Policing summer report
We are now back in full swing so here is my latest update form City Hall: any suggestions for mayor’s questions for October, please let me know asap!
Boroughs update
During the Summer break I met with the Borough Commanders in both Camden and Barnet.
The most important issue to come out of Camden was that it looks almost certain now that Camden will be a pilot for the proposed borough BCU police mergers, with Islington. There is still a lot of detail to be worked out. There will not however, be a public consultation on the merger plan.
In Barnet, we have a new Borough Commander, Det. Ch. Supt.Simon Rose. The most important news here, is that the extra constable for each of the ward safer neighbourhood teams promised by the mayor is in place already.
As is confirmed by the answers to Mayor’s questions below, the extra firearms officers are being taken from within the Met.’s current strength by redeploying existing officers, there will not be additional numbers of officers.
Both boroughs also have a high proportion of less experienced officers.
Our first Police and Crime Committee meeting after the Summer break was on the subject of violence against women and girls: Transcript of September Police Committee:
New Fire Commissioner
I missed the September Q and A Police Committee meeting with the Police Commissioner and Deputy Mayor, as it clashed with the Fire Authority Appointments Committee ( of which I am also a member) meeting, which was interviewing for the new London Fire Commissioner, to take over the running of London’s fire and rescue service from 1 January 2017.
We appointed Dany Cotton, who is currently Director of Safety and Assurance, and who will be London’s first woman Chief Fire Officer. I am pleased that we have appointed such an experienced and well respected fire and rescue officer, from a strong field of candidates, who can take on the challenge of protecting Londoners, and maintain the exceptionally high standards of service Ron Dobson has built up during his nine years as London Fire Commissioner.
The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee report – ‘Serious Youth Violence assesses the reasons behind the rise in youth violence in the capital and examines other emerging trends involving young people as both victims and perpetrators of violent crime.
· The number of victims of serious youth violence[1] has risen in the capital by over 20 per cent since 2012-13.
· Half of all reports of youth violence in London involve a knife.
The report found that a dominant driver for the increase, particularly of knife crime, is the belief among young people that they need to be prepared to defend themselves. This is driven by a misconception of the volume of weapons on the streets, as well as fear fuelled by incidents that occur in their communities.
The report recommends that if a serious incident occurs, there needs to be a concerted effort by the police and other agencies to reassure young people that they are safe and to tackle the immediate sense of danger. This may be through intelligence led stop and search, more visible patrols, or by agencies working with local youth clubs and schools.
Other findings of the report include:
· Serious youth violence is not solely a gang issue. Data provided to the Committee shows that gangs are involved in a relatively small amount of serious youth violence: just under five per cent in 2015-16.
· Almost a quarter of all victims of serious youth violence in the capital—around 1,500—are young women.
· Under-reporting among young people is a problem and greater awareness of the different ways young people can report anonymously is needed.
Double gunshot murder in East Finchley
Police were called by London Ambulance Service at approximately 06:25hrs on Thursday, 15 September, to reports of two people injured at an address in Elmshurst Crescent, N2. Officers attended and found a 21-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman suffering from gunshot injuries. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. An arrest has since been made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0300, or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The London Safer Neighbourhood Board (SNB) meeting due to take place on 11th October has been delayed after I intervened with Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, and pointed out that the date of the meeting clashed with Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement.
I am pleased that Deputy Mayor Linden agreed to my request to move the date. Given the rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes over the last few years and the subsequent fears held by members of the Jewish community about safety, it is important that there are Jewish voices feeding in to the work of the Police.
A new date is yet to be set for the meeting, though it is likely to take place in October.
Finally, the latest answers ( and non-answers) from my policing questions at September Mayor’s Question Time:
Policing football costs [1]
Question No: 2016/3401
Andrew Dismore
How much was refunded by London Football professional clubs in respect of policing costs in each of the last 3 financial years; and how much of that was paid by clubs in each division?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Policing football costs [2]
Question No: 2016/3402
Andrew Dismore
How much was refunded by each Premier League London Football club in respect of policing costs in each of the last 3 financial years?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Policing football costs [3]
Question No: 2016/3403
Andrew Dismore
What is the best estimate of the total actual cost of policing professional football in London in each of the last 3 financial years, and how much of that relates to clubs in each division? Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Policing football costs [4]
Question No: 2016/3404
Andrew Dismore
What is the best estimate of the total actual cost of policing each Premier League London Football club in each of the last 3 financial years?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Policing football costs [5]
Question No: 2016/3405
Andrew Dismore
At a time of pressure on policing budgets, do you agree that the law should be changed to allow full cost recovery of the policing costs of professional football?
Written response from the Mayor
I am of the view that the legislation and the directions of the courts should be reviewed to allow a system of full cost recovery for resources deployed to all commercial events (including football) regardless of where the officers are deployed i.e. not just on land owned, occupied or controlled by the owner of the event (as is the current position).
MOPAC applies the full extent of the law in charging for policing sporting events. We continue to lobby the Home Office to allow for full cost recovery.
Underreporting of race and religious hate crime
Question No: 2016/3406
Andrew Dismore
What is your and the Met’s best assessment of the extent of underreporting of race and religious hate crime?
Written response from the Mayor
It is, difficult to accurately estimate the levels of under-reporting for any crime type and not just hate crime. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which surveys over 33,000 adults, provides the best estimate based on the difference between recorded hate crime and that reported through the survey. In the most recently available release related to hate crime specifically (2014/15), it is estimated that 48% of hate crime incidents came to the attention of the police across England and Wales. Due to the survey methodology, it is not possible to provide a London-only estimate.
Proscribed terrorist organisation’s flags
Question No: 2016/3407
Andrew Dismore
Further to your oral answer at July Mayor’s Question Time, over the display of proscribed terrorist organisation’s flags on demonstrations, how many prosecutions for this have there been over the last 2 years? And what was the outcome of your discussion with the Commissioner and the Deputy Mayor?
Written response from the Mayor
As you will be aware I have responded to the Assembly in a letter on these specific points.
As of July 2016, 2 arrests were made in London under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act in October 2015 but no further action was taken. There have been no further arrests recorded. I will continue to ensure that this is on the agenda to discuss with the MPS.
Firearms officers
Question No: 2016/3408
Andrew Dismore
How many extra firearms officers are you aiming to recruit; what is the cost of the extra officers; and how much of that cost is being offset by reductions in the numbers of inspectors and sergeants on borough BCUs?
Written response from the Mayor
The Met will increase the number of firearms officers by 600 as part of the Armed Uplift Programme. This decision came in the wake of the tragic events in France and is one I fully support.
There will be no increase in overall Met officer numbers and therefore there are no additional salary costs incurred in providing the 600 uplift.
The resources to support this increase will come from across the Met.
Police officers’ experience
Question No: 2016/3409
Andrew Dismore
How many police officers in a) Camden and b) Barnet BCUs have less than 2 years’ experience; and what percentage of the overall totals of officers in each borough does this represent?
Written response from the Mayor
The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) officers and the proportion with less than 2 years’ experience is shown in the table below.
The Met has conducted a large recruitment drive over the last three years and these new officers are deployed to boroughs to complete their probation. Furthermore, the Met has prioritised moving officers to the frontline. Therefore there will inevitably be a proportion of new recruits working in Camden and Barnet.
|
Borough |
Total Police FTE |
Police with less than 2 Years of Service |
% of total FTE |
|
Camden |
647.26 |
150 |
23.17% |
|
Barnet |
516.17 |
107 |
20.73% |
Police Commissioner’s visit to Grahame Park
Question No: 2016/3410
Andrew Dismore
Further to your answer to Question No: 2016/2383, ‘A visit is already planned for the Commissioner to visit the Grahame Park Estate later this summer.’ Has this taken place yet; and, if so, what were the Commissioner’s findings?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Special Constables
Question No: 2016/3411
Andrew Dismore
How many special constables are attached to a) Camden and b) Barnet BCUs?
Written response from the Mayor
As of the end of August 2016 there are 107 Metropolitan Special Constabulary officers specifically attached to Camden borough and 108 attached to Barnet.
Water cannons
Question No: 2016/3412
Andrew Dismore
Further to your previous answers, and given the ongoing drain on resources of keeping them, have the water cannons ben disposed of yet; and if not what is the reason for the delay?
Written response from the Mayor
Work is ongoing in order to secure the best value disposal of the water cannon and I hope to update the Assembly shortly.
Appointing an Independent Victims’ Commissioner
Question No: 2016/3413
Andrew Dismore
Further to your answer to Question No: 2016/2391, when do you expect to make an appointment to this post?
Written response from the Mayor
My appointment of an Independent Victims’ Commissioner for London will be a first for any city in the United Kingdom. We are working on a specification for the role and you will hear more in due course.
Burglary in Barnet
Question No: 2016/3414
Andrew Dismore
Further to your answer to Question No: 2016/2395 ‘What are you doing to bear down on burglary in Barnet?’
Your answer being:
‘In the year to June 2016 there were a total of 3,757 burglary offences in Barnet borough, representing a decrease of over a fifth on the levels recorded in the year to June 2012….. ‘
For a more recent comparison, how many burglaries were there in the years to June 2015 and June 2014?
Written response from the Mayor
In the year to June 2015 there were a total of 3,730 burglary offences on Barnet borough, following 3,823 recorded in the preceding year to June 2014.
Senior officers’ bonuses
Question No: 2016/3415
Andrew Dismore
What was the cost of bonuses awarded to officers of the rank of commander and above in the last financial year; what was the highest value bonus; and what are the criteria applied to qualify for a bonus?
Written response from the Mayor
No bonuses were awarded to those of a rank of Commander and above in the 2015/16 financial year.
Senior officers’ perquisites
Question No: 2016/3416
Andrew Dismore
What was the cost of perquisites awarded to officers of the rank of commander and above in the last financial year; what perquisites are senior officers entitled to or to claim for; what are the criteria applied to qualify for perquisites; and what was the highest value of perquisites received by a single officer ?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Best wishes
Andrew Dismore AM
Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
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