Operation Safer Streets case tracking project

Report: 09
Date: 13 June 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) ‘Case Tracker’ database is now fully populated with all 866 arrests made during Operation Safer Streets (OSS) Phase One. The database will continue to be updated as these cases progress through investigation and court. Early analysis has been carried out, however these are preliminary findings and it will be some months before meaningful conclusions can be drawn from the data. It is anticipated that the next ‘snapshot’ from the data will be available on 24 May 2002.

A. Recommendation

Members are asked to:

1. Note the potential for case tracking to inform the debate regarding long term solutions to street crime for all agencies;
2. Note the preliminary results of Case Tracking;
3. Note the date for the next available analysis of information of 24 May 2002; and
4. Consider commissioning a report regarding the Home Office Case Tracker

B. Supporting information

Background

1. In the planning stages of Operation Safer Streets (OSS) Phase One it was identified that the collation of data regarding street crime was complex. This meant that anecdotal evidence was driving the debate on this issue.

2. It was recognised that it was vital for the MPS and our partner agencies to be able to examine objectively the effectiveness (or weaknesses) of both the investigative and criminal justice processes.

3. The decision was taken to develop and implement a ‘Case Tracking’ system that would record all relevant detail of a person arrested for a street crime offence.

4. It was further decided to record fully all cases of those persons arrested during the eight planned weeks of OSS Phase One on all the nine priority boroughs. This was to enable the MPS to not only examine the broader picture but to inspect internally and compare performance across these participating boroughs.

5. The database is now fully populated with all 866 arrests made during (OSS) Phase One. The database will continue to be updated as these cases progress through investigation and court. These are preliminary findings and it will be some months before meaningful conclusions can be drawn from the data. It is anticipated that the next ‘snapshot’ from the data will be available on 24 May 2002.

Data Collected

6. The ‘Case Tracker’ was designed to record a range of data from the point of arrest to the final disposal of the case. This includes:

7. A full profile of the offender including whether they are:

• A youth
• A prominent nominal
• On bail for street crime or other offences
• Breaching any bail conditions at time of arrest
• Have previous convictions for street crime or other offences
• Resident on the borough where the offence was committed

Also:

• How person was arrested (direct, info from member of the public, response to 999 call etc.)
• Specific offence for which arrested

Details of the police investigation:

• % of those arrested charged
• Details of specific offence with which charged
• % of above kept in police custody pending first court appearance
• % cautioned
• % not proceeded with and the reasons
• % released on police bail and the reasons
• % answering police bail
• Action taken for those not answering their bail

Details of Court Action

• % remanded into custody
• % given bail with conditions
• % given bail without conditions
• % answering court bail
• Action taken by the court regarding those not answering their bail
• % cases discontinued
• Reasons for discontinuance
• Date of committal
• Court committed to

Trial details

• Details of plea entered
• Result
• Sentence
• If not convicted, reasons why
• % withdrawn or no evidence offered
• Reasons for withdrawal or offering no evidence

Analysis

8. Overall 866 street crime arrest cases have been recorded from the nine priority boroughs included in OSS Phase One.

9. The preliminary results of this analysis have been established. These are shown at Appendix 1. Over the coming weeks as the database continues to be updated, it will enable the Commissioner and the Home Office to inform on longer-term action to reduce street crime by all agencies.

10. The recording process to populate the database on BOCUs is now complete. As yet however none of the figures here have been Quality Assured with any central database and should be treated with the appropriate caution at this stage.

Further Data from Case Tracking

11. Although the initial data collection and input on the case tracking database is now complete, it is still in its early stages regarding the sophisticated results of analysis that will ultimately be available. This is a complex database that will require careful analysis to ensure results are accurate.

12. Further work will be conducted regarding the residences of those arrested and the relationship to the borough upon which their offences were committed. Initial analysis is underway in this area.

13. Almost all of the persons arrested and charged on OSS have only had one appearance at court to date. Other cases await the outcome of ID parades or further investigation. As these cases progress through the investigative process and the criminal justice system we will be able to identify cases where persons have been re-arrested for subsequent street crime offences. Also the number of court appearances, and the percentage of convictions and acquittals and the reasons for them.

Future Developments

14. A Home Office case-tracking system has been implemented and is now running on the 15 boroughs of OSS Phase Two. It is being co-ordinated by the MPS Policy Review and Standards (PRS) and will track all street crime and firearms cases.

15. The members may wish to consider commissioning a full report on this subject.

C. Financial implications

Case Tracking is a time consuming exercise. It’s nature dictates that the data has to be manually inputted onto a spreadsheet. The nine boroughs each had one person employed for four hours per week to carry this out. The existing database will also require updating over the coming months. The costs associated with case tracking have been contained within existing estimates.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

Report authors: Detective Inspector David Manning, MPS.

For information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Appendix 1 - Preliminary Analysis of the MPS Case Tracker System

Youth is a person under the age of 18 years.

Arrests

A total of 866 persons were arrested for street crime during OSS.

• 58.4% were adults (506)
• 41.6% were youths (360)

Bail or breach of bail at time of arrest

Overall 14.1% of those arrested were on bail for an offence at the time of arrest (122). Equating to:

• 11.1% of adults (56)
• 18.3% of youths (66)

Overall 6.6% of those arrested were arrested for breach of bail conditions (57). This equates to:

• 7.1% of adults (36)
• 5.8% of youths (21)

Offending history of suspects

A large percentage of persons arrested in street crime cases have an offending history.

Overall 51.7% of those arrested had previous convictions (448). Equating to:

• 60.3% of adults (305)
• 39.7% of youths (143)

Overall 39.1% of those arrested had previous cautions (339). Equating to:

• 39.3% of adults (199)
• 38.9% of youths (140)

A significant number of persons arrested also had convictions/cautions for street crime offences.

Overall 24.9% of those arrested had previous convictions/cautions for street crime (216). Equating to:

• 27.7 % of adults (140)
• 21.1% of youths (76)

Residence of suspects

518 of the persons arrested resided on the borough where the offence was committed (59.8%). This equates to:

• 47.6% of adults (241)
• 76.9% of youths (277)

Police Action Post Investigation

Charged

Overall 45.0% of those arrested have been charged (390). Equating to:

• 48.2% of adults (244)
• 40.6% of youths (146)

Cautioned

Only a very small percentage of those arrested were cautioned.

Overall 0.5% of those arrested have been cautioned (3). Equating to:

• 0.4% of adults (2)
• 0.6% of youths (2)

Not proceeded with 20.7% of those arrested were not proceeded with (179). The following is a breakdown of the reasons:

• Insufficient evidence – 52.0% (awaits specific breakdown of reasons)
• Victim unwilling to substantiate the allegation – 31.8% (awaits specific breakdown of reasons)
• ID weakness – 9.5%
• Witness unwilling to support the allegation – 1.7%

Released on police bail

In the cases proceeded with (687) 49.9% of those arrested were released on police bail (343). The following is a breakdown of the reasons for this bail:

• Awaits I/D Parade – 29.7%
• Awaits witness statement – 26.5%
• Awaits victim statement – 18.4%
• Awaits forensic evidence – 2.6%
• Unavailability of appropriate adult – 1.5%
• Other –21.0% (awaits specific breakdown of reasons)

Remanded in custody by police

Overall 55.1% of those charged by police were denied bail and kept in custody pending first court appearance (215). This equates to:

• 62.7% of adults (153)
• 42.5% of youths (62)

Court Action

Overall 48.4% of those kept in custody by police were remanded into custody by court on the first appearance (104). This equates to:

• 52.9% of adults (81)
• 37.1% of youths (23)

Overall 45.9% of those not remanded into custody by court were released on bail with conditions (50). 

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