MPA Direct - June 2009

Issue 7

This issue of MPA Direct is available as PDF document. Or alternatively a summary version is available below.

Full Authority: 25 June

Chair of the MPA Mayor Boris Johnson opened the full Authority with his monthly round up. He confirmed that the boards for the new Deputy Commissioner of the MPS would be continuing into week commencing 29 June when the remaining candidates are to be interviewed by the Home Secretary, Chair of the MPA Mayor Boris Johnson and the Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson. He also congratulated the Met for their Heritage Collection which is currently exhibiting at Empress State Building and will hopefully form the basis of a world class Blue Light Museum in the future.

The Chair commended the voluntary cadets who took part in the 21st anniversary parade on Saturday 20 June, when they marched from Wellington Barracks to Horse Guards Parade. Vice Chair Kit Malthouse attended the march past and spoke to the cadets afterwards. Boris Johnson congratulated all those who took part and praised their commitment and real sense of duty to others – which was agreed by all Members.

The AGM was then convened, with Members agreeing to maintain the status quo for another three months until October 2009, which will be the year’s anniversary of Boris Johnson becoming Chair of the MPA.

The ordinary meeting of the Authority was then opened. Jenny Jones, seconded by Joanne McCartney, tabled the motion that 'This Authority calls on the Metropolitan Police Service to publish immediately the full report by former Commander Cass into the death of Blair Peach.' This was passed unanimously by the Authority (see later article), with the Commissioner in full agreement. Blair Peach’s family were watching the debate in the Chamber and afterwards expressed their relief that at last they are nearing closure of this tragic incident.

The meeting then heard the Commissioner’s report and as usual members presented robust questioning of policing issues over the last month. Youth crime continues to fall with Operation Hawk carried out specifically to target and arrest violent youths. However the Commissioner also confirmed that burglary is on the rise and suggested that he may re-introduce ‘Operation Bumblebee’ - a 1990s anti-burglary campaign that caught the imagination of the public and consequently was very successful in bringing burglary rates down. The Commissioner confirmed that policing public order events had impacted on borough policing. Many officers were taken out of boroughs to help police central London sites, which in turn had an impact on performance.

The Commissioner raised the MPS review of its use of Section 44 stop and search under the Terrorism Act. Pilots have been conducted in some boroughs where a more targeted use of the powers was tested. This new approach will be rolled out over the whole of London later in the year. Single officer patrols also resulted in lively debate with some members having witnessed this, whilst others not yet seeing it in action.

As part of the Met Forward strategy, Kit Malthouse confirmed the Gangs in London board will soon be convened and will hear briefings from the Met about the troubling and pervasive youth violence that causes so much concern to the public. Finally Jenny Jones congratulated the Met on their prediction that they would attain the Mayor’s environmental target for reduction of CO2 by 2025.

Queen’s Birthday Honours list - MPA members receive OBE

Chair of the MPA Mayor Boris Johnson opened the Full Authority by congratulating Jennette Arnold and Reshard Auladin on being awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours lists.

Jennette received her award for services to local government and the community. She is MPA Link Member for the London boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham East and sits on the following Authority committees: Professional Standard cases Sub-committee; Strategic and Operational Policing Committee; and the Olympics/Paralympics Sub-committee.

Reshard, as former deputy chair of the MPA, received his award for services to the police and criminal justice system. He is link MPA Link Member for the London Borough of Harrow and sits on the following Authority committees: Strategic and Operational Policing Committee (Chair); Professional Standards Cases Sub-committee (Chair); Counter Terrorism and Protective Services Sub-committee; Communities Equalities and People Committee; Equality and Diversity Sub-committee; Finance and Resources Committee; and Resources Sub-committee.

Metropolitan Police Authority appoints new MPS Assistant Commissioner Specialist Crime

The MPA has appointed Cressida Dick to become the Metropolitan Police Service’s new Assistant Commissioner Specialist Crime, the first permanent female appointment at Assistant Commissioner level.

In the role Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick will provide strategic and effective leadership and vision on homicide, serious and organised crime, including gun crime and economic crime, child abuse and
covert policing amongst other duties.

The interviews were conducted by a panel of five MPA members, with Sir Paul Stephenson, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and Denis O’Connor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, acting as police advisers. Catherine Crawford, MPA Chief Executive, was also in attendance. Kit Malthouse, MPA Vice Chair who led the interview panel, said:
 
“This is a challenging position which requires an officer of outstanding abilities and extensive relevant
experience. A commitment to safeguarding all our communities while managing serious criminal
investigations and the direction of operational, tactical and strategic policing is integral to the job. Just as important is the ability to work closely with London’s communities, and particular aspects of the role, such as Operation Trident, require the utmost dedication to engendering trust in police actions to tackle serious violence and crime on London’s streets. The entire panel was impressed by each candidate’s skills. However, Cressida Dick impressed us with her in depth knowledge and leadership qualities.”

The appointment is for a five year fixed term period at a starting salary of £172,458 plus benefits

Kit Malthouse helps volunteer Police Cadets Celebrate 21st Anniversary

The Met's Volunteer Police Cadets (VPC) celebrated their 21st anniversary on Sunday 21 June with what is believed to be London's largest-ever formal parade of young people.

The 1,400 members of the VPC, aged between 14 and 21, marched to Horse Guards Parade for a ceremonial review.

Last year, cadets volunteered 40,000 hours supporting Safer Neighbourhoods teams and helping at community-based events and charity fund-raising. The VPC is active in each of London's 32 boroughs and the goal is to expand its numbers to 4,000 by the 2012 Olympics. It will achieve this by engaging with young people, including those who are vulnerable to crime, both as victims and those considered to be on the edge of offending. The VPC will offer them training and skills, and give them the opportunity to be part of something positive.

Kit Malthouse said:

"I was an enthusiastic scout and an air cadet and look what it did to me! Groups like these and the
fantastic Volunteer Police Cadets teach self-respect, discipline and a sense of duty to others. These are exactly the qualities we desperately need in London, and so I will be working closely with ‘Project You’ to spread the word and offer thousands of young Londoners the opportunities I was lucky to have in my youth."

The VPC has many changes on the horizon. While proud of its tradition and historical association with the MPS, it is currently working to attain charitable status as a youth organisation, independent of, but fully supported by the MPS. Consulting, technology and outsourcing provider Capgemini and charity fundraiser ‘London for London’ have already pledged their support and work is under way to attract new sponsors to ensure its long-term viability.

Met Collection heritage centre launched

On 22 June several MPA members attended the launch of the Met Collection heritage centre, a small showcase of historical MPS objects which will be on permanent display to the public at Empress State Building.

The centre is free to visit and will be open 10am to 4pm every weekday. While it is only a small space, the exhibits will be rotated from the 15,000 items held in the police archives, which include uniforms, old maps of London, police equipment, a World War II display and much more.

Kit Malthouse, speaking on behalf of the MPA which officially gave the green light for the venture, said:

"The Met collection is a fantastic resource that has for too long been hidden from public view. It encapsulates more than just the physical history of the Met - it charts the development of this great city and the changing face of our society.

"The MPA and the Mayor share the ambition to create a world class 'blue light' museum in the capital. This will be a valuable teaching resource and a world class tourist attraction. Such a development is long overdue, and this small but fascinating centre should be seen as a first encouraging step towards that goal."

MPA: Unanimous support for publication of Blair Peach report

At the full Authority held on 25 June 2009, MPA members unanimously supported a motion calling for the MPS to publish the report of its investigation into the death of Blair Peach in 1979 following a demonstration in Southall, West London.

Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson agreed to review the document to ensure redactions are made concerning legal issues and fairness before publication.  Following this, it is anticipated that the report will be made public as soon as possible.

MPA Member Jenny Jones, who tabled the motion, said:

“The Met is a public body and should be held to account by the public. This will do more for the Met’s reputation than keeping something secret that should have been published 30 years ago.

"The family has requested that the report be made public and hopefully this will bring closure for them.

"The MPA has asked the Commissioner to publish the report by the end of 2009.”

The motion was proposed by MPA member Jenny Jones and seconded by member Joanne McCartney:

'This Authority calls on the Metropolitan Police Service to publish immediately the full report by former Commander Cass into the death of Blair Peach.'

MPA: 400 volunteers receive a big 'thank you' for dedication

The MPA said a big ‘thank you’ on the evening of 4 June to the 400 volunteers who regularly visit police cells across London to check on the treatment and conditions of people held in police custody.

Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) are ordinary members of the community, appointed by the MPA, who visit police stations unannounced. Their independent assessments help to reassure communities that detainee’s rights are maintained while written reports of the visits highlight areas for improvement. The London scheme has developed a page on Facebook to raise awareness of the work of ICVs across the capital. Enter ‘ICV London’ to view this resource.

This year the MPA recognised the long service and achievements of individual ICVs who have volunteered for ten years or more, together with those teams that have worked most effectively to visit every police station open 24/7 in their borough once a week throughout the year.

Kit Malthouse said:

“Doing your duty is sadly too often treated as an old fashioned concept, but it is alive and well amongst the 400 Independent Custody Visitors in London. They give freely of their time to make sure that people detained by the Police are treated well and their rights are respected. We salute and thank them for their community spirit and their commitment.

“In particular today, we are thanking thirty ICVs who have done this valuable work, on a voluntary basis, for over ten years. We are especially grateful for the experience, time, energy and principles they have brought to bear on this valuable task. In this week celebrating volunteering across London, we
congratulate and thank you all and look forward to many more years working together.”

180 years and counting:

On 19 June 1829 the Metropolitan Police Act received the Royal Assent, creating a new metropolitan police force that became known as ‘Peelers’ or ‘Bobbies’.

Policing priorities public consultation

Last year the MPA carried out the annual consultation programme to inform the Policing London Business Plan ‘in-house’. Previously this process had been managed by the MP S. The Authority’s targeted approach led to a more than three-fold increase in participation, and analysis of the responses provided information for the priority setting process for 2010/11 and other work.

Melissa and her Planning and Performance colleagues have been working hard again to make an even bigger mark this year: ‘Have Your Say on Policing in London’ will run from now until 30 November 2009. Respondents are asked to identify their top three priorities for policing in London, together with reasons for their choices and ideas of what the police should be doing to tackle them.

Melissa has already attended two events to garner the public’s views, including Biggin Hill Youth Day last Friday where there was a fantastic turnout of young people eager to complete the questionnaire. Melissa was also lucky enough to get a questionnaire completed by Major Phil Packer.

You may recall Phil Packer sustained a spinal cord injury and lost the use of his legs in 2008 whilst serving in Iraq and this year he completed the London Marathon in 14 days as part of his personal quest to raise £1million for ‘Help for Heroes’, an organisation formed to help those who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflicts.

Policing with Authority’

Showcasing the work of the MPA was the focus for this year’s annual community engagement conference.

‘Policing with Authority’: working with the communities of London and their policing services, was the fourth annual conference organised by the Authority. It brought together 200 delegates representing community groups and volunteers who work with the MPA and the MPS across London.

MPA member Cindy Butts opened the day, her charisma and pizzazz setting the tone for the whole day which was buzzing, informative and challenging.

Delegates were treated to a thought provoking keynote address from Dr Henry Tam, Deputy Director of Local Democracy for the Department for Communities and Local Government.

This was followed by the launch of our first annual community engagement award, set up in recognition of the work of Community Police Engagement Groups (CPEGs) to encourage closer working relations between communities and the police to work toward the same goal – a safer London.

First place went to Richmond Community Policing Partnership for their ‘elders engagement project, a home visiting scheme designed to improve outreach to those members of the community who are housebound, vulnerable or elderly. The scheme proved extremely popular with both the local safer neighbourhood team and the beneficiaries of this service. In joint second place were Camden and Lewisham CPCGs.

The chance to gauge the delegates’ views on what London’s policing priorities should be for the forthcoming year was not to be missed: previously this process had been managed by the MPS, but since last year the Authority has carried out the consultation in-house, resulting in a more than three-fold increase in participation.

Delegates attended pre-booked workshops, which explored issues such as Independent Custody Visiting, domestic and sexual violence and forced marriages, best practice for CPEGs and the review of the MPA/MPS Community Engagement Strategy 2006/09 to name but a few.

An afternoon question and answer session afforded delegates plenty of opportunity to raise specific issues. The day was a resounding success, graphically illustrated by the large turnout and retention of delegates to the very end on a scorching Summer Saturday!

Comments received from those attending included:

“MPA staff helped to create a very friendly atmosphere which positively encouraged participation”

and

“My congratulations to you and all the participants for such an excellent event.”

Well done to everyone who helped to plan this event and participated on the day.

Keep right up to date:

Sign up to our News Feeds to be alerted when a new committee agenda or press release is added to the MPA website: www.mpa.gov.uk/news/rss.htm

And finally…..Local Policing Summaries for every London borough, outlining police performance over the past year and priorities for the next year in your area , will soon be published on the MPA website. They will be available to view from Monday 6 July at: www.mpa.gov.uk/partnerships/lps/2008-09/list

As ever, we would appreciate your feedback Please contact us by email at communictions@mpa.gov.uk or telephone 020 7202 0217/18.

Send an e-mail linking to this page

Feedback