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Agenda item

Presentation from the Borough Commander - Annual Crime and Disorder Report

Minutes:

Chief Superintendent Andy Carter, Borough Commander for Islington and Camden, presented to the committee on local crime and policing issues.

 

Councillor Woolf, Executive Member for Community Safety, was also in attendance for this agenda item.

 

The presentation included local crime statistics; details of police operations in the key areas of Finsbury Park, The Angel, and Old Street; detail of local stop and search activity; work underway to improve public trust and confidence in the police; work to tackle drug crime; work to address violence against women and girls; and the local response to the Casey Review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service.

 

The Committee made the following main comments:

 

·        Referring to a comment made in the presentation, a member asked if the local police had an effective grip on performance and strategic oversight. In response, the Borough Commander commented that a new performance framework was being implemented that would allow better monitoring of progress against targets and priorities. The Metropolitan Police had focused on reducing violence over recent years and this had resulted in local reductions in homicide and serious youth violence, however there was now a recognition that the police needed to focus on a broader range of priorities.

·        A member noted that violent crime had reduced nationally and asked if any local actions in Islington had contributed to this decrease. In response, the Borough Commander considered that strong partnership work between local agencies had contributed to the decrease in serious youth violence.

·        A member noted the impact of drug-related crime in the Finsbury Park ward, expressing concern about drug dealers targeting users of a local homeless shelter. It was asked how the police were addressing such issues. It was also suggested that further community engagement through local policing panels would help to build trust in the Metropolitan Police. In response, the Borough Commander emphasised the importance of reporting crime so hotspots can be mapped and police resources can be deployed as required. In relation to neighbourhood policing panels, it was recognised that the panels did not always reflect the diversity of local communities, and a plan was being developed to increase representation on such panels.

·        A member expressed concern about ‘cuckooing’ and the exploitation of vulnerable people through drug crime, and asked if the police had sufficient intelligence to tackle this problem effectively. In response, the Borough Commander emphasised the importance of reporting such crimes and summarised the work with local housing providers to identify these properties and to take action as required. Councillor Woolf commented on the role of the Cuckooing Panel and the importance of interventions to support vulnerable people.

·        A councillor expressed concerns about school muggings and pupils being targeted outside of schools, noting recent incidents around St Mary Magdalene Academy. It was queried if the Police was deploying resources to address this, and how the council could work better with the police to keep these young people safe and improve confidence in the police. In response, it the Borough Commander noted the role of the Police’s Schools Officers and the importance of the community reporting these crimes to the police promptly to enable action to be taken. 

·        A member queried how many schools did not have Safer Schools Officers and asked if there was a local commitment to providing this resource to schools. In response, it was advised that not all schools had a Safer Schools Officer; this role needed an individual with the right skills, and the Borough Commander did not support posting officers to schools if they were not committed to the role. There had been open vacancies in these positions for some time and the Borough Commander commented on the role of all local agencies to help prevent crime and safeguard young people in schools.

·        A member noted that the police budgeted to provide safer schools officers in schools, and asked if the funds allocated to these vacant posts could be distributed to other organisations to help promote safety in schools. In response, the Borough Commander advised that it was not possible to divert police funds in this way.   

·        A member highlighted the concerns of local parents about their children travelling to and from school. The Borough Commander advised that he was reviewing patrol patterns to ensure that officers were deployed on these routes where needed. The Borough Commander also commented on the services available to victims of crime, particularly young people affected by crime.

·        A discussion was had on the role of Safer Schools Officers and how the police had unique powers that were not available to security staff, teachers or social workers. The Committee also noted concerns about a safeguarding incident involving a safer schools officer elsewhere in London and the Borough Commander summarised the work to reassure schools and the process for vetting police officers.   

·        A member noted recent media reports about a number of ongoing criminal investigations against service police officers. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police had advised the London Assembly that two or three Police officers a week were facing trial for criminal offences. It was queried how many local officers were the subject of disciplinary proceedings and if it was expected that local officers would be charged with offences over the coming weeks and months. In response, the Borough Commander commented on the work to raise professional standards in the police, and the importance of identifying conduct issues at an early stage. The Borough Commander was not able to share details of ongoing disciplinary or criminal investigations in a public meeting, including details of the number of officers suspended or the number of misconduct complaints received. The Borough Commander advised that local partners would be briefed on these matters at the appropriate time and he would be able to provide an update to a future meeting.

·        A member queried the stop and search statistics relating to drug possession and if Project Adder would result in stop and search activity being carried out in a more targeted way, and more referrals to health and addiction services, rather than the criminal justice system. In response, the Borough Commander commented on the proactive police activity to disrupt the supply of drugs, and the police would work with other agencies to support those with addiction issues.

·        A discussion was had on the disproportionate impact of stop and search on people from Black communities. The Borough Commander summarised how stop and search incidents are reviewed and scrutinised and how the feedback received is incorporated into training for officers.

·        A member expressed disappointment in the tone of the report which referenced everyday sexism existing among a ‘small minority of the organisation’ and contrasted this to the more systemic problems referenced in recent comments by the Mayor of London and other senior officials, which had called for root and branch reform of the Metropolitan Police, following the serious issues identified in the Casey Review. The member asked how many women were employed by the Metropolitan Police in Islington, if the police was facing any particular issues with the recruitment and retention of women, and if the low number of prosecutions for rape and domestic abuse offences contributed to the lack of confidence in the police, particularly among women.  In response, the Borough Commander advised that he did not have statistics to hand on the number of female officers employed locally, but advised that representation among women and black and minority ethnic communities had improved over recent years. The Borough Commander acknowledged that there could be retention issues for women and officers from minority ethnic communities; suggesting that some officers felt unsupported by their families and communities. It was also suggested that front line officers faced a considerable workload and pressures and some had preferred to transfer to specialist roles. The Borough Commander commented it was important for the police to support these colleagues so they wanted to remain working for the Metropolitan Police; and highlighted recent initiatives to recruit officers from under-represented groups and the support resources available to police staff. A member suggested that the current culture of the Metropolitan Police may also be a contributing factor, as officers may have experienced sexual and racial harassment from their colleagues and may feel that the Metropolitan Police has not dealt with this effectively, as outlined in the Casey Review.  

·        In relation to prosecutions for rape and domestic abuse, it was recognised that police forces needed to improve performance in this area; a national review had made a number of recommendations that the police were working to implement.

·        The Committee emphasised the need for real change in the Metropolitan Police, asking what change would look like at a local level, how the committee could review progress against this, and how these changes would lead to increased confidence in policing. A member noted that the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police had accepted the findings of the Casey Review, however commented that it was not yet clear how this would translate into tangible action, rather than rhetoric. The Borough Commander offered to attend a future meeting to update on progress in this area. 

·        The Committee commented on the importance of the police reflecting the diversity of local communities and requested workforce data for the local police service.

·        A member noted the low attendance at Ward Panel meetings and suggested that these could be publicised better. It was suggested that combining police Ward Panels with council Ward Partnership meetings may be a method of increasing attendance. Councillor Woolf offered to look at this further outside of the meeting, although other members noted the differences in these meetings and suggested that this may not be an appropriate solution.

·        Councillor Woolf commented on his work in providing critical challenge to the Metropolitan Police on local safety issues and reflected on the impact of government austerity on police and local government budgets, noting the need to develop strong working relationships between agencies to ensure that local safety issues can be addressed effectively. 

·        A member asked if it was possible to increase the number of police officers patrolling the streets, and also asked about relationships between the police and local authorities across borough boundaries, as a cross-borough approach may be appropriate to address issues such as anti-social behaviour. In response, it was advised that police patrol routes were prioritised to have the greatest impact, and the Borough Commander emphasised the value of cross-borough collaboration on crime and safety issues.

·        Following a question, the Borough Commander could not commit to increasing the number of Safer Schools Officers, but advised that the police would review the safety issues identified around local schools.

·        Following a question on hate crime, the Borough Commander emphasised the importance of reporting these crimes to the police.

 

The Committee thanked the Borough Commander for his attendance.

 

ACTIONS:

 

·        The Borough Commander be invited to attend a future meeting to provide an update on the matters set out above.

·        The Committee requested workforce data on the local police service.

·        The Executive Member for Community Safety offered to work with the police and council officers to review the feasibility of combining police Ward Panel meetings with council Ward Partnership meetings.

Supporting documents: