Agenda item

The Chair to be heard.

Members received a verbal update from the Chair.

PCC elections – potential implications

Significant changes were expected at the recent PCC elections on 6 May; however, the changes were more significant than many expected. Of the 41 PCC, PFCC, and Mayoral elections, the Conservatives won 29, Labour 11, and Plaid Cymru 1. There were now no independent PCCs.

Paddy Tipping, a Labour PCC (and current Chair of APCC) lost his election for PCC in Nottinghamshire, highlighting the increasingly political feel of the PCC elections. The balance of power had shifted significantly (with one political party dominating for the first time). It meant that there will be an interesting context to hold the election of the new APCC Chair, the impact on membership of the APCC Board, and the distribution of portfolio responsibilities.

The Chair was interested to see how Government and Ministers interacted with the APCC and PCCs. He felt that there was a real risk that politics will play a greater role in future and that this may be problematic.

Given the low number of Labour PCCs that have been elected, it is likely the previous convention of splitting leads and deputies of portfolios along party lines would have to be adjusted. The Chair was engaging concerned parties with regards to acting as the APCC Lead on Economic Crime and Cyber.

The elections had also led to changes on the Board of APCC. The Chair had indicated his willingness to take on the role of Statutory Director of APCC for the position reserved for Other Policing Bodies. 

With regard to APCC engagement, in order to push Economic and Cyber Crime further up the national agenda, the Chair was looking at the following:

• Writing to PCCs to raise the issue of fraud and cybercrime and the need to include this area in their Police and Crime Plans. The letter also indicated what support was available for this.
• Sending an induction pack on Economic and Cyber Crime to the APCC for the new PCCs over the proceeding 3-4 weeks (which would complement the ‘role of the PCC’ briefings that were being organised through late May/June).
• Arranging for the force to send out information on good work to PCCs on a monthly basis.
• Continuing to push for a date for a post-AGM fraud forum (mid-late July).

Police Authority Governance

The Policing Plan was presented to the Court of Common Council on 13 May. The Chair asked Members if they had received any feedback regarding the issues or priorities, that they share this with him. The Chair noted that Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) was clearly an area for interest for his colleagues.

Following the Board meeting on 16 April 2021, the following appointments to the Board’s Committees were confirmed. Chair of Policy & Resources, Deputy Catherine McGuinness, and Deputy Edward Lord had been appointed to the ECCC. Deputy Jamie Ingham Clark, as Chair of the Finance Committee, was to assume his role on RREC. As previously mentioned, Alderman Tim Hailes to act as the Deputy Chair’s nominee on Capital Buildings Committee.

Recruitment had started for the 2 additional external members on PAB and for external Members on ECCC, SPPC and RREC.

Police Authority Website

The Chair drew Members attention to the new Police Authority website that was launched on the 12 May 2021.

The APCC website had also been updated with the correct details although it still referred to an old version of the City’s Policing Plan. 16/2021/P.

The Chair wished to record his thanks for a very enjoyable half day with officers for a uniformed street patrol where he met one of the five direct entry detectives undertaking their necessary street duties as well as another probationer PC. The Chair later met with representatives of the Dog Unit, authorised forearms officers with the Legion team, traffic officers and support group with a Chief Inspector.

Online Harms Bill, Fraud Action Plan and further consultation

The Chair was pleased that the Online Harms Bill referenced in the Queen’s speech did included financial fraud on social media and dating apps. This would help to protect people from romance scams and fake investment opportunities and came as a result of campaigns supported by the Chair, CPR, PIMFA and other trade bodies as well as victims’ organisations.

It meant that online companies would, for the first time, have to take responsibility for tackling fraudulent user-generated content, such as posts on social media, on their platforms. This include romance scams and fake investment opportunities posted by users on Facebook groups or sent via Snapchat.

The Chair welcomed this and felt that it was clear that the message around making tech companies more accountable is resonating. However, Fraud via advertising, emails or cloned websites would not be in scope because the Bill focuses on harm committed through user-generated content.

The Government was working closely with industry, regulators and consumer groups to consider additional legislative and non-legislative solutions.

The Home Office would publish a Fraud Action Plan after the 2021 spending review and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport was due to consult on online advertising, including the role it can play in enabling online fraud, later in the year. The Chair had asked the Police Authority Team and the Force to consider how the Board may best influence that.

Accommodation

Planning consent for the new accommodation was granted for the Salisbury Square development at a Special Sub-Committee of Planning & Transport on 22 April.

An accommodation deep dive with Members of Capital Buildings Committee needed to be held in the next two months to ensure there was joined up thinking on operational requirements, how these will be satisfied and funded. 17/2021/P.

Recruitment of a new Police Commissioner

Following the announcement of Commissioner Dyson’s retirement, the recruitment drive for his successor had commenced.  Commissioner Dyson will be retiring from the force at the end of 2021, after an incredible 38 years in policing and having served in the role for almost six years.

The Board would oversee the recruitment process and will be applying the Equality Act 2010 when shortlisting candidates, in order to encourage applicants with protected characteristics who are underrepresented to apply.

The new Commissioner is expected to be announced in the Summer.

Equality & Inclusion: Update

The Chair met with the CoLP Black Police Association (BPA) Chair with the Deputy Chair and Rachael Waldron to discuss how to improve recruitment, progression, retention and exit with dignity.

The Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board were also due to meet the Chair of the City of London Police Federation at the end of the month.

Future scrutiny and oversight of Equality & Inclusion

At the Professional Standards & Integrity Committee(PS&I) on the 6^th May, the Force agreed to circulate the ‘Inclusive Employer report’ that had been commissioned and an update on how the recommendations from that report were being managed as part of the wider Force E&I  action plan, to the next PS&I Committee meeting in September. There was also discussion about a redacted version of the E&I action plan being circulated to a wider audience.  Headline points from this action plan will be presented to PS&I along with the Inclusive Employer report so that Members can scrutinise and monitor progress. A highlight report is on the agenda today for information.

Financial Update

The outturn was a £5.2m underspend, which was a bit less than forecast at Q3 due mainly to an overspend on IT costs and some Action Fraud pressures, offset slightly by the unexpected receipt of a £0.4m COVID grant from Home Office late in the year. £3m of this underspend has already been approved for funding the increased Action Fraud extension costs in 21/22. The proposed use of the residual amount is:

•               £1m loan repayment.

•       £0.4m COVID grant monies to earmarked reserve (Home Office has allowed it to be carried forward).

•               £0.8m to general reserve.

The rationale for the £1m of loan repayment is that it significantly exceeds the underspend on the 67 growth roles and will enable £2.5m of loan repayment by end-21/22, which in line with the schedule assumed in last year’s Police MTFP. Originally there was no provision made for loan repayment in 20/21.

RESOLVED, that the update be noted.