Agenda item

Chief Inspector Marc Cash and Superintendent Lorraine Busby McVey gave a verbal update to the Board.

The Police reported that the Sarah Everard Report (Angiolini Inquiry) had been released and an update will be provided on the impact at the next meeting.

Clair Green, Executive Director of Assurance informed the Board that the BCU Commander offered a briefing on the report (Sarah Everard Report - Angiolini Inquiry) which The London Borough of Barnet accepted.

Inspector Andy LeGeyt, Metropolitan Police, provided an update on Stop and Search to the Board following a request from the Chair. Inspector Andy LeGeyt highlighted some key statistics to the Board. There had been a decline in Stop and Searches across the MPS and the NW. 21% of people searched under the age of 18 are majority male and 5.3% are female. The majority reason for stop and searches was due to suspecting possession of drugs. More information can be found here: Stats and data | Metropolitan Police

Inspector LeGeyt informed the Board that the New Met for London Plan committed to develop a Stop and Search Charter setting out how and when stop and search should be used and provide greater transparency on the tactic. The charter is being developed in partnership with Londoners as part of the work to rebuild trust and confidence.

Inspector LeGeyt further informed the Board that over the last six months the Met have carried out significant community engagement, asking Londoners for their views on how stop and search should be carried out, audited, scrutinised, and governed and how they should work with communities going forward to ensure views are heard. The Met have focused consultation on those groups most likely to be affected by stop and search, including young people and those from a minority background, through a combination of locally run events from each borough and thematic events at New Scotland Yard and online.

Key themes from the events have included:

-       Focusing on the quality of the encounter

-       Improved supervision

-       Improved training

-       Improved complaints handling

-       Better use of technology

-       Enhanced independent governance and scrutiny

-       Community involvement in where, when and why S+S is being used

-       Better public understanding of S+S

In addition the Met have completed two quantitative surveys

·         A YouGov survey, focusing on a representative sample of London

·         A survey carried out by Zen-City, which surveys a wide range of people who have highlighted an interest in stop and search.

Inspector LeGeyt outlined to the Board that the Met are seeking support to both complete and publicise the next and final stage of their research programme, which is open to everybody who lives and works in London. This will test the themes already identified by those interested in stop and search with the wider public. 

Findings from the survey and consultation will be used to co-create the Stop and Search Charter, putting community voices front and centre. The Charter will be pivotal to improving trust, transparency and accountability with London communities and the Met plan to launch this with a communications and engagement programme in Spring.

The survey will be live between 13^th February and 19^thMarch 2024 - https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/MetPoliceStopandSearchCharter/.

Clair Green, Executive Director of Assurance outlined to the Board that Barnet Council will promote and circulate the survey.

Prior to the meeting, information and an update on child exploitation was shared with the Board from Detective Chief Inspector David Le Rivere who previously spoke at an Overview and Scrutiny Committee  on the topic (Annotator Player (sonicfoundry.com) 30 Minutes in). Alongside this some HMICFRS information was shared. Detective Chief Inspector Le Rivere outlined to the Board that the 11 recommendations have been made from the child exploitation report and local changed was implemented immediately.

The Chair thanked The Metropolitan Police for their continued efforts and for the update.