Key information
Executive summary
This paper seeks approval to accept the Home Office offer of grant funding for 2021/22 of upto £1,968,676.24. The funding will support the on-going work of the Project Alpha Social Media Hub (SMH) to deliver an enhanced response to tackle gang related serious violence and organised criminality that includes county line offending by taking action against online activity.
Recommendation
The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:
1. approve acceptance of Home Office Grant funding of upto a maximum of £1,968,676.24 to fund the Social Media Hub in the 2021/2022 financial year. Funding will reflect actual expenditure incurred during current financial year.
2. approve the continuation of Project Alpha Social Media Hub with existing staff levels to address the threat, risk and harm of gang violence and organised crime perpetuated through online activity.
Non-confidential facts and advice to the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC)
1. Introduction and background
1.1. This is a continuation of funding previously approved by MOPAC PCD545, PCD867 and and PCD914.
1.2. The current grant funding ceases on 31/03/2021 and the grant offered for continuation will be for financial year 2021/22 only in line with the chancellor’s decision of a one year spending review.
2. Issues for consideration
2.1. The proposed grant funding will support the MOPAC Police & Crime Plan by focusing on investigation, enforcement and disruption work against high harm gangs utilising a range of tactics. In addition it will make referrals to social media companies for the removal of illegal and harmful content intended to incite serious violence
2.2. The core aims of the Hub are to:
• Deliver a strategy to tackle the growing issue of threat, risk and harm generated by gangs through their use of social media platforms that perpetuates serious youth violence and facilitates organised crime.
• Develop best practice in partnership with other Police Forces, agencies and the industry to enhance the response of law enforcement. Advancing skills, knowledge and the use of technology to deliver innovative and effective solutions.
• Gauge the scale of the threat and associated demand on law enforcement. Allow for analysis of gang network exploitation – e.g. recruitment into county lines, child criminal and sexual exploitation.
• Continued development of a national intelligence network, which would be the UK’s first dedicated intelligence function designed to tackle gang criminality and the associated violence.
3. Financial Comments
3.1. This proposal seeks approval to accept upto £1,968,676.24 of Home Office grant funding for 2021/22. The grant will support the funding of staff and officers as well as equipment and specialist training.
4. Legal Comments
4.1. The Home Office will pay the additional grant to the Metropolitan Police in exercise of the power conferred by Section 56 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004).
4.2. MOPAC may accept the offer of the Grant pursuant to Schedule 3 Paragraph 7 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (“2001 Act”) where MOPAC may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office which includes entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not).
4.3. Paragraph 4.8 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation and Consent requires the approval of the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to approve the receipt of the grant.
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. MPS assure that a DPIA has been completed which concluded that the risk of a data breach occurring was low based on current practices.
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. MPS assure that this business case has undergone a full equalities impact assessment with no negative impact identified at this stage.
7. Background/supporting papers
• Appendix 1 MPS Report Project Alpha Social Media Hub Continued Home Office Funding (Financial Year 2021/2022
Signed decision document
PCD 960