Specialist crime directorate management information

Report: 11
Date: 19 January 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report gives a summary of Specialist Crime Directorate’s performance against their key objectives from April to November 2004.

A. Recommendations

That the report be noted

B. Supporting information

1. This report provides management information on Specialist Crime Directorate’s performance against its objectives for the period April to November 2004 inclusive.

2. The report gives brief commentary on performance against the Directorate’s key objectives and core performance indicators. It comments on the performance data provided and any difficulties in achieving the agreed targets.

3. A summary of the key points for members are as follows:

• There has been a decrease of 253 or 9.2% in gun enabled crime offences recorded in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). There were 2,490 offences compared with 2,743 for the same period last financial year. Specialist Crime Directorate had responsibility for the investigation of 591 or 23.7% of offences committed in this category. Southwark is the Borough with most gun enabled crime offences in this reporting period with 188 (Lambeth last year with 215 offences). Richmond upon Thames had the least reported both this and last year with 14 and 9 respectively.
• The current MPS wide detection rate is 24% and 4% above target. There have been 599 detections in gun enabled crime offences. This is 166 or 38.3% more detected when compared with same period last financial year. The Specialist Crime Directorate have detected 229 or 38.7% of the offences they investigate.
• Trident’s non-fatal shootings detection rate stands at 28.6%. This is 1.4% below target. Of 112 offences 32 have been detected. This compares with a detection rate of 15.1% (119 offences and 18 detections) for same period last year. Offences have decreased by 7 or 5.8% and detections increased by 14 or 77%.
• Trafalgar’s non-fatal shootings detection rate stands at 48%. This is 18% above target. Of 50 offences 24 have been detected. This compares with 70 offences and 10 detections for same reporting period last year. Offences have decreased by 20 or 28% and detections increased by 14 or 140%.
• Overall there has been a decrease of offences in the three target Boroughs for commercial robbery by firearms (identified by Serious and Organised Crime OCU - SCD7). Croydon has seen the biggest reduction with 18 fewer offences, followed by Lambeth with 4 whilst Tower Hamlets had an increase of 4 offences when compared with same reporting period last financial year.
• There have been 15 confirmed disruptions of organised criminal networks year-to-date. Another 11 are being processed. If all of these are approved the target will have been achieved.
• Just over £19.5m of criminal assets have been recovered in the reporting period. This is £11m more than the full year target. There was an exceptional seizure of £14m in July. MPS wide figures are not yet available due to software problems with the Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD).
• Of the 6,625 offences investigated involving intra-familial abuse by the Child Abuse Investigation Command, 3,186 were detected. This provides a detection rate of 48% which is 13% above target. This is an improvement on same reporting period last financial year where there were 6,825 offences and 2,117 were detected with a comparative detection rate of 31%.
• The homicide detection rate is 96%, this compares with 97% for last year’s reporting period. There were 126 homicides with 121 detections during the reporting period. Of these 104 have been detected since the start of financial year (April 2004) and give an in-year detection rate of 82.5%. Seventeen were detections of pre-financial year homicides.
• There have been 24 fewer homicides than compared with same reporting period last financial year. This is equivalent to a 16% reduction.

4. A selection of significant operations are highlighted below. They all have tended to be complex and resource intensive. Some remain ongoing.

• Investigations into a death and disorder at Harmondsworth detention centre continue and involve 20 SCD and TP officers. 574 statements were taken resulting in 17 people charged with riot..
• Trident officers are investigating the fatal shooting of two men in a Croydon nightclub. There are a large number of potential witnesses to events at the scene.
• The investigation into a series of rapes and aggravated burglary against elderly victims (Operation Minstead).
• Operation Safety Net is the steering group under which the activities of individuals possessing or otherwise dealing in child pornography is being co-ordinated. The MPS has received in the region of 2,000 actionable items of intelligence. There are intense resourcing issues during the research/arrest phases, both from a human and financial perspective. There are additional welfare considerations due to the nature of the work.
• Safety at Ports initiative derives from Operation Palladin Child and the need to provide protection services around illegal trafficking in children. This is a significant area of new business for the Unit, and with new offences of trafficking for the purposes of exploitation (sexual, slavery, domestic servitude, organ donation and fraud, including benefit fraud) carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years, the MPS may face significant demands in the future.
• There is an investigation into a murder on behalf of the Jamaican authorities. The resulting witness protection issues have proved a resource intensive exercise given the locations involved. Trident has highlighted the need for the issue of protecting extended families of witnesses both in the UK and beyond to be addressed.
• The growth in warnings (Osman) reflect assessed, credible, threats to life and require immediate police action to ensure potential victims are aware of the threat. There have been over 100 since January 2004 and impact on the work of covert policing. These threats are unpredictable and consume a great deal of resources, surveillance and intelligence. Increased occurrence of kidnap as a method of extortion (particularly in distinct communities) have made heavy demands on our capability.
• Maxim is the name of the team of officers that continue successfully to tackle London’s organised immigration crime in partnership with the UK Immigration and UK Passport Services.
• Since the inception of a unit (Grafton) dedicated to combatting high-value organised crime thefts from Heathrow Airport; officers have conducted 32 operations, arrested 97 people, seized six firearms and recovered stolen goods worth £150m.
• The London Crimestoppers call-centre receives around 52,000 calls each year. Currently there are 71 actionable intelligence packages recorded for homicide and 41 for firearms.
• The natural disaster affecting south-east Asia is placing and likley to continue to make heavy demands of the Directorate and Service (Operation Bracknell).

C. Race and equality impact

There are no explicit equalities items addressed. The activities that form this report and the data content are arrived at with a regard to delivering Specialist Crime policing services to an equal standard for all Londoners. The performance report should fully comply with equal opportunities policies and associated MPA/MPS Diversity issues.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications as all of the data featured in this report is already produced regularly by the MPS.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report authors: Raymond Marshall, Specialist Crime Directorate, Information and Planning Unit

For more information contact:

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

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