Agenda and minutes

The Board approved that Alderman Timothy Hailes take the chair for those items before the election of the Chair for the ensuing year.

Apologies were received from Nicholas Bensted-Smith, Deborah Oliver and Dawn Wright.

There were no declarations.

To receive the Order of the Court of Common Council appointing the Board, dated 27^th of April 2023.

To follow.

The Board received the Order of the Court of Common Council appointing the Board and setting its terms of reference.

RESOLVED- That the Order of the Court of Common Council be received.

To elect a Chair in line with Standing Order 29.

The Board proceeded to elect a Chair in accordance with Standing Order No. 29. Deputy James Thomson being the only Member expressing a willingness to serve was duly elected as Chair for the year ensuing and took the Chair.

Following his election, the Chair thanked the Board for their support and congratulated Dawn Wright and Deborah Oliver for their reappointment to the Board. The Chair outlining the achievements for the Police Authority including the stabilised financial position, new stronger leadership team and significantly strengthened Police Authority Team as important achievements. In addition, the Chair observed that the relationship between the City of London Police and key stakeholders internally and externally had been strengthened.

The Chair also outlined their priorities for the year ahead commenting that with the resources and people in place further significant positive change to the way the City of London Police serves communities, both locally and nationally, could be made at pace, highlighting the updated Policing Plan and significant fifteen percent uplift in police numbers as key contributors to this aim. Moreover, the accommodation programme, next generation of Action Fraud and continuing threat of terrorism were highlighted as priorities for the Police Authority to support.

The Chair observed that with trust and confidence in policing in the spotlight  priorities should continue to include; increased focus on victims, stronger partnership working through Safer City Partnerships including mental health and suicide prevention, building further on the work to tackle violence against women and girls and ensuring local policing and sector policing is fully engaged with all communities. In addition, the Chair commented that the City of London Police ensuring it had a strong and inclusive workforce that is representative of the communities was vital to achieving trust and confidence in policing noting the important of the Inclusivity Programme and

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

The Board proceeded to elect a Deputy Chair in accordance with Standing Order No. 30. Tijs Broeke being the only Member expressing a willingness to serve was duly elected as Deputy Chair for the year ensuing.

The Deputy Chair thanked Members for their support and commented on his intention to support the Chair in his priorities as well as working with officers from both the City of London Corporation and Police.

RESOLVED- That Tijs Broeke be elected as the Deputy Chair of the Police Authority Board for the year ensuing.

To approve the public minutes and non-public summary of the previous meeting of the City of London Police Authority Board held on the 22^nd of March.

The Board considered the draft public minutes and non-public summary of the Police Authority Board meeting held on the 22^nd of March.

A Member clarified that the Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee was committed to tackling the issue of dumping e-scooters and bikes rather than legal enforcement, as was listed in the minutes, which was responsibility of the City of London Police. The Board agreed that the minutes be amended to reflect this clarification. The Deputy Chair noted that the issue of e-scooters and bikes would be added to the actions list for the Strategic Planning and Performance Committee which is where the deep dive on this work would be undertaken.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the Police Authority Board meeting held on the 22^nd of March, subject to the clarification specified, be approved as an accurate record. 

Joint report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner.

The Board considered a joint report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner which set out the Outstanding References from previous meetings of the Board.

An update was provided on action 18/2022/P noting that a final draft of Police Authority Board handbook would be circulated to the Board and relevant Officers for comment, subject to which, and would be presented to the Board at the meeting on the 24^th of May for approval.

The Chair commented on action 4/2023/P stating that the joint work from the Force and Corporation on the Protect Duty should not wait until the finalisation of the legislation. The Director of the Police Authority undertook to provide a verbal update to the Board meeting on the 24^th of May on the preparatory for work completed regarding the Protect Duty. The Deputy Chair suggested that the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee also consider this matter. In addition, it was confirmed that the clerk for the Police Authority Board would also be the clerk to the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee and that the lead officer for this Committee would be confirmed before its first meeting. 

The Board were updated on the engagement with the Independent Advisory and Scrutiny Group and the Youth Independent Advisory and Scrutiny Group noting that a further report was due in November.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board considered a report of the Town Clerk relating to its Committees and Appointments.

The Board discussed the frequency of Board and Committee meetings agreeing to reduce the number of Board meetings by removing the November meeting. 

The Board approved the Chair, Deputy Chair, Member, External Member and Committee Member role descriptions at Appendix 3.

The Board considered the appointment of each of the Committees. With regard to the appointment of a Chair of the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee the Town Clerk informed the Board that two members of the Board had expressed an interest in serving as the Committee’s Chair. Further to Standing Order 29 the Chair noted that the default was now that sub-committees be chaired by the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the appointing Committee or their nominee but sought the views of the Board through an indicative ballot before making their nomination. It was clarified that, further to a previously approved protocol, in instances where the Board was required to take a formal decision the views of all members of the Board would be sought through a ballot before the Court of Common Council Members take a formal decision. The results of this indicative ballot were eight indications for Michael Mitchell and two for Deborah Oliver. Following the results of this indicative vote the Chair nominated Michael Mitchell to serve as the Chair of the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee which the Board approved. 

The Board noted that the Chair was appointed as chair of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group and this appointment would be kept under review.

RESOLVED-That: -

Economic & Cyber Crime Committee (ECCC)

a)    Members noted the inclusion of the appointment of the Chairman of Policy & Resources Committee or their nominee to the ECCC;

b)    Members noted the responsibility of

Report of the Commissioner.

The Board received a report of the Commissioner which provided an update on the City of London Police Museum.

The Board were informed of a number of competing demands with regard to the occupation of the Guildhall complex noting that if there were decisions of prioritisation these would need to be taken by the Operational Property and Projects Sub-Committee.

The Chair observed that the previous site of the Museum was used as part of the City of London Corporation’s response to COVID but on the clear understanding that it would be reinstated when practicable. The Board discussed various possible sites for the Museum and highlighted the contribution that the Museum could make to the aims of Destination City.

Members expressed concern that the full background details of the project had not been adequately outlined in the report. Following clarification of the current context of the Museum reinstatement the Board agreed to return the Museum to the original site on a temporary basis whilst options for a more permanent site were assessed. A Member commented that if the commitment to reinstate the Museum had been made by the Corporation then the City of London Police should not be charged for this. It was added that if the operational costs for the Museum were to come from the Force’s budget then the Police Authority Board should be the body holding responsibility for it, with this appropriately reflected in its terms of reference.

The Board commented that the Museum, once reinstated, would be asset to the strategic aims of Destination City.

Following a Board member’s suggestion it was agreed that a full business case be prepared for the Museum to appropriately explore options for maximising its potential as a cultural asset.

RESOLVED- That the Board agreed to return the City of London

Report of the Commissioner.

The Board received a report of the Commissioner on the Baroness Casey Review.

The Board considered the concerns raised in the Review noting that, whilst it was specifically focused on the Metropolitan Police, there were important lessons for all police forces regarding the issues raised on leadership, recruitment, vetting, training, culture and communications. Additionally, it was noted that the degree of transparent scrutiny undertaken by the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee was a vital contributor to the oversight of these concerns by the Board. The Chair highlighted vetting and culture, particularly within specialist units, as key themes from the Review commenting on the importance of a truly diverse workforce to its culture.

A Member congratulated the Force on the quality of the Active Bystander Training which they had recently attended. Responding to this Officers confirmed that the Active Bystander Training was due to be extended to all of the Force, both police officers and staff. The Chair added that they would be contacting the Town Clerk to suggest the Training be offered to all Members of the Court of Common Council.

In response to Member’s query regarding the reintroduction of the Member leads for Special Interest Area (SIA) the Chair noted that the engagement between the Police Authority and the Force meant that effective scrutiny also took place outside of Board and Committee meetings. In addition, it was suggested that options for the reintroduction of some of the SIA be further considered.

The Board noted the importance of the Workforce Plan, leadership and recruitment to ensuring an appropriate culture in the City of London Police. In addition, it was observed that a forward-looking action plan would be useful to establish a proactive approach to any areas of concern and confirmed that the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee would be focusing

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Board received a report of the Town Clerk regarding the Annual Review of Police Complaints Activity 2021-22.

The Board commented that the report lacked appropriate commentary and comparative data needed for the Board to draw meaningful conclusions from the information provided. The Chair added that these reports need to be produced on a more timely basis and should be received by the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee. Officers explained data for this report was only available in December of 2022 noting that clearly this report needs to be prepared more promptly in future. The Chair instructed Officers not to delay the publication of the complaints data but to ensure that the lessons learnt were appropriately incorporated for the next publication. The Board agreed that the Professional Standards and Integrity Committee consider how to improve the format and focus of the report to ensure that it not only meets the statutory requirements but also provides a strategic overlook of police complaints activity.

RESOLVED- That the report be noted.

There were no questions.

The Board received an update on the Force’s activity to combat instances of anti-social behaviour and phone theft in the City of London. In addition, Officers confirmed the work of the City of London Police to assist with the coronation of the His Majesty King Charles the third and updated on the conviction following a stabbing incident. An update on the Force’s role as national lead force was also provided, including on the recently launched Fraud Strategy.

The Chair commented on the opportunities for greater collaboration between the Force, Police Authority Team and other partners to more effectively communicate on issues regarding both the Force’s role as national lead force and local policing.

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 in Schedule 12A

15-18                                      3

To approve the non-public minutes of the previous meeting of the City of London Police Authority Board held on the 22^nd of March.

The Board considered the draft non-public minutes the Police Authority Board meeting held on the 22^nd of March.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the Police Authority Board meeting held on the 22^nd of March be approved as an accurate record. 

Joint Report of the Town Clerk and Commissioner.

The Board received a joint report of the Commissioner and Town Clerk on the non-public actions from the previous meeting of the Board.

RESOLVED- That the report be noted.

There were no questions.

There were no items of urgent business.