October MQT answers
Moped enabled crimes
Please detail the total number of Moped enabled crimes per month in 2017, including figures for each borough.
Written response from the Mayor
Between January and September 2017 there were a total of 17,606 recorded offences that indicate the suspect was riding a scooter, moped etc. at the time of the offence.
Please see the attached table of the number of offences, by borough and month.
2017 | ||||||||||
Borough Name | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
Barking & Dagenham | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 89 |
Barnet | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 18 | 9 | 17 | 84 |
Bexley | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 36 |
Brent | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 72 |
Bromley | 5 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 98 |
Camden | 107 | 159 | 214 | 355 | 630 | 749 | 717 | 660 | 556 | 4147 |
Croydon | 20 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 32 | 19 | 27 | 26 | 39 | 183 |
Ealing | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 50 |
Enfield | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 78 |
Greenwich | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 11 | 83 |
Hackney | 116 | 306 | 268 | 252 | 240 | 256 | 235 | 137 | 81 | 1891 |
Hammersmith & Fulham | 10 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 40 | 25 | 12 | 11 | 147 |
Haringey | 85 | 101 | 144 | 145 | 120 | 100 | 193 | 135 | 139 | 1162 |
Harrow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
Havering | 4 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 99 |
Heathrow | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Hillingdon | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
Hounslow | 3 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 83 |
Islington | 189 | 245 | 420 | 293 | 448 | 626 | 505 | 512 | 349 | 3587 |
Kensington & Chelsea | 35 | 36 | 61 | 80 | 69 | 69 | 88 | 66 | 65 | 569 |
Kingston Upon Thames | 5 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 57 |
Lambeth | 28 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 33 | 40 | 32 | 230 |
Lewisham | 8 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 21 | 20 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 110 |
Merton | 3 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 106 |
Newham | 4 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 7 | 88 |
Redbridge | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 30 | 24 | 16 | 100 |
Richmond Upon Thames | 10 | 20 | 33 | 25 | 34 | 26 | 34 | 45 | 37 | 264 |
Southwark | 67 | 42 | 82 | 65 | 44 | 48 | 74 | 71 | 91 | 584 |
Sutton | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 41 |
Tower Hamlets | 35 | 111 | 59 | 121 | 96 | 88 | 96 | 34 | 35 | 675 |
Waltham Forest | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 49 | 26 | 146 |
Wandsworth | 45 | 38 | 56 | 46 | 77 | 60 | 31 | 37 | 23 | 413 |
Westminster | 83 | 107 | 275 | 395 | 272 | 277 | 334 | 232 | 330 | 2305 |
Total | 893 | 1284 | 1748 | 1972 | 2286 | 2541 | 2648 | 2240 | 1994 | 17606 |
The count in this report is a count of classified and confirmed offences notifiable to the Home Office with the following feature code:
GW – Suspect Riding Moped – Scooter – Motorcycle at time of offence.
The Recorded Date was set between 01/01/2017 and 30/09/2017.
Hanging up of 999 calls
Question No: 2017/4009
Andrew Dismore
How many 999 calls to the Met were not completed due to the caller hanging up in each of the last 12 months?
Written response from the Mayor
It is not possible to establish the reason for the call failing to complete. This may be due to the caller hanging up or the call dropping out from loss of signal.
Where the caller’s telephone number is passed by BT to the Met when connecting the 999 call, every effort is made to re-contact the caller if connection is lost. The monthly totals of incomplete calls are as follows:
Month | Number of incomplete calls |
October 2016 | 5,626 |
November 2016 | 1,553 |
December 2016 | 2,269 |
January 2017 | 1,238 |
February 2017 | 1,618 |
March 2017 | 3,374 |
April 2017 | 1,960 |
May 2017 | 3,196 |
June 2017 | 7,908 |
July 2017 | 6,319 |
August 2017 | 3,460 |
September 2017 | 3,802 |
Hanging up of 101 calls
Question No: 2017/4010
Andrew Dismore
How many 101 calls to the Met were not completed due to the caller hanging up in each of the last 12 months?
Written response from the Mayor
It is not possible to establish the reason for the call failing to complete; it may be due to the caller hanging up or the call dropping out from loss of signal. Additionally a recorded message provides alternative contact methods to callers.
Because there is no BT operator on the 101 service it is often not possible to obtain the caller’s telephone number to enable call back. The monthly breakdown of incomplete call is as follows:
Month | Number of incomplete calls |
October 2016 | 57,734 |
November 2016 | 34,116 |
December 2016 | 48,966 |
January 2017 | 24,025 |
February 2017 | 58,853 |
March 2017 | 84,428 |
April 2017 | 66,382 |
May 2017 | 92,730 |
June 2017 | 151,147 |
July 2017 | 102,644 |
August 2017 | 60,040 |
September 2017 | 78,008 |
Camden and Islington Borough Merger
Question No: 2017/4029
Andrew Dismore
How much do you expect to save in a year, as a result of the Camden and Islington police borough merger?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Borough Merger Savings
Question No: 2017/4030
Andrew Dismore
How much do you expect to save in a year if the roll out of borough mergers takes place across London?
Written response from the Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Water Cannon
Question No: 2017/4031
Andrew Dismore
Further to Question No: 2017/3300:
What is the present position over the disposal of the water cannon? How much has been spent on the maintenance and storage since their purchase and what is the annual cost of maintenance and storage? Has consideration been given to ‘cutting the losses’ and scrapping them?
Your response being:
‘The water cannon remain available for sale via the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which is helping to find the highest and most reputable buyer from a European policing or civil protection organisation, according to conditions set by the German Federal Police. We will only permit a sale to a buyer who meets the most rigorous ethical standards, to ensure the water cannon are not in any way misused in the future.
Buying, modifying, evaluating and maintaining the vehicles cost £322,834.71 under the previous Mayor. Since they were put up for sale, the cannon have incurred no further storage or maintenance costs, and no training with the vehicles has been undertaken.
If a suitable purchaser cannot be found, we will have no other option but to scrap the vehicles. It beggars belief that, because the previous Mayor rashly purchased them before he even had permission to use them, such a huge amount of taxpayers’ money has been wasted on these redundant machines.’
How many expressions of interest from ‘a European policing or civil protection organisation’ have there been; are there any current negotiations that have any realistic prospect of success; and if there is no realistic prospect of their sale for a reasonable price, when will a decision be taken to scrap them?
Written response from the Mayor
The water cannons remain available for sale via the Ministry of Defence and this will be kept under review. While this remains the case, we will not be able to comment on interest received given the need to ensure commercial confidentiality and maximise the receipts of any sale that can be redirected towards youth projects.
Help for PC Kris Aves
Question No: 2017/4032
Andrew Dismore
PC Kris Aves was an officer on duty at the time of the Westminster terror attack earlier this year. Due to his severe injuries, his home in Barnet requires significant adaptations to support his rehabilitation needs, and the BBC show DIY SOS have put out a call asking for volunteers to help do this. What can you do to assist with this call to help make the necessary adaptations to PC Aves’ home?
Written response from the Mayor
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is supporting the BBC DIY SOS production team and is working to supplement their tried and tested approach; including facilitating officers who wish to help but do not necessarily have a specific trade skill.
The programme has been overwhelmed with offers from trades’ people to give up their time to help.
Kentish Town Section House
Question No: 2017/4033
Andrew Dismore
For many years the Police Section House behind the Police Station in Holmes Road
NW5 3AE has stood empty. At a time of desperate housing shortage, it seems strange that it is not in use. Is the building part of the police or GLA estate, and if so will you consider developing the building into keyworker housing?
Written response from the Mayor
The building known as Section House building at Holmes Road NW5 is used as operational accommodation (offices etc.) by the Metropolitan Police Service as an extension to Kentish Town Police Station and is not vacant or available for other uses at the present time.
Policing Football
Question No: 2017/4036
Andrew Dismore
What was the cost of policing the Europa League football match between Arsenal and Koln on 14th September; and how much is it anticipated Arsenal will contribute to the cost?
Written response from the Mayor
The total cost of policing the match was £122,840. The MPS will seek to recover all appropriate costs as per the Special Police Services Agreement that is in place.
Drug dealing near Burnt Oak Station
Question No: 2017/4034
Andrew Dismore
Residents have reported to me that the back alleyways and staircases on Watling Avenue next to and opposite the entrance to Burnt Oak tube station have severe problems with street drinking and drug dealing. It will not be tackled by a one-off operation but a sustained and coordinated approach with Barnet Council is required . Will you ask police in Barnet to lead coordinated and persistent action to tackle this?
Written response from the Mayor
The police and council have been and will continue to utilise operation Tungsten which involves working closely with Environmental Health, Traffic Enforcement and Licensing units to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area. The police have been using uniformed and undercover officers to target offenders which has resulted in arrests for drug dealing and possession.
The police have also issued community protection warnings and community protection notices to street drinkers. This targeted approach has led to a reduction in offences and resulted in several prolific offenders being accepted onto drug and alcohol programmes through the Westminster Drugs Project. In these circumstances, local problem solving solutions have the potential to make a difference and I encourage local residents to work with the police and local authority to reduce this type of offending.
ASB in Oakhampton Road, Mill Hill
Question No: 2017/4035
Andrew Dismore
Residents report to me that the junction of Oakhampton Road and Ashley Walk in Mill Hill has severe problems with late night Anti-Social Behaviour including reports of daily street drinking and drug dealing. Residents also report a lack of timely police presence when called. Will you look into this and ask the Police in Barnet to have a targeted operation here?
Written response from the Mayor
The anti-social behaviour team and ward officers are aware of the difficulties with this location and have been working with local residents, businesses and ward panels in an effort to prevent further offences.
Officers working in the area have issued community protection notices to those involved with ASB and have recently completed weapon sweeps and made arrests for drug offences. In an effort to deter drug users from the area the police have publicised their use of cannabis warnings to the community through social media. It is promoted that this area is a no drinking zone and encouraging work with partners, the local authority and residents will be key in influencing change.
Shortage of police pursuit drivers in the Met
Question No: 2017/4037
Andrew Dismore
Only about 315 of drivers out of the 5,050 officers trained to carry out pursuits have reached the “tactical pursuit and containment” level since 2014. This small number are the only officers authorised to force a suspect to stop during a pursuit. With Moped-enabled crime rising dramatically, what is being done to increase this number of qualified officers?
Written response from the Mayor
Moped enabled crime is a priority for the MPS and a dedicated operation (Op Venice) has been established to tackle it. This includes research into the best methods for bringing a pursuit to a prompt and safe conclusion. Whilst Tactical Pursuit and Containment (TPAC) is a vital tool it is often not the most effective or safest means to apprehend offenders.
The MPS is diversifying and significantly expanding the tactics it uses to address this challenge. These include in excess of 1000 officers to be trained in Stop Stick / Hostyd tyre deflation systems and Rigid Stop tactics, the acquisition and roll out of the innovative PROspike immobilization system, the development of tactics for all MPS officers to remove riders from mopeds and the use of spray systems. This is in addition to maintaining the current TPAC capacity.
The intention is to ensure that all 5,050 drivers will be also be trained in the use of Rigid Stop and Stop Stick tactics by 2020. The adoption of this broad range of tactics should prove to be the most effective means of tackling moped enabled crime.
Hanging up of 999 calls
Question No: 2017/4009
Andrew Dismore
How many 999 calls to the Met were not completed due to the caller hanging up in each of the last 12 months?
Written response from the Mayor
It is not possible to establish the reason for the call failing to complete. This may be due to the caller hanging up or the call dropping out from loss of signal.
Where the caller’s telephone number is passed by BT to the Met when connecting the 999 call, every effort is made to re-contact the caller if connection is lost. The monthly totals of incomplete calls are as follows:
Month | Number of incomplete calls |
October 2016 | 5,626 |
November 2016 | 1,553 |
December 2016 | 2,269 |
January 2017 | 1,238 |
February 2017 | 1,618 |
March 2017 | 3,374 |
April 2017 | 1,960 |
May 2017 | 3,196 |
June 2017 | 7,908 |
July 2017 | 6,319 |
August 2017 | 3,460 |
September 2017 | 3,802 |
Hanging up of 101 calls
Question No: 2017/4010
Andrew Dismore
How many 101 calls to the Met were not completed due to the caller hanging up in each of the last 12 months?
Written response from the Mayor
It is not possible to establish the reason for the call failing to complete; it may be due to the caller hanging up or the call dropping out from loss of signal. Additionally a recorded message provides alternative contact methods to callers.
Because there is no BT operator on the 101 service it is often not possible to obtain the caller’s telephone number to enable call back. The monthly breakdown of incomplete call is as follows:
Month | Number of incomplete calls |
October 2016 | 57,734 |
November 2016 | 34,116 |
December 2016 | 48,966 |
January 2017 | 24,025 |
February 2017 | 58,853 |
March 2017 | 84,428 |
April 2017 | 66,382 |
May 2017 | 92,730 |
June 2017 | 151,147 |
July 2017 | 102,644 |
August 2017 | 60,040 |
September 2017 | 78,008 |
I and S calls Camden and Islington BCU
Question No: 2017/4038
Andrew Dismore
For each of the last 12 months, will you please provide the response times for I and S calls in the merged boroughs; and the overall performance of the Met as a whole, as a percentage of the target time for each of the two types of call
Written response from the Mayor
Please see the below table indicating the proportion of I and S calls per month that were attended within the target times of 15 mins and 60 mins respectively. This covers Central North BCU (Camden and Islington boroughs) in comparison to the average across the Met for each of the last twelve months (October 2016 – September 2017 inclusive).
I Calls in Target (15 mins) | S calls in target (60 mins) | |||
Month Year | Central North | MPS | Central North | MPS |
Oct 2016 | 89% | 85% | 81% | 76% |
Nov 2016 | 87% | 86% | 82% | 77% |
Dec 2016 | 86% | 86% | 81% | 78% |
Jan 2017 | 90% | 88% | 85% | 81% |
Feb 2017 | 85% | 87% | 79% | 80% |
Mar 2017 | 79% | 86% | 69% | 77% |
Apr 2017 | 79% | 86% | 69% | 78% |
May 2017 | 70% | 83% | 60% | 76% |
Jun 2017 | 69% | 82% | 60% | 73% |
Jul 2017 | 74% | 82% | 60% | 73% |
Aug 2017 | 78% | 85% | 73% | 79% |
Sep 2017 | 82% | 86% | 82% | 80% |
Police 101 number
Question No: 2017/4039
Andrew Dismore
Further to Question No: 2017/3682
Are you satisfied with the performance of the police 101 number; and if not, what are you doing about it?
Your response being:
‘Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly’
Will you now provide a substative reply?
Written response from the Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3682 which you should have now received.