the report and the proposed timetable for future submission of paper be approved; and
3. the HMIC revisit reports be presented to future Committees with information on the outcomes and impacts of the original inspection report.

12. MPS Response To Audits

(Agenda item 12)

The Committee considered a report that summarised how recommendations from a range of inspections, reviews and audits concerning the subject of planning would be addressed.

The Chair noted that support business groups did not assign their activities to the Intelligence, Prevention and Enforcement categories required by NIM and said that the MPS should be clear how to work out the basis for the key priorities for these groups

Commenting on the recommendations as given in the appendices he said that he acknowledged that the local management arrangements are the responsibility of the MPS but emphasised that this Committee needed to understand the overarching issues and what is happening in boroughs.

Also commenting on recommendation 7.2 of the MPA Internal Audit Directorate report into Corporate Strategy and Planning published in June 2004, the Chair said that this recommendation should be rejected as being in the wrong time frame. The MPS would need to liase with the Committee prior to March 2005 to allow sufficient time for the alteration of policies and plans should changes be required to resources and levels of expertise.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

13. National Crime Recording Standard Update

(Agenda item 13)

The Committee considered a report that provided an update on the current position on implementation of the National Crime Recording Standard Update (NCRS) within the MPS.

The Chair commented that the appendix to the report required updating and highlighted that it also incorrectly states that he does not have a formal lead on NCRS. He also requested further information on the impact on numbers from the improvement of crime databases and asked for the progress chart to be updated.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a further report be presented to the Committee that would include information on the application of training packages and how frequently they are used, more information is also required on Operation Asgard and the reason for over reporting of crimes.

14. Organised Immigration Crime – Operation Paladin Child

(Agenda item 14)

The Committee considered a report that outlined the findings and recommendations from a three-month operation at London Heathrow Airport to establish the nature and extent of child trafficking from non European Union countries.

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 acknowledged that the report had not been circulated within statutory timescales but agreed to accept the report as urgent as relevant information within it was only recently received and he considered it necessary for members to consider this information as part of the report.

Members expressed concern at the large number of unaccompanied minors that have entered the UK and cannot be accounted for. They congratulated the MPS for taking the lead on this issue. As a result, the Immigration Service has now placed more resources on this project, and other agencies are now involved. Members also highlighted the need to generate more international interaction and to address the responsibilities of airlines on this issue.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. the funding and resource implications for the MPS commitment to permanently post officers at key London entry points in response to the new business identified as a result of operation Paladin be considered; and
3. a report be presented to a future Committee to incorporate details of discussions held with airlines and any developments and also information on siblings.

15. May 2004 Performance Report

(Agenda item 15)

The Committee considered a report that examined performance from April to May 2004, compared with the same period last year.

Members asked that a note be circulated to explain the variance on detection rates given in this report and that given by the Commissioner at the Authority meeting on 8 July 2004. Members also asked that more detailed descriptions are included in future reports to enable greater understanding of the performance figures and requested clarification on the figures given for gun crime and vulnerable victims in this report. Future reports should also state if the data is comparable with PPAF definitions.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

16. Specialist Operations Management Information

(Agenda item 16)

The Committee received a report that summarised Specialist Operations Command performance against objectives from April to May 2004.

The MPS reported that new performance indicators have been introduced and modifications have been made to performance measures due to operational improvements and changes as a result of the new planning year priorities.

The Chair stated that the figures given for the target to increase the number of quality intelligence (Crimint) reports compared to 2003/4 were meaningless and asked that they be clarified.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

17. Service Improvement Review Of Custody Capacity: Final Report And Improvement Plan

(Agenda item 17)

The Committee considered a report that set out the recommendations and improvement plans from the final report of the MPS Service Improvement Review (SIR) of Custody Capacity.

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 acknowledged that the report had not been circulated within statutory timescales but agreed to accept the report as urgent as relevant information within it was only recently received and he considered it necessary for members to consider this information as part of the report.

Members acknowledged that the developments outlined in the SIR are essential and asked that consideration be given to completing parts of the review within existing resources, as previous reviews had been held back through lack of resources.

The Chair asked that the views of Independent Custody Visiting Panels be sought on this review.

Resolved – That

1. the report be endorsed;
2. the recommendations and improvement plans as set out at Appendix 1 be approved; and
3. an update on progress towards the improvement plan be received every six months.

18. Crime Management Best Value Review, Implementation Plan Update

(Agenda item 18)

Members considered a report that outlined the progress made in establishing enhanced and corporate borough based Telephone Investigation Bureaux (TIB) to both improve the service provided to victims of crime and to support the C3i Programme.

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 acknowledged that the report had not been circulated within statutory timescales but agreed to accept the report as urgent as relevant information within it was only recently received and he considered it necessary for members to consider this information as part of the report.

Commenting on the findings of a quality assurance review of existing TIB service, the Chair said that it was important that this service is improved to secure public satisfaction with the MPS. He suggested that a further mystery shopping exercise be set up to monitor effectiveness.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted; and
2. a follow-up report be presented to a future

19. Operation Support Police Service Improvement Review – Implementation Report 2003/04

(Agenda item 19)

The Committee considered a report that provided an update of work on the 13 recommendations of the Operational Support Policing Service Improvement Review, which was approved by this Committee in December 2003.

The Chair was concerned at the status of some of the recommendations described as ‘achieved’ should be reconsidered. For example, there was no supporting evidence that recommendations 1 and 5 had been achieved and rolled out to all boroughs. Recommendation 6 and 8 should be considered an ongoing issue.

The Chair also said that he had raised with the Clerk to the Authority his concern about increasing the use of non-sworn police staff as given at recommendation 9 and has suggested the formation of a full working group to look at the development of this recommendation.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted;
2. recommendations 3 and 12 be agreed as completed and that recommendations 1,5 and 6 and 8 are not agreed as completed; and
3. the responsibility for reporting on the implementation of Recommendation 11 be transferred to Human Resources Directorate through the MPA Human Resources Committee.

20. Specialist Crime Performance Management Framework

(Agenda item 20)

The Committee considered a report that described the MPS Specialist Crime Directorate performance management framework and how the Directorate ensures delivery of its Policing Plan objectives.

The Chair said that he found the report very helpful and welcomed the improved information quality of SCD and MPS data.

Resolved – That the report be noted

Meeting closed at 12:50 pm

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