The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee met to discuss neighbourhood policing and the experiences of young Londoners, including the impact of Safer School Officers being replaced with Designated Ward Officers, and heard calls for more youth workers and community-based organisations to work with the police. The committee also noted actions taken under delegated authority regarding the Territorial Support Group, and discussed the committee's work programme.

Neighbourhood Policing and Young People's Safety

The committee heard from Carly Adams Elias, Director of Practice at Safer London, Rhys Barfoot, Youth Involvement Manager for London Youth, and Katya Moran, Director of the Youth Justice Legal Centre, on the extent to which young people feel safe in their communities. The panel noted varied experiences across boroughs, with feelings of safety often being hyper-localised. Carly Adams Elias stated that the young people Safer London works with, who have been impacted by exploitation and violence, overwhelmingly report feeling unsafe and living with fear. The panel also discussed the low levels of trust in the police among young people, with Rhys Barfoot noting that two in three young people do not report crimes due to distrust, fear of repercussions, and a fear of not being believed. Carly Adams Elias added that young people often feel they are seen as suspects first, regardless of their interaction with the police. Katya Moran stated that many young people they work with are afraid of the police, and that professionals are often surprised to see the safeguarding duties of the police in writing. The panel agreed on the importance of training for police officers on the Child First approach. Hina Bokhari OBE AM asked about the differences in young people's experiences between inner and outer London, but the panel agreed that experiences were varied across all boroughs. Emma Best AM referred to a 2024 Youth Endowment Fund survey that indicated 60% of respondents between 13 and 17 years old felt the police were doing a good job, a higher percentage than Londoners overall. Carly Adams Elias responded by stating that the young people she works with are not representative of all young people in London. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM asked if Child First and policing were compatible, and Katya Moran responded that they can be, but only with proper training. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM also asked about the impact of the decline in neighbourhood police officers, and Rhys Barfoot stated that young people feel their areas are not as safe due to a lack of presence. Rhys Barfoot called for officers to be youth information worker trained. John Hart, Service Manager for Early Help and Prevention at Young Hackney, stated that he was not sure more police officers is necessarily what is needed, and that continuity of officers is more important. John Hart also suggested that police colleagues could learn from youth work approaches, such as trauma-informed work and anti-racist work.

Child First Strategy

The panel found it too early to assess the impact of the MPS's Child First Strategy, but generally welcomed the approach. Katya Moran suggested that sometimes the most child-first approach is to decide not to police a matter, and to consider whether arrest or detention is necessary. Zoë Garbett AM asked about how the Child First approach is considered strategically, particularly in relation to the Territorial Support Group¹ (TSG) and stop and search. Carly Adams Elias suggested bringing in community-based or youth-based organisations to help with the thinking around Child First when looking at operations. Rhys Barfoot suggested the MPS could engage organisations to improve relationships with young people, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.

Tackling Reoffending

Len Duvall AM asked about what the police could do to prevent further offending by young people after the first offence. Carly Adams Elias called for trauma-informed responses and consideration of the child's whole context, as well as addressing safety for young people. Rhys Barfoot called for stronger partnerships between the MPS and other services, and safer spaces for young people. Katya Moran stated that safeguarding responses are often trumped by criminal justice responses, and that system contact promotes recidivism. John Hart stated that youth workers have had £1 billion cut from their sector over the last 14 years, and that opportunities to create healthy friendships and learn skills are needed to prevent offending. John Hart also stated that in Hackney, out-of-court disposals are delivered by Young Hackney, and their rates of reoffending after an intervention are very low. John Hart and Carly Adams Elias agreed on the importance of continuity and stability of police presence, and that the culture and perception of the police needs work. Carly Adams Elias stated that there needs to be a spectrum of opportunities and interventions for young people, and that young people should be engaged to think about what is right for them. Rhys Barfoot reiterated the mayoral manifesto pledge to have youth workers in key service areas, and called for further support and funding to voluntary youth organisations. Katya Moran called for more focus on diversion from the criminal justice system. John Hart stated that universal, open access youth work is not given enough attention.

Emma Best AM asked if the panel had confidence in the Child First Strategy given the removal of youth engagement and diversion officers, reduction in funding for police cadets, and the cutting of SSOs. Rhys Barfoot responded that young people were not pleased about the removal of SSOs, as they were the ones that they had relationships with in the MPS. Katya Moran stated that children can be interviewed by appointment, and that the Child First Strategy requires a particular lens to be applied to decisions about arrest and detention. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM asked how neighbourhood policing teams understand the balance between tackling underlying causes of youth crime alongside enforcement. John Hart stated that it depends on the borough commander and their leadership, and that there is a need for more understanding of the context and underlying factors for why young people may be offending. Carly Adams Elias stated that the context for young people has in many ways got harder, and that the impact of social media and mobile phones is much more prevalent in the harm that they experience and the offending that they experience. Katya Moran stated that the law is not the biggest hurdle in promoting a more child-centred approach to policing, but rather practice is. Rhys Barfoot stated that the youth and community sector supports not only the child or young person but also the family, parents, guardians, carers, fosterers. John Hart stated that Young Hackney combines universal open access youth work with individual targeted support for young people and their families.

Community Engagement

Hina Bokhari OBE AM asked about what the MPS is doing to create positive relationships with parents, and Katya Moran responded that parents of children facing criminal allegations often feel very left out of the process. Rhys Barfoot stated that parents and guardians are often secondary when it comes to working with children and young people, and that they should be more actively involved in the process. Rhys Barfoot gave an example of a youth organisation in east London that has started having a much better rapport with their local officers by allowing officers to have access to the project at certain times and using the area as a surgery. Carly Adams Elias stated that the MPS is not reaching out to all young people, and that they should work through organisations and adults that do have trust with young people. Rhys Barfoot called for more funding to keep youth provisions open. Krupesh Hirani AM asked about the police cadets, and John Hart responded that they are a useful mechanism in improving trust, but that there are lots of variables that are really important. Susan Hall AM stated that young people often do not want to sit in boring meetings, and that youth SNBs might be an idea. Carly Adams Elias responded that some young people will not feel safe enough to say hello to the police, and that the boards need to come into the spaces where young people do feel safe.

Policing in an Education Setting

Susan Hall AM asked about the role of police officers in schools and other educational settings, and Rhys Barfoot responded that young people were not too pleased about the removal of the SSOs, as they were the ones that they had relationships with in the MPS. Katya Moran highlighted that looked-after children are disproportionately criminalised and overrepresented within the youth justice system. Zoë Garbett AM asked about who is the right person to meet the needs of young people in schools, and Carly Adams Elias responded that she agreed that organisations like End Violence Against Women and Girls and youth organisations are better placed to do some of the work within schools that police officers were undertaking. Katya Moran stated concerns about which schools had SSOs and how that decision was made, and whether certain demographics of pupils were going to end up with a negative impact from having a police officer in their school. John Hart stated that there is an opportunity to bring together the school, the police, and other providers to think about how to address different issues that are specific and localised. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM challenged Carly Adams Elias to provide a space for young people who do not have a voice to be represented. John Hart stated that it takes everybody taking some responsibility and coming to the table to address issues in schools. Rhys Barfoot stated that London Youth's members would be willing and able to sell the idea that an arena could be built where multiple agencies, including the police, could be involved. Krupesh Hirani AM asked what the panel would like to see the DWOs cover, and John Hart responded that they should take a role in understanding hyperlocal need and helping with problem solving. Carly Adams Elias stated that the ward level feels too big, and that there needs to be other community guardianship approaches. Emma Best AM stated that it seems more authoritarian to have someone patrolling around than someone in the school, and that the DWOs are not going to be visible. Carly Adams Elias responded that it comes down to the individual officers and how they are embodying the Child First approach. John Hart stated that schools know their young people, and that they should have a good level of insight into what is happening. Rhys Barfoot stated that the one thing that seems to have worked, SSOs, has now effectively been taken away. Zoë Garbett AM stated that youth groups in Hackney were not included at all in any of the changes to the models around the SSOs.

MPS Recruitment Pathways

Léonie Cooper AM asked if the current recruitment pathways are ensuring that London gets the police officers that it needs. Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, responded that the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) and the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme are the main entry routes, and that both programmes are high quality and supportive. Léonie Cooper AM asked if the MPS is getting the range of applicants to fulfil all types of duties, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that it is important that neighbourhood policing is seen as desirable, and not something that you do en route to being a specialist. Léonie Cooper AM asked if the MPS is managing to weed out unsuitable applicants, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that there has been an improvement in diversifying the firearms squad, and that there are high standards around vetting processes. Léonie Cooper AM asked what her assessment was of the impact of the different routes into the MPS, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that the core values of A New Met for London are the right ones, and that HMICFRS has seen significant improvements in terms of transforming MPS culture. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM asked if the Deputy Mayor was happy with the recruitment process as it stands, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that it is important that the programmes are learning from feedback directly from officers. Kenny Bowie, Director of Strategy and MPS Oversight, Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, stated that there was a lot of work done to make sure that when people were going through assessment centres, looking at scenarios, it was looking at whether people were able to bring those different skills. Kenny Bowie also stated that there is specialist support available to those people who would be otherwise underrepresented within the MPS to try and coach those people through it. Susan Hall AM asked how much the Babcock contract with the MPS was to provide 5,500 officers, and Kenny Bowie responded that the contract value was up to a maximum of £308 million. Susan Hall AM also asked how many of those officers are still in the police, and Kenny Bowie responded that he would need to come back with specifics. Susan Hall AM asked what the £14 million overspend on training from contract renegotiations was spending on, and Kenny Bowie responded that he would need to speak to the Chief Financial Officer. Emma Best AM asked how MOPAC is currently or planning to support the MPS to train officers to deliver A New Met for London, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that A New Met for London is something that is rolled out now across all first entrance and is also linked into the on-going leadership training at all stages of the MPS. Emma Best AM asked about the £12.6 million overspend relating to A New Met for London pressures on professional fees, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that those are related to the use of consultancy, and that she wants to be continually assured that the use of consultants is proportionate to what is needed. Zoë Garbett AM asked what the main themes are from exit interviews, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that the MPS has introduced conversations where people raise concerns about leaving, and that exit interviews are conducted.

MPS Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Directorate

Emma Best AM asked how the Deputy Mayor would describe the progress made by the MPS to shift its culture over the past two years, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that there have been real significant milestones on the culture journey of the MPS, including the launch of its internal Cultural Plan, the launch of the Race Action Plan, the launch of the Stop and Search Charter, the 21 new local professional standard units, the establishment of the Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Directorate, and the values and guiding principles that have been refreshed and launched and continue, as previously discussed, through training and assessment, to be embedded across the MPS. Emma Best AM asked what the greatest challenge was, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that it was making sure that the plans are having the impact on culture throughout the organisation that is needed. Kenny Bowie stated that the MPS has set out the standards which will not be tolerated within the MPS, and has put extra resource into the Directorate of Professional Standards. Kenny Bowie also stated that the next steps are to look at how the MPS considers the protected characteristics and other elements of staff in every element of what it does. Zoë Garbett AM asked if the Deputy Mayor thought that the MPS was still institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that the Commissioner himself feels that there are still systematic issues around race that need to be continually challenged and worked on. Gareth Roberts AM asked to what extent MOPAC has been involved in the development of the MPS's internal Culture Plan, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that she continues to have regular oversight sessions on the Culture Plan, most recently at the LPB. Kenny Bowie stated that the MPS is developing metrics on the Culture Plan, and that they want to be involved in that. Zoë Garbett AM asked when the MPS Culture Change Programme is expected to include the set of measures, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that they want to see that as soon as possible. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM asked why the Deputy Mayor thought that the Cultural Review has failed frontline officers, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that the cultural work of the organisation needs to be a continual piece of work. Lord Bailey of Paddington AM asked what changes the Deputy Mayor believed she could make to improve the feeling of police officers around this particular work and morale in particular, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz responded that it is about making sure that she is in full support of the positive work that is happening in this space and the positive work the frontline officers do day in day out and make sure that she is promoting that work through her work.

Actions Taken Under Delegated Authority

The committee noted the action taken by Marina Ahmad AM, Chair of the Police and Crime Committee, in consultation with party group lead members, to agree the committee's letter to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the Territorial Support Group, as attached at Appendix 1 of the Action Taken Under Delegated Authority report. The committee also noted the additional correspondence sent to the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime on the Territorial Support Group, as attached at Appendix 2 of the Action Taken Under Delegated Authority report.

Work Programme

The committee noted its work programme as detailed in the Police and Crime Committee Work Programme report. The next meeting was scheduled for 17 September 2025.