Agenda item

To receive the City of London Policing Plan for 2020-2023.

CITY OF LONDON POLICE AUTHORITY BOARD

(Deputy James Michael Douglas Thomson)

2 July 2020

City of London Police: Policing Plan 2020-23

The Court received the City of London Policing Plan 2020-2023, representing the plan for policing the City of London over the next three years.

The Chairman spoke to introduce the report, highlighting the critical areas of focus and the intention to make the City the safest in the world. He also advised of the opportunity to participate in the creation of the Policing Plan for 2021-2024 and encouraged Members to do so.

In response to a query concerning the prospective outsourcing of neighbourhood policing to private security firms, the Chair confirmed that neighbourhood policing was a central pillar of the Policing Plan and that policing activities to deliver this would be undertaken by the Force only, with no plans for this to change. However, he clarified that community safety was a shared responsibility and reminded Members of obligations in respect of the Safer City Partnership, through which the City Police and City Corporation worked with a range of partners to achieve a safe environment, and that third party organisations were used by the City Corporation to deliver some of these associated services.

A Member asked a further question in relation to concerns from the BAME community in respect of equal treatment by the Police, noting that there was currently no specific reference within the Policing Plan on this matter and asking whether an explicit undertaking might be incorporated. Responding, the Chair noted that the current Policing Plan had been articulated in relation to key priorities based on strategic risks, threats, and harm, so there were many items which were priorities for the Force which were not necessarily recorded in this particular document. He confirmed that this issue could absolutely be considered in the formulation of priorities for the 2021-24 Policing Plan and encouraged the Honourable Member to engage in that process to ensure something suitable might be incorporated.

Resolved – That the report be received and its content noted.