Agenda item

Report of the City of London Police

The Group received a report of the Commissioner of Police updating them on the City of London Police’s activities in the period between 1^st January and 31^st March 2017.

The Commissioner explained that had been a decrease in violent crime since last year, and as this is in contrast to the overall trend for London, this was very positive.  However, the Commissioner explained that there was a significant increase in Acquisitive crime since last year, and this was attributed in part to an increase in thefts by those on stolen mopeds.  The Chairman asked for reassurance that these specific crimes are being targeted with a response from the CoLP. 

The Commissioner explained that perpetrators who act in gangs were acquiring mopeds in surrounding London boroughs and entering the City perimeters to commit theft.  Collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in order to acquire information about where these individuals are living or are based has therefore been of central importance when tackling this issue, and is set to increase following a further report.  The Commissioner also explained that measures such as increased lighting, studying technology timelines (e.g. release dates of new iPhones etc.) and raising awareness of those being targeted (e.g. taking your phone out in key target areas) have been taken in response to the issue. 

However, it was explained by the Commissioner that prevention remains the imperative, and the gang element is a cause of significant concern as it demands more substantial knowledge.  It was explained that there is a weekly briefing of the CoLP that includes the faces of the top ten “known nominals” who are thought to be involved.  A Member asks for clarification in reference to the issue of premise licence holder responsibility surrounding installation of CCTV to prevent these thefts.  The Commissioner explains that although this could be feasible for premises with large customer numbers and revenue, for smaller premises this is just not practical financially.  The Director of Community and Children’s Services asked for information on what in terms of engagement is occurring with “known nominals”, as is able to pass this information on to C&CS to increase cooperation.  The Commissioner agreed to feed this information back to the Group. (4).

The chair asked for an explanation of the causes behind a rise that has occurred in anti-social behaviour (ASB).  The Commissioner explains that there has been a significant change in the methods used to report ASB which has led to a rise in the figures.  The chair asks if there is a problem with ASB itself, or rather with the perception of ASB.  The Community Safety Team Manager explained that standardised reporting methods are an immediate imperative in order to get a better picture of ASB.

[RESOLVED] – That the report be received.