Response to the Mayor’s Draft Police and Crime Plan

The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee has published its response to the Mayor's Draft Police and Crime Plan.

The Draft Plan sets out priorities for the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime during the Mayor’s time in office.

Summary

The Mayor’s Draft Police and Crime Plan comes at a time of great challenge and uncertainty for policing in the capital.

Crime is changing, with increasingly complex and serious offences placing new demands on officers and requiring them to develop new skills.

The growing number of specialist investigations that the Met has to undertake—in areas such as child protection and historical sex abuse—is expected to continue, and are the very types of investigations the Met has been heavily criticised for.

At the same time, population growth and pressures on public services mean the expectation and demand on the everyday work of the police is increasing.

Surrounding all of this is a tough funding situation that does not look set to improve in the near future.

This report sets out the Committee’s response to the draft plan. The Committee examined how the priorities and commitments reflect the challenges of modern policing, and the unique nature of crime in London.

The Committee also assessed the arrangements for effective oversight of the plan, to ensure that the London Assembly and Londoners can clearly hold MOPAC and the Metropolitan Police to account.