Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Deputy Doug Barrow, Kenneth Ludlam and Lucy Sandford.

The Chairman confirmed that Alderman Alison Gowman would be stepping down from the Sub-Committee after this meeting.  Members thanked her for her service and valuable contributions to the Sub-Committee.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2017.

The Sub-Committee considered the minutes from the last meeting, held on 26 September 2017.

It was agreed that the attendance list required amendments to include the Deputy Chamberlain, who was in attendance.

RESOLVED – That the minutes be approved.

Report of the Town Clerk

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

OR5 – IT Transformation Report

The Director of IT provided Members with a verbal update on the IT transformation programme, and outlined the structural changes that were taking place.  He explained that there had been significant investment in “IT Hygiene”, and that the programme had progressed from design and strategy into mobilisation and delivery.

He explained that the Phase II programme was now being defined, for which a separate report had been produced.  A Member asked whether the Phase II transformation was in line and coordinated at this stage.  The Assistant Commissioner confirmed that it was all on track.  The Member requested that the Phase II report be forwarded from IT Sub (Finance) Committee to the next meeting. (1)

A Member stated that the Audit & Risk Management Committee had discussed the IT Transformation Programme at their last meeting on 28 November as it was perceived to be a serious risk, and confirmed that they had commented very positively on it.  The Chairman noted this and explained that it was very helpful to hear of their approval.

OR9 – Operation Mass

The Assistant Commissioner explained that the planned dates for 2018 “Operation Mass” events were now available.  The Chairman requested that these be circulated to Members via email. (2)

OR15 – Licensee Responsibility for CCTV

The Assistant Commissioner confirmed that he had spoken with the Superintendent of Communities and Partnerships about licence applications.  He explained that once licence applications are made, meetings with owners are routine.  He explained that in almost all cases conditions are placed on licenced premises, such as a restriction on promoted events and CCTV placement.  He explained that most applicants offer to install CCTV as part of their application

Report of the Chamberlain

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chamberlain that provided Members with an update on the work of Internal Audit that has been undertaken for the City of London Police since the last report in September 2017.

The Head of Audit & Risk Management explained that all audits from 2016-17 had now been completed except for Budget Monitoring and Income Streams & Income Generation, which were both at final report stage.  He explained that Audit were now in discussion with the Commissioner regarding issues for 2017-18 audits.  He also explained that there was a further exercise to identify outstanding actions and bring back in January/February 2018.

A Member requested a clarification of the concerns referenced in paragraphs 20 and 21 of the report, regarding Police Project Management.  The Chairman explained that a major area of concern was the communication difficulties between secure and insecure environments, particularly causing difficulties between the CoLP and the City Surveyor’s department.  The Member asked whether these concerns were limited to internal communication, and asked for reassurance that there were no external risks.  The Head of Audit & Risk Management confirmed that these were just internal issues, and that they were currently being addressed.  The Deputy Chamberlain explained that, as the CoLP used a separate IT system to other departments, there was a challenge in overcoming the firewall to communicate effectively, and that this was a well-known issue.

A Member confirmed that this issue was also raised at the Audit & Risk Management Committee, where it was asked why there appeared to be a communication breakdown between the CoLP and the City Surveyors.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that the issues were not simply due to IT systems themselves, but also difficulties in determining which recipients have security clearance to receive information.  The Chairman noted that this vetting issue had

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that summarised performance against measures in the Policing Plan 2017-20 for the period 1 April – 30 September 2017.

The Chairman noted the new format of the report, illustrated his approval, and thanked the team for making the significant improvements over the previous format.  He explained that it was useful to know the outcome in all areas, and suggested that for some this detail was perhaps lacking.

In reference to Measure 1 – The number of crimes committed in the City, the Chairman explained that it was important to recognise and articulate positives in the update when they occur, such as in the case of vehicle crime which has significantly reduced.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that some measures bucked the national negative trend, and so this illustrated good work achieved.

In reference to Measure 2 – The capability and impact the Force is having against countering terrorist activity, the Chairman explained that he was surprised not to see response to London Bridge included.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that this occurred in Q1 and this report related to Q2.

In reference to Measure 3 – The capability and impact the force is having against countering fraud, the Chairman asked for a clarification of the source of the figures.  The T/Chief Inspector of Economic Crime explained that these referrals were all from within the Square Mile.  He explained that most were from businesses, and the number of victims that were residents within the City was very small.

A Member asked if there had been repercussions of legal outcomes from previous failed cash seizures which meant that officers were disincentivised to make seizures.  The T/|Chief Inspector of Economic Crime denied that this was the case.  He explained that lessons had

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that provided Members with an overview of activity undertaken within the last reporting period, since the last meeting on 26 September, in response to reports published by HMICFRS.

The Chairman noted that the skills audit was a reoccurring issue.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that this became a recommendation in 2015, with a 5-year plan subsequently implemented.  He explained that they were now just over halfway through the Police staff audit, but with its conclusion now expected in the first half of 2018.  He explained that the new HR Origins system being implemented will help in this regard.  The Chairman noted that the latest updates on this had been positive, and the Assistant Commissioner confirmed that there had been 10 new areas marked “GREEN” and two new areas marked “RED”.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that following an inspection in early November, 3 areas had been marked as outstanding: Vulnerable Victims, Victim Care in ECD and Internal Vulnerable Individuals.

A Member asked for confirmation of when the PEEL Legitimacy report would be published.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that this publication date had been pushed back by HMICFRS to 12 December 2017.

A Member asked whether the CoLP were implementing changes by the deadlines because they are encouraged by the HMICFRS, or vice versa.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that these deadlines were sometimes given by HMICFRS following inspections, and sometimes no deadline is given and they are set internally.  The Member stated that the dates and deadlines were unclear for some of the recommendations, and that there appeared to be a number which over ran. The Assistant Commissioner clarified that this was often because of dependencies on other deliverables so slippage did occur.

The Chairman enquired as to whether vulnerability was an area

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that set out the City of London Police Human Resources monitoring data for the period 1 April - 30 September 2017.

A Member illustrated their surprise at the fact that exit interviews were not employed as the routine method of gaining information from leaving staff.  They emphasised that the information gained would be more useful than that gained by completion of a form.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that exit interviews cannot be made mandatory, and if staff do not want to divulge any information then that is their prerogative.  He explained that an effective method of gaining the insight of exiting staff, currently being promoted by the Force, was by carrying out these interviews when staff come to leave their possessions with HR (ID card, mobile devices etc), at which point they are found to be more receptive to discussion.

A Member noted that the CoLP were several police officers/staff below the full establishment and enquired as to whether carrying this vacancy factor was a deliberate way of managing efficiency savings.  The Assistant Commissioner confirmed that the Force was currently under establishment, but that this was being addressed by a rolling recruitment campaign.  He explained that the total number of CoLP officers would be in excess of 700 when transferees were included.  He explained that the number of CoLP civilian staff was currently being reviewed, but was unlikely to go above the current number at this stage.  The Deputy Chamberlain explained that, as to be detailed within the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), there appears to be significant scope for efficiency savings around this area.

A Member enquired as to the recording and analysis of reasons given for staff members leaving CoLP.  They emphasised the importance of understanding the reasons

There were no questions

There was no further business

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 the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That the public be excluded.

Report of the Commissioner of Police

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police, originally submitted to the Police Grand Committee, that updated Members on the Ring of Steel and Secure City Programme (Formerly known as One Safe City).

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

a) Value For Money Update

The Sub-Committee heard a verbal update from the Assistant Commissioner of Police that updated Members on developments made in response to Value for Money scrutiny.

RESOLVED – That the Assistant Commissioner be heard.

There were no questions

There was no further business