Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Group heard a verbal update from the Head of Change Portfolio Office of the City of London Police regarding the One Safe City programme and its transition to the Secure City Project.

The Head of Change Portfolio Office reiterated the earlier discussion from the Outstanding References item on the meeting agenda, where it was agreed that a written closedown report detailing the recommendations from the Safer Communities Project would be submitted to the next meeting on 3 November 2017. (2)  This would allow for feedback from recent workshops to be processed and incorporated, leading to a more comprehensive report.

The Deputy Chairman emphasised the crucial importance of publishing the results of the previous work and, in accordance with the discussions involving Members at the recent One Safe City Working Party meeting on 21 July 2017, the recommendations must not be lost.  The PMO Manager explained that there was a desire to give clarity to Members over this work, and that there had been cooperation with the Town Clerk’s department in order to arrange a workshop scheduled to take place over the following two weeks.

The Head of Change Portfolio Office provided Members with a brief overview of the Secure City Project, and its planned developments in reference to the Smart City Programme.  The Chairman explained that during a recent trip with the Commissioner of Police to New York City, USA, it was notable that the local Police Force were able to directly access Corporate cameras from their own control room. 

A Member explained that this works effectively in Manhattan due to the fact that all CCTV cameras are consistent in their brand models – something that is not the case in London, and would thus pose a significant challenge as a result.  He then stated that the priority should be improvement of communications ahead of simply CCTV technology.  The NHS Clinical Commissioning Group representative explained that feedback received in Newham illustrated that CCTV made people feel like they were being “surveilled”, rather than “safe”.  The Chairman referenced Barbican residents’ request for increased CCTV placement that was rejected due to this issue of unwanted surveillance.

The Deputy Chairman stated that the City Corporation was keen to be involved in discussions surrounding use of cameras, not just in the tackling of terror issues, but also other City management initiatives that could benefit, such as those involving the Department of Built Environment.  He explained that physical security was making advancements in response to pressure from recent events, and that the Corporation should be a leader on these improvements within the public realm.

RESOLVED – That the Head of Change Portfolio Office be heard.