MQT police answers Feb 17

Future funding of the Met.

 

Question No: 2017/0589

Andrew Dismore

What representations have you made to Government and when, about the future funding of the Met.?

Written response from the Mayor

My Deputy Mayor and I have made a number of representations to the Home Office and other government departments about the need for increased funding for the MPS to cover the current £174 million shortfall in the National and International Capital Cities Grant and the importance of ensuring London is protected when decisions about the future funding formula are made.

 

I discussed this with the Home Secretary last year and the Minister for London, Gavin Barwell MP early this year.  My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, has also raised this in writing with the Police Minister, Brandon Lewis MP, on several occasions over the past few months, in recent telephone conversations and, at a formal meeting on the matter in early February.

 

MOPAC officials have also been working with the MPS to ensure our engagement across London is consistent in making the case for policing in the capital.

 

drugs and alcohol support workers

Question No: 2017/0606

Andrew Dismore

Is MOPAC cutting funding for drugs and alcohol support workers embedded in custody suites, and if so by how much and why?

Written response from the Mayor

Responsibility for commissioning alcohol and drug workers in MPS custody suites lies with the local authorities.

 

MOPAC funds the local authorities through the London Crime Prevention Fund (LCPF). I have protected and maintained the LCPF at £72m over the next four years, despite continued pressures on the police budget.

 

The majority of the LCPF is direct funding to local authorities, who have discretion to allocate this to local priorities aligned to the Police and Crime Plan.

 

MOPAC also funds a minimum of £1.5m for MPS drug testing in police custody suites.

 

MOPAC will be working with Local Authorities, MPS, NHS England and Public Health England to review London drug treatment and testing arrangements. This will aid future funding and commissioning decisions.

 

children held in custody [1]

Question No: 2017/0607

Andrew Dismore

Further to question 2016/4842, the answer  to which provided a table of the numbers of children held in custody by age and length of time, will you provide a breakdown of that table to indicate for each box , the number of children held in custody under investigation; and the number held on post charge remand?

 

Written response from the Mayor

It is important that appropriate safeguards are in place for all children who come into contact with the police and that they are not held in police custody unnecessarily.

 

I will use my Police and Crime Plan to set out my intention to use MOPAC’s oversight powers to scrutinise the number of young people going into police custody and the effective and appropriate use of triage and out of court disposals.

 

Please find below the breakdown as requested:

 

Age at arrest  Under investigation (pre-charge)  /no charge  Post charge  Overnight (4hrs or more between 00:00 & 08:00) in custody 
Under 12: 10 0 10
12 72 5 77
13 301 41 342
14 807 152 959
15 1402 319 1721
16 1854 357 2211

 

Note the following caveats: This data relates to individual custody records where there was a detention authorised between 1/11/2015 and 31/10/2016.

 

The definition of overnight detention “post Charge” is that the detainee was in a custody suite for four or more hours between 00:00 and 08:00 AFTER the relevant Disposal Form had been issued. It should be noted that as many of 781 of the Overnight Pre-Charge detainees could have been arrested for being wanted on Warrant, Breach of Bail etc. and not for the purpose of investigation

children held in custody [2]

Question No: 2017/0608

Andrew Dismore

In relation  to requests by the Met to local authorities to provide a) secure and b) non secure accommodation for children held in custody, in relation to each category i) how many requests were made  and ii) how many request were complied with , in the last  3 calendar years?

 

Written response from the Mayor

Data on the status of juveniles detained after charge is not available pre-April 2016 and has therefore been provided for the period of 26 April 2016 to 8 February 2017. This is due to an inability to search the data systems that were in place at that time.  Having been identified, a process is now in place to ensure data is accurately recorded and more easily retrievable.

 

During the time period 26 April 2016 to 8 February 2017 there were:

 

  • 102 (9.5%) Secure accommodation requests

10 were offered accommodation – two in foster care as agreed with Social Services and two in Bristol.  Six juveniles were not placed in the accommodation offered because of the limited time between charge and court appearance and the distance to the accommodation.

 

  • 654 (60.9%) Non-secure accommodation requests

35 juveniles were offered accommodation – 10 were place in local authority care and 3 were returned to their homes as agreed with Social Services.  The remaining 22 offers were for places as far afield as Durham and Cheshire and were rejected because of the limited time between charge and court appearance and the distance to the accommodation.

 

  • 158 juveniles for whom a request for accommodation was not made – these juveniles were transferred to court within a matter of hours after detention, so no request was submitted.

 

  • 59 juveniles for whom accommodation was required, but contact could not be established with the local authority.

 

  • 101 records that are currently being reviewed to ensure the data has been accurately collated.

 

The data above indicates that between 26 April 2016 and 8 February 2017, 1074 juveniles were detained in police custody overnight.  In total 756 requests for [secure and non-secure] accommodation were made to local authorities (who have the responsibility for providing this accommodation).  Appropriate accommodation was only offered to 45 juveniles and more than half of those were for placements outside of London.

 

It is unacceptable that very many young people are not able to access appropriate accommodation and that when it is offered they often have to travel miles out of London to access it.

 

Through my Police and Crime Plan, MOPAC will work with the London Children Safeguarding Board to review the effectiveness of current provision of local authority accommodation so that we can work together to find solutions to this troubling problem.

 

Dedicated football officers

Question No: 2017/0570

Andrew Dismore

How many dedicated football officers are there in the Met; how much of a Dedicated football officer’s time on average in each football division is spent on these duties; and who pays for this time?

Written response from the Mayor

There are 15 Dedicated Football Officers in the MPS, who all fall under the MPS Public Order Branch.  They spend 100% of their working time performing this role and are paid from the MPS Public Order Branch budget.

DBS checks for police officers

Question No: 2017/0571

Andrew Dismore

How long, on average did it take in 2016 to complete DBS checks for candidates to become a Met police officer?

Written response from the Mayor

The Disclosure and Barring Service carries out criminal record checks for specific positions, professions, employment, offices, works and licences included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

The role of Police Officer is not eligible for such checks under the current legislation. Applicants who wish to become police officers are vetted under a separate process.

Metropolitan Police vehicle fleet [1]

Question No: 2017/0572

Andrew Dismore

How many motor vehicles (including motor cycles) does the Met. own or lease, by type of vehicle ?

Written response from the Mayor

As of 13th February 2017 the Met vehicle fleet is comprised of the following:

 

Type of Vehicle Quantity
Cars 3351
Vans 1120
Motorcycles 344
HGV’s 114
Total 4929

 

Metropolitan Police vehicle fleet [2]

Question No: 2017/0573

Andrew Dismore

Of the vehicles (including motor cycles) owned or leased by the Met. by category, what is their useful life expectancy and how frequently  are they replaced?

Written response from the Mayor

The planned life parameters within the vehicle categories varies according to the different roles performed by individual vehicles. The ranges are summarised in the following table:

 

Type of Vehicle Planned Life Parameters (months)
Cars 36 – 180
Vans 36 – 180
Motorcycles 60 – 120
HGV’s 60 – 180

 

Operational vehicles achieving higher than expected mileages can be replaced early, and those achieving lower than expected mileages may be retained on the fleet for longer than originally planned.

Metropolitan Police vehicle fleet [3]

Question No: 2017/0574

Andrew Dismore

Of the vehicles (including motor cycles) owned or leased by the Met. by category, what percentage of their construction and components  is built in other EU countries and what percentage wholly within the UK?

Written response from the Mayor

No details are held on the origins of the components that vehicle manufacturers use to construct cars, vans or motorcycles.

Metropolitan Police vehicle fleet [4]

Question No: 2017/0575

Andrew Dismore

Of the vehicles (including motor cycles) owned or leased by the Met. by category, what was the unit price  and date of the last replacements  before June 2016?

Written response from the Mayor

Average combined purchase and conversion costs for vehicles entering service between 1st June 2014 and 31st March 2016 in core MPS roles are shown in the following table:

Vehicle Role

Average Cost

Area Car

Liveried

£32,706

Armed Response Vehicle

Liveried

£39,626

General Purpose Car

Unmarked

£11,654

Incident Response Vehicle

Liveried

£17,129

Station Van

Liveried

£28,859

Traffic Motorcycle

HGV Equipment Carrier

Liveried

Liveried

£13,314 None entering service in date range

£71,355 None entering service in date range

 

Note: The MPS Vehicle Replacement Programme (VRP) is planned and implemented on an annual basis with the resulting replacement of individual vehicles happening throughout the financial year.

Metropolitan Police marine craft fleet [1]

Question No: 2017/0576

Andrew Dismore

How many marine craft does the Met. own or lease, by type of craft?

Written response from the Mayor

As of 13th February 2017 the Met marine fleet is comprised of the following:

 

Type of Craft Quantity
Boat 8
Rigid Inflatable 4
Inflatable 13
Total 25

 

Metropolitan Police marine craft fleet [2]

Question No: 2017/0577

Andrew Dismore

Of the marine craft owned or leased by the Met by category, what is their useful life expectancy and how frequently  are they replaced?

Written response from the Mayor

The planned life parameters for the different categories of marine craft are shown in the following table:

Type of Craft Planned Life Parameters (months)
Boat 144
Rigid Inflatable 84
Inflatable 84

 

As with the vehicle fleet, replacement dates for individual marine craft are reviewed according to usage and condition as the planned replacement date approaches

Metropolitan Police marine craft fleet [3]

Question No: 2017/0578

Andrew Dismore

Of the marine craft owned or leased by the Met. by category, what percentage of their construction and components  is built in other EU countries and what percentage wholly within the UK?

Written response from the Mayor

No details are held on the origins of the components that manufacturers use to construct marine vessels.

Metropolitan Police marine craft fleet [4]

Question No: 2017/0579

Andrew Dismore

Of the marine craft owned or leased by the Met. by category, what was the unit price  and date of the last replacements  before June 2016?

Written response from the Mayor

The last replacement date and combined purchase and conversion costs for the last replacement in the different categories of marine craft are shown in the following table:

Vehicle Role Last Replacement Cost
Boat May 2012 £241,922.00
Rigid Inflatable Nov 2010 £198,392.06
Inflatable Apr 2012 £87,934.72

 

Metropolitan Police procurement

Question No: 2017/0580

Andrew Dismore

What is your estimate of the effect of the post-Brexit drop in the value of Stirling on the Met.’s future procurement of a) vehicles and b) marine craft?

Written response from the Mayor

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Met Police staff from other EU countries

Question No: 2017/0583

Andrew Dismore

How many a) warranted officers b) civilian staff and c) special constables presently employed by the Metropolitan Police are nationals of other EU countries?

Written response from the Mayor

As of the 31st December the total MPS workforce was 44,036 and comprised of the following EU nationals:

 

Warranted officers                           708

Police Staff (including PCSOs)    295

Special Constables                         237

 

Restorative justice

Question No: 2017/0590

Andrew Dismore

For each of the last three years, how much was MOPAC awarded by the Government for restorative justice; in each year, how much was spent; and what happened to any underspend?

Written response from the Mayor

MOPAC is awarded an annual grant by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for the provision of services for victims. Such services may include the provision of restorative justice (RJ), but the MOJ have not applied a ring-fence to this fund for the sole purpose of commissioning RJ services.

Through this funding MOPAC has supported locally commissioned services and is now committed to making a significant investment over the next two years in the delivery of a pan-London service.

MOPAC’s expenditure on RJ to date is as indicated in the table below.

Year Expenditure (£)
2014/15 (from October 2014)  20,000.00
2015/16 250,000.00
2016/17 302,911.00
2017 – 2019 997,089.00

 

Borough policing priorities public involvement

Question No: 2017/0587

Andrew Dismore

How will the public be involved in the setting of Borough policing priorities?

Written response from the Mayor

Borough leaders have been contributing to the discussion on local priorities based on their local assessments, crime statistics and local residents’ priorities.

As Mayor, my role is to hold the MPS Commissioner to account and, as explained in the draft plan, local crime priorities will be set in my plan for the Commissioner, based on this evidence and data and with consultation with local borough leaders.

Borough policing priorities SNB involvement

Question No: 2017/0588

Andrew Dismore

How will borough SNBs be involved in the setting of Borough policing priorities?

Written response from the Mayor

As part of that local community, Safer Neighbourhood Boards are well placed through their regular engagement with senior borough police officers to discuss local policing.

I would encourage all Safer Neighbourhood Boards to discuss this issue with their local policing leads to ensure that their views are included

Merged Met. Borough pilots [1]

Question No: 2017/0592

Andrew Dismore

By what objective criteria will the success (or otherwise) of the merged Met. Borough pilots be assessed and measured?

Written response from the Mayor

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Merged Met. Borough pilots [2]

Question No: 2017/0593

Andrew Dismore

How will the merged Borough pilots be overseen at Met and local level?

Written response from the Mayor

The merged borough pilots, known as ‘Pathfinder BCUs’, are part of the MPS’s Transformation programme overseen by the MPS’s Management Board and MOPAC.

Each of the two Pathfinder BCUs has its own Oversight Board which includes the MPS, MOPAC and local authority Leaders and Chief Executives.

These Oversight Boards are in turn supported by Project Boards involving the MPS and local authority partners.

Merged Met. Borough pilots [3]

Question No: 2017/0594

Andrew Dismore

what risk assessments were made prior to merging Boroughs in the pilots; and will you publish them?

Written response from the Mayor

The merged borough pilots , known as ‘Pathfinder BCUs’, are part of the MPS’s Transformation programme overseen by the MPS’s Management Board and MOPAC.

The BCU Pathfinders have been subject to a strategic business case process, which include the consideration of risk and benefits.

An evaluation of the Pathfinders will be made in the summer of 2017, which will help determine the suitability of the BCU model for roll out across London.

Detectives in the Met

Question No: 2017/0595

Andrew Dismore

By how many detectives is the Met short of what is needed; and what are you doing to fill the gap?

Written response from the Mayor

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Gallantry awards [2]

Question No: 2017/0602

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No 2017/0235

Over the last 5 years, how many London police officers have a) been recommended for and b) awarded national gallantry awards or honours in recognition of particular acts of bravery?

Your response being:

‘Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly’

Will you now give a substantive answer?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to MQ 2017/235.

Sexual misconduct inquiries into police

Question No: 2017/0603

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No 2017/0248

Further to Question No: 2016/4882

Further to Question No: 2016/4395

‘The Times’ has established that there are at least 156 live sexual misconduct inquiries into police in England, Wales and Scotland. The figure includes complaints made by colleagues as well as reports by victims and witnesses, although the majority of cases are in the latter category. The true figure is likely to be higher since only a quarter of 44 forces would acknowledge live cases. How many of these are in the Met.?

Your response being:

‘Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly’

Will you now provide a substantive reply as this has been outstanding for some time?

Your response being:

‘Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly’

Will you now give a substantive answer as this is the third reminder?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to MQ 2017/248.

Senior officers’ perquisites

Question No: 2017/0604

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No 2017/0251

Do any senior officers receive any assistance with housing in London: and do any senior officers receive a clothing allowance towards their uniforms or otherwise; and if so in both categories, what is the value in total of these?

Your response being:

‘Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly’

Will you now give a substantive answer?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to MQ 2017/251.

forensic reports

Question No: 2017/0605

Andrew Dismore

What is the average time for a) digital forensic reports and b) scientific forensic reports to be provided?

Written response from the Mayor

  1. The estimated time for digital forensic reports is 7-10 days. This includes work undertaken on self-service kiosks and the most complex digital examinations.

 

  1. The estimated time for scientific forensic reports is 67 days. This includes urgent submissions, completed in 48 hours, through to complex scientific cases that involve multiple submissions and different forensic disciplines.

 

DBS checks for nurse practitioner posts

Question No: 2017/0609

Andrew Dismore

How long did it take in the last calendar year on average to complete DBS checks for applicants for nurse practitioner posts in custody suites?

Written response from the Mayor

MPS systems are not able to sift applications by profession. The role of police forces in the DBS application process is specifically to check the security of the individual.

The MPS continues to make good progress towards the elimination of the DBS backlog.

The average turnaround time for DBS checks is now down to 20 days, from over 75 days in February 2016.

Met vehicle replacement programme and Brexit

Question No: 2017/0612

Andrew Dismore

Reports suggest that the Met has a replacement programme costing £21 million to replace 700 vehicles in 2017/18, including 250 Hybrid electric or alternative energy vehicles. What is your best estimate of how much more this replacement programme is costing, than would have been the case if Sterling had not been devalued as against the dollar and euro consequent on the Brexit referendum last year?

Written response from the Mayor

At the present time we have not forecast any additional costs to the vehicle replacement programme as a result of Sterling devaluing.

All vehicles are purchased from the Crown Commercial Services framework and a competitive process normally results in significant discounts against retail prices.

spoof ‘Suicide Bomber Royal Navy recruitment’ posters

Question No: 2017/0615

Andrew Dismore

What urgent action are you taking over the apparently spoof ‘Suicide Bomber Royal Navy recruitment’ posters appearing on TfL advertising sites?

Written response from the Mayor

The posters were fly-posted illegally, were obviously in no way affiliated with the Royal Navy and were not authorised by TfL. TfL is taking this matter extremely seriously both because of the inappropriateness of the posters and because posting them is as an act of vandalism.

As soon as the posters were brought to TfL’s attention, it instructed its contractor to remove them.

TfL works closely with British Transport Police and the MPS and will investigate the incident and take further action as appropriate.

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