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• Reference: 2012/0046-2
• Question by: Tom Copley
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

I wanted to move on to closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in police vans and the issue of deaths in police custody. Of course, I am sure all of us here will welcome the inquiry into deaths in police custody. Deputy Commissioner, could you tell us what the timeline is for this review?

• Reference: 2012/0048-2
• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

Thank you. You have just been talking about supervision, and of course supervision of undercover officers has been a problematic area. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) did put a report together and made some recommendations. Have those been taken up by the Met?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

Joanne McCartney (Chair): Can I ask on the consultation: is it going to go on to be a full public consultation at some point?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

I have been briefed by both my borough commanders, although they did not let me take the documents away unlike some other people, so practice has varied from place to place. However, I am pleased with the liaison I have had with my guys. I just wanted to ask a bit more about the future structure for managing boroughs. As someone who represents two boroughs, actually, I can see an attractiveness in having one person who is the go-to for policing for me in those two boroughs. I do not think that should be sacrosanct. However, below that structure, are...

• Question by: James Cleverly
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

Thank you, Chair. Again, I am not quite sure who is probably best placed to answer this one, so I will throw it roughly halfway between and see who catches it. If we move away from having a chief superintendent as the nominated go-to person at borough level, I do not actually have any instinctive problems with that because of the huge variation of size of policing function borough by borough. It is going to mean that senior borough players - chief executives, borough leaders, other members of the partnership - will be dealing with someone of a lower rank...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

There is a feeling that we are being marginalised on this. This is Members of the Assembly, not just members of this Committee. For 12 years, if there has been any querying about policing from the boroughs, we have been in the frontline and they have come to us. I have to say that in the years I was doing it I used to say to my borough commanders, 'The one thing that I did not want was to be surprised'. What happened was that this was sent, as you say, to boroughs. The first thing the boroughs do is...

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

I have a couple of comments to make first. I was one of those who has not been consulted and I have to say we first learned about this - and I am surprised the Committee has not - some months ago when, clearly, some chosen people were consulted over and above others on the local policing initiative. We are now in a position where the consultation has not really started off well, so do not believe it has because of the mixed messages and almost running into a number of other consultations that will become confused. Really my question...

• Question by: Caroline Pidgeon
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

Caroline Pidgeon (Deputy Chair): Specifically on this area, Craig, you are saying that this is still absolutely a consultation period that is going on but you could not confirm whether chief superintendent levels would stay at the borough commander. Is that really the case when we received an email in the last week relating to one borough, Southwark, where their newly appointed borough commander who was appointed with the firm intention to serve for three years has sadly emailed saying, 'As part of the budget cuts in response to the crisis, it has not been possible for the Metropolitan Police...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

This is another of those cases I am afraid where there has been leakage in some parts of town and there are protests already springing up around various sites and people are hearing different things. Obviously, we appreciate you have a difficult job to do. I had one case at Wanstead where the police station was actually closed ten years ago and opened again because it was found to be necessary. I guess my question to you is how will you make sure in this strategy that you do not find yourself in a situation again where something is closed...

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 27 September 2012

Is one of the problems that you face the quickness and the speed of some decisions? I understand some of the options being discussed now were options that were discussed and, in my understanding, were put out for disposal, Woolwich Police Station, Thamesmead, on the basis that a new patrol base was found. It was on a proviso that counter services could be found in other locations. That was back in 2005 that decision, 2006. It was then stopped when Boris Johnson took over the Mayoralty because it was obviously in the list of others around that. Do you not...