Undercover Policing Public Inquiry Resource Uplift

The Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing (UCPI) was set up to investigate and report on undercover policing in England and Wales since 1968. The UCPI will examine the contribution undercover policing has made to tackling crime, how it was and is supervised and regulated and its effect on individuals involved; both police officers and others who have come into contact with under cover policing.

The work of the UCPI ranges across the full scope of undercover policing work and dates back to 1968 and the work of the MPS Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU) and Police Forces across England and Wales. The UCPI will also examine whether people may have been wrongly convicted in cases involving undercover police officers and refer any such cases to a separate panel for consideration.

The DMPC is asked to

1) Note the justification and supporting information for the additional uplift of resources for the AC Professionalism Undercover Policing Public Inquiry as a MOPAC/ MPS high priority, led by the Inquiry Review & Support Command (IRSC). The additional uplift was agreed by the Deputy Commissioner in January 2017, subject to funding approval.

2) Note the current funding position in support of the required uplift in IRSC resources including funding pressures for the period 2017/18 to 2019/20, currently estimated to be £8.4m.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The demands of the Undercover Policing Public Inquiry (UCPI) on the MPS have grown steadily and as such require a greater level of resources from the MPS. In January 2017, it was agreed that significant resource uplift was required. This was coupled with concerns regarding the MPS’s ability to respond adequately to the Inquiry’s demands and timescales, as a number of Inquiry requests had been missed or required the timescales to be extended.

1.2. Due to the above concerns, the following areas were agreed to be uplifted:

• Staffing uplift – revised establishment 99.1 FTEs

• Accommodation increase – move to 29th floor of Empress State Building

• IT expansion / investment – New eDiscovery Platform (Relativity) contract

• Additional Legal Services Provision – additional funding requirement.



2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The MPS could face significant adverse reputational damage, if it is unable to meet the requirements of the UCPI. There is also the risk this could undermine public confidence in the proper use of undercover policing as a crucial policing tactic, which is critical to the fight against crime, terrorism and serious public disorder.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. The total forecast expenditure for the UCPI is £52.1m and includes £14.8m opportunity cost of police officers over the following period; 2017/18 to 2019/20. The budget requirement for the period is £37.3m and the current approved budget is £25m. The MPS has identified a funding pressure of £8.4m for the period 2017/18 to 2019/20.

3.2. The overall costs of the inquiry have risen due to the significant resource demands on the MPS. As such it is likely that the cost estimates included here will be subject to further revision in response to any future changes in demand from the UCPI.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. Legal Service provision is critical to the successful delivery of IRSC. Dedicated legal services resource, both internal and external, are required to service the needs of the Public Inquiry and to provide legal advice to the Commissioner and MOPAC in respect of the redaction of sensitive documentation submitted in response to requests for information received from the Inquiry and to support the review of the law and other rules covering undercover policing.



4.2. The level of resource required is the subject of ongoing review and will need to be flexed in line with any changing demands arising from the Inquiry.

5. Equality Comments

5.1. There are no direct equality or diversity implications arising from this report

6. Background/supporting papers

6.1. Report.