PCD 1656 Additional Home Office Grant Funding County Lines – Operation Orochi - Cost Options

PCD 1656  Additional Home Office Grant Funding County Lines – Operation Orochi - Cost Options 

This decision seeks approval for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to accept additional Home Office (HO) Grant funding of £192,993.82 for essential software and licences to be purchased in 2023/24.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:  

1. Approve receipt of additional HO Grant funding of £192,993.82 to fund the purchase of essential software and licences in 2023/24.

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC.

1. Introduction and background.

1. 1. MOPAC approved receipt of Home Office grant funding of £13.9m for 2022/23, £13m in 23/24 and 24/25 to undertake a range of activities to combat County Lines drugs supply and the threat, risk and harm associated with it in June 2022 (PCD1216).

1. 2. The Home Office has now identified additional grant funding in 2023/24 of £192,993.82.  

2. Issues for consideration.

1. 1. This is an additional grant funding uplift to the Orochi budget this financial year.

1. 2. MOPAC approval for grant acceptance up to £13m is already in place, PCD1216 refers.

1. 3. Accepting the funding contributes to the MOPAC Police & Crime Plan 2022-25. The work the unit undertakes directly impacts upon serious violent crime and the criminality of urban street gangs/Organised Crime Groups. It also seeks to reduce the exploitation of young people, seen through the running of county lines

1. 4. The grant will be used to fund the ‘Greyekey’ annual software renewal and to purchase ‘Cellbrite Pathfinder’ hardware and software licences.

3. Financial Comments.

1. 1. The total additional funding of £192,993.82 of which, £96,793.82) will be used for the ‘Greyekey’ annual software renewal and, £96,200.00 will be used to purchase ‘Cellebrite Pathfinder’ hardware and software licences.

1. 2. This additional grant takes the total 2023/24 HO grant for Op Orochi over the previously approved £13m to £13,067,843.82.

4. Legal Comments.

1. 1. Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 (1) Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) MOPAC has incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7 (2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements.  The Met assure that these powers are sufficiently broad to permit MOPAC to enter into the grant agreement.

1. 2. Para 4.8 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides the DMPC with delegated power to approve all offers made of grant funding, and to approve business cases for revenue or capital expenditure of £500,000 and above.

1. 3. Para 4.13 of the MOPAC Scheme of Consent and Delegation provides the DMPC with delegated power to approve all requests to go out to tender for contracts of £500,000 or above, or where there is a particular public interest.

5. GDPR and Data Privacy.

1. 1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities. 

1. 2. Previous approvals for Operation Orochi have noted that a DPIA is not required as the activity undertaken by Operation Orochi uses conventional investigation methods already available to all Law Enforcement (LE) and used in investigations for drug supply.

6. Equality Comments.

1. 1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

1. 2. MPS assure that an equality screening exercise was carried out which identified no negative impact towards protected and non-protected characteristic groups.

7. Background/supporting papers.

1. 1. Appendix 1 MPS Grant Variation Notice  Op Orochi – County Lines.
   2. Appendix 2 MPS 2022-25 Grant Agreement.