Search questions

• Reference: 2021/1197
• Question by: Peter Whittle
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

Is there anything about Operation Midland (the Metropolitan Police investigation into Carl Beech’s bogus claims about a VIP paedophile ring) that you think could have been handled differently?

• Reference: 2021/1198
• Question by: Peter Whittle
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

What have been the Metropolitan Police’s clear up rates for murder, burglary, rape and Grievous Bodily Harm over the last five years?

• Reference: 2021/1199
• Question by: Peter Whittle
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

I note that on 24 February 2021 Mr Toyin Agbetu - one of your Commissioners for Diversity in the Public Realm resigned, after his blog posts commenting on Jewish people were brought to City Hall’s attention by Jewish News . One of his posts claimed there was an ‘immoral hierarchy of suffering’ which had seen victims of the Holocaust ‘served well by Nazi hunters’ compared to African victims of the slave trade. Agbetu has also claimed that Jews played a leading role in the Atlantic slave trade. In 2007, he also heckled the Queen, during a service at Westminster Abbey...

• Reference: 2021/1200
• Question by: Peter Whittle
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

Given that your recruitment due diligence failed to uncover the alleged anti-Semitism of one Commission appointee, what else might it have failed to pick up? How can Londoners have confidence in the people you have selected?

• Reference: 2021/1201
• Question by: Peter Whittle
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

On 26 February 2021, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services published its report into the police use of stop and search powers. It raised the prospect of abandoning stop and search for drugs altogether, stating that damage may outweigh the benefits. ‘While suspicions about drugs are stated as the reason in the majority of the half a million stop and searches in England and Wales annually, illicit substances were found on only one in four occasions.’ Does the Metropolitan Police regard one in four as an effective detection rate?

• Reference: 2021/1166
• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

With the outstanding congestion charge due from diplomats based in London at their various Embassies & High Commissions can you give an update on the legal action you are taking to recoup this debt?

• Reference: 2021/1167
• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

A recent report by the Safe Homes for Women Leaving Prison initiative found that up to 6 in 10 women leaving prison are condemned to homelessness and that this problem is particularly acute in London. The ‘duty to refer’ anyone at risk of homelessness on release to their local authority is failing. Will you undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of the duty to refer in the Homelessness Reduction Act for vulnerable women leaving prison across London boroughs given the specific needs and circumstances of this group?

• Reference: 2021/1168
• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

The London Blueprint says signatories, including MOPAC, will work towards establishing a shared approach across London to address the housing needs of women in contact with the criminal justice system, including preventing homelessness and resettlement on release. What progress has been made on this aim so far and what metrics are being used to measure the effectiveness of this commitment?

• Reference: 2021/1169
• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

At least 50 vulnerable women are estimated to be leaving prison to homelessness in London each month. These women often have complex needs. For example, many are primary carers of children; have experienced domestic abuse and violence; or suffer with drug dependency or addition. Will the Mayor take action to ensure these women are resettled in safe and secure accommodation?

• Reference: 2021/1170
• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 March 2021

When was the most recent time the GLA participated in a meeting of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel? Can you update us on what was discussed?