The Police and Crime Committee met on Wednesday 17 December 2025 to discuss a range of issues concerning policing and crime in London. Key topics included the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime's (MOPAC) oversight of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the effectiveness of commissioned services, and the ongoing challenges of hate crime and violence against women and girls on public transport.

Hate Crime and Violence Against Women and Girls on London's Public Transport

The committee discussed the significant rise in hate crime and violence against women and girls (VAWG) on London's public transport network. Between January and August 2024, hate crime across public transport rose by 27.8% year-on-year, although a slight decrease was noted in the first six months of 2025, numbers remain above pre-2023 levels. Sexual offences also saw an increase in the first half of 2025. The report highlighted that these crimes are often underreported, with a significant proportion of LGBTQ+ passengers experiencing hate crime without reporting it. The committee noted that campaigns by Transport for London (TfL), the MPS, and British Transport Police (BTP) aim to increase reporting and confidence. The discussion focused on the effectiveness of current preventative measures, how safe individuals feel when travelling, the urgency of responses to emergencies, and the barriers to reporting. Guests invited to discuss this included Mandy McGregor, Head of Policing and Community Safety at TfL, and Chief Superintendent Chris Casey of BTP.

Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime - Priorities and Oversight of the Metropolitan Police Service

The committee engaged in a question and answer session with Rena Lalgie, Chief Executive Officer of MOPAC, and later with Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, and Kenny Bowie, Director of Strategy and MPS Oversight.

Oversight of the Metropolitan Police Service: Concerns were raised about MOPAC's oversight of the MPS, particularly regarding financial scrutiny and IT projects. Assembly Member Neil Garratt highlighted the significant overspending on the CONNECT and Command and Control IT projects, questioning whether MOPAC could have done more to prevent these issues. Rena Lalgie acknowledged the challenges and stated that MOPAC is focusing more on financial oversight. The functionality of the CONNECT system was also discussed, with officers reporting persistent issues such as data loss and unreliability.

Commissioned Services and Value for Money: Assembly Member Susan Hall expressed concern about the effectiveness of MOPAC's commissioned services, citing reports that found difficulty in establishing causal links between these services and crime reduction. She questioned how MOPAC ensures value for money and credible causal relationships. Rena Lalgie stated that ongoing evaluation is positive and helps inform future commissioning decisions. Léonie Cooper AM also raised concerns about the allocation of MOPAC funding to local Safer Neighbourhood Boards, suggesting that funds sometimes went to pet projects or usual suspects without sufficient scrutiny.

Structural Review of Racism in the MPS: The committee discussed Dr Shereen Daniels' report, 30 Patterns of Harm: A Structural Review of Systemic Racism Within the London Metropolitan Police Service . Deputy Mayor Kaya Comer-Schwartz acknowledged the report's stark analysis and the MPS's ambition to become an anti-racist organisation. Concerns were raised about the four-month delay in the MPS publishing the report and the perceived passive response from the MPS. The committee questioned whether the MPS truly understood the changes needed and if actions would be taken with urgency. Kenny Bowie noted improvements in data sharing between MOPAC and the MPS.

Procurement of SandCat Vehicles: The procurement of 18 armoured SandCat vehicles for £10 million was discussed. Kaya Comer-Schwartz explained that these vehicles are for specialist units such as aviation policing, public order, and firearms units, replacing vehicles over 20 years old. Concerns were raised about the lack of data on the usage of previous vehicles and the decision-making process. The committee also questioned why the minutes of MOPAC's Investment Advisory and Monitoring (IAM) meetings had not been published since March 2022, a practice that had been in place previously.

MPS Estate Strategy: The delayed publication of the MPS Estate Strategy was a point of discussion. Kaya Comer-Schwartz assured the committee that the strategy would be published by the end of the year, having taken into account various considerations including the Kerslake Review, operational plans, and budgetary constraints. Assembly Member Gareth Roberts questioned the delay and the potential for public buildings to remain unused while there is a housing crisis. The committee also discussed the potential closure of police buildings and the impact on frontline services.

Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee: A significant portion of the discussion focused on neighbourhood policing. Assembly Member Susan Hall questioned the exact numbers of neighbourhood police officers before and after the increase, expressing concern about potential officer abstractions from other units and the lack of clarity on the number of vacant posts. Kenny Bowie provided baseline figures and stated that the aim is to increase the number of officers in Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs). Kaya Comer-Schwartz highlighted the positive impact of increased neighbourhood policing on crime statistics, such as reductions in robbery and burglary. However, Assembly Member Gareth Roberts argued that the Mayor's manifesto pledge to increase officers was misleading, suggesting it implied new recruits rather than redeployments from other units like the Royal Parks Police and Safer Transport Teams. The effectiveness of the new Met Engage platform, which replaced the Online Watch Link (OWL), was also discussed, with a request for key performance metrics.

Summary List of Actions: The committee noted the ongoing and completed actions arising from previous meetings. These included requests for MOPAC to share a breakdown of London Policing Board costs, provide explanations for the non-publication of MOPAC's Investment Advisory and Monitoring meeting minutes, and detail the number of unused MPS buildings. Information was also requested on the number of officers assigned to Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) and the performance of the Met Engage platform.

Police and Crime Committee Work Programme: The committee noted its work programme for 2025/26, which includes discussions on the MPS draft Estates Strategy, the Casey Review, online fraud, and regular Q&A sessions with MOPAC.