Today the Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board, James Thomson and Temporary Commissioner, Pete O’Doherty, presented the Court of Common Council with the refreshed Policing Plan.
The plan outlines how policing will be delivered and sets out priorities, whilst maintaining a commitment to values of integrity, compassion and professionalism and the principles of the Police Code of Ethics.
While the City of London Policing Plan covers a three-year period, it is required to be reviewed annually to ensure it remains relevant to current and future priorities.
This will be the final plan which James will present in his role as Chair of the Police Authority Board, as he begins his third and final year in the role.
As with many other aspects, the City of London is unique in its policing arrangements. Covering a geographic area of 1.1 square miles, the force is technically the smallest in the UK, however, because of its unique role spanning the capital’s financial and professional services industry, it is also the national policing lead force for Fraud and Cyber.
Whilst there are 39 police areas across England and Wales with a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), 3 areas (Greater London, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire) align PCC responsibilities in their directly elected Mayors and the City of London aligns its responsibilities in the Police Authority Board, which is made up of 10 Members of the Court of Common Council and 4 external experts.
In my humble opinion, James has done a terrific job in this role. He has had to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and the changes in working cultures which created a digital revolution and an enormous increase in cyber crime and fraud. He has navigated the deep cultural and conduct challenges within the Police Force and rebuilt trust and confidence through transparency and partnership. He has addressed the significant financial challenges the force faced and overseen critical infrastructural change in the City Police’s assets and estate. His successor has big shoes to fill!
If you are interested in sharing your comments on the refresh Policing Plan, you can do so by emailing stuart.pheonix@cityoflondon.police.uk