Acceptance of Funding for Force Level Cyber Dependent Crime Response

This paper requests the acceptance of £1,099,125 of Home Office Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) and National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) funding awarded to address cyber dependent crime for 2021/22.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve the acceptance of a Grant of up to £1,099,125 from the NPCC lead for Cyber to support the MPS Force level response for cyber dependent crime in 2021/22.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. This papers seeks the authority to accept Home Office funding from the National Police Chiefs Council to tackle cyber dependent crime. Previous funding for this activity has been approved for the period from October 2018 to March 2021.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The grant will be used to fund up to £1,091,625 for the wage costs for up to 16 officers and 1 staff member, up to £7,500 for travel and accommodation associated with NPCC provided training.

2.2. The grant is conditional on MPS matching the funding provided for staffing and ring-fencing the use of the grant to cyber dependent crime. The MPS has assured that both of these conditions are met.

2.3. The MPS state that the acceptance of the grant “directly support the MOPAC Police & Crime Plan which states “we will continuously review our approach, skills and capabilities to tackle new and emerging threats …….. and the changes in the types of crime facing Londoners such as social media hate crime, fraud and cybercrime.”

3. Financial Comments

3.1. The proposal is for the acceptance of grant funding of £1,099,125 for 2021/22.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. The legal powers applicable to the acceptance of this Grant will be 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—

(a)entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not);

4.2. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides the DMPC with delegated power to approve all offers made of grant funding.

5. GDPR and Data Privacy

5.1. 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.

5.2. The MPS assure that screening questions have been completed and a DPIA is not required because this is not a project or application to change or introduce a new process or function but to deliver business as usual in an investigative capacity.

6. Equality Comments

6.1. 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.

6.2. The MPS assure that following as equality screening exercise no positive or negative impact has been identified to any individual and/or group safeguarded by a protected characteristic and those who are not.

7. Background/supporting papers

• Appendix 1 MPS Paper “Funding for Force Level Cyber Dependent Crime Response “