Metropolitan Police Authority full authority meeting

10/03
28 January 2003

The Metropolitan Police Authority will meet on Thursday 30 January at 10.00am in Meeting Room 1 (ground floor), 10 Dean Farrar Street, SW1. The meeting is open to members of the public and press.

This month Members will consider proposals to deal with the impact of congestion charging on the Met. Toby Harris, Chair of the MPA, said:

“Members will be looking at proposals from the Met to deal with the effects that congestion charging may have on both operational policing and the recruitment and retention of certain shift workers.

“Although most Met vehicles are exempt, congestion charges will incur additional administration costs. Also the MPA will be considering the possibility of a six week pilot scheme to reimburse those shift workers who have to pay the daily charge.”

The majority of Met vehicles will either be exempt or receive a 100% discount from congestion charges. However additional administrative costs and charges for remaining vehicles such as those used on covert operations will be an estimated £460,000. Concerns that congestion charges may effect recruitment and retention of those shift workers who will not avoid the daily charge, have led the Met to propose a six week pilot scheme to reimburse those workers. If this scheme is agreed by Members and extended permanently, a further £713,000 will be required to cover these costs which will have to be contained within the overall 2003/04 budget.

Members will also consider the revised objectives for the MPA Policing Plan 2003/2004, together with a first phase of targets and measures to support them. The targets for priority objectives are challenging. For example: to reduce street crime in 2003/04 to 10% below the level in 2002/03, to reduce burglary to 4% below the 2002/03 levels and to reduce autocrime to 7% below the 2002/03 levels. The National Policing Plan also requires the MPA to issue a three year strategy and the principles being used to develop this will also be examined.

Members will be discussing the Met’s Youth strategy, which sets out a plan for working with key agencies to reduce youth crime, prevent re-offending and keep young people safe. Cecile Wright, Authority member, is also a member of Met’s Youth Strategic Committee, which has overseen the development of various aspects of this strategy. In April 2002 the MPA initiated a scrutiny on the police involvement and contribution to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) across London and the report from this scrutiny will be also presented to the Authority.

The Commissioner Sir John Stevens will give an update on operational policing issues in London and Toby Harris, Chair of the MPA, Catherine Crawford, Clerk to the MPA and Members will give updates on Authority matters. Toby Harris will also launch the joint MPA/MPS annual Report for 2001/2002.

A petition will be presented to the Authority and Members will be requested, in accordance with the Authority's Standing Orders, to hear a question from a member of the public.

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