James Thomson, the Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board, told elected Members of the Court of Common Council that over the past year the City of London Police has “focused on strengthening connections with communities in the City to support trust and confidence”, which was “vital to effective policing”.
The Court of Common Council is the City of London Corporation’s primary decision-making body.
Praising the force, he said the “collective goal” of the City of London Police Authority Board and the City of London Police is to ensure the Square Mile is a safe place to live and work, with a focus on addressing violence against women and girls, keeping the City’s nighttime economy safe, and combatting anti-social behaviour.
At the national level, he said the City Police has continued its “vital work” as the national lead for tackling fraud and cybercrime, and played a leading role in Project Servator – “keeping the City and the rest of the UK safe with their expert counterterrorism work”.
He said the Police Authority Board and the City of London Police successfully collaborated to push the Government to include fraud in the Online Safety Bill, with continuing partnership work on evidence disclosure reform and the introduction of stronger anti-fraud measures in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill.
Commissioner Angela McLaren, City of London Police, said:
“This annual report sets out how we’re delivering against our Policing Plan and meeting the challenges of modern policing in a vibrant world-leading City. This includes our national roles working with partners across all sectors including law enforcement and private industry to lead the response to fraud. Footfall in the City is returning to normal levels and we have more visitors than ever enjoying the night time economy, however, crime levels remain below pre-pandemic levels and anti-social behaviour has reduced.
“I’m proud that we were able to exceed our recruitment target for officers and have our approach highlighted by HMICFRS as one of the best in the country. The report sets out how we’re on the path to truly benefiting from a diverse workforce with diverse thinking which is fundamental in delivering a trusted policing service. It’s important all our staff have a genuine sense of belonging and know their voices are heard.”
James Thomson published the City of London Police’s Annual Report to the Court of Common Council, which is also the City of London Police Authority for the Square Mile. It is responsible for supporting and scrutinising the work of the City of London Police, holding the Commissioner to account, ensuring value for money in the way the force is run, and setting policing priorities considering the views of the local community.