Agenda and minutes

Alderman Alison Gowman was in the Chair.

Apologies were received from Deputy Keith Bottomley.

There were no declarations.

To receive the Order of the Court of Common Council dated 25 April 2019 appointing the Police Authority Board for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED, that the Order of the Court of Common Council dated 25 April 2019 appointing the Police Authority Board for the ensuing year be received.

To elect a Chairman in line with Standing Order 29.

An election of Chairman was conducted in line with Standing Order 29. Doug Barrow, being the only Member willing to serve, was elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Chairman thanked Members for their support and welcomed the Chief Commoner to the meeting.

To elect a Deputy Chairman in line with Standing Order 30.

An election of Deputy Chairman was conducted in line with Standing Order 30. Deputy James Thomson, being the only Member willing to serve, was elected Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year.

The Deputy Chairman thanked Members for their support.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 4 April 2019.

RESOLVED, that the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 4 April 2019 be approved as a correct record.

Joint report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner.

Members considered a joint report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner regarding outstanding references from previous meetings and the following points were made.

6/2019/P – Report on IAG/CSG

·         The Chairman noted that adverts for both the IAG/CSG should be appropriately worded to ensure they were as inclusive as possible.

9/2019/P – Budget Monitoring Template Refresh

·         In response to a comment from a Member, the Commissioner agreed to provide a budget monitoring report for Q1 to the July 2019 meeting, with the fully refreshed budget monitoring template being reported to the September 2019 meeting.

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

To receive the draft public minutes and non-public summary of the Economic Crime Board meeting held on 5 April 2019.

RESOLVED, that the draft public minutes and non-public summary of the Economic Crime Board meeting held on 5 April 2019 be received.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members considered a report of the Town Clerk regarding the appointment of Committees 2019/20, appointments to other bodies, term limits and City of London Police Authority mapping exercise and the following points were made.

Appointment of Co-Opted Members to Committees of the Board

·         In response to a comment, the Town Clerk agreed to ensure that when vacancies were advertised, they took into account any protected characteristics of the wider composition of the Committee in question.

Term Limits for Police Authority Board Members

·         The Chairman noted that other Grand Committees of the City of London Corporation had introduced term limits.

·         The Town Clerk noted that other Police Authorities, namely the MOD Police and British Transport Police, were considering the introduction of term limits of up to ten years.

·         A Member expressed concern that term limits would limit the effectiveness of experienced Members e.g. past Chairmen acting in a non-executive director fashion. For example, assuming a Member served as Deputy Chairman for four years, Chairman for four years, and exercised their right to act as Deputy Chairman for a further year, this would leave little scope for them to continue serving on and contributing to the work of the Board.

·         Members felt that the introduction of term limits should not be retrospective.

·         Given the issues raised by Members, the Town Clerk agreed to bring a further options paper on term limits back to the Board at a future meeting.

City of London Police Authority Bodies with remit over Police Authority Matters

·         Members were supportive of the proposal that a summary report of the Town Clerk be submitted to each meeting of the Board detailing Police Authority business considered at other City of London Corporation Committees and Sub-Committees.

RESOLVED, that Members,

Frequency of Meetings

·         Agree that the current schedule of meetings of

Report of the Commissioner.

The draft Annual Report 2018/19 is available online at https://www.colp.uk/annual-report-2018/.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding the Annual Report 2018/19.

RESOLVED, that Members approve the Annual Report 2018/19 subject to any further comments being communicated to the Force by 23 May 2019, and any substantive changes being approved by the Town Clerk under delegated authority in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding the HMICFRS Integrated PEEL Assessment 2018/19 and the following points were made.

·         The Assistant Commissioner noted that, in response to the conclusion of the inspector that a lack of external scrutiny was a major problem for the Force, an action plan had been developed that had been shared with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman outside of the meeting.

·         Members agreed that it would be a useful exercise to invite the Inspector of Constabulary to a future meeting to discuss the report and clarify any points within it.

·         The Chairman noted that the Board would receive the Force response at its July 2019 meeting, and that the Action Plan would in the meantime be submitted to both the Performance and Resource Management Committee and the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee for scrutiny.

·         The Commissioner noted that the issues requiring improvement identified by the Inspector of Constabulary related to the use of police powers that had the potential to prove sensitive to certain communities and/or groups. The Force was therefore expected to take feedback on the use of such powers from those groups to ensure their use was proportionate.  

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members considered a report of the Town Clerk regarding the Independent Custody Visiting Scheme Annual Report 2018/19. In response to a comment from a Member, the Town Clerk agreed to review whether the time windows within which visits took place could be reviewed.

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding the launch of National and Local Protocols on the role of Police and Crime Commissioners in the Criminal Justice System. In response to a comment, the Action Commander (Operations) agreed to liaise with a Member outside of the meeting to clarify the Authority’s role with regards to the London Criminal Justice Board.

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding the City of London Police Corporate Communications Strategy. In response to a request from the Chief Executive of the Authority, the Commissioner agreed to liaise with the Director of Communications at the Authority on the drafting both the Internal and External Communications plans prior to bringing updated versions for information to the Board at its July 2019 meeting.

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

RESOLVED, that the Internal Communications Strategy 2010-2024 be received.

RESOLVED, that the External Communications Strategy 2019-2024 be received.

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Members considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services regarding the draft Alcohol Strategy 2019-23.

RESOLVED, that the draft Alcohol Strategy 2019-23 be received and the plan for consultation noted.

Police Accommodation - Middlesex Street

In response to a question from a Member, the Town Clerk agreed to review whether there was scope for the cost of charges for the Force at Middlesex Street could be borne by the Authority.

Lifetime Offender Management Unit

In response to a question, the Acting Commander (Operations) confirmed that the Lifetime Offender Management Unit pursued a twin-track approach of penalties for persistent wrongdoing, and rehabilitation.

Member Visits

The Chairman noted that he had undertaken a series of visits to the Force over the past month which had proved a good opportunity to see at first hand some of the operational issues facing the Force. The Chairman encouraged fellow Members to undertake Force visits. In response to a comment, the Assistant Commissioner agreed to extend the invitation to the wider Court of Common Council once appropriate opportunities had been identified.

British Police Symphony Orchestra

The Chairman noted that he had been privileged to attend the Charity Gala Convert of the British Police Symphony Orchestra on 11 May 2019 and encouraged Members of the Board to attend future events.

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.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 April 2019.

RESOLVED, that the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 4 April 2019 be approved as a correct record.

Joint Report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner.

Members considered a joint report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner regarding non-public outstanding references.

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

To receive the draft non-public minutes of the Economic Crime Board meeting held on 5 April 2019.

RESOLVED, that the draft non-public minutes of the Economic Crime Board meeting held on 5 April 2019 be received.

To receive the non-public minutes of the Police Accommodation Working Party meeting held on 4 April 2019.

RESOLVED, that the non-public minutes of the Police Accommodation Working Party meeting held on 4 April 2019 be received.

The Commissioner to be heard.

The Commissioner was heard regarding updates on current issues and events regarding the Force.

Report of the Commissioner – TO FOLLOW.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding delivering on operational commitments 2019/20, and financial management and controls review for the City of London Police.

The Commissioner to be heard.

The Commander (Economic Crime) was heard regarding Brexit.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding a variation to the Memorandum of Agreement for the Police National Enabling Programme between City of London Corporation and Police ICT Company.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding a waiver report for the Police Maintenance Supply Chain.

Report of the City Surveyor.

N.B. this report was considered by the Police Accommodation Working Party at its meeting on 4 April 2019, and the Working Party’s recommendation is set out at Item 22.

Members considered a report of the City Surveyor regarding 21 New Street and 6-7 Cock Hill – options for continued occupation beyond March 2025.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a issue report of the Commissioner regarding the Action and Know Fraud Centre – Programme Team.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a Gateway 2 Issue report of the Commissioner regarding the Emergency Services Mobile Communication Programme.

Report of the Commissioner.

This report was approved by the Projects Sub-Committee at its meeting on 24 April 2019.

Members considered a Gateway 3/4 Issue report of the Commissioner regarding a Digital Interview Recording Solution.

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding s22A and s23 Collaboration Agreements – First Contact Provision of Services.

There were no non-public questions.

There were no items of non-public urgent business.