Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Alderman Alison Gowman, Alderman Ian Luder and Kenneth Ludlam.

There were no declarations of interest.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 7 September 2016.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2016 be approved.

Report of the Town Clerk.

RESOLVED – That the list of Outstanding References be noted and updated.

The Sub-Committee noted that the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioners’ follow up reports were useful.

Workforce Plan

The Commissioner updated the Sub-Committee on the Workforce Plan. The draft plan completed early 2016 had not met HMIC’s requirements. The revised plan had been delayed due to a number of reasons outlined in a note sent to the Chairman including the resignation of the HR Director. The Commissioner noted that recruitment for a new HR Director was underway and that the post should be filled by April 2017.

In the note to the Chairman, the Assistant Commissioner had set out next steps to get the plan to an adequate standard and expected it to be complete by the end of January 2017. The Chairman would circulate the note  to the Sub-Committee in relation to this. The next HMIC inspection was scheduled for 2017.

The Sub-Committee noted the importance of identifying future demand which will be critical in informing both the workforce plan, resource deployment and the future operating model. Discussion ensued on how future trends are predicted, the need for digital skills and the potential of using external consultants to produce the future demand profile.

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chamberlain updating on the work of Internal Audit that had been undertaken for the CoLP since the last report in September 2016.

The Chairman noted that 48 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) had not been reviewed within a year of the set deadlines. The Commissioner explained that there had been some delay in getting policies signed off by the appropriate authority. Compared with the previous year these numbers were lower, and that further progress had been made since the audit work which reported figures for the end of April 2016. The PMG had received an update showing alower percentage which CoLP would circulate to the Sub-Committee.

The Chairman sought clarification on the amber items contained in the report and highlighted the outstanding recommendations. The items would be reviewed by the Commissioner. The Commissioner commented that the outstanding foreign currency would be banked that week and that the new cash management SOP would be presented to SMB in December.  On gifts and hospitality, the CoLP were looking into best practice on ensuring the register was easy to use, accessible and up to date.

The Economic Crime Academy business plan would be in place by the new financial year. The Committee questioned the impact of demand on costs, and the Commissioner explained that a balance between public service and profitable work would be required.

It was confirmed that outstanding audit reports noted in the Schedule of Internal Audit Projects 2016/17 would be completed by March 2017. Recommendations were also outstanding from the audits completed on Standard Operating Procedure, Economic Crime Academy and Community Consultation. Dates for completion, in particular regarding the Telecoms PBX recommendations, were required, and the Chamberlain would come back to the Sub-Committee with an update and target completion dates once they had consulted

Report of the Commissioner of Police.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police on the City of London Police Domestic Abuse Action Plan.

The Sub-Committee and the Commissioner welcomed the comprehensive report and the work completed on vulnerability which had greatly improved. It was suggested that the wording in the Foreword could be more inclusive surrounding equalities, other groups affected, such as men, and other forms of domestic abuse such as coercive control.  It was also noted that there was no mention of Information sharing protocols with partners which would require monitoring. The Sub-Committee asked if it was possible for Front Desk staff to use audio recording, potentially body worn cameras, as current CCTV did not provide audio which could be useful. The Commissioner said he would explore this back in Force.

It was confirmed that awareness training for domestic abuse had commenced provided by Learning & Development and would continue between December 2016 and February 2017. It was further confirmed that the Domestic Abuse Problem Profile would be completed by the end of 2016.

With reference to work in progress on the Action Plan, the Chairman asked if work will be completed by April 2017 and whether it was an issue of staffing that prevented this work from moving forward. The Commissioner noted that the training package on domestic abuse was part of a sequence of training that is currently being undertaken, and while there are fewer officers, this was being carried out alongside other commitments.

The Chairman requested assurance that all 2016 action points were achieved or to be achieved by the end of the year, and asked that an updated action plan and timeline be circulated to the Sub-Committee.

RECEIVED.

Report of the Commissioner of Police.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police summarising performance against measures set out in the Policing Plan 2016-19 for the period 1 April 2016 to 30 September 2016.

The Commissioner was satisfied with the position whilst noting areas that required improvement. Violence without injury was rising, and more needed to be done in terms of repeat offenders, warrants and patrolling. A profile on this has been commissioned by the Force PMG. Acquisitive crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), particularly aggressive begging, remained issues. The Chairman questioned whether there would be any value in breaking down statistics on victim vs. non victim based ASB which the Commissioner undertook to investigate to see if this was possible for the next quarter report. 

The Chairman questioned if the numbers for recording ASB could be monitored on both the new and old recording system for a short period, as current trends were masked by the sudden increase in numbers under the new recording system. The CoLP noted that due to the new recording method this was not possible.

The Chairman questioned whether the Q2 measure on levels of victim-based violent crime was improving as the figures were marginal. The Commissioner asserted that the level of such crime was stable (positive) and had flattened out.

The Sub-Committee asked what the CoLP were doing on the issue of bike theft. This was an issue that affected Islington and Camden particularly and the CoLP are working with the Metropolitan Police in sharing intelligence. The Commissioner noted the need to act smarter in tackling the arrests of those who carry out this crime for example by using banning orders.

The Sub-Committee also questioned whether CoLP efforts on cyber-crime were having an effect, and asked the Commissioner to look into other regional or national figures as by

Report of the Commissioner of Police.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police on the HMIC Inspection Update.

Following a letter exchange between the Commissioner & Chairman and the HMI, the Commissioner outlined to other Members that the assessments in grading did not match the narrative detail in the Legitimacy report. The HMI had emphasised that the CoLP were a good force and that they were confident the CoLP would meet future challenges. The concern of the Sub-Committee was the effect the report and the rating may have on public perception. The Commissioner stated that he would update Members once a response had been received from the HMI.

With reference to keeping children safe, the main issue was on surveys of children leaving custody, and who in the CoLP held absolute responsibility for child protection. The Commissioner confirmed that accountability would lie with Commander Operations (Vulnerability) and the Detective Chief Superintendent, Head of Crime Directorate (Public Protection).

The Chairman sought clarification that a progress update on the latest Efficiency Report HMIC recommendations would be delivered at the February Sub-Committee meeting. This was confirmed by the Commissioner.

The Commissioner drew attention to the areas graded inadequate which relate to ICT. An ICT Strategy was part of the CoLP’s plans going forward and the Commissioner stated that he felt the HMIC had not taken into consideration that the Force had in the last year or so  migrated from having an in-house IT function to an outsourced  managed service. An IT Board existed within the force to share user requirements with the service providers. The Commissioner was content that all three HMIC recommendations from the Efficiency report were being addressed.

The Commissioner also noted that Crime Data would be addressed in the next inspection and that the CoLP had sufficient processes in place - with an

There were no questions.

The Commissioner noted that currently the CoLP were operating at a level that cannot be maintained, and that work was being done on assessing  demand, populating the workforce plan, and considering the operating model, including identifying inefficiencies, and assessing supervision levels  and ranks within the CoLP. The challenge would be balancing the budget and medium term financial plan (MTFP), which the CoLP were working closely on with the Chamberlain and a paper will go to the Grand Committee regarding the MTFP in December. The Chamberlain noted that the Grand Committee would want assurance on value for money and a time frame for any gap in funding granted.

Looking forward, the Commissioner noted the capability threat even after the new workforce model has been completed.

The Sub-Committee briefly discussed the apprenticeship levy and how the CoLP is working with the City of London Corporation in this area.

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 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.

To agree the non-public minutes held on 7 September 2016.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2016 be approved.

There were no non-public questions.

There were no non-public urgent items.