PCD 1650 Home Office Hotspot Response Fund

PCD 1650 Home Office Hotspot Response Fund

The Government published ‘Hotspot Response Fund Guidance’ in late February 2024 merging ‘Grip’ and ASB hotspot response funding, totalling £8,139,508 in funding for 2024/25. This paper seeks approval of the proposed submission to the Home Office for funding from the Hotspot Response Fund (£8,139,508 for the MPS). Previous funding: In the financial year 2023/24 MOPAC received an uplift grant of £919,250 from the Home Office GRIP Violence Fund, totalling £8,907,532. This was for increase in hotspot patrolling to tackle violence crime in public spaces.  

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve the submission of a bid, and acceptance of funding if successful, for HO grant for the total of £8,139,508 for 2024/25 to carry out activity with the Basic Command units (BCUs) through hot spot patrolling, Problem Oriented Policing (POP) activity and analytical support.  

1. Approve the payment of a grant to the University College London to the value of £250,000. The grant to UCL will enable additional POP Champions to be trained and to support high quality academic support to problem solving activity in Operation Nightingale locations. 

2. Approve the allocation of £100,000 grant from the HO Hotspot Response to the British Transport Police (BTP). This allocation is to fund BTP for additional patrols and problem-solving activity to be take place by them in support of the MPS at Operation Nightingale locations.  

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background  

1. The Government published the Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) action plan in March 2023. This included funding for ASB Hotspot Response pilots in ten force areas in 2023/24, ahead of an anticipated roll out across in 2024/25. Following findings from the pilot scheme, the Government decided to merge the ASB Hotspot Response with Grip funding in 2024/25.  

2. MOPAC has previously approved the acceptance of HO grant funding for Grip Violence activity – see PCDs 1070, 1327 and 1596. 

2. Issues for consideration 

1. The new merged fund recognises the obvious overlap between ASB Hotspot Response patrolling (piloted in 10 areas nationally) and Grip serious violence hotspot policing by combining the two funding streams. However, ASB Hotspot Response patrolling was not piloted in London so the Grip programme will need to incorporate ASB formally into the programme as per the HO guidance. 

2. This merged approach should allow for the MPS to use the full range of uniformed visible presence available in their area to conduct patrols in hotspots, for example, police officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), local authority community safety wardens, Business Improvement District (BID) patrol staff, etc. The new merged fund should include collaboration and consultation with agencies, charities and community organisations already working to tackle ASB in the hotspot areas to ensure funding is maximised by optimising local relationships and networks to tackle ASB. 

3. The MPS previously received a three-year settlement of £24,664,846 split between 22/23, 23/24, and 24/25. The 2024/25 funding has now been revised and the remit formally expanded to include ASB. Previously, arrangements were formalised with a HO Grant Agreement between the parties for the period 2022-2025. 

4. Through the previous Grip funding, the MPS identified 75 of the top violence hotspots across London in 22/23 and 23/24 and implemented POP plans in each of these, working with partners to reduce violence and crime. In 23/24 some of these hotspots were refreshed, reflecting changes in patterns of violence. 75 hotspots have been selected for the forthcoming financial year.   

5. MPS assure us that the funding aligns with MOPAC’s Police and Crime Plan priority of preventing and reducing violence across the capital, and it provides significant opportunity to engage with critical stakeholders and service providers, outside of policing, to deliver a truly joined up and community focused approach to reducing violence and ASB.  

6. Strong evidence suggests that POP reduces crime in areas where it has been used and the College of Policing lists it as one of their "what works" tactics. To support the work on POP University College London will develop a programme for POP Champions to be trained and provide high quality academic support to problem solving activity in Operation Nightingale locations (to the value of £250,000). 

7. To support the hot spot activity, the proposal includes a grant worth £100,000 to British Transport Police (BTP) for provision of additional patrols and problem solving in support of the MPS at Operation Nightingale locations.  

8. Financial Comments  

9. The Home Office has allocated £8,139,508 of funding to Metropolitan Police for the Hotspot Response Programme for 2024/25 (so far for one year only). MOPAC is not required to provide any match funding for the HO funding to be accepted. 

10. This decision is seeking approval to bid for and accept the funding which will be allocated as follows:- 

• Hotspot response patrolling: £6,548,169 

• Problem orientated policing: £1,173,856 

• Analytical support in BCUs: £417,483 

3. In addition, the decision is seeking approval to award a grant of £250,000 to the University College London, and £100,000 to the BTP the cost of which will be met from the Home Office grant funding.  

4. For 2023/24, the MPS received a grant award of up to £8,907,532, which was a 12% increase (£919,250) above the baseline allocation of £7,988,282. Home Office have reduced funding for hotspot policing in 24/25 compared to 23/24 Grip funding.  

4. Legal Comments  

1. MOPAC acceptance of this Grant is permitted under Schedule 3 Paragraph 7 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, whereby MOPAC may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office which includes entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not).  

2. Paragraph 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) has delegated authority to approve all bids for grant funding made and all offers made of grant funding and/or where appropriate a strategy for grant giving” and to approve “The strategy for the award of individual grants and/ or the award of all individual grants whether to secure or contribute to securing crime reduction in London or for other purposes.” 

5. Commercial Issues 

1. The MPS assure us that the ongoing use of the UCL is justified as it is at the forefront of the academic research into Problem Oriented Policing, have experience of working with other UK police forces to implement POP successfully.  

2. In addition, based on the scale and size of the POP Implementation Plan, MPS does not have the internal expertise to deliver this project alone. Due to their knowledge and expertise, the MPS is confident that the UCL will deliver the training in accordance with what the MPS know works well.  

3. The MPS have also considered the fact that UCL have supported the College of Policing and NPCC lead in developing and launching guidance concerning how POP should be implemented in police forces.  

6. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.  

2. The MPS has assured that following an assessment a full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is not required.  

7. Equality Comments  

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.  

2. The MPS assure that having undertaken an initial equality screening no positive or negative impact has been identified to any individual and/or group safeguarded by a protected characteristic and those who are not.