Minutes - draft

Please note these minutes are currently draft and are subject to committee approval.

Minutes of the Planning, Performance & Review Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 17 May 2007 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Richard Sumray (Chair)
• Karim Murji (Deputy Chair)
• Tony Arbour
• Reshard Auladin
• Richard Barnes
• Dee Doocey

MPA officers

• Siobhan Coldwell (Interim Assistant Chief Executive)
• Liz Orsborn (Management Accountant)
• Jane Owen (Head of Performance and Review)
• Ruth Hastings Iqball (Committee Officer)

MPS officers

• Sue Akers (Commander, Specialist Crime Directorate)
• Stephen Bloomfield (Chief Superintendent, Safer Neighbourhoods)
• Rose Fitzpatrick (Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Territorial Policing)
• Tarique Ghaffur (Central Operations Directorate),
• Simon Hart (A/Director of Finance Services),
• Craig Mitchell (Superintendent, Performance Unit, Territorial Policing)
• Lawrence Morris (Senior Performance Management Advisor, Corporate Performance Analysis Unit)
• Stephen Rimmer (Director, Strategic Management and Performance)

61. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

No apologies for absence were received.

62. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations of interest were received.

63. Minutes of the Planning, Performance and Review Committee: 15 March 2007

(Agenda item 3)

Resolved - That the minutes of the meetings held on 15 March 2007 (part 1) be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

64. CRIMINAL JUSTICE UPDATE

(Agenda item 4)

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

Members asked about the statement in the report (para 21) “……. no offender going through the CJ process will retain any of the financial benefit from their crime.” They were told that this was the aspiration, although it did not yet happen. At the moment, only assets in excess of £1,000 were recovered.

Members commented on the changing percentages of offences bought to justice by means of convictions, cautions, cannabis formal warnings, @taken into consideration’ and penalty notices for disorder. Members were assured the London Criminal Justice Board, which was now taking a programme management approach to the improvements it was trying to bring about, monitored these figures. The Chair suggested that the work of these programmes should be included in future reports on criminal justice. He requested that members receive a briefing note on ‘Simple, Speedy Summary Justice’, which was being piloted on four boroughs, and ‘Quick Process’.

RESOLVED – That

1. the contents of the report be noted; and

2. members receive a briefing note on ‘Simple, Speedy Summary Justice’ and ‘Quick Process’.

65. CUSTODY CAPACITY SERVICE IMPROVEMENT REVIEW – PROGRESS AGAINST THE IMPROVEMENT PLAN

(Agenda item 5)

A report was received providing an update of the work within the Emerald Custody Directorate arising from the recommendations of the Service Improvement Review concerning Custody Capacity (SIRCC). These recommendations had been addressed and were complete or work in progress.

Members asked why 30 cell custody suites were considered the optimum and if having larger suites covering more than one borough could bring about economies of scale. They were informed that the largest custody suite was in Haringey. It had 40 cells and had a throughput of 18,000 prisoners a year. Larger custody suites had been considered but raised issues in relation to safety, travelling time for officers and prisoners, Crown Prosecution Service administrative boundaries, lines of control by borough commanders and the following of Home Office guidelines.

In relation to Operation Safeguard, members were informed that the MPS made full expenditure recovery for the approximately 50 cells a day used by the Home Office to house prisoners. Members were informed that the Custody Directorate managed any conflicting requirements for cells made as a result of counter terrorist activity and sporting events. Member did not believe the Home Office requirement for police cells would decline in the near future, despite the provision by the Home Office of more or bigger prisons.

RESOLVED – That

1. the requirement to report against the recommendations in the SIRCC be signed off; and

2. future reports be incorporated within the Criminal Justice update report.

66. EVERY CHILD MATTERS IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

(Agenda item 6)

Members received a report providing them with details of the work undertaken by the MPS’s Every Child Matters (ECM) Programme Board and its position in delivering the ECM change agenda against the MPA benchmark. They were informed that every officer who encountered young people under the age of 19 had to receive special training. This would cost £6 million (including opportunity costs). In addition, the MPS was required to develop an information communication technology system that would link to a national index off all young people under the age of 18. The Committee was pleased with the progress the MPS had made thus far.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report against the MPA ECM benchmark be considered and the work being undertaken by the ECM Programme Board be supported

67. PROPOSALS FOR AN MPS BUREAUCRACY MINIMISATION PROGRAMME

Agenda item 7)

Members received a report proposing how the MPS could more coherently take forward various actions intended to tackle unnecessary bureaucracy within the MPS. It proposed a Bureaucracy Minimisation Programme that would be aware of existing programmes and influences in this area, such as the MPS Productivity Strategy Board, Met Modernisation Programme (MMP), National Bureaucracy Adviser’s report and initiatives arising from the National Police Improvement Agency.

The members noted that the report contained no targets and felt the financial implications were unclear. They also noted the difficulties encountered by staff making suggestions to the staff suggestion scheme. It was requested that future reports focus on the most important strands of activity and contain targets. It was suggested the Programme should take as its focus improving information quality, one of the strategic priorities.

RESOLVED – That

1. the formulation of an MPS Bureaucracy Minimisation Programme, complementing existing productivity and MMP work-streams and taking into account any emerging priorities for bureaucracy minimisation; be supported; and

2. the proposed MPS Ideas & Suggestions Scheme, intended to encourage and facilitate front-line contributions towards bureaucracy minimisation, be noted and supported and members participate in the proposed Awards Panel for the scheme.

68. (FOCUS ITEM) CRIMINAL NETWORKS - DISRUPTIONS

(Agenda item 8)

This report provided the Committee with information on Metropolitan Police activity in tackling criminal networks in London and how that activity was measured through the Disruption Assessment Process. It also gave a commentary on networks disrupted in 2006/07 with example case studies.

Members welcomed the report, but felt it undersold the achievements made. Operation Grafton had made a huge impact on criminal activity at Heathrow Airport. They noted that as yet disruption of counter terrorist networks could not yet be made public. In answer to questions, members were told that the disruption assessment processed would be validated through the ongoing HMIC inspection process and at present, disruption of criminal networks was not yet a national initiative and remained unique to the MPS.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

69. CORPORATE PERFORMANCE REPORT: FINANCIAL YEAR 2006/07

(Agenda item 9)

The Committee received a report providing an overview of performance in respect to the critical 13 high level indicators and information on performance in relation to other indicators and targets for the financial year 2006/07. It was noted that the difference made by police community support officers to public satisfaction should be reflected in performance targets in the current financial year.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

70. BOROUGH CRIME PERFORMANCE: APRIL 2006 TO MARCH 2007

(Agenda item 10)

This report provided an overview of key performance indicators for MPS boroughs for the financial year 2006/07 compared 2005/06. It examined performance against British Crime Survey comparator crime and relevant critical performance areas and provided an external perspective via iQuanta.

Members praised the report and were pleased to receive the longer-term data. Due to time constraints, the report could note be fully discussed and the Chair undertook to do so outside the meeting.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

71. CENTRAL OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

Agenda item 11)

(This report was considered after item 5.) A report was received summarising Central Operations (CO) performance, against targets from 1 April 2006 to 28 February 2007 and detailed developments in the CO target setting and performance management regime. It also included examples of operational success and a focus on CO20 Territorial Support Group (TSG) performance development issues. The Committee welcomed the comprehensive report.

Members asked if the TSG’s high stop and search rate was matched by its conviction rate. They were informed that CO was trying to extrapolate this information, but it was proving difficult as Boroughs processed any arrests. Members also asked if any analysis had been made of common factors in fatal road incidents and a report on this was requested at a future date. Members were informed that the Traffic Unit now had detectives, who visited the scenes of serious traffic incidents. Questions were also asked about crime on public transport. Members were informed that use of public transport was increasing.

The Assistant Commissioner, CO, undertook to provide members with more information about the progression of women and black and minority ethnic officers in the TSG and on why the objective to “prosecute 100% of all FPN cases where a hearing is requested or a provisional FPN reverts to process by the end of the reporting period” had only had a 42% success rate.

In relation to officer extractions for public order events, members were informed that Public Order Branch worked on risk based approach to the number of officers required and was committed to reducing the costs of policing such events and recovering costs from event organisers where possible.

When asked about the recovery of costs of preparation for the Olympic Games, members were informed that the Home Office had provided £4 million for the first year, and bids were being made for future costs.

RESOLVED – That

1. the current operational performance within Central Operations be noted;

2. the development of the Central Operations Performance Framework and changes to the business group structure be noted;

3. a report on analysis of common factors in fatal road incidents be requested at a future date; and

4. briefing notes be provided progression of women and black and minority ethnic officers in the TSG and on why the objective to “prosecute 100% of all FPN cases where a hearing is requested or a provisional FPN reverts to process by the end of the reporting period” had only had a 42% success rate.

72. PPRC ANNUAL REPORT

(Agenda item 12)

Members received the annual report for the Planning, Performance and Review Committee (PPRC) for the year July 2006 to March 2007 describing the main projects, topics considered and achievements of the committee for the year. This report will form part of the Authority’s overall annual report.

RESOLVED – That the draft annual report for PPRC be agreed for presentation to full Authority.

The meeting finished at 4.30 pm.

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback