PCD 1578 Funding for London Regional Crimestoppers Manager, through contract exemption 2024-2027

PCD 1578 Funding for London Regional Crimestoppers Manager, through contract exemption 2024-2027

This decision is to approve the continued funding by MOPAC of Regional Manager for Crimestoppers.  The current agreement, which ran for three years expires on 31st March 2024. 

Crimestoppers is a national charity that enables members of the public to pass information to the police anonymously.  The caller may be entitled to a reward should the information prove to be accurate and actionable. All Police Forces contribute to the administrative costs for Crimestoppers, and fund raising activity by local Boards pays for many specific campaigns.  However, in order to optimise the benefit of Crimestoppers all regions employ a Regional Manager.   

The Regional Manager as well as being a vital link between the Met, MOPAC and Crimestoppers, tailors campaigns to meet local needs, both for longer term initiatives but also in responding to specific offences. 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended:   

1. To continue to fund the London Crimestoppers Regional Manager post from April 2024 until March 2027. 

2. The funding requested is for £44,000 pa for three years. A total of £132,000. 

3. Oversight of this work to continue to rest within MOPAC’s Head of operational Oversight. 

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

1. Introduction and background  

1. An essential part of policing is gathering information from members of the public.  Many people do so openly and willingly.  However, for some people there is neither the willingness nor freedom to do so.  Crimestoppers provides an alternative route by which more reticent individuals can come forward and provide information to the Police.  They can do this through Crimestoppers in a confidential way.  Their identity will never be disclosed.  In addition, they may well be entitled to a reward, although it should be noted that many individuals do not take any financial gain from passing on information. 

2. Crimestoppers is national service, with its administrative costs paid by policing.  Many campaigns are either funded directly, or through local funding Boards. 

3. This decision concerns the role of Regional Manager for London.  Over the last six years MOPAC and the City of London Police have jointly funded a Regional Manager.  This decision will renew the funding for this post until March 2027. 

4. The London Regional Manager facilitates access to the entire Crimestoppers organisational expertise in crime reduction, marketing communication, fundraising and volunteering in London.  This brings the advantages of reduced crime, increased media exposure, better community relations and communities who actively engage with the crime and policing agenda. 

2. Issues for consideration  

1. The performance of the London Regional Manager is impressive and has supported the Mayor’s work to reduce crime and detect offenders.  This is in line with the Casey recommendations in so far as it helps to build trust with communities and helps to reduce crime, by making policing more targeted and effective.  Crimestoppers also offers the MPS Anti-Corruption and Abuse hotline to give people the option of anonymous reporting, contributing to cleaning up the MPS.     

2. Since 2019 there have been 48 campaigns, supported by the regional manager’s generation of an additional £391,000, reaching over 10 million people in London via social media alone.  These have included, but are not limited to; Hate Crime (World Cup football venues across London), Domestic Abuse (City of London, Croydon, and Hillingdon) and Drugs/County Lines/OCG (Haringey and Enfield - pan London).   

3. Additionally Fearless Campaigns focussing on knife crime, CSE and County Lines have run across the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham,Westminster, Croydon, Lambeth.  The London Regional manager promotes the Crimestoppers youth brand, Fearless in London by delivering presentations, creating and sharing resources, collaborating with partners and running Fearless.org campaigns. Since 2021 this has reached 572,296 young people through social media and radio campaigns.  With an increase in anonymous Fearless reports of 57% during 2022/23. 

4. Performance wise there have been significant increases in reports relating to key crime types, 58% increase in reports relating to Domestic Abuse, 34% increase in reports relating to County Lines and 22% increase in reports relating to knife crime. 

5. Crimstoppers continues to build effective partnerships across London with local authorities, housing providers, charities, youth services, community groups and other organisations where coordinated and multi-faceted approaches to crime prevention and knowledge sharing can take place.  The Social Media Partnership and Engagement Board – MPS/Project Alpha saw an increase from 12 reports to 81 in the first year. 

6. Oversight of the work of the London Regional Manager rests with MOPAC’s Head of Operational Oversight.  Close liaison is maintained with the Director of Intelligence in the Met, as well as with various other Commanders.  The work of the Regional Manager now is included as part of the MOPAC/Met Quarterly Commissioning Review meeting chaired by the Director of MOPAC’s CJC.  Continued investment in the Regional Manager will continue to drive performance and should enable us to match other urban areas for information. 

7. Online research and discussions have highlighted that Crimestoppers is unique in its provision of the services as mentioned.  It also has a trusted brand and links into the MPS, which are unrivalled and key to its efficacy.  They also part fund the Regional Manager in addition to the MOPAC funding. 

3. Financial Comments  

1. The total budget requirement for this work totals £132,000 over the next three years  (£44,000 pa from 2024/25 to 2026/27).  

2. The programme will be funded each year from within the Strategy budget. 

4. Legal Comments  

4.1  Paragraph 4.13 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all contract exemptions for £100,000 or above. 

5. Commercial Issues  

1. This decision paper requests approval to award a contract to Crimestoppers via an exemption from competitive tendering for provision of a regional manager. The value is £132,000 over three years, from April 2024 to March 2027. 

2. Due to the categorisation of this requirement as a service, its value falls below the thresholds set out in Part 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, so it is only subject to Part 4 of the Regulations. 

3. The rationale for the exemption is set out in paragraph 2.7. 

4. In accordance with MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, this action can be approved by the DMPC. 

5. The actions set out in this Decision paper can be completed in compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and MOPAC’s Contract Regulations.   

6. 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.   

7. 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. An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed which evidences those disproportionately affected by stop and search.  

3. Given the findings of institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia in the Casey review there should be enhanced assurance that the recommendations incorporate actions to address this