Results so far – crime falls 9%
| Crime Type |
21 months
pre May 2008 |
21 months post May 2008 |
% change |
| Total Notifiable Offences |
1610463 |
1466101 |
-9.0% |
| Violence Against the Person Offences |
319171 |
307270 |
-3.7% |
| Serious Sexual Offences |
11698 |
12129 |
3.7% |
| Youth Violence |
41287 |
35574 |
-13.8% |
| Robbery Offences |
73301 |
56842 |
-22.5% |
| Burglary (residential) Offences |
109686 |
105496 |
-3.8% |
| Motor Vehicle Crime Offences |
222748 |
179952 |
-19.2% |
| Murder Offences |
291 |
229 |
-21.3% |
| Domestic Offences |
94432 |
92869 |
-1.7% |
| Racist and Religious Offences |
17008 |
17180 |
1.0% |
| Homophobic Offences |
1850 |
2174 |
17.5% |
MPA Full Authority meeting – 28th January
The MPA Full Authority meeting takes place once a month at City Hall and is the main opportunity for MPA members to hold the Met to account in public, by questioning the Met Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson. Kit Malthouse chaired the meeting welcoming new MPA member Tony Arbour AM. He also confirmed the long awaited Race and Faith Inquiry report will be available in the Spring. The Authority then received a petition from Waltham Forest Council for more police officers, which led to a lively discussion about the formula for allocating police officers to boroughs (Resource Allocation Formula).
Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin gave a round-up of Met business over the past month, reporting that crime figures were down by 2%, the lowest level since 1998. He also took questions from members including questions about rape and homophobic crime figures, s44 stop and search, and child trafficking.
To view the webcast of the Full Authority Meeting please visit http://bit.ly/amqnxh.
32 London Boroughs complete Joint Engagement Meetings (JEMs)
| When the Mayor became Chair of the MPA he set out his priorities in a strategy called ‘MetForward’. Recognising the role all agencies need to play in making London safer ‘Met Partners’ is a key strand of the strategy. |
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JEMs were designed as part of this priority to drive better partnership work, particularly around serious youth violence. Each meeting used extensive and comprehensive data sources to explore joint concerns with the police, the council and other borough partner agencies.
All 32 JEMs have now taken place and have been a huge success. Through the meetings the MPA, Local Authorities and the police have been able to identify long-term, chronic problems at a borough level and agree practical solutions, as well as developing new solutions to pan-London problems to sit alongside and support existing mechanisms. Discussions have been open and frank, with partners fully engaging in the problem solving process. A new cycle of JEMs will take place in 2010 focusing on specific local priorities.
Met reaches 3,000 Special Constables – more than ever before
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Since becoming Deputy Mayor, Kit Malthouse highlighted the need for more Special Constables (police volunteers) and set a target of 6700 Specials by 2012.
Specials are an important part of policing for three main reasons. Firstly, they increase the number of Officers available for police duties. Secondly, they increase the number of Officers in the City that can make arrests (even when off duty) as they all have to live or work in London. Finally, more so than regular officers, they are able to build strong bridges between the police and Londoners. |
To celebrate National Specials week, Kit went to meet some Specials out on patrol encouraging more Londoners to join them. This is what stay at home mum of three, Fern Raven, had to say, “Being a Special is a very rewarding experience. You learn a lot! Not just new skills but about yourself. You are supported and helped throughout by everyone the MPS family. I love it!”
Since launching the new recruitment drive, the Met has been inundated with over 900 applications, but they still want more: To find out more about becoming a Special, please visit: http://bit.ly/cVhhTI
To find out more about the work of the MPA, please visit: http://bit.ly/cuj7Wo
Tackling Youth Violence – ‘Time for Action’
| The ‘Mayor’s Scholars’ – ‘Wise up’ event for children in care
Last year the Mayor published his youth violence strategy ‘Time for Action’, part of that strategy focuses on improving the outcomes of children who live in care. The Mayor believes that every child in care should be supported to achieve their academic potential and that going to university should be a normal aspiration for them all. ‘Wise Up’ is one of Mayor’s programmes to deliver this.
‘Wise up’ – a partnership between the Mayor of London, Action for Children and Barnardo’s – held its first event at Kings College on Saturday the 13th February. The event was a huge success, with 13-14 years old in care coming from across the city to be inspired and explore the many education and training pathways available, through work shops and tasters sessions. The event also provided carers and key workers with information to help them support their children through their secondary education and into university or further education. |
‘Project Daedalus’ – training opportunities for young offenders
http://bit.ly/a9br7W
When the Mayor published his youth violence strategy ‘Time for Action’, he was very clear that young people needed more support to break the cycle of reoffending. ‘Project Deadalus’ is the part of his strategy that tackles this, with a newly specialised wing at Feltham Young Offenders Institute.
On the 26th January Kit Malthouse announced a new partnership with Bovis BeOnsite, who have committed to working with 24 young offenders from Daedalus’ new Heron Wing. BeOnsite is a non-profit organisation established by Bovis Lend Lease that is forging new ways of tackling re-offending through training and sustainable employment in the construction industry. BeOnsite has been giving ex-offenders a second chance since 2008. This work will provide life-changing opportunities to young offenders leaving the Heron Wing.
The early results from ‘Project Daedalus’ have been very promising. So far, 55 young people have been placed in the unit, with 26 receiving additional post-release support. None of the boys have re-offended since release. Feedback from both Feltham and the Youth Offending Teams has been positive: security incidents on the unit are running 90 per cent lower than the rest of Feltham. In partnership with BeOnsite Daedalus boys will receive training and employment opportunities on the construction sites at the 2012 Olympic site. |
To find out more comprehensive information about the entire ‘Time for Action’ programme please visit http://bit.ly/c57QCV
Violence Against Women – ‘The Way Forward’
City Hall hosts the first ‘London Violence Against Women and Girls Panel’
The Mayor published his violence against women strategy ‘The Way Forward’ last year; following a lengthy and lively consultation process a revised strategy and action plan will be published in the coming months.
Partners agreed that a London Violence Against Women and Girls Panel should be established to oversee the strategy, advise on the action required to end violence, provide a lead on the issue in London and improve coordination across a number of agencies and boards working in this area.
The Panel met for the first time on the 20th of January, chaired by Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse. It will meet on a quarterly basis and includes representatives from Government Office for London, London Councils, London Criminal Justice Partnership, Metropolitan Police Authority, Metropolitan Police Service, Health sector, Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS), Tenants Services Authority and representatives from London’s voluntary and community sector (see below).
| Appointment of Voluntary and Community Sector panel members to the London Violence Against Women and Girls Panel
Following a lengthy recruitment process, the following people have been appointed to the Panel:
- Carlene Firmin – Race on the Agenda
- Nicola Weller – Nia Project
- Miriam Merkova – Safe Exit
- Marai Larasi – Imkaan
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Promoting changes to prostitution laws
Kit Malthouse met Gunilla Ekberg, Eaves’ Policy and Legislative Adviser on Prostitution and Human Trafficking and expert on international human rights. They met to discuss Clause 14 of the Policing and Crime Act that will make buying sexual services illegal, they discussed ways to promote changes to ‘customers’, enforcing the law and what happens in other countries. |
To find out more about the Mayor’s work to tackle violence against women visit http://bit.ly/cs9YS9
GLA Activity
Deputy Mayor, lobbies government over Dangerous Dogs Act
| In the past five years, there has been a 119% increase in the number of young people presenting with bite injuries to hospitals. The GLA, and other stakeholders such as the RSPCA and the Met, believe that the current legislation (Dangerous Dogs Act 1991) is not effectively used and is in some respects outdated.
Kit Malthouse met a series of senior cross-party Parliamentarians to garner support for changes to the Dangerous Dogs legislation. Meetings have been very positive, with widespread support for change. |
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The Mayor is calling for three key changes:
- Tougher punishments for owning a banned dog or for owners of dog that is dangerously out of control or causes injury. Punishments should be in line with possession of a lethal weapon.
- Legislation to cover private land. Currently the likes of postal workers, health visitor and social workers aren’t protected.
- Changes to Section 4b of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. So that when a responsible owner has a banned breed mistakenly they can continue caring for it during the court process rather than it being put in police kennels, which is very costly to the taxpayer and bad for the dog’s welfare. This would only apply to dogs deemed safe.
To find out more about the GLA’s work on weapon dogs please visit: http://bit.ly/9xhgva
City Hall hosts ‘ASBO register’ seminar
In partnership with the London Anti-social Behaviour Board, the GLA hosted an event at City Hall on the 8th of January to discuss the use of Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) in London. With a particular focus on using ASBOs more effectively and steering the development of the pan-London ASBO register, which will help practitioners to share important information to ensure ASBOs aren’t breached.
GLA gets new look website
The GLA launched a new and improved website on Monday 17th of February. Check out the updated crime and community safety section, which will be updated regularly as work progresses: http://bit.ly/cM5GAw |
Local news from the Surrey Comet
Surbiton Forum 