Sponsorship by Marks and Spencer of the ACT E- Learning Product

DMPC approval is sought to continue sponsorship from Marks and Spencer to deliver an online counter terrorism awareness package ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) E Learning, which is free for any company in the UK to access. This continued sponsorship now exceeds the £50k delegated authority threshold and requires Deputy Mayor’s approval.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve the acceptance of continued sponsorship, to the revised value of £79,000, for the ACT E Learning package from Marks and Spencer pursuant to section 93 of the Police Act 1996.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The ACT E Learning programme is an online version of the ACT Awareness presentation, delivered by Counter Terrorism Security Advisors (CTSAs), which was formally known as Project Griffin. Established in April 2004 as a joint venture between business, the City of London Police (CoLP) and the Metropolitan Police (MPS), it has since been adopted as a national programme governed by National Counter Terrorism Policing. Since its inception, Griffin, which was brought under the ACT Awareness banner in 2018, has expanded significantly and is nowadays viewed as the most effective and successful example of public-private partnership on CT security issues.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The ACT E Learning programme is a national programme available free of charge to any company wishing to access it as long as they agree to the terms and conditions. It is entirely funded by the sponsorship from Marks and Spencer. There is currently no alternative funding stream. The online format was created specifically in response to business needs to break down previous barriers to engagement with police, and data from the first 9 months demonstrates its success.

2.2. The ACT E Learning is a counter terrorism awareness package, however, much of the advice provided is applicable in other situations such as response to public disorder, or other hazards. The tools provided to identify suspicious activity may also identify other types of criminality, furthering holistic engagement between business and police and reducing crime.

2.3. The online format of the ACT E Learning has allowed it to reach large numbers in a short space of time, with over 500,000 modules completed since the terror attacks of 2017. The format is cost effective for both the police and businesses, as it is a self-delivery product so there are no staffing costs. The sponsorship of Marks and Spencer means the product also has very limited cost implications for National Counter Terrorism Policing, and has encouraged greater public private partnership working.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This proposal seeks approval to accept the further Sponsorship offer valued at £30,000 from Marks and Spencer under S.93 of the Police ACT 1996. The offer takes the total Sponsorship value to £79,000. This is a continuation of services that have been obtained with Commercial Services and in line with agreed policies and legislation. The funding will cover the on-going running costs of hosting the E learning, IT support and analytics.

3.2. The funding is received as a benefit in kind and no actual cash is received from Marks and Spencer. There is ongoing dependency on this funding.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. S.93 of the Police Act 1996, allows the MOPAC, as the local policing body, in connection with the discharge of any of its functions to accept gifts and loans of money and resources and includes the ability to provide commercial sponsorship terms to the third party.

4.2. The MOPAC scheme of Delegation at Clause 4.8 requires the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to approve all inward donations and sponsorship £50,000 and above in value.

4.3. The approval will be documented by way of a S.93 Sponsorship agreement to formalize the arrangement. The agreement will be published under the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011.

4.4. DLS have approved the legal position above which is based on previous advice to the MET Third Party Contracts Team.

5. GDPR and Data Privacy

5.1. The training package does not use personally identifiable data of members of the public, so there are no GDPR issues to be considered.

6. Equality Comments

6.1. There are no identified or anticipated negative equality impacts relating to this proposal from an internal perspective.

6.2. From an external perspective, the ACT E Learning package has been assessed for accessibility and disability compliance, transcriptions are available for every module for deaf or hard of hearing learners. The proposed contribution would assist in developing the package so subtitles will be provided throughout.

7. Background/supporting papers

7.1. MPS report