The Professionalism and Trust Committee (Police) of City of London Council was scheduled to meet on Tuesday 05 May 2026 to discuss a range of updates and reports concerning the force's operations and internal standards. Key topics scheduled for discussion included an update on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) initiatives, an end-of-year review of Stop and Search and Use of Force statistics, and updates on professional standards, conduct, and vetting. The committee was also scheduled to review the annual activity concerning police complaints.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the force's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) initiatives. The report was expected to detail progress against high priority actions, with 20 completed in the final quarter of the financial year and 8 expected to carry over into the next. The report was also expected to highlight the reprioritisation of some medium priority actions, including an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on pay and increased Senior Leadership Team attendance at the Inclusivity Programme.

A significant focus of the update was expected to be on Inclusivity Programme compliance, which had risen to 80% by April 2026, a substantial increase from the 24% reported in January 2026. The report was expected to provide a detailed breakdown of compliance by directorate, employee type, rank, grade, length of service, gender, and ethnicity. It was anticipated that employee type (officer vs. staff) was the strongest predictor of compliance, with officers generally showing higher rates. Newer police staff, particularly male and ethnic minority staff in early service, were identified as the highest-risk group for non-compliance. Recommendations were expected to include a targeted approach to police staff, improved advertising of the programme to new starters, and learning from high-compliance teams.

The update was also expected to include the first iteration of EDI Performance Dashboards, which aimed to measure performance against 4Ps (People, Policies & Processes, Public, and Partners). Insights presented for discussion were expected to include workforce representation remaining below wider London representation, a need for more completed equality impact assessments on policies, and a continued decline in the use of stop and search powers with a positive reduction in disproportionality for Black individuals and the other ethnic group. The report was expected to note that all strip searches were carried out on individuals who were not white.

End of Year Stop & Search and Use of Force 2024/2025 - 2025/2026 Annual Comparisons

The committee was scheduled to review an annual comparison of Stop and Search and Use of Force activity between the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26. The report was expected to indicate a reduction in overall volumes for both tactics, with a decrease of 28.3% in Stop and Search (1,609 to 1,153) and 14.0% in Use of Force forms (3,881 to 3,337). This reduction was expected to be attributed to enhanced training initiatives, including Enhanced Encounter training, which improved officer capability in communication, tactical restraint, and de-escalation.

Key findings for Stop and Search were expected to include a substantial decrease in overall searches, a corresponding decline in items found, and a significant reduction in searches of juveniles and strip searches. Effectiveness indicators were expected to remain stable, with a slight decrease in the item found rate but an improvement in positive outcomes where items were found.

For Use of Force, an overall reduction in submitted forms was expected, with notable decreases in handcuff use, Taser deployments, and baton usage. Subject injuries were expected to fall significantly by 42.0%, while officer injuries were expected to reduce slightly. The report was expected to highlight disproportionality as a key strategic risk, with Black disproportionality in Stop and Search reducing marginally but remaining elevated. Asian and Other disproportionality indices were expected to increase, moving from below parity to above parity. The report was expected to note that City of London Police conduct very low volumes of stop and search compared to other forces, and its unique policing environment, with a small resident population and large transient population, influences disproportionality metrics.

Professional Standards, Conduct, and Vetting Update Q4

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on professional standards, conduct, and vetting for the fourth quarter of 2025/26. The report was expected to indicate an increase in the volume of complaints in Q4 compared to Q3, although overall complaint levels were expected to remain below the national average. There was expected to be a decrease in new Conduct Cases recorded in Q4. The report was expected to note that several officers remained subject to long-term suspension, some relating to misconduct cases awaiting the results of criminal investigations. It was anticipated that approximately four Gross Misconduct hearings might occur within the next six months.

The update was also expected to cover vetting, noting that the continuous improvement Action Plan for Vetting was progressing. It was expected to be reported that all staff working within Vetting now held a minimum of a two-year FTC, and a Management of Police Information (MOPI) compliance project was underway to delete old vetting records. The introduction of Appeal Panels for Staff Members was also expected to be detailed, aimed at ensuring transparency, consistency, and fairness in vetting withdrawal decisions for internal staff.

Annual Review of Police Complaints Activity - 2024/25

The committee was scheduled to review the annual complaints activity for the City of London Police for the year 2024/25. This report was expected to detail complaints and allegations relating to both the City of London Police and the Action Fraud reporting service. It was expected to outline the statutory obligations for local policing bodies to publish quarterly data on complaints and to hold the chief officer accountable for managing them.

For 2024/25, a total of 570 complaints were expected to be recorded, comprising 229 for the City of London Police and 341 for Action Fraud. This was expected to represent a 5% year-on-year increase in total complaints. Complaints relating to the City of London Police were expected to increase by 42%, while those concerning Action Fraud were expected to decrease by 10%. The most frequent complaints were expected to be related to policies and procedures, individual behaviours, and the handling of or damage to property/premises. The report was expected to highlight the Professional Standards Department's engagement with complainants for early resolution and the role of the Professionalism and Trust Committee in reviewing complaint outcomes.

The report was also expected to provide a breakdown of allegation types, with duty of delivery and service consistently accounting for the highest proportion of complaints. Complaints concerning discriminatory behaviour were expected to be noted as a recurring theme. The committee's assessment of its own performance in handling complaint reviews was expected to indicate that while no reviews were upheld in 2024/25, recommendations were expected to be made to address complainant dissatisfaction. Key themes emerging from complaint reviews were expected to include service delivery and case handling, the impact of police decisions on individuals, and the desire for organisational learning and accountability.

The committee was also scheduled to review minutes from previous meetings, outstanding actions, and non-public items related to professional standards, conduct, and vetting.