Agenda item

1st Quarter Performance against measures set out in the Policing Plan 2017-20

Report of the Commissioner of Police

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police that summarised performance against measures in the Policing Plan 2017-20 for the period 1 April 2017 to 30 June 2017.

 

The Assistant Commissioner explained that there had been a regrettable rise in victim-based crime, in correlation with national figures.  He explained that there was a focus particularly on vulnerability.

 

The Assistant Commissioner asked Members to note the allocation of resources to terror attacks in Manchester and London.

 

A Member asked why there had been increases in 3 crime areas, and the Assistant Commissioner explained that a threat matrix was responsible for allocation of resources.  With the current threat level unlikely to go down soon, there is a need to adapt. 

 

A Member asked if more people would be encouraged to commit crimes based on increased success.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that repeat offenders sometimes persist for as long as 20 years in some of these crime areas, and that a small number of offenders were responsible for a large volume of crimes.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that there are an increased number of CID officers on the street in uniforms, with the idea that prevention can replace investigation in many cases.

 

A Member asked if the focus had changed since the last Operation Mass event.  The Assistant Commissioner agreed to follow this up to confirm. (9)

 

The Chairman asked for data surrounding “capability” and “impact” to be sourced, as both were highlighted within the report summary. (10)

 

The Assistant Commissioner explained that Moped crime was popular as it was both lucrative and provided means for easy escape from the scene.  He also explained that, similar to acid attacks, the crime was part of a trend.  He explained that the offenders were generally not residents of the City of London, so the challenge was in keeping them out.

 

The Assistant Commissioner suggested that perhaps it would be beneficial to invest in the reporting of Counter-Terrorism, rather than in uniformed policing.

 

The Chairman noted that the table illustrating Cyber Crime NFIB referrals was incomplete.  A Member asked for confirmation of what NFIB referrals were, and requested that they review which/how data is presented to the Sub-committee, as in many cases it was unclear. (11)

 

A Member noted that “None of the above” was the most common code, referring to 15 reports.  Members agreed that this was not useful.

 

A Member asked for clarification on whether 75% was a positive figure for satisfaction of ECD service.  The Assistant commissioner explained that the majority of fraud offences don’t result in a challenge, and rather they contributed data to the bigger picture.  He explained that they focused more on victim-care with additional investment now.  There has been a lot of work outsourced to multiple external agencies, and therefore quality control is difficult.

 

The Assistant Commissioner suggested that the T/Commander of Economic Crime attend the following meeting in order to explain further. (12)

 

A Member asked for clarification on what a “binary option” was.  The Chairman stated that details such as these should be provided within reports to aid Members, as mentioned previously.

 

The Assistant Commissioner explained that the nature of Vulnerability meant that there was less resources on the street, and thus was a growing issue.  A Member asked where these resources were being allocated.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that there was a wide catchment, including begging, mental health issues and domestic problems.

 

In reference to the graph illustrating the Number of Victim-Based Violent Crimes per Month, the Chairman asked for confirmation that there were seasonal patterns.  The Assistant Commissioner confirmed that this was the case.

 

A Member asked about the traffic management of Bank junction in relation to cyclists, considering recent incident in which a cyclist killed a pedestrian.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that there was not as much policing of cyclists as desired, however, the CoLP was working in cooperation with the Road Danger Reduction Plan.  A Member noted the large volume of cyclists, citing this as a cause for consideration.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that it had been challenging to maintain management in line with the significant influx of cyclists since the London 2012 Olympics.  He explained that only those cyclists whose actions warrant criminal investigations can be addressed by the CoLP.  A Member noted that the perception of cyclists as irresponsible was increasing, and efforts needed to be made to raise awareness of the efforts that have been undertaken to address the issue.

 

The Chairman asked what was meant by a “Layering Approach”.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that this meant using various operations/crimes to build a wider view of a suspect or offender.

 

In reference to Public Order and Protective Security, the Assistant Commissioner explained that HR was due to look at public order training.  He explained that there was a consideration of an incentivisation payment as a result of reduced interest in the training.

 

A Member asked if the CoLP charge for specific events such as Marathons taking place within the City boundaries.  The Assistant Commissioner explained that there was some cost recovery, but this was a contentious issue.  The Chairman asked if protests were included in these statistics, and upon the Assistant Commissioner’s confirmation that they were not, requested these be produced for the next meeting. (13)

 

A Member explained that they had been made aware that arrests had dropped by 55% nationally since 2008, and asked for confirmation that this was correct.  The Assistant Commissioner stated that he could not confirm that this statistic was correct, but explained that the grounds for arrest had been tightened, with notices being increasingly supplied in their place on the street.

 

RESOLVED – That the report be received.

 

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