Crimestoppers Regional Manager

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 2021.

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. London has done this for the last three years, prior to this there was a break in employment.

The Regional Manager as well as being a vital link between the Met, MOPAC and Crimstoppers, 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 2021until March 2024.

2. The funding requested is for £39,926 pa for three years. A total of £119,778.

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

1. Introduction and background

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.

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

This bid concerns the role of Regional Manager for London. Over the last three 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 2024.

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

The performance of the London Regional Manager is impressive and has supported the Mayor’s work to reduce crime and detect offenders.

Over the last three years 16 campaigns have been delivered across London. The crime types covered by these include: Hate Crime, Domestic Abuse, County Lines, Serious Organised crime, Modern Day Slavery. The actual campaigns generated 307 media articles in the London and national press, the ‘cost’ of such coverage is estimated to be about £1.6m.

In addition to funding through MOPAC, the Met and the City of London Police, local efforts raised a further £184,500 to fund campaigns.

Compared to other large urban areas London has a lower call rate per head. This may in part be due to the fact that for several years prior to the last agreement London did not have a Regional Manager.

The benefit of having specific campaigns, led and co-ordinated by a Regional Manager can be seen from the statistics below.

• 22% increase in reports relating to County Lines in Brent during a six-week campaign.

• 30% increase in reports relating to knives across London in 2019 to 2020.

• 9% increase in reports relating to domestic abuse across London during the Hidden Harms campaign.

• 27%.

• Fearless activity, that specifically is targeted at young people has been active in the London Borough of Barking in Dagenham. In that one borough Crimestoppers saw an increase from 12 reports to 81 in the first year.

Some specific examples where Crimestoppers has assisted are shown below.

• Knifepoint Robbery - Information was received from Crimestoppers, giving the name for a suspect from a CCTV image of a knifepoint robbery. Subsequent investigation confirmed the suspect to be linked to the robbery and to several other offences, which included other knifepoint robberies targeting high value watches. The suspect was arrested and charged with a number of offences.

• Murder - Crimestoppers received several pieces of information in relation to a murder. Out of all the pieces of information we sent to police forces identified two suspects by name as being responsible. Because of this information both suspects were arrested and subsequently charged with murder.

• Robbery - Crimestoppers publicised CCTV footage and offered a £5000 enhanced reward showing a robbery in a jewellery shop where a member of staff was injured by the robbers. Information given to Crimestoppers named one of the three robbers involved in this offence, the offender is now serving a sentence of seven years and four months in jail plus three years on extended licence.

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.

Following discussions during this last year 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.

3. Financial Comments

The total budget requirement for this work totals £119,778 over the next three years. The programme will be funded from within the Strategy Directorates, and is set at £39,926 for each of the years.

4. Legal Comments

This decision will effect support the continuation in employment of the London Crimestoppers Regional Manager. The individual in post is employed and line managed by Crimestoppers. No change in this is foreseen.

Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all bids for grant funding.

5. GDPR and Data Privacy

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. Crimestoppers have in place mechanisms to ensure full compliance with these requirements.

6. Equality Comments

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.

Crimestoppers operates under similar duties and ensures that in the employment and treatment of all its staff it is compliant.