Key information
Executive summary
This paper seeks approval for a five year Police Services Agreement (PSA) with Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) and a five year PSA with London City Airport Ltd (LCY). Both agreements expired on 31 March 2016 but have been extended pending a new agreement.
Recommendation
The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is asked to:
1. Approve a five year Police Services Agreement with Heathrow Airport Ltd covering the continue provision of police services at Heathrow Airport.
2. Approve a five year Police Services Agreement with London City Airport Ltd covering the continued provision of police services at London City Airport.
3. Agree the paper does not go back to Investment Advisory Board for further consideration, prior to signature by the DMPC, unless there are significant and material changes to the final Police Services Agreement with Heathrow Airport Limited and London City Airport Limited.
Non-confidential facts and advice to the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC)
1. Introduction and background
1.1. The MPS provides police services to both Heathrow and London City Airports under a Police Services Agreement (PSA) with the airport operators. The framework for airport security planning is set out in the Aviation Security Act 1982 (as amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2009) and involves a bottom up risk based approach owned by a Risk Assessment Group.
1.2. This group makes recommendations to a wider group of airport stakeholders who form the Executive Security Group, whose primary function is to draw up and maintain an Airport Security Plan (ASP). This ASP will describe the security measures in place at the airport and will detail the agency responsible for the delivery of each measure and the arrangements in place for monitoring delivery.
1.3. The PSA provides details of the following: terms and conditions, sets of schedules covering contract data, police services including the number of police and police staff posts, performance indicators, accommodation, vehicles, charges and a cost estimate.
2. Issues for consideration
2.1. It is a statutory requirement that every airport has an ASP and as a result of the ASP any airport requiring a police presence must have a PSA.
3. Financial Comments
3.1. An estimated budget for the cost of policing the airport is agreed with each airport operator at the commencement of their respective financial years (1st January for HAL and 1st April for LCY). The MPS monitors the expenditure against this budget and adjusts the forecast throughout the financial year and the airport operator pays a monthly standing order based on the original estimate. At the end of the financial year the final outturn is agreed and an adjustment is made based on the amount paid by the airport operator against the final outturn.
4. Legal Comments
4.1 Under Section 24 AE (1) of the Airport Security Act 1982 an airport is required to have an Airport Security Plan (APS) which specifies the security measures to be taken at an airport, the persons responsible for their delivery and the arrangements for monitoring of those measures.
4.2 A PSA is the final stage of the security planning process for those airports where it has been agreed that some of the security measures in the ASP should be carried out by the local police force. A PSA is an agreement between the airport operator, the local police force and the police authority, which specifies how much the airport operator will reimburse the police force for the relevant measures set out in the ASP.
4.3 Paragraph 4.8 of the Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides for the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to approve the provision of policing services to external bodies where the contract value is £500,000 or above.
4.4 Both PSAs will be published under the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011.
5. Equality Comments
5.1. Both the current and revised PSA for both airports contain an Anti-Discrimination clause that covers the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 and acknowledges MOPAC’s duty under both acts and requires the airport operator to take all reasonable steps to assist and co-operate with MOPAC to satisfy this duty.
6. Background/supporting papers
6.1. Report.
Signed decision document
PCD 200