HO Grant Funding - Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment

This paper proposes the acceptance of HO grant funding to part fund for 2020/21 the Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA) function upto £328,945, and to part fund for 2020/21 the Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM) role upto £75,000.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

1. Approve the receipt by the MPS of £328,945 of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) grant funding to enable the establishment of the London ROCTA during 2020/21

2. Approve the receipt of £75,000 of grant funding from the Home Office for 50% of the staff costs of a MPS Superintendent plus associated costs, for the period 01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021

1. Introduction and background

Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA)

1.1. The national ROCTA network was formed in response to HMIC’s PEEL: Police effectiveness 2016 (national overview) which found the mapping of organised crime groups to be unacceptably inconsistent, giving an incomplete and inaccurate picture of the SOC threat.

1.2. Such teams already exist in the other nine policing regions of England and Wales and their establishment was supported by Police Transformation Fund (PTF) monies from which London did not benefit.

1.3. This paper proposes acceptance of HO funding to part fund the establishment and on-going costs of this function in London.

Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM)

1.4. The Home Office have funded the CDAM role since 2015 as part of a wider grant funding arrangement for Communications Capabilities Development (CCD) Programme. This funding expired on 31 March 2020. The HO have now issued a new grant agreement for funding of the CDAM for the next financial year (FY20/21).

2. Issues for consideration

Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA)

2.1. The new London Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA) team will be a three force partnership – MPS, City of London Police (CoLP) and British Transport Police (BTP). It will incorporate the Met’s existing Organised Crime Group Mapping (OCGM) team.



2.2. The London ROCTA is to provide a single regional capability that will assess, understand and manage the threat and risk from SOC across London. It will provide:

• A complete view by threat of demand, risk and resource in London.

• A consistent approach to the management of risk and tasking capabilities

2.3. The Met have already begun operating on the basis of the above arrangements.

Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM)

2.4. The role of Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM) within the MPS is to work closely with the National Communication and Data Service (NCDS) of the Home Office in promoting the use of Communications Data for policing purposes within Law Enforcement Agencies and key stakeholders

2.5. The Met have continued to operate this role on the basis of the above arrangements.

3. Financial Comments

Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA)

3.1. The ROCTA function is estimated to cost £653k for 2020/21. At £328,945 the HO grant will cover 50% of the staff costs of the expanded team for 2020/21. Existing regional organised crime funding will meet a further 14% of the costs, with the remaining 36% being met from within MPS existing budget.

3.2. The model of SOC funding nationally is being reviewed and the MPS, CoLP, BTP and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) SOC Portfolio are working together to determine sustainable funding arrangements.

Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM)

3.3. The 2020/21 HO grant funding will meet half of the cost of this role and support, travel and susbsistence costs upto a total of £75,000. The Met are meeting the remaining cost of the CDAM role from within their existing budgets.

3.4. There remains a risk that future annual HO grant funding may reduce or cease.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. The ROCTA grant will be paid to MOPAC in exercise of the power conferred upon the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

4.2. The CDAM grant will be paid to the MOPAC in exercise of the power conferred upon the Secretary of State for the Home Department under the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016.

4.3. Para 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides the DMPC with delegated powers to accept any offer of grant funding.

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

5. GDPR and Data Privacy

Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA)

5.1. The Met have completed privacy impact screening questions for the early phases of the establishment of ROCTA and no Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) was deemed necessary. The Met acknowledge that as the function develops and as access to datasets increase there will be need for a DPIA.

Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM)

5.2. Privacy Impact Screening Questions were completed for the CDAM role and it was deemed that no Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) was required.

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.

Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA)

6.2. An Equality Impact Assessment is being conducted to inform the operation and growth of the ROCTA team. The EIA will be completed during August 2020 and will be quality assured by a leading subject matter expert within the MPS.

Communications and Data Account Manager (CDAM)

6.3. This is an extension of an existing service this work does not change any aspects relating to equality or diversity. The Met have identified no diversity or equality issues.

7. Background/supporting papers

• Appendix 1a Grant Funding for London Regional Organised Crime Threat Assessment (ROCTA) team 01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021

• Appendix 1b Grant Funding for the MPS Communications and Data Account Manager Role 01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021