Minutes - draft

Minutes of the Planning, Performance & Review Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 10 April 2008 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Richard Sumray (Chair)
• Karim Murji (Deputy Chair)
• Reshard Auladin

MPA officers

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

MPS officers

• Rose Fitzpatrick (DAC, Territorial Policing (TP))
• Worth Houghton (Performance Advisor))
• Anne McMeel (Director of Resources and Strategic Planning)
• Richard Riley (Director, Strategy and Improvement)
• Simon Tee (SCD Performance)
• Mark Thomson (Director, Business Support, SCD)
• Mark Yexley (DCI, Sapphire, TP)
• Joanna Young (OCU Commander, Emerald, TP)

54. Apologies

(Agenda item 1)

Apologies were received from Tony Arbour and Faith Boardman.

55. Declarations of interests

(Agenda item 2)

No declarations of interest were received.

56. Minutes of the meeting held 14 February 2008

(Agenda item 3)

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2008 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

57. Specialist Crime Directorate management information

(Agenda item 4)

The Committee received a report providing a summary of Specialist Crime Directorate’s (SCD) performance against its key objectives from 1 April 2007 to 29 February 2008.

Members asked if there were any common factor in homicides that remained unsolved. They were told that charging was sometimes delayed whilst further evidence was gathered. Members asked what kind of commercial robberies SCD dealt with. They were told SCD dealt mostly with commercial robberies involving firearms, cash in transit and possibly criminal networks. Member noted that that this activity did not address the concerns of small businesses, which had been discussed recently with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, during which it had been learnt that small business often did not even report threats of robbery.

Members noted that only three of the criminal networks disrupted involved computer crime and felt there should have been more. Members were told that in disrupting criminal networks SCD looked at the impact upon Londoners, computer criminal networks operated worldwide. However, SCD6 was identifying more computer criminal networks. It was agreed that the next report should contain more information on computer criminal networks.

The report stated that Greenwich, which had experienced a surge in gun enabled crime offences in 2007, peaking at a 62% increase in early November. It had been designated a priority and its gun enabled crime rates had subsequently fallen. Members requested more information on the nature of this intervention. With regard to the reclassification of gun enabled crime, members were informed that duel sets of figures had been prepared, so that like could be compared to like in the forthcoming year.

Members asked for more information on Operation Cube, the reinvestigation of some cases where the LGC (formally the Laboratory of the Government Chemist) had discovered that extracts of DNA could have yielded a false negative result over a period of time. It was believed there could be around 700 cases within the MPS. This would be reported upon in a briefing note

RESOLVED – That

1. the report be noted;

2. the next management information report from SCD contain more information on computer criminal networks and the nature of gun enabled crime intervention; and

3. a briefing note be received on Operation Cube.

58. Corporate performance report : financial year to date - April 2007 to February 2008

(Agenda item 5)

This report provided an overview of MPS performance for the financial year to date 2007/08 (April 2007 to February 2008) and included performance with respect to the critical 12 high level indicators.

Members noted that although there had only been an overall 0.04% increase in residential burglary in London, the increase had been more significant in some neighbourhoods, and questions were being asked by Safer Neighbourhoods Team Panels as to what was being done in this area. Members were informed that some initiatives were outlined in appendix 4 of the report and that that Cdr Simmons was leading a gold group on burglary, which was targeting hot spots.

Members noted that that only seven out of the proposed 20 prevention initiatives targeting the business community had been completed, and were informed that SCD was leading on this. They requested that SCD be asked to provide more information in its next report.

It was noted that the MPS was not meeting the national target of answering 90% of emergency calls within 10 seconds. In answer to questions, members were told that peaks of demand were being met because emergency calls always had priority over all other calls.

RESOLVED – That

1. the report be noted; and

2. SCD be asked to provide more information on prevention initiatives targeting the business community in its next report.

59. Business and financial planning process update

(Agenda item 6)

A report was submitted updating members on the publication of the MPA Policing London Business Plan 2008-11 as well as the progress and timetable of the integrated business and financial planning cycle for 2009-12.

It was noted that paragraph 21 of the plan showed the signing off of 2009-12 business plan by the full Authority in February 2009. The Chair suggested that members should see the plan in January so that members could have more than one chances to comment upon it. The Director of Resources and Strategic Finance stated that members should see the final plan in both February and March and that the submission in November would be as full as possible. She added that the MPS would be now setting targets in advance of government target setting in order not to delay the process.

RESOLVED – That

1. details of the publication of the MPA Policing London Business Plan be noted;

2. the 2008-11 lessons learned and improvement recommendations to 2009-12 Business & Financial Planning process be noted; and

3. the key dates for the 2009-12 Business & Financial Planning cycle be noted.

60. Mental health and policing update

(Agenda item 7)

The Committee received a report on progress made in relation to the 33 recommendations of the Joint Review of Policing and Mental Health since an earlier report submitted in March 2007. The Chair noted the progress made by the MPS in embedding the recommendations, the projects being delivered or developed by the MPS Mental Health project team and topics involving policing mental health not already covered within the recommendations. He added that this would be the last report arising from the Review, but that the Committee might in future commission a report on policing and health, including mental health. He added that it was important that this report be put in the public domain.

RESOLVED – That

1. the report be noted; and

2. support be given to continued work on the implementation and embedding of recommendations form the Joint MPA/NHS Scrutiny.

61. Rape update

(Agenda item 8)

This report provides members with a summary of the MPS performance on rape investigations in London from April 2007 to January 2008. It provided information on the progress of work within The Havens and work with the London Criminal Justice Board.

The report author ran though some of the highlights of the report for members. On 3 March 2008, the London Criminal Justice Board had hosted a Rape Practitioners Seminar in Central London for those working in criminal justice agencies across London. The MPS and The Havens had provided input on forensic examination and victim care and workshops had addressed the needs of vulnerable groups. The Chair asked if the learning from the event had been captured.

The corporate sanction detection rate for rape in this period was 34%, but with a wide variance in figures across the London boroughs. As a result, all boroughs with a detection rate under 25% had implemented an action plan to address performance and as a result, performance had risen in these boroughs. The Chair requested that future reports contain further information on the nature of these action plans.

RESOLVED –

1. That report be noted.

2. future reports contain further on the nature of these action plans.

62. Criminal justice update

(Agenda item 9)

Members 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 welcomed the progress made, particularly in relation to persistent young offenders. Members felt that, in their experience, ‘simple speedy, summary justice‘ was not working, as it should. Questions were also asked about integrated prosecution teams. There were told that there were no generic problems with the implementation of the latter, although delays were caused by delays planning applications.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

The meeting finished at 3.30 pm

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