Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Christopher Hayward.

Tijs Broeke declared his occupation with Hewlett-Packard in relation to any matters relating to IT/Cyber Security.

Alderman Ian Luder declared an interest as a resident in relation to matters concerning the Barbican Estate.

To receive the Order of the Court of Common Council, appointing the Committee and approving its Terms of Reference.

Members noted the order of the Court of Common Council dated 19 April 2018, which appointed the Committee and approved its Terms of Reference.

The Town Clerk confirmed that since the resignation of Lucy Sandford from the Committee, recruitment for a new external Member had been commenced.  He confirmed that, following a review to ensure compliance with GDPR regulation, the process had been approved and would now be progressed with a sight to the new member attending their first meeting around September 2018.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

To elect a Chairman for the ensuing year in accordance with Standing Order 29.

The Committee considered the appointment of its Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Town Clerk read the list of names of all Member eligible to serve, in alphabetical order, and Members indicated whether or not they wished to stand.

With only Deputy Doug Barrow indicating his willingness to stand, he was duly elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Chairman thanked the Committee for their continued support and explained that he hoped to continue to dedicate as much as he could to the advancement of the Committee’s goals over the coming year.

The Chairman bid farewell to Deputy Richard Regan and Lucy Sandford, thanking them for their significant contributions, and welcomed new Member Tijs Broeke to the Committee.

The Chairman also welcomed Commander Jane Gyford, congratulating her for her new permanent appointment as Commander of Security and Operations.

RESOLVED – That Deputy Doug Barrow be elected Chairman for the ensuing year in accordance with Standing order No.29.

To elect a Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year in accordance with Standing Order 30.

The Committee considered the appointment of its Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Town Clerk read the list of names of all Member eligible to serve, in alphabetical order, and Members indicated whether or not they wished to stand.

With only Deputy James Thomson indicating his willingness to stand, he was duly elected Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Deputy Chairman thanked the Committee for their continued support.

RESOLVED – That Deputy James Thomson be elected Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year in accordance with Standing Order No.30.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning the appointment of the Economic Crime Board, Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee, Professional Standards Sub-Committee and Police Pensions Board.

The Chairman requested that those Members not present at the meeting be informed of any vacancies via email.

RESOLVED – That:

          i.    membership of the Economic Crime Board, Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee, Professional Standards and Integrity Sub-Committee be agreed as follows:-

Economic Crime Board 2018/19

Nicholas Bensted-Smith (Chairman)

Deputy Keith Bottomley

Simon Duckworth

Andrew Lentin

Deputy Henry Pollard

Deputy Robert Merrett (Co-Opted)

Vacancy (Co-Opted)

Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee 2018/19

Deputy James Thomson (Chairman)

Deputy Doug Barrow (Ex-Officio)

Nicholas Bensted-Smith

Deputy Keith Bottomley

Tijs Broeke

Andrew Lentin

Vacancy (Co-Opted)

Vacancy (Co-Opted by Audit & Risk Management Committee)

Vacancy (Co-Opted by Audit & Risk Management Committee)

Professional Standards & Integrity Sub-Committee 2018/19

Alderman Alison Gowman (Chairman)

Nicholas Bensted-Smith

Tijs Broeke

Mia Campbell (External Member)

Vacancy

Vacancy

Vacancy (Co-Opted)

Vacancy (Co-Opted)

         ii.    Deputy Robert Merrett should continue to be co-opted on to the Economic Crime Board for the ensuing year and that the vacancy for a second co-opted Member should be advertised to all Members of the Court of Common Council.

        iii.    the vacancy for the two co-opted Members of the Professional Standards and Integrity Sub-Committee should be advertised to all Members of the Court of Common Council.

        iv.    the vacancy for one co-opted Member of the Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee should be advertised to all Members of the Court of Common Council.

         v.    following the result of a ballot between Alderman Ian Luder and John Todd, Alderman Ian Luder be re-appointed as the Chairman of the Police Pensions Board for the ensuing year.

        vi.    Following the resignation of Davina Plummer, recruitment for the vacancy for one Scheme Member representative be commenced in consultation

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on

To agree

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

The Commissioner asked that it be noted that, in reference to Item 8, paragraph 5, the CoLP were invited to attend the Mayor’s Briefing, though their representative was unable to attend due to illness on the day.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved.

To receive

The Committee received the minutes from the last meeting of the Police Pensions Board, held on 9 January 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be received.

To receive

The Committee received the minutes from the last meeting of the Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee, held on 26 April 2018.

The Town Clerk noted that item 6 of the minutes had been populated with repeating text and a copy of the corrected version had been tabled.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be received.

To receive

The Committee received the minutes from the last meeting of the Economic Crime Board, held on 27 April 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be received.

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.

OR3 – Police Budgets

The Commissioner confirmed that an infographic illustrating funding as previously requested, would be included within the July Financial Outturn report. (OR)

OR7 – ATTRO Report

The Director of the Built Environment explained that a report would be produced and submitted to the Committee’s next meeting on 12 July. (OR)

A Member noted that responses to outstanding actions of the Committee were often circulated via email, and as a result were note recorded within the agenda packs.  They requested that these notes be included as appendices in the pack going forward.  Members agreed to reinstate this practice. (OR)

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

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,

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a draft report of the Commissioner of Police that highlighted the achievements of the City of London Police over the past financial year.

The Commissioner explained that there had been a different approach to the report this year, with a focus on creating an online interactive version that was hard to replicate in a paper report, though a version of this would be ready to submit to the Court of Common Council for their meeting on 19 July.  The Town Clerk confirmed that any Member feedback should be submitted directly to them by Monday, 4 June.

A Member noted that black backgrounds with white text was not very legible, and that the figures did not specify the presumed “00k” designation.

A Member noted that the infographic on Police budgets would be very useful here and noted that the case referencing fake airbags as the top highlight was perhaps a little underwhelming.

A Member noted that the responses section on “we said we would” and “What we did” did not necessarily match up, and also noted that there was no context to concerning figures such as 170% increase in rape.  The Chairman agreed with the Members statements, and a third Member suggested that perhaps current and historic rape cases could be separated, given their significance in the quoted figures.

A Member noted that the highlights stories were useful as they provided much needed colour to the report.

The Chairman requested that the final draft be circulated for information to Police Committee Members prior to its submission to the Court of Common Council. (OR)

RESOLVED – That the draft report be approved, subject to further comments of Members to be with CoLP Corporate Communications Director via the Town Clerk by 4 June 2018.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk that updated Members on the progress of the City of London’s Independent Custody Visiting (ICV) Scheme.

The Town Clerk explained that the main issues identified within the report were indicative of a resilience shortfall for which there is a continuity plan in place.

A Member noted that 44 complaints received around infrastructure as referenced within the report, was a significant number.  The Town Clerk agreed and explained that this was a prioritised issue for which continued efforts were being made to address.  The Member asked if there was an agreement with the contractor to address such issues within a reasonable timeframe.  The Commissioner explained that responsibility for resolving infrastructure issues within Custody rested ultimately with the City Surveyor and that he was aware that a new contractor had been sought which had compounded delays.  The Police Committee’s representative on the ICV Scheme Panel requested that the resolution of the infrastructure issues in the Custody Suite be kept as an outstanding action. (OR)

A Member noted that a report on maintenance would be discussed at an Audit & Risk Management Members’ briefing by the City Surveyor on 12 June, and that Members were welcome to attend if desired.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated Members on the Equality and Inclusion related activities conducted by CoLP.

The Assistant Commissioner confirmed that there was a new Equality and Inclusion Manager in post, and that they had made a very enthusiastic start.  He explained that the workforce was generally working together on equality and inclusion issues.

With regard to the gender pay gap information provided, a Member noted that the percentage figures quoted within the table below paragraph 1.10 of the report that showed women’s average pay as a percentage of men’s pay appeared to be inaccurate, and likely reversed.  The Commissioner noted this and confirmed that he would clarify the figures.  The Chairman asked for this to be circulated to Members via email.  (OR)

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Joint Report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that set out the arrangements for the Police Committee’s Special Interest Area (SIA) Scheme for 2018/19.

The Town Clerk noted that these appointments had been addressed under Item 6 on the agenda.

A Member gave his thanks to the outgoing T/Commander of Economic Crime, David Clark, as a highly professional representative for the City of London, citing his national reputation in the field.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated Members on the rejected plan to install an additional 24 CCTV cameras into the Barbican Residential Estate.

The Commissioner referenced previous reports to the Committee and explained that the camera proposal was rejected due to regulations on camera placements as advised by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, but noted that CoLP were meeting current commitments. 

The Commissioner explained that due to delays in the opening of the Crossrail ticket hall to December 2018, no pedestrian modelling had been carried out since TfL’s initial fact finding and as such it was still not yet clear whether Moorgate Crossrail Station would affect the requirement for CCTV in the Barbican Estate.

Noting the timeline concerns, and consideration of the City’s CCTV Estate within the Secure City Programme, the Chairman agreed that a standalone report for Barbican CCTV in September was not necessary.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Joint report of the Chamberlain and the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a joint report of the Chamberlain and the Commissioner that provided Members with an update on the Draft Medium Term Financial Plan submitted in December 2017.

The Commissioner assured Members that the assumptions made at the time of the December meeting were still valid.

The Chamberlain explained that this report represented the current best estimate of the financial position of the City of London Police but there remained significant uncertainties, reflected in the late emergence of a significant underspend in the 2017/18 budget.  He noted that there was therefore a need to increase understanding through a task group review of key budget assumptions.

The Chamberlain explained that the underspend meant that there had been no drawdown of the reserves in 2017/18.  The increased reserve level of £7m would cover the forecast deficit of £3.5m in 2018/19 and all but £0.7m of the forecast deficit for 2019/20. 

The Chamberlain noted that the total Police projected capital funding requirement of £32m was significant and, if agreed, would underline the strong support from the City Corporation.

The Commissioner explained that the issue of Police funding would likely continue and be addressed at the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee Away Day.  He noted that the demand was growing across policing, and that CoLP were the first force to carry out a full Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) in order to inform its resourcing demands.  He explained that he was currently holding significant risk and, whilst accepting the comments of the Chamberlain and the support given by the City Corporation, he was obliged to raise the issue of increased Premium funding once again.  The Commissioner noted that every other Police force in the country had benefitted from a rise in council tax via Police and Crime Commissioners.

A Member noted paragraph 8 of

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that updated Members on CoLP’s response to the national issue of disclosure of evidence.

The Commander of Operations and Security confirmed that there was an action plan in place.

A Member thanked CoLP for the report as an update had been requested.  They noted that the volume of digital evidence in particualr that required disclosure would place a very high manpower demand and so illustrated his appreciation of the significance of the task.  A Member asked whether it was a feasible option to permit the defence council to interrogate themselves with regards to disclosure, or whether the use of artificial intelligence would be possible.  The Commander of Operations and Security explained that two tests would determine acceptability of methods – the question of whether it would undermine prosecution, and whether it supports the defence.  She explained that artificial intelligence was a rapidly developing area, and this was certainly perceived as a potential option.

A Member noted that disclosure has been a long running issue within the criminal justice sector, and e-discovery, which was mentioned within the report, would cut down investigation times dramatically.  She noted that defence council have recently been engaged in strikes due to the significant time taken to carry out work relative to the pay, highlighting the seriousness of the issue.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

There were no questions.

A Member asked when the recruitment of an external Member would be progressed, and the Town Clerk confirmed that, following clarification required over GDPR, this would now be progressed with the new Member expected to attend their first meeting around September, depending on security clearances.  A Member noted that the advertisement of the vacancy should take into account the issue of diversity, given the challenge faced by the Committee currently in this regard.  The Town Clerk agreed to keep Members updated on the procedure. (OR)

The Chairman requested that read receipt requests be sent out with any late papers to the Police Committee and that Members confirm receipt in each case. (OR)

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

23-38                                       3

To agree the non-public minutes of the following meetings:

To agree

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

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes be approved.

To receive

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

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes be approved.

To receive

The Committee received the non-public minutes from the last meeting of the Performance and Resource Management Sub-Committee, held on 26 April 2018.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes be received.

To receive

The Committee received the non-public minutes from the last meeting of the Economic Crime Board, held on 27 April 2018.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes be received.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that summarised the non-public outstanding actions from previous meetings.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police that sought Members approval for the creation of a contract in relation to the National Enabling Programmes.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police relating to Action Fraud.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police relating to Action Fraud.

Report of the Commissioner, City of London Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police that sought to update Members on projects forming the decant phase of the Police Accommodation Strategy and CoLP Enabling Projects.

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

Report of the City Surveyor

The Committee considered a joint report of the Chamberlain, Commissioner and City Surveyor that sought Members approval of a number of Decant elements within the Police Accommodation Strategy.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police that sought Members’ approvals in relation to the Police Accommodation Strategy

Report of the City Surveyor

The Committee considered a report of the City Surveyor that sought Members approval in relation to the Fleet Street estate.

Report of the Chamberlain

The Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain that sought Members’ approval of the updated CoLC and CoLP IT Strategy.

Report of the Chamberlain   

The Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain that sought Members’ approval of the CoLP IP Telephony system upgrade.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police that sought Members’ approval of a custody collaboration agreement.

Joint report of the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Human Resources

The Committee considered a joint report of the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Human Resources relating to Occupational Health Physician Services.

Report fo the Commissioner of Police

The Committee considered a report of the Commissioner of Police relating to the Emergency Services Mobile Communication Platform (ESMCP).

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police relating to Body Worn Video.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police relating to Body Worn Video.

Commissioner to be heard

The Commissioner provided Members with an update on activities relating to the CoLP since the last meeting.

RESOLVED – That the Commissioner be heard.

There was one question from a Member.

There were no items of urgent business.