Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner, City of London Police

The Committee received a joint report of the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Economic Development that presented Members with the proposed Cyber Security Strategy for the City of London Corporation and CoLP.

A Member asked for clarification of recommendation 5.  The Commissioner explained that if CoLP were able to prove the concept and evidence the impact of Cyber Griffin over the next two years, then they would aim to present a business case for long-term funding.

A Member asked how success would be measured.  The Commissioner explained that if business were investing more resources in cyber security, then there should conceivably be a reduction in material damages.  He explained that a measure of Return on Investment within cyber security by monitoring financial losses after Year 1 would give a reliable representation of impact.

A Member asked how recruited personnel would be funded if there was a failure to secure longer-term funding.  The Commissioner explained that, given the skills demands and investments in training, the CoLP would aim to absorb these police costs into the establishment as a result of natural turnover.

A Member asked whether payments to Bristol University would be ongoing.  The Commissioner confirmed that they had agreed a one-off payment for their commissioned research, and no further payments beyond this.

A Member noted that the funding decision for the Cyber Strategy was to be made by the Policy and Resources Committee, and the funds would not come from the Police budget. 

A Member asked for clarification over staffing costs in the recruitment of Cyber Security Advisors (CSAs) which appeared to average £80,000 per individual, noting that this was relatively high.  The Commissioner agreed to check these figures and feed back to the Member. (OR)

A Member noted that this project was highly important, but suggested that, given the recent focus on Police-related funding requests, Members give due consideration to funding priorities. The Chairman noted that the Corporation has historically always been supportive of the Police through funding when required.  The Commissioner explained that this was a joint-funded project, and was not perceived by CoLP as a particular risk in relation to the issues referenced around Police funding.

A Member noted that the two-year ‘trial’ period was relatively short for a project of this nature, and thus any conclusions drawn should be moderate.  The Commissioner agreed, but also noted that it was a reasonable timeframe with regards to a long-term funding request.  He asked Members not to underestimate the value of the “Griffin” brand, and explained that CoLP were confident in the success of the project.

A Member noted that the total funding of £1.4m, would be of real assistance to the City’s key constituents, and was satisfied that the request for this sum of funding prior to results was not too unreasonable.

A Member asked if there were any assurances that future funding would be likely, and that there would be appropriate contingency plans in place if funding could not be secured.  The Commissioner explained that there had been great interest from private sector businesses, so CoLP were confident that the project could be sustained.

The Chairman asked how this project compared with the costs of the original Project Griffin.  The Commissioner explained that it would be problematic to attempt to compare costs of projects years apart.

RESOLVED – That Members agree to:-

              i.        note the cyber strategy and recommend that the Policy & Resources and Finance Committees provide their support.

             ii.        Note that, pending the initial success of Cyber Griffin, CoLP and EDO will present a business case to seek long-term funding, to continue to deliver the strategy, beginning in 2020/21 Budget.