Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner of Police.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that outlined the quantitative and qualitative performance of the City of London Police as the National Lead Force for Fraud for the period April 2017-June 2017.

The Detective Chief Superintendent provided a verbal update on activities over the last period to Members’.

Pursue - The Chairman noted that the 14% decrease in the number of crimes reviewed by NFIB was a cause for concern.  The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that during the recent period there have been a number of major incidents such as the London Bridge attacks and Grenfell Tower fire that have had adverse effects on staff capacity for investigations, reviews and other regular administrative duties.  As such, there had been a reduction in the volume of crimes reviewed by the NFIB, though this shortfall is expected to be temporary.

A Member asked what the size of the Economic Crime directorate team was in order to give some idea of the capacity.  The Detective Chief Superintendent confirmed that there were 23 permanent members of staff on the team, and that in response to the recent major incidents there had been a total of 450 officer days re-allocated across the force.  The Chairman noted this as an example that highlights a fundamental aspect of policing that requires appreciation: that all Police staff operate with a ‘Police Officer First’ mentality.

Protect – In reference to Overall Satisfaction figures, the Chairman declared that although there had been a 2% decrease since last year, any figure above 95% was worthy of congratulation and that a slight attrition rate from 99% in the previous year would have been difficult to avoid.

A Member asked for clarification on the reference to timeliness of alerts as a main cause of victim dissatisfaction. The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that although this represented a very small number of those surveyed, it was an aspect now being addressed directly for improvement.

Prepare - The Detective Chief Superintendent provided Members with an update on Social Media promotion of Action Fraud, declaring that it had raised its profile significantly on both Facebook and Twitter in Q1 of 2017/18.

Victim Service – The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that 73% satisfaction rate for Action Fraud victims was viewed as a positive figure.  The Chairman noted that although this suggests, 27% were not satisfied, it was worth noting that 18% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and only 9% were dissatisfied.  A Member asked for further explanation of the causes behind the dissatisfaction of victims, and the Detective Chief Superintendent explained that the main causes were linked to investigations that had not been followed through with.  In these cases, the team would provide explanations to the victims of the lengths gone to.  This gives victims the opportunity to provide further details not previously disclosed that may open up further routes of investigation.  The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that this was a new approach that had been adopted and it is hoped it will increase victim satisfaction markedly.

The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that although 0.04% of all crime and information reports received in the same period were for Action Fraud, these were still taken into careful consideration.  The Chairman explained that it would be beneficial to see a developmental curve in relation to the increase in letters sent to MPs, an increased understanding of the problems and as such the resulting increased administrative burden.

Value for Money – The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that, although the shortfalls occurring as a result of the recent major incidents may not be recuperated, there has been positive movement in the right direction with regards to value for money that is expected to continue.

A Member asked what the level of unreported crime was, and the Detective Chief Superintendent explained that only 10% of all crimes for economic and cyber-crime were reported. The Detective Chief Superintendent explained that even relatively minor crimes not warranting further investigation under current resource limitations were still valuable in that they contributed to a larger picture of crime patterns that prove to be instrumental.

The Chairman noted that the figure of 100% City-based fraud investigations completed was worthy of recognition due to the importance of the City of London Police acting and being perceived as a protectorate Force for those within the Square Mile, alongside its national responsibilities.

[RESOLVED] – That the report be received.