Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from the Chairman, Simon Duckworth and Christopher Hayward.

In the absence of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman took the chair for the meeting.

The Deputy Chairman welcomed new external member Deborah Oliver to the Committee for her first meeting.

There were no declarations.

To agree the minutes from the last meeting, held on 12 July 2018.

The Committee considered the minutes from the last meeting, held on 12 July 2018.

It was noted that the Deputy Director of Finance was present at the previous meeting and would be added to the list of attendees.

The Deputy Chairman noted that some minor amendments were required under item 10.

The Committee congratulated Alderman Emma Edhem on her recent election to the Court of Alderman.

The Deputy Chairman noted that the appointment of a new external member had been completed and thanked all those involved in the process.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved, pending minor amendments.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk which set out Outstanding References from previous meetings of the Committee.

OR1 – Barbican CCTV

The Deputy Chairman asked for an expected delivery time for this action.  The Commissioner explained that it would be delayed pending the delayed completion of Crossrail and subsequent pedestrian flow analysis required.  A Member suggested that a deadline of March 2020 be added to this action and it was agreed.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that updated Members on any actions taken under delegated authority and urgency procedures since the last meeting.

Formation of the Police Accommodation Working Party

The Town Clerk explained that the first meeting of the Police Accommodation Working Party had taken place that morning, and that some amendments to its terms of reference were proposed.  It was agreed to include additional paragraphs 4e and 4f.

The Deputy Chairman reiterated that the central objective of the working party was to ensure that the Capital Buildings Committee was given adequate awareness of CoLP’s requirements.

The Deputy Chairman noted that the plan was to hold Working Party meetings on the morning of each Police Committee in future, though requested that an additional meeting date be added in December, just prior to the Christmas break.

The Deputy Chairman requested that an extended joint report of the Commissioner and City Surveyor be produced for future meetings of the working party that covered the following:

              i.        Decant

             ii.        Force Requirements

            iii.        Timeline of Key Issues

The Deputy Chairman requested that the Terms of Reference be circulated to Members of the Capital Buildings Committee (1)

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members received a report of the Commissioner of Police that provided Members with an update on the CoLP’s financial forecast at Q1 in relation to the approved Budget.

The Commissioner explained that a sequencing issue relating to the payment of grants for the Economic Crime directorate’s Funded Units meant that the out turn shown in table 1 for ECD Funded Units was only temporary as the grants are always paid in arrears. It was noted that this would always be the case.

The Commissioner explained that there would be discussion with the Chamberlain over retention of capital spend within the budget.

The Commissioner commented that the Interim Finance Director was in post, the accountancy team was fully-staffed and he was therefore currently happy with CoLP’s situation in Q1 and with regards to future financial planning.

The Chamberlain confirmed that he was working closely with the Commissioner to solidify numbers over the next quarter, though noted that there remained concerns to be addressed in relation to testing the assumptions for the MTFP.  He noted that there had been a small underspend at Q1 – any additional underspend in year would help to reduce the rundown in reserves, which could then be used to help to address the budget gap in 2019/20.

The Chamberlain explained that the City of London Corporation Police Authority had appointed Alistair Cook as Interim Head of Finance, bringing with him experience working for both the British Transport Police Authority and the Home Office.

Members suggested that Table 1 of the report, that summarised the financial outturn at Q1, required further information to be useful.  They proposed that it include six columns reporting the Budget, Expenditure and Net figures for both Q1 and the year going forward. (2)

Discussion took place on senior officer roles within the authority.

Report of the Commissioner.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated them on the River Cameras Project.

A Member queried whether the project validity required review considering its long-term nature.  The Member asked whether it would be possible to identify current trends for suicide hotspots and take these into account when considering further developments on such a costly project.  The Deputy Chairman agreed that this would be a logical approach and the Commander of Operations and Security confirmed that such analysis would determine the project scope.

A Member requested that this report be submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Board for their information. (3)

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Remembrancer. 

The Committee received a report of the Remembrancer that updated Members on the Offensive Weapons Bill to Parliament.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Remembrancer.

The Committee received a report of the Remembrancer that updated Members on the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill to Parliament.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner.

N.B. to be read in conjunction with Non-Public Appendix at item 24.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that sought Members approval of a mutual custody collaboration agreement between the City of London Police and the British Transport Police.  This was further to a report submitted to the Committee in May 2018.

RESOLVED – That Members instruct the Comptroller and City Solicitor to sign the agreement on behalf of the Police Authority subject to the negotiation of suitable terms.

Report of the Commissioner.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that provided Members with an update on equality and inclusion related activities conducted by the force since the previous report in April 2018.

The Commissioner noted the Assistant Commissioner’s apologies as he was attending an IOPC stakeholders’ meeting.

The Deputy Chairman noted that diversity engagement with youth programmes was very important.

The Special Interest Area Lead for Equality, Diversity and Human Rights thanked Lucy Sandford, the Committee’s previous lead in this area, for her detailed handover and for setting up the City of London Youth Forum, which would provide a platform for people aged 13-19 to have their say on the services available to them in the City of London.

The Special Interest Area Lead also thanked the Equality and Inclusion Manager for personally attending the meeting as she had achieved a significant amount of progress since taking on the role.

The Special Interest Area Lead asked, in reference to paragraph 3 of the report, when the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) and Community Scrutiny Group (CSG) would likely be merged into a unified City of London Police Community Group (CPCG).  The Commissioner explained that once the outcome of the ongoing review was known, then a timeline for implementation would be brought back to Members as part of the next regular Community Engagement update. (4)

The Special Interest Area Lead asked if the community engagement review would endeavour to attract City workers to the new group as well as City residents.  The Equality and Inclusion Manager explained that a recruitment campaign was underway and that the review would look to target everyone, including small and large businesses.

A Member noted that a lot of work was being undertaken in this area and requested an update from the Commissioner on recruitment.  The

The Committee heard verbal updates from the Special Interest Area Leads.

Andrew Lentin to be heard.

This item was taken in the non-public session, following item 22.

Alderman Alison Gowman to be heard.

The Committee heard a verbal update from the SIA Lead for Road Safety and Casualty Reduction.

The SIA Lead explained that there was renewed enthusiasm in this area. They had met with the lead CoLP officers this morning and were very impressed with their level of engagement.  The Member explained that the work was largely aligned to the NPCC guidelines and national initiatives, giving examples such as work around the use of mobile phones by drivers that was funded and tasked by Transport for London, highlighting their strong and active relationship.

The SIA Lead explained that Project Servator was being linked more with roads policing.

The SIA Lead explained that it had been proposed that cycle officers could be reinstated with a holistic approach that covered a range of areas from cyclists’ behaviour to bicycle thefts.

A Member noted the rising number of complaints relating to cyclists’ behaviour and asked if there was any attempt to increase visibility of Police Officers.  The Member noted an area near Cheapside where cyclists often crossed the pavement causing disruption to pedestrians.  The Commissioner noted that the specific area in question was a “dual-use” path that required improved markings to ensure greater visibility by pedestrians. 

The Member also referenced an annex submitted to the recent Bank on Safety report that stated that 1 in 8 collisions reported were between cyclists and pedestrians.  He noted that pedestrians were a key priority as they made up 90% of road and walkway users in the City of London.  He asked if there might be a joint paper produced on cycling behaviour.  The Commissioner noted the Members concerns but commented that pedestrians were also as culpable in a significant number of accidents that take place through inattention to their surroundings and emphasised the importance of recognising that the

Government Consultation on Cycling Offences

A Member noted that a government consultation was taking place on new cycling offences and asked if there was facility to provide a response in consultation with the Police.  The Remembrancer noted the Member’s query and agreed to feed back with a response in due course. (6)

The Town Clerk noted that Deborah Oliver had illustrated her interest in joining the Professional Standards and Integrity Sub-Committee, in light of the vacancy for a Police Committee Member that remained for 2018/19.  The Deputy Chairman motioned to appoint Deborah Oliver to the Sub-Committee and it was agreed.

RESOLVED – That Deborah Oliver be appointed to the Professional Standards and Integrity Sub-Committee for the ensuing year.

The Deputy Chairman noted that Tijs Broeke had illustrated his interest in representing the Police Committee on the Cyber Strategy Working Group that had recently been created.  The Deputy Chairman motioned to appoint Tijs Broeke to the Working Group and it was agreed.

RESOLVED – That Tijs Broeke be appointed to the Cyber Strategy Working Group.

MOTION - That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

Item No.        Paragraph(s) in Schedule 12A

16-23              3

21                    5

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

Item No.                                  Paragraph(s) in Schedule 12A

16-23                                       3

21                                            5

To agree the non-public minutes of the last meeting, held on 12 July 2018.

The Committee considered the non-public minutes of the last meeting, held on 12 July 2018.

RESOLVED - That the minutes be approved pending minor amendments.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that provided Members with a summary of the outstanding actions from previous meetings.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that advised Members on the action taken under delegated authority, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, to the Town Clerk since the last meeting.

RESOLVED - That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner.

[This item was withdrawn from the agenda by the report author]

This item was withdrawn from the agenda at the request of the report author.

Joint Report of the Commissioner, City Surveyor and Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Committee received a joint report of the City Surveyor and the Director of Community and Children’s Services that sought Members approval in relation to the decant car parking solution.

RESOLVED – That the report be received and Members agree to the recommendations.

Report of the Commissioner.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that sought Members’ approvals in relation to the Action and Know Fraud Centre.

RESOLVED – That Members noted the report and agreed to the recommendations.

Report of the Commissioner.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner that updated Members on CoLP’s Transform Programme.

12.   

a)            SIA Update - Business Improvement & Change and Performance & Risk Management

The SIA Lead for Business Improvement & Change and Performance & Risk Management provided an update to Members.

This item was moved from the public agenda.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner regarding a national Collaboration Agreement.

RESOLVED – That the report be received and Members agree to the recommendations.

Report of the Commissioner.

The Committee received a non-public appendix to Item 10.

Commissioner to be heard.

The Committee heard a verbal update from the Commissioner on Policing matters since the last meeting on 12 July 2018.

RESOLVED – That the Commissioner be heard.

There were no questions.

TO BE PUT ON AGENDA FRONT SHEET UNDER TOWN CLERK NAME THEN REMOVED FROM HERE

Dates of future meetings

Future meetings of the Committee are scheduled for:

-       18 May 2017;

-       13 July 2017;

-       21 September 2017;

-       2 November 2017; and

-       15 December 2017.

There were no items of urgent business.