Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Nicholas Bensted-Smith, Christopher Hayward and Andrew Lentin.

There were no declarations.

The public minutes of previous meetings:

The minutes from previous meetings:

To agree

The Committee considered the minutes from the last meeting, held on 1 March 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved.

To receive

The Committee received the minutes from the last meeting, held on 5 March 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be received.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk which summarised the outstanding actions from previous meetings of the Committee.

OR1 – Medium Term Financial Plan

The Commissioner explained that due to staffing shortages, although the MTFP report would be submitted to the May meeting of the Police Committee, it would not be completed in time for submission to the Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee on 26 April. (1)

OR2 – Premium Increase

The Chairman noted that the item had been removed from both the Policy & Resources and Finance Committee agendas, and that there had been discussions with their respective Chairmen confirming that an alternative approach for raising the issue would be preferable.  The Chairman noted that this had been raised as a Resolution to the Policy and Resources Committee when, rather, a note would have been more suitable.  He was, nonetheless content that the Committee’s views had been made apparent as a result.  The Chairman asked if Members felt this outcome was satisfactory.

A Member explained that they were surprised that the item had been withdrawn from the agenda and noted that it had not been made fully clear at the recent Ratepayers’ Meeting that a rise would be considered.  The Member suggested that a note be sent to the Policy and Resources Committee that highlights both the financial deficits identified by the Deloitte Demand and Value for Money Review and also the national appetite for support of frontline services, as illustrated by a lack of resistance to increased spending elsewhere in the country.  He emphasised the importance of recognising that the national mood is receptive to the increased cost of Policing.  The Member explained that, regardless of any identified efficiencies achieved, we can be confident that the net Policing costs are set to increase year-on-year for at least

The Commissioner of Police to be heard

The Committee heard a presentation from the Commissioner of Police that provided them with an update on issues relating to Cyber-crime, as covered by the Transform Programme.

The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that Project Griffin was first created in the 1990s but, given the significant shift of crime into the digital environment, Project Cyber Griffin had since been initiated and was supported by Bristol University’s Cyber Research Department.  He presented Members with a live global map of cyber-attacks.  He noted that the City of London was a central target for cyber-attacks as a high-profile wealth centre. 

The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that 90% of all attacks begin with social engineering and defined the five threat actor types that are recognised: Script Kiddies, Hacktivists, Cyber Criminals, Organised Crime Groups and State Actors.  However, he noted that the same measures would be effective against all threats to varying degrees, regardless of their resources.

The Detective Chief Superintendent noted three elements of the Project Cyber Griffin service: Threat Briefings, Incident Response and an Advisory Group.  He explained that it would be launched on 1 May 2018. 

A Member noted that this was very timely, and cited examples of those as young as three years old being trained in IT, giving great potential for power to disrupt without a balance of responsibility. The Detective Chief Superintendent agreed and noted that the creation of alternative opportunities for those individuals was crucial, as well as presenting the young with positive role models.

A Member asked if this would need to be signed off by the CEO of a business, and how funding would work.  The Detective Chief Superintendent confirmed that, as a security project, this would always require sign off from the top level of an organisation.  The Commissioner explained that a bid to the Transform

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated Members on engagement activities across the main areas of policing.

The T/Commander of Operations and Security provided Members with an overview of the five main areas of engagement.

A Member asked if the issuing of Community Protection Notices (CPNs) for begging was having an effect. They emphasised that, as CPNs can restrict free movement, they should only continue to be used if they were achieving the desired effect.  The Chairman agreed that, whilst the report was good, there needed to be more evidence of the effectiveness of engagement activities presented within it.  The T/Commander of Operations and Security confirmed that they would include more information on outcomes in the next quarterly update in July, feeding back with figures to Members in the meantime on the issue of CPNs and their effectiveness as a tool. (5)

A Member asked if the Police were gaining a sufficient flow of intelligence.  The Commander confirmed that they were receiving significant intelligence, but this could always be improved upon.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

The Committee heard verbal updates from Special Interest Area leads.

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Lucy Sandford to be heard

The Committee heard a verbal update from the SIA Lead for Equality, Diversity and Human Rights.

The SIA Lead noted that this area of work was progressing now that a new Equality and Inclusion Manager had been appointed. She explained that in recent press coverage, the City of London Police were ranked as the second smallest in terms of gender pay gap nationally, second only to Cleveland Police. She felt this was positive for CoLP.

The SIA Lead explained that a National Police Chiefs’ Council Equality and Diversity work plan across a range of areas such as community engagement was being formulated and could be shared with Members on request.

The Chairman thanked the SIA Lead for her input and work in the area.

RESOLVED – That the SIA Lead be heard.

Deputy James Thomson to be heard

This item was moved to the non-public agenda, following item 12.

Deputy Henry Pollard to be heard

The Committee heard a verbal update from the SIA Lead for Strategic Policing Requirements.

The SIA Lead explained that this strategy was now in its 6^th year of operation, although there had been a similar strategy for many years covering the areas that the Home Secretary perceives to be serious and without force boundary.  He explained that there is however, little engagement on a national basis under this brief.

The SIA Lead explained the defined threats as Counter-Terrorism, Serious and Organised Crime, Public Order, Civil Emergencies, large scale Cyber-Attacks and Child Sexual Abuse.  He confirmed that these were all included within the CoLP’s Policing Plan.

The SIA Lead noted that the PEEL Effectiveness inspection, with a focus on protective services such as Marauding Firearms Terrorist Attacks (MFTAs), took place.  He explained that the CoLP were considered to be effective, though officially ungraded.

The SIA Lead suggested that, although Strategic Policing Requirement remains part of the 2017-20 Policing Plan, it might be beneficial for the SIA to be reallocated to another more current area, such as Cyber-Crime for example.  He explained that the Specialist Capabilities work at a national level would continue to monitor many of the specialist policing areas included in the Strategic Policing Requirement.

The SIA Lead explained that the CoLP still used Management of Risk in Law Enforcement (MORILE), which led to their own Strategic Threat and Risk Assessments on all areas of Policing.

RESOLVED – That the SIA Lead be heard.

The Chairman of the Police Pensions Board asked that the details of the Police Pensions Board be included on the Police Committee agenda.  He explained that a new Pensions Manager had been appointed and a meeting with him had recently been arranged.

A Member asked why CoLP were not included in the London Criminal Justice Devolution Agreement, and what the response would be to the process.  The Commander of Operations and Security explained that they were aware of this and would ensure that CoLP would be built in to any future pan-London strategy and this would be explored as part of CoLP Transform.  She explained that they would look at their regional capabilities.  The Member emphasised the importance of following up with this as it seemed as if CoLP had not been included. The Commander agreed to send a briefing note to Members to update them once she had ascertained the current position. (6)

A Member noted that a full report on the implementation of ATTRO had been promised, but still had not been received.  The Commissioner apologised for the delayed response, explaining that it had been actioned but not yet concluded.  He confirmed that he would liaise with the Department of Built Environment Director to ensure a report on this would be submitted to the next meeting. The Chairman confirmed that this was disappointing that this had not been addressed, and that the Department for the Built Environment were unable to send a representative to respond to Member queries.  He noted that this report should be a collaboration between the Department of the Built Environment and the Police. (7)

The Committee received a question from an absent Member that asked what plans, actions or thoughts (if any) there are, as far as CoLP is concerned, following the reported rapid

The Chairman thanked Members Emma Edhem and Deputy Richard Regan, who were both completing the final year of their term, for their contributions to the work of the Police Committee.

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.

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

11-21                                       3

The non-public minutes of the previous meetings:

The non-public minutes from the previous meetings.

To approve

The Committee considered the non-public minutes from the last meeting, held on 1 March 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved.

To receive

The Committee received the non-public minutes from the last meeting, held on 5 March 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be received.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk which set out the non-public outstanding actions from previous meetings of the Committee.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that requested Members’ approval of a contract in relation to the National Enabling Programmes.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that requested Members’ approval of a national collaboration agreement aimed at tackling Modern Slavery.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner that provided Members with an update on progress relating to the Demand and Value for Money review.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that requested Members’ approval of a procurement contract waiver relating to Project Servator.

The City Surveyor to be heard

The Committee received a verbal update from the Commissioner that provided Members with an update on the progress of the Police Accommodation Strategy.

Simon Duckworth to be heard.

This item was postponed to the following meeting, on 24 May 2018.

The Commissioner of Police to be heard

The Committee heard a verbal update from the Commissioner, informing them of any significant activity relating to the City of London Police since the previous meeting.

There was one question from a Member relating to the Lord Mayor’s Show 2018.

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.

The Chairman noted one item of non-public business