PCD 1367 NPCC Police STAR Funding Acceptance

 PCD 1367 NPCC Police STAR Funding Acceptance

This paper seeks approval to accept Home Office grant funding of upto £5,200,000 for 2022/23 in respect of the National Policing Chiefs Council (NPCC) Science, Technology, Analysis and, Research (STAR) function; to approve the granting of funds to successful STAR projects in police forces £2,517,581, and to approve the acceptance by MPS of STAR funding £514,818 for their successful STAR projects. There is no financial exposure to MOPAC. 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve MOPAC entering into a Grant Agreement with the Home Office (HO), on behalf of the NPCC, to receive the STAR Fund of up to £5,200,000 in 2022/23. 

2. Approve MOPAC providing grants from the 2022/23 STAR Fund to successful STAR Fund Projects. 

3. Approve MOPAC accepting 2022/23 STAR Fund awards to support successful MPS-led STAR Projects. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background 

1. The Home Office awarded £5.2m through the 2022/23 Police Settlement, to fund Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) across the policing sector. 

2. Issues for consideration 

1. The grant funding is for the 2022/23 financial year only. It will be used to fund the role of the Police Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), his private office and specific STAR projects approved through the Police STAR Board.  NPCC assure that the Police STAR Fund projects were assessed through an open and transparent process, using UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) criteria, and  overseen by the Police STAR Board, comprising of senior, Director-level leads across Policing including the APCC, Government and Academia. 

2. The delay in seeking this approval is due to awaiting Home Office finalisation of the grant. 

3. The approved STAR fund projects to other law enforcement forces/agencies for 2022/23 total £2,517,581, which includes £514,818 of projects relating to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). 

3. Financial Comments 

1. The NPCC have assured that there will be compliant spend of this funding by the 31 March 2022, and that the estimated costs of the team will be fully funded from the HO grant. If there are any additional costs these will be met by the Home Office or NPCC. There is no financial exposure for MOPAC. 

4. Legal Comments  

1. The HO grant will be paid to the MOPAC, as the host organisation for the NPCC, in exercise of the power conferred upon the Secretary of State for the Home Department under Section 57 of the Police Act 1996. 

2. The acceptance and provision of Grant Agreements to support this function are legal under Schedule 3, Paragraph 7 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 which provides that: 

• “7(1) The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office. 

• (2)That includes— entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not);” 

3. Under paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation the DMPC has delegated authority to approve “Bids for grant funding made and all offers made of grant funding; and/or where appropriate a strategy for grant giving”. 

4. The grant agreement will be published under the Elected Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 

5. GDPR and Data Privacy 

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.   

2. The NPCC assure that the receipt of HO funding and the award and receipt by MPS of grant funding does not involve the use of personally identifiable data of members of the public, so there are no GDPR issues to be considered 

6. Equality Comments 

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. The NPCC assure that there are no equality implications arising from the acceptance of Home Office funding, or from the award of funding to other forces, or receipt by MPS of the proposed grant funding.  

7. Background/supporting papers 

• Appendix 1 NPCC report - Acceptance of Police STAR Fund Grant Agreement 22/23