Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner.

Members considered a report of the Commissioner regarding Policing Plan 2020-23 – Performance against measures for end Q2 for the year 2020/21 and the following points were made.

·         The Assistant Commissioner reported that the Force was rated first in the country for crime detection, news which was welcomed by members. One measure requiring action in relation to Counter Terrorism was the decrease in the amount of hostile reconnaissance reports; however the Assistant Commissioner advised that this was as a result of footfall in the City having significantly reduced since the outset of Covid-19 which could not have been avoided.

·         In relation to neighbourhood policing, a member queried to what extent the Force was involved with some measures, such as road safety. In response the Assistant Commissioner advised that the Force had a statutory duty to enforce the law in relation to road safety, including safeguarding the vulnerable.

·         A member asked whether the reduction in footfall within the City had provided an opportunity to increase efforts in relation to prevention of crime. In response, the Assistant Commissioner replied that there remained a prominent focus on offender management and repeat offending, with several recent good results.

·         A question was put in relation to partnership working, with clarification sought as to how effectiveness was assessed with reference to City of London and Metropolitan Police working partnership. The Assistant Commissioner responded and explained that the Force worked in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and the British Transport Police on public order management; with the Metropolitan Police on a London-wide basis to manage sex offenders and violent offenders; and with the Metropolitan Police and the NHS on mental health issues. Given the range of partnerships, any one, single, standard of measurement could not be applied, however, CoLP Head of Governance and Assurance explained that this could be considered as part of the setting of next year’s measures. A member highlighted that this could be explored as part of the Policing Plan for the year 2021-22: to consider which priorities to work towards and to select an appropriate measurement to track achievement.

·         In response to a question regarding performance measurement, the Assistant Commissioner advised that year-on-year comparators could be provided for future meetings, as had been the case in previous years. Measures had been set following Home Office guidance which had moved away from target-based measurements several years previously. Several members however voiced their support for data which would facilitate effective scrutiny of a performance-led and measurable reduction in crime. The Assistant Commissioner further advised that there was measurement of crime in the west and the east sector, as well as year-on-year. In 2021 ward-specific briefings and panels would be introduced which would allow ward members, residents and businesses to obtain this data.

·         A member noted that there had been a decrease in the number of fraud disruptions and sought clarification as to whether the Serious Organised Crime measures on p52 included fraud. In reply, the Assistant Commissioner advised that victim-based inquisitive crime did not include fraud, which the Force was required to record separately. The decrease in disruptions was as a result of numbers of people within the banking and financial sectors, who were necessary to this area of work, being furloughed or working remotely. A member noted that Fraud Performance was scrutinised thoroughly at the Economic Crime Committee in any case.

·         In response to a question on Stop and Search as to how the percentage of effectiveness compared to national figures, the Assistant Commissioner replied that the Force compared favourably to the national average.

RESOLVED, that the report be received.