APPENDIX 1
Supplementary notes submitted by the Metropolitan
Police Service following the evidence session on 5 February 2002
1. How many fatal shootings have their been
in Hackney in the last two years and what is the detection rate?
(Qq 35-38)
FIREARM HOMICIDES IN HACKNEY—OFFENCES
& CLEAR UPS
| Firearm Homicides
| Year |
Total |
| Type | Type of weapon used
| 2000-2001 | 2001-2002
| |
| Offence | Shotgun | 0
| 2 | 2 |
| | Handgun |
3 | 8 | 11 |
| | Firearm not known
| 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Offence Total |
| 5 | 8 | 15
|
| Clear up | Handgun | 0
| 1 | 1 |
| Clear up Total |
| 0 | 1 | 1
|
Notes:
The figures quoted are for financial year April 2000 to March
2001 and April 2001 to Feb 2002 (to date)
An offence is "cleared up" once a suspect has been
charged.
2. How many officers of the rank of Chief Inspector or
above are black or asian? (Qq 123-127)
| Rank | Number of VEM* officers
| VEM officers as a % of the total for the rank
|
| ACPO rank | 3**
| 7.32% |
| Chief Superintendent | 2
| 3.23% |
| Superintendent | 2
| 2.02% |
| Detective Superintendent | 2
| 3.13% |
| Chief Inspector | 5
| 2.12% |
| Detective Chief Inspector | 3
| 1.82% |
Notes:
* Visible Ethnic Minority
** One Assistant Commissioner, One Deputy Assistant Commissioner
and One Commander
3. How many discipline cases are currently underway as
a result of internal complaints from "whistleblowers"?
(Q 130)
The MPS has a clear policy for reporting wrongdoing which
has been publicised to the Service by a force instruction (known
in the MPS as a "Special Notice").
Officers are encouraged to report wrongdoing by colleagues
in one of four ways:
— via the "Right Line", a confidential
phone line into the Directorate of Professional Standards;
— by reporting the matter to a supervisor or more
senior member of staff;
— via Federation or other Staff Association;
— via someone external to the organisation—for
example a Member of Parliament.
The number of calls to the Right Line is—and always
has been—small. These calls are assessed and in many cases
relate to minor matters of wrongdoing, which are passed back to
the Unit Commander to deal with. As a result, the number that
result in a full internal investigation is reduced further and
the number leading to disciplinary proceedings is even smaller.
Equally, most internal investigations (as opposed to public
complaints) originate from an officer being reported by his or
her line manager, acting on information which may have come from
a colleague.
It is therefore difficult to say just how many cases which
result in disciplinary proceedings will have started as information
from a "whistleblower".
The MPS Reporting Of Wrongdoing policy is an active document
which is kept under constant review.
4. Information on the age at which someone can possess
and use air weapons. (Qq 161-165)
Age limits concerned with firearms are covered by Sections
22 to 24 of the 1968 Firearms Act. These impose a variety of restrictions,
that are governed by three age bands.
1. under 17 years
2. under 15 years
3. under 14 years
Each drop in age places more restrictions on the person.
For example, a 14 year old is bound by the restrictions under
age bands one and two, and a 13 year old is bound by restrictions
under age bands one, two and three.
The relevant parts of the legislation are attached as an
Annex.
5. An estimate of the number of firearms and unarrested
killers who use firearms in London. (Qq 168-171)
It is very difficult to give a meaningful answer to this
question, particularly in relation to the number of illegal firearms
in London at the present time.
The Serious Crime Group are currently undertaking some research
into "unarrested killers who use firearms"—based
on the number of outstanding murder enquiries in which a firearm
was used. This information will be forwarded to the Home Affairs
Select Committee as soon as it is available—but with the
clear proviso that it can only be an estimate of the number of
murderers.
6. Explanation of terminology—Operation Seneca and
Q-cars. (Q 47)
Operation Seneca
Seneca is an operation conducted by the MPS and other agencies
which aims at tackling crime on public transport—and in
particular buses and bus routes.
Targeting hot spots of crime in and around bus routes, using
both surveillance and high visibility patrols, Seneca has also
extended into cab enforcement, youth welfare and truancy as well
as making a valuable intelligence link for Specialist Operations
and the Serious Crime Group.
Seneca has netted nearly 1,600 arrests and prevented many
serious crimes due to a strong police presence. Particular successes
include more than 300 arrests for drugs, nearly 200 for robbery
and over 150 arrests for theft.
Q-cars
Q cars are essentially unmarked police cars crewed by two
or three officers in plain clothes who form part of the tactics
employed on Operation Safer Streets. As well as general patrolling
of crime hotspots, their role is to respond rapidly to a report
of a robbery, visit the scene, pick up a witness and tour the
area looking for the suspects.
The Metropolitan Police Service
March 2002
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