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  • The Public Order Act 1936

    • Reference: 2020/2922
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    On 1 August 2020, the ‘Afrikan Emancipation Day Reparations March’ took place in Brixton, with individuals parading in the streets in black uniforms and stab vests. As you will be aware, the Public Order Act 1936 prohibits the wearing of paramilitary and political uniforms in this country. I am assuming that the senior Metropolitan Police officer in charge that day was also aware of this law. However, I feel that once again the police are sending out the signal that laws will be enforced differently for individual communities in London. This policy has profound implications for the future of policing...

  • Policing Priorities

    • Reference: 2020/2923
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    The British police have serious institutional problems. Thanks to financial pressure and legal changes, they over-police low-level offending and under-police serious crime. The regular stream of videos showing police officers being abused by bystanders, while trying to arrest a suspect is a depressing sign of the times. I can’t help but feel the police themselves are partly responsible. In going woke, they have forfeited authority and respect. What changes are the Metropolitan Police going to institute to correct this error?

  • Street Teams

    • Reference: 2020/2925
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    I note the growing proliferation of so-called ‘Street Teams’ which now patrol swathes of London’s West End, clad in combat boots and stab vests. These individuals talk to shop owners and members of the public and are clearly carrying out the local intelligence-gathering role that used to be part of policing in London. I take it that their presence on our streets is yet another indicator of the decision by the Metropolitan Police to abandon Sir Robert Peel’s Principles of Law Enforcement. Is this the future of policing in London?

  • The Right to Protest

    • Reference: 2020/2926
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    On 29 August 2020, Piers Corbyn was slapped with a £10,000 fine for his part in the 'Unite for Freedom' rally on Saturday which saw thousands descend on Trafalgar Square in a protest against extending the Covid emergency measures. The 73-year-old stated on Twitter that he had been handed the fixed penalty fine as ‘organiser’ 1 . If Piers Corbyn was fined £10,000 for ‘breaking COVID laws’ surely the organisers of the Day of Ashura march and the #MillionPeopleMarch should face the same. If not, why not? 1 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/trafalgar-square-antilockdown-ma…

  • Accusation of Police Racism

    • Reference: 2020/2927
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    On 9 August 2020, police stopped a vehicle being driven through Hackney, to speak to the driver of the vehicle. The Metropolitan Police subsequently stated that the stop was a mistake, caused by an officer incorrectly entering the car's registration number. From the footage available, Dawn Butler MP immediately announced to the officers that she was a Member of Parliament and subsequently accused the officers of racism. 1 Scotland Yard’s Deputy Commissioner Sir Steve House said officers could not have known Butler and the driver of the BMW car were black before they stopped it, because the windows were tinted...

  • Seized Vehicles

    • Reference: 2020/2928
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    To ask the Mayor how many road vehicles have been seized by the Metropolitan Police over the last five calendar years. Please categorise the reason for seizure, i.e. no insurance, failure to stop for officers, being involved in a road traffic collision, or believed to have been used in a criminal offence.

  • Tasers

    • Reference: 2020/2929
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    To ask the Mayor how many times the Metropolitan Police have used Tasers over the last five calendar years and please categorise the reason for their use.

  • Metropolitan Police Morale

    • Reference: 2020/2930
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    What has been the effect on the morale of the rank and file of the Metropolitan Police in consequence of the introduction of direct-entry at inspector level, which overturns centuries of tradition that all police officers commence their careers at the rank of constable?

  • Heathrow Airport

    • Reference: 2020/2940
    • Question by: David Kurten
    • Meeting date: 17 September 2020
    What measures are the Metropolitan Police taking to stop minicab touts from operating at Heathrow Airport Terminals?

  • Public Order in London

    • Reference: 2020/2195
    • Question by: Peter Whittle
    • Meeting date: 16 July 2020
    Over the last month, I, like many other Londoners, have been increasingly concerned by images on social media of Metropolitan Police officers retreating from scenes of public disorder. Is the Mayor satisfied with the response of the Metropolitan Police to recent events on London’s streets?