• Question by: Krupesh Hirani
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. The Green Group is now out of time. Assembly Member Hirani, please. Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you, Chair. My question is to the Commissioner. The first issue that I raised with you when you came into office in this Chamber was on the issue of abstractions and the impact on neighbourhood policing. In the last year, we all know about the public order issues and the impact that is having on the MPS’s finances and also on abstractions as well. Can you tell us your latest thoughts on abstractions and how public order in...

• Question by: Zoë Garbett
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. Assembly Member Garbett, please. Zoë Garbett AM: I would like to ask some questions about disability hate crime. Inclusion London, the advocacy organisation for deaf and disabled people, recently conducted some research of the experience of deaf and disabled Londoners of hate crime, and they found that half of the victims did not want police involvement. I have been asking the MPS’s progress in tackling disablism within the service and have not been 100 per cent reassured by the response in terms of the deep understanding of the issues and a recognition of the...

• Question by: James Small-Edwards
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. Assembly Member Small-Edwards, please. James Small-Edwards AM: Thank you, Chair. Good afternoon, Mr Mayor. Good afternoon, Commissioner. In September, the new Government banned zombie knives and machetes, something that you have called for and the Labour group have called for, for a number of years. Do you think this will have a material impact in the MPS’s ability to eradicate the scourge of knife crime and get weapons off our streets?

• Question by: Bassam Mahfouz
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. City Hall Conservatives are now out of time. The next Member to speak is Assembly Member Mahfouz. Bassam Mahfouz AM: Good morning. Commissioner, Britain has lost over £2 billion to fraud last year. What would you say were the top two actions that the MPS is doing to hold fraudsters to account?

• Question by: Thomas Turrell
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): I am afraid we do not on that question, I do apologise. I am sorry. Assembly Member Turrell, please. Thomas Turrell AM: Thank you, Chair. Good afternoon, Mayor. Good afternoon, Commissioner, Mr Mayor, to you, the Commissioner said back in October that the more we crush officers, the less they fight crime. As the PCC for London, would you like to take this opportunity to apologise to Sergeant Blake, a brave and dedicated officer, who must be feeling badly let down and thrown to the wolves by all political leaders?

• Question by: Gareth Roberts
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. Assembly Member Roberts, please. Gareth Roberts AM: Thank you. Mr Mayor, in February of this year, you claimed in relation to funding of the MPS that the reality is that the Government continues to chronically underfund policing in London. Following the budget, is it still the case that the Government is chronically underfunding policing in London?

• Question by: Marina Ahmad
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Ahmad, please. Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Mr Mayor. Good morning, Commissioner. Sir Mark Rowley QPM (Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis): Good morning. Marina Ahmad AM: As we know, sadly, since 7 October, and the attacks, there has been a steep rise in London of hate crime, both in terms of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. As we have touched on already today, there are concerns that the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East will do the same. Could you tell us exactly the steps that you are taking...

• Question by: Emma Best
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Best, please. Emma Best AM: Thank you. Good morning, Mr Mayor. I want to turn to comments made in recent days by the IOPC, particularly by Sal Naseem [former Regional Director for London, Independent Office for Police Conduct], who led the investigation into Chris Kaba. To make this clear, I want to try to detach this more from that case and talk about restoring officer confidence going forward. He said, “It was fed back to us that if we had not done it”, meaning referring the case for homicide, “at that time, there would...

• Question by: Elly Baker
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Baker, please. Elly Baker AM: Thank you, Chair. Morning, Commissioner. Morning, Mr Mayor. I have a question for both of you on the recent early release scheme and concerns raised by charities working with domestic abuse victims about the potential early release of their abusers. May I ask what is being done by MOPAC and MPS to manage this risk to women?

• Question by: Leonie Cooper
• Meeting date: 07 November 2024

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Cooper, please. Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Commissioner. I just wanted to ask you about women and the justice system. The Housing Committee is conducting an investigation into this at the moment, and one of the things that we have done is we have visited Bronzefield Prison last week. The Chair actually was amongst us, as was I. One of the issues is about the length of sentences that women are receiving and, in discussion at the prison, it is very obvious that short sentences of less than six months are...