Specialist Crime Directorate management information

Report: 10
Date: 13 February 2006
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report gives a summary of Specialist Crime Directorate’s performance against their key objectives from 1 April to 31 December 2005.

A. Recommendation

That Members note the report.

B. Supporting information

1. This report provides management information on Specialist Crime Directorate’s (SCD) performance against its objectives for the period 1 April to 31 December 2005 inclusive. The data has been reconciled by the Performance Information Bureau and should match the information contained in the corporate report’s submission.

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

3. There has been an increase of 253 or 9% in gun-enabled crime offences recorded in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). There were 3,074 offences compared with 2,821 for the same period last financial year. SCD had responsibility for the investigation of 842 or 27.4 % of offences committed in this crime category. Lambeth is the Borough with most gun enabled crime offences in this reporting period with 233 recorded (Southwark last year with 207 offences). Sutton Borough had the least reported with 27 offences (Richmond-upon-Thames last year with 14 offences). 11 Boroughs account for 58% of reported offences.

4. The overall MPS gun enabled crime detection rate is 22.5%. There have been 691 detections. It is slightly down when compared with the last financial year. SCD has detected 257 or 30.5% of the offences it has investigated. Of these, 237 were sanctioned detections providing a rate of 28%. There is a MPS sanctioned detection target of 20%. This reporting period the overall MPS sanctioned detection rate is 18.7%.

5. A number of new and emerging trends in gun-enabled crime offences have been identified, which will influence future MPS strategy in this area.

• An increase in the quality and use of converted or modified firearms has resulted in the wide availability of firearms with a capacity to fire real ammunition at a price that makes them accessible to all levels of criminals.
• Decreasing age of Trident Offenders, for example, of the 11 suspects arrested for Trident murders, six have been under the age of 17.
• The increased use of firearms for fear and intimidation. The carriage and use of discharge of firearms has become socially and culturally acceptable in many communities within London, which also indicates an acceptance of the risks (of arrest and imprisonment) this carries.

6. The changing dynamics of gun-crime; with younger offenders regularly carrying and discharging weapons for a range of purposes, not just serious and organised crime, means it is essential to have support from Territorial Policing (TP), to ensure that gun-enabled crime is viewed as a corporate priority and an effective partnership.

7. There were 217 Trident offences during this reporting period. This is an increase of 75 or 53% on last year. Fatal shootings have reduced from 14 in last year’s reporting period to nine. A decrease of 5 or 36%.

8. Trident’s non-fatal shootings detection rate is 22.1%. Of 208 offences, 46 have been detected. This compares with a detection rate of 28.1% (128 offences/36 detections) for the same reporting period last year. Offences have increased by 80 or 62.5%, though detections have increased by 10 or 28%. The Borough with the highest number of offences is Hackney with 33 or 16%. 11 Boroughs account for 171 or 82% of all offences. There has been a weekly average of 5.3 offences financial year to date compared with 3.3 last financial year.

9. Only in Hackney and Waltham Forest Boroughs are current tensions between gangs being seen in linked series of incidents. However a common thread to a large proportion of incidents are drug markets, including drug use, enforcing or protecting the supply of controlled drugs, stealing to pay for drugs or drug dealers being targeted for their drugs and/or cash.

10. The number of illegally held firearms in the hands of criminals cannot be estimated with any degree of accuracy. Intelligence regarding access to firearms exists for a great number of individuals and gangs. Accessibility of guns to those involved in the commission of gun-enabled crime, including shootings is a contributory factor to the increases.

11. The efforts to combat the increase include sustained pro-activity directed against a number of key criminal networks, specifically in Brent, Lambeth, Hackney and Waltham Forest. These are long term operations, whilst Brent and Lambeth are in the closing stages. Monitoring needs to be in place in case of the emergence of any new threats.

12. In terms of identifying linked series within the MPS and other forces, Trident have been involved in the co-ordination of Operation Marron and developing forensic intelligence with National Criminal Intelligence Service and the Forensic Science Service (FSS) to provide a better understanding of the firearms being used by criminals and the firearms market. Identifying and disrupting the supply of firearms and ammunition to Trident target gangs is a priority for the command.

13. Almost half of firearm discharge incidents occur where the victim/suspect are not known to Trident in respect of gun enabled crime. Accessibility and availability of firearms in London will need to be addressed. Systems should be developed across the MPS to action intelligence received regarding an individual’s access to firearms, in order to arrest, recover firearms and reduce the potential threat to life and community harm.

14. Trafalgar’s non-fatal shootings detection rate is currently 25.3%. Of 83 offences, 21 have been detected. This compares with last year’s detection rate of 40% (45 offences/18 detections). Offences have increased by 38 or 84% and detections increased by 3 or 17%. The Borough with the highest number of offences is Waltham Forest with 10. There are nine Boroughs that have not had a Trafalgar related shooting this financial year.

15. For Trident and Trafalgar offences this financial year by Borough please refer to Appendix 1.

16. There were 467 commercial robbery offences by firearms investigated by Serious and Organised Crime OCU. Of these 160 were detected, providing a detection rate of 34.3%. This compares with a detection rate of 43.2% (410 offences/177 detections) for same period last year. Offences have increased by 57 or 14% and detections decreased by 17 or 9.6%. The Borough with the highest number of offences is Lambeth with 40. Sutton has the lowest with one offence.

17. Figures and assessment are separated into two four-week periods in order to show the significant differences in the period leading up to and after Christmas. Tabulated below are the Commercial robberies investigated by SCD:

Premises Type	19/11/05 to 18/12/05	19/12/05 to 15/01/06
Betting Shop	26	9
Building Society	1	1
Cash in Transit	32	21
Other Commercial Premises	47	34
Jewellers	3	4
Total	109	69

18. There was a significant rising trend in commercial robberies in the weeks before Christmas mainly targeting cash in transit, betting shops and other commercial premises. We have initiated live and research operations to monitor these three areas.

19. A review of figures from previous years during the same period is inconclusive in terms of a regular trend at this time of year. Other commercial premises showed a drop in number of offences compared to the previous month, although the total (47) remained high. It is likely that such venues suffer more from opportunistic criminal elements taking advantage of increased takings at this time. The Flying Squad is working closely with TP colleagues and seeking forensic opportunities, scene management and identification of suspects: e.g. Operation Ashleaf, an investigation into a linked series of violent robberies against other commercial premises in and around Lambeth.

20. There were 26 betting shop robberies (a 53% increase on the previous period), which is part of an ongoing trend taking advantage of high levels of cash and low security. Crime prevention advice has focused on trade organisations and unions supporting betting shops and other commercial venues, in particular the implementation of Raid Control at repeat venues. This is in addition to ongoing partnership working with the industry and retail organisations.

21. There were 32 cash in transit robberies during this four week period: a significant increase on the previous period (67%). We are working with cash in transit forums seeking opportunities to increase the degree of difficulty in succeeding against such targets.

22. During and following Christmas, there appears to be a 30% decrease in commercial robberies.

23. Although jewellers recorded increases since the previous period, this is probably due to the low starting base. In contrast, the three main areas of cash in transit (30%), betting shops (65%) and other commercial premises (28%) showed decreases as shown against the previous month.

24. While part of the reason for the large decrease in the number of offences recorded is due to the Christmas and New Year Bank Holidays, which historically has led to a decrease in offending, the Flying Squad have also been successful in disrupting a number of gangs. For example, the Tower Bridge Flying Squad has arrested four suspects in connection with Operation Hayling, a series of four cash in transit robberies in Lewisham and Southwark.

25. The MPS Gun Crime Strategy Meeting was held on Thursday 12 January 2006, chaired by Commander Cressida Dick. It endorsed the formation of a Gun Crime Tactical Delivery Unit to focus MPS activity against gun crime. This unit, which will include SCD and TP staff and liaise with Central Operations (CO) and Specialist Operations (SO) in order to provide a MPS wide service in support of the corporate objective.

26. Terms of Reference are being drawn up, but initially it is intended to fulfil two key roles:

• chase the guns:
  • follow-up found weapons and track through the forensic process
  • check CRIMINT for firearm flags to ensure that intelligence is assessed and actioned promptly and effectively on Borough (and liaise with Trident regarding any overlap with their flags)
• deliver the strategy
  • act as the conscience for the organisation to ensure that agreed recommendations are transformed into tactical delivery via co-ordinated action plans under the Intelligence (I), Prevention (P), and Enforcement (E) leads
  • identify gaps and good practice through dynamic review of performance
  • act as co-ordinating point on gun crime tactical issues;
    1. between I, P and E leads
    2. across SCD, TP, CO and SO
    3. and between strategic and tactical delivery

27. An early task for this new unit will be to support a TP review of key gun crime boroughs in relation to guns, gangs and knives to identify what works and clarify any gaps.

28. Financial year-to-date there have been 31 confirmed disruptions of criminal networks. These have been the subject of a robust and auditable quality assurance process. There are another 20 claims in the system awaiting evaluation by the challenge panel. There have been submissions by other business groups notably TP and SO.

29. A Criminal Networks Prioritisation Matrix is being developed. This allows resources to be focused on those criminal networks assessed as posing the highest harm/threat to communities in London. This assessment is made by means of a distinct methodology, using information of criminal activities and current intelligence, resulting in assessments for each network under Social, Economic, Political and Indirect Harm, as well as an overall priority. The focus on criminal networks has also introduced the Disruption Process, allowing us to identify where we have been successful in reducing the harm caused by these networks.

30. Networks are defined as one of four classifications, reflecting the reasons why the core networks formed; these are family, proximity, cultural and virtual, as well as sub-classifications, for example Family – British Caucasian or Proximity – in Brent.

31. The target for value of assets identified by court order for seizure has been exceeded. Currently it stands at £18.2m, which is £13.2m more than the end of financial year target.

32. Of the 6,027 offences investigated involving intra-familial abuse by the Child Abuse Investigation Command, 3,463 were detected. This provides a detection rate of 57.5%, which is 7.5% above target. This is an improvement on the same reporting period last financial year where there were 992 more offences and 22 more detections (7,019/3,485). That gave a comparative detection rate of 49.7%.

33. The homicide detection rate is 93.2%, this compares with 90.5% for last year’s reporting period. The 85% target is being achieved. There were 132 homicide offences with 123 detections. Of these 105 have been detected since the start of financial year (April 2005) and provides an in-year detection rate of 79.5%. There were 18 detections of pre-financial year homicides.

34. There have been 16 fewer homicides than compared with same reporting period last financial year. This is equivalent to an 11% reduction. The figures include the 13 victims from the bomb explosion on the bus on 7 July 2005. The victims from the underground explosion were reported to British Transport Police.

35. The Borough with the highest number of homicides (excluding the terrorist incident) is Southwark with nine offences. Three Boroughs have yet to record a homicide, they are Tower Hamlets, Hillingdon and Sutton.

36. It is projected that the homicide total at the end of the year will be the lowest for a decade, although there has been an increase in the number of complex and testing homicide investigations. These include the ongoing enquiries for the stranger murders of the model Sally Anne Bowman and French student Amelie Delagrange. In addition, there is a team dedicated toward identifying the perpetrator of attacks on vulnerable elderly women, known as Operation Minstead.

37. The Directorate is dealing with 400 open homicide investigations stretching back many years. There are also up to 50,000 outstanding actions on the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES) for officers to work through.

38. Trident Major Investigation Teams have had nine homicide offences to investigate, 12 have been detected. Of these, six were pre-financial year detections. That provides an in-year detection rate of 70% compared with a 133% detection rate allowed by the Home Office rules. There have been five fewer offences and three fewer detections when compared with last year.

39. Child Abuse Investigation Command Major Investigations Teams have investigated five homicide offences. Of these, all have been detected, a detection rate of 100%. There were the same number of offences, though three fewer detections, when compared with last year.

40. 24 of our officers are providing full-time support to the enquiries generated by the events of 7 and 21 July 2005 (Operation Theseus).

41. A selection of significant operational successes is highlighted below. They all have tended to involve working in partnership with either other MPS Units or external agencies.

42. An armed robber was sentenced to six years for attempted robbery, four years for possession of firearm with intent and one year for aggravated taking and driving away. He forced a Securicor officer to his knees outside a bank. He stole a vehicle at gunpoint and was chased by local units. He was eventually stopped and a loaded handgun was recovered on his arrest. Under new legislation, the judge has recommended that he serve all 11 years’ imprisonment without any chance of parole as he is considered a danger to the public.

43. The Flying Squad, part of Serious and Organised Crime (SCD7), received high profile, national thanks. Diamond company De Beers took out a huge advertisement in The Times newspaper to thank the Flying Squad for again averting the theft of the Millennium Star diamond. The priceless and flawless 203-carat diamond had previously been the target of the audacious robbery, foiled by the MPS, at the Millennium Dome. It had made its first public appearance since 2000, along with other gems, at the Natural History Museum's Diamonds exhibition which opened in July and which was due to run until February. The museum closed the exhibition immediately following advice from the Flying Squad.

44. Four people were jailed for over 36 years for involvement in a Class ‘A’ drugs network. Officers from the Middle Market Drugs Project (SCD7) arrested them following the seizure of cocaine with a street value of over £800k.

45. Thirty-four people have been jailed for more than 300 years after police smashed a major international drugs and money laundering operation. The final defendant was convicted in January, after pleading guilty to laundering £750k in cash and forging a passport. Most of the defendants were from Colombia and are to be convicted in the UK following operations by the MPS, National Crime Squad (NCS) and Colombian police to dismantle the highly-organised cocaine importation and money laundering ring, the biggest ever uncovered in the UK. The convictions are the result of the first ever joint operation of its type between the Colombian and British police services. The MPS's activity began in October 2001 and targeted the money transfer activities of a number of Colombian citizens living in the UK. Raids had led to the seizure of 623 kilos of cocaine with a street value of almost £32m, 1.5 tonnes of cannabis and seized £2.2m in cash. Officers seized £2.9m in assets, including property in the UK and abroad, cars and cash in bank accounts. They received a total of 107 years’ imprisonment for drugs importation and money laundering offences. There was close liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) throughout the investigation. The evidence submitted and reviewed by the CPS filled an entire room at their HQ base and a CPS lawyer together with Counsel dedicated two years to dealing solely with these matters.

46. A man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an architect who was shopping in his lunch break. The suspect first attempted to rob the victim in a high street, then stabbed him in the chest. As well as the life sentence for murder, he was sentenced for 10 years, to run concurrently, for a string of robberies.

47. A paedophile who posed as a teacher to groom hundreds of young children over the phone for his own gratification has been convicted. The 49 year-old pleaded guilty to 13 counts of inciting children, aged between five and 12, to commit acts of gross indecency via mobile telephone calls and one count of causing a public nuisance. He called families using mobile phones and said he was a teacher from a local school conducting research on children's leisure time. He tried to get the child to take the phone into another room and then persuade them to engage in sexual activity. He targeted boys and girls from ethnic minority families, so parents with little English would be inclined to hand the phone to their English-speaking children. He did not attempt to meet the children in person, but called some victims more than once. He is thought to have made in excess of 10,000 calls to homes in London, West Midlands, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. The Child Abuse Investigation Command launched Operation Fintona in 2003 in conjunction with Southwark's Sapphire Unit and area forces to trace the offender. There was no evidence to link him to the offences because he used pay-as-you-go mobile phones but detectives eventually identified him.

48. Assistant Forensic Practitioners (AFPs) displayed their professionalism in dealing with stranger rape. The AFPs worked alongside officers during this investigation. A 39-year-old female was walking home from her local underground station. She was approached from behind by an attacker who pushed her down a dead-end alleyway, threatened to slit her throat and sexually assaulted her. Afterwards, the attacker left the scene and was briefly chased by a member of the public. The AFPs photographed and examined the scene. They also took swabs to trace any potential material left by the attacker. An early evidence kit mouth swab was submitted to the FSS and material was found on the swab that matched a suspect with previous violent convictions. The suspect was arrested, interviewed and charged in custody with this stranger rape. During his trial, he tried to claim that the victim consented. The suspect was found guilty of this rape and sentenced to life imprisonment. This was the first identification gained from an early evidence kit in the MPS. The kit, available to all UK police forces, is ‘victim friendly’ with complainants able to collect important urine samples and mouth swabs themselves, safely and quickly, prior to a full medical examination. Not only does the new kit offer an increased opportunity to obtain vital early evidence, it also minimizes uncomfortable processes prior to any full medical examination being carried out.

19. SCD’s Wildlife Crime Unit assisted Secretariat officials from the United Nations (UN) Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in identifying the sale of shawls containing the wool of the Tibetan antelope, otherwise known as shahtoosh. The Tibetan antelope is an endangered species that lives only in the mountains of western China. Its wool is the finest from any source in the world, and can only be obtained by killing and skinning the animal. Because it is from an endangered species, trade in shahtoosh is illegal and shawls made from shahtoosh can sell for more than £15k in London. During a visit in late November to one of the largest shopping malls in Abu Dhabi, CITES Secretariat officials noted shawls on sale that they suspected to be made from the wool of Tibetan antelope. Subsequent inspections led to a number of shawls being seized for closer examination. Using an identification kit prepared by the Wildlife Crime Unit, a laboratory confirmed the presence of the wool of the Tibetan antelope in the shawls. Further action will now be taken against the trader. The kit used by the UN CITES officials is the world's first shahtoosh identification kit and was produced by the Unit in 2002 to assist enforcement agencies in detecting shahtoosh and distinguishing it from the legal alternatives. The kit contains various scientific documents and a sample cut from a shawl seized in London. Copies of the kit have been sent to enforcement agencies all over the world, including Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

50. Four men were found guilty of murder. They formed part of a gang that chased the victim from outside a busy underground station. He was pursued into an ambulance, which was in the area on an unrelated matter. Fortunately, the paramedic inside was not hurt but was concerned for his safety. Despite this he attended as best he could to the victim's injuries and called for further emergency assistance. He also was a crucial witness during the court proceedings. The murder was motivated by a feud between two gangs involved in automated telling machines fraud.

51. A 42 year-old man was found guilty of seven counts of money laundering and sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment for each offence (to be served concurrently). This investigation was carried out by officers from Economic and Specialist Crime (SCD6). He had already been convicted of perverting the course of justice during a police investigation. The suspect cashed five cheques from a victim of crime over bogus roofing work followed by a further two cheques, totalling £58.5k.

52. Detectives from Trident carried out a proactive operation and seized five firearms and a large quantity of ammunition. The guns and ammunition were discovered after officers executed a search warrant at an address in south London. Four handguns (two loaded), a pump action shot gun and more than 60 rounds of ammunition were discovered in a child's bedroom. A 20 year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of firearms and inquiries are continuing.

53. Officers arrested 19 people on suspicion of immigration offences and involvement in a pan-European human smuggling network. As part of Operation Bluesky, 200 officers raided 12 addresses across London. Operation Bluesky is a two year investigation led by Operation MAXIM and Reflex. It is believed that illegal immigrants, predominantly from Turkey, were smuggled into the UK through ports in Holland, Italy, France and Belgium. Officers from the Specialist Crime Directorate, Central Operations, Special Intelligence Section, HR Directorate, TP, Lincolnshire Police, National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Immigration Service and the UK Passport Service supported the investigation. The Metropolitan Police has also worked extremely closely with police services from France, Holland, Denmark, Italy and Belgium as well as the agencies Europol and Eurojust.

54. The following are examples of developmental initiatives and recognition.

55. The Family Liaison Advisory Team will host a one-day seminar aimed at officers who deploy Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) to unexplained deaths including homicide and road traffic deaths. The seminar is part of the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) development programme and is targeted at SIOs, detectives and borough inspectors. The seminar will include presentations from outside agencies, including the BBC. The programme will also include the new FLO policy, information on mass disaster, briefings and strategies.

56. Sterling's Proactive Prevention Team (SCD6) leading on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Home Office and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) joined forces with eBay to offer consumer education about how to stay safe when trading online. eBay is also banning the use of money transfer providers as a means for paying for transactions on www.eBay.co.uk, a move welcomed by the MPS as a means of reducing the risk of online fraud.

57. Trident hosted a seminar for MPS Crime Prevention Officers and Licensing Officers on a new security initiative being rolled out across London’s nightclubs and licensed premises. After a lengthy consultation process in 2005, Trident has introduced the Club Industry Minimum Operating Standards (CIMOS). CIMOS is a comprehensive guide and template to enable nightclubs and other licensed premises to scrutinise their security arrangements and make improvements where necessary. Trident’s Crime Reduction and Partnership Unit is leading this project. It is aimed at improving security within licensed premises, sharing information, facilitating sustainable partnerships in relation to crime prevention, and licensing concerns across London.

58. Feltham’s Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) won the MPS's Diversity Team in Action Award. Its careful and sensitive handling of systematic child abuse - specifically female genital mutilation (FGM) - has been praised throughout the community. The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 came into force in early 2004, and the team was tasked with leading the MPS's response to this serious, and often unreported crime. Its involvement prompted interest from partner agencies, which agreed that decisive action had to be taken to minimise any further suffering. Investigations uncovered that the Somali community in London was the largest group to be affected by FGM. Local liaison established that there was a strong will to eradicate this form of child abuse and a series of informal events were arranged to discuss the way forward. These events allowed the CAIT to meet with community leaders, and victims, to consider ways to promote the new Act. A leafleting campaign was launched to communicate these issues, and can now be seen in African airports. A community run conference promoted the illegality of FGM, and received widespread international attention. An account by an outreach worker, in which four girls recently prevented their mother from having their sister circumcised by threatening to have her arrested, highlights how successful the Team has been. It also received Police Review’s national Diversity Team in Action award.

59. The MPS and Victoria Police in Melbourne, Australia have exchanged fingerprint experts for six months. This exchange programme will enable both forces to benefit from each other's expertise and experience of fingerprinting and crime scene examination. It will also benefit the fingerprint experts, who will be able to develop and enhance their knowledge, experience and skills. Both police services hope this will lead to an established framework for exchange programmes in the future

60. TruckPol, the industry-sponsored national road freight crime intelligence unit based at Chalk Farm, has launched a new web site. The site has been developed in partnership with international vehicle tracking and telematics experts EUROWATCH and will provide drivers and operators within the haulage and logistics industry with crime prevention advice both within the depot and out on the road. The web site also features a latest alerts page with the facility to broadcast to a wide audience.

61. As part of the Operation Quadrant initiative, the MPS has developed a programme of short five-day courses in association with Brathay Hall Trust. These courses aim to develop self-esteem, confidence and team working amongst young people within the South Asian community and educate them on the crimes that happen in the Metropolitan region. Twelve Hindu youths and two youth leaders from the North London branches of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK), a sociocultural organisation and registered charity, were taken to Brathay Hall in Windermere, Lake District.

62. SCD sponsored the launch of the MPS’s Association for Senior Female Police Staff, which was set up to support women police staff as they reach senior management team level. Two members of SCD staff, together with colleagues from other business groups, have been instrumental in setting up the Association, one of the 17 staff support associations in the MPS. About 100 women from all over the MPS attended the inaugural networking event at New Scotland Yard and heard presentations from the Chief Executive of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and from Commander Dick, representing the MPS Association of Women Officers (ASWO). The group was challenged to do themselves out of a job in the next 12 to 18 months as fairness and equality becomes a reality throughout the organisation.

63. A witness appeal poster has been designed to close an identified hole in the Witness Appeal Poster system. When SCD Units appeal for witnesses after an incident, they often encounter a 'wall of silence'. Much of this is connected with those who will not read such a poster originating from the police. ‘Not Another Drop’ is Brent borough’s campaign to prevent gun and gun related crime. The poster could also be used by other groups to reflect their message from the community to the community.

64. Other information for members:

65. A review of how the MPS tackles the harm caused by the misuse of controlled drugs is being undertaken. In December, AC Ghaffur presented a paper to the MPA setting out an analysis of the problem, emerging threats, achievements and challenges. A position paper was put to and approved by Management Board on the 25 January. The paper recommended that drugs should be designated a priority for the MPS in the context of understanding the drivers for crime, recognising that drug-motivated offences constitute a high proportion of total crime and illicit drugs supply continues to offer a lucrative source of money for criminal networks.

66. Management Board approved an approach based on maximising the MPS contribution to sustainable crime reduction by focusing on reducing the harm caused by drugs in London’s communities through:

1. reviewing those on the Prolific Persistent Offenders (PPO) Scheme & prioritising the problem drug users [1] who are also the highest offenders for drug-motivated crime.  [2] This entails a more detailed understanding of offenders than currently exists, and should be piloted in high-priority areas – prioritise and target them for treatment
   1. for the MPS to encourage a pan-London response to improving treatment services and capacity for problem drug users with all relevant partner agencies
   2. review MPS involvement in the follow up of breaches of the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement scheme
   3. current prevention work to continue
2. focusing intelligence, prevention and enforcement activity on the worst affected neighbourhoods [3] to address aspects ranging from fear of crime, anti-social behaviour, to local drug dealing and more serious associated criminality
   1. joint MPS interventions encompassing levels 1-2 (further development of initiatives already under way). If Street Level Up is rolled out ensure we prioritise locations with SOCA
   2. TP to prioritise low-level disruption of Class A street dealing and associated anti-social behaviour
   3. continue to improve our prioritisation & disruption of criminal networks through seizing/confiscating their assets and arresting/convicting core nominals
3. developing performance information for drug-motivated offenders, pan-London and by Borough:
   1. develop robust profile of top 15% of PDUs, within PPO scheme and link directly to volume crime and violence measures
   2. to pilot and assess the Central Drug Trafficking Database on borough to determine if it helps disrupt the most active drug suppliers

67. These recommendations will all be developed in a new MPS Drugs Strategy by our Drugs Directorate.

68. Project Violet is managed by the Child Abuse Investigation Command and was set up following community concerns in relation to a high profile child abuse case at the Old Bailey where the victim was accused of being a ‘witch’ or having ‘Kindoki’ – spirit possession. The Community Partnership Project – engaging communities regarding child protection issues – identified similar concerns. This lead to the formation of a small team to support the project.

69. Its objectives are to:

• instil a high level of confidence in communities and partner agencies in the way the MPS responds to allegations of ritualistic belief related child abuse
• co-ordinate and assess intelligence relating to ritualistic belief related child abuse and initiate criminal investigations as appropriate
• in partnership with communities and partner agencies develop an effective education and prevention programme
• raise awareness within communities and with professionals of the issues involved in ritualistic belief related child abuse by organising themed conferences and bespoke training
• agree a multi-agency communication strategy

70. The project is being broadened to address a wider remit of community child protection issues. Project Violet will oversee the MPS involvement in the second phase of the Community Partnership Project, which is being co-ordinated by the London Child Protection Committee (LCPC) and funded jointly by government, the LCPC and eight London Boroughs (Brent, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Newham and Southwark). The project is currently out to tender with an expected start date of spring 2006.

71. The objectives are being addressed by:

• A community conference was held for the Congolese Community in Hornsey in November 2005. About 100 community members attended and the event was well received. Contact has been maintained with the links made on the evening, and the MPS are considering sponsoring a DVD of the meeting to be circulated to the Congolese Community. Further workshops are being planned.
• Several meetings have been held with a number of African pastors regarding child protection issues. A training event has been arranged in February for over 60 pastors in partnership with the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) – a Christian charity.
• The MPS is sponsoring a pamphlet, ‘Safe and Secure’ produced in partnership with CCPAS aimed at highlighting child protection issues in Christian churches. The MPS have also been involved in the production of a DVD training package.
• Meetings have been held with among others the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, Southwark Dioceses and ‘Inform’.
• The MPS is in discussion with Premiere Radio, a Christian radio station, regarding a week-long focus on safeguarding in churches later this year.
• A meeting is planned with the BBC Heaven and Earth show regarding the Project’s work.

72. The team have made a number of presentations and further are planned including:

• Community Care Magazine Conference on Faith,
• Southwark Social Services
• Hackney Social Services

73. They have been consulted for advice on a number of police and social services investigations from around the country.

74. Further intelligence analysis is being conducted by the Child Abuse Investigation Command, which is helping to gain a deeper understanding of the scale and complexity of the issues.

75. Radio 4's Today programme and Newsnight made allegations relating to the activities of a Congolese pastor. As a result, officers from the Child Abuse Investigation Command arrested the pastor on suspicion of inciting child cruelty. He is currently on police bail pending further enquiries.

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 author: Raymond Marshall, Specialist Crime Directorate, Information and Planning Unit

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Borough	Trident Fatal/Non-Fatal			Trafalgar Non-Fatal
	Offences		Change	Offences		Change
	2004/05	2005/06		2004/05	2005/06
Barking	0	0	0	3	0	-3
Barnet	2	0	-2	1	0	-1
Bexley	1	0	-1	0	1	1
Brent	23	16	-7	4	3	-1
Bromley	1	1	0	0	2	2
Camden	1	2	1	1	1	0
Croydon	11	5	-6	1	3	2
Ealing	4	3	-1	0	7	7
Enfield	1	1	0	5	2	-3
Greenwich	1	5	4	1	2	1
Hackney	14	37	23	1	9	8
Hammersmith	4	3	-1	0	1	1
Haringey	3	19	16	0	2	2
Harrow	5	0	-5	0	0	0
Havering	0	0	0	2	0	-2
Hillingdon	1	0	-1	4	0	-4
Hounslow	1	0	-1	2	4	2
Islington	2	4	2	2	8	6
Lambeth	15	32	17	1	1	0
Lewisham	18	11	-7	0	1	1
Kensington	2	3	1	0	2	2
Kingston	0	1	1	0	0	0
Merton	0	4	4	0	2	2
Newham	4	9	5	2	6	4
Redbridge	1	2	1	1	3	2
Richmond	0	0	0	0	0	0
Southwark	11	34	23	4	3	-1
Sutton	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tower Hamlets	3	2	-1	2	7	5
Waltham Forest	6	12	6	4	10	6
Wandsworth	5	7	2	4	2	-2
Westminster	2	4	2	0	1	1
Totals	142	217	75	45	83	38

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