- The Matrix is now more accurate and focused on those most likely to commit violence, with fewer people on it than ever before
- Those added to the Matrix following the Mayor’s review more proportionate of London’s population than previously
- Nearly 490 individuals deemed to have little or no evidence of a link to criminal gangs have been removed from the Matrix in the last year
- The Mayor has also invested a further £6 million to help young people turn their backs on criminal and exploitative gangs
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who was a leading human rights lawyer, announced on the 16th February, the results of a comprehensive overhaul of the Metropolitan Police’s Gangs Violence Matrix, which reveals it is more up-to-date and evidence-based, focused on those more likely to commit violence.
The Gangs Violence Matrix is an intelligence and prioritisation tool that the Metropolitan Police have used since 2011 to identify and risk assess gang members across London who are involved in violence, as well as seeking to identify people at risk of victimisation.
As promised in his manifesto, Sadiq commissioned a wide-ranging review of the database, published in December 2018, and called for the implementation of the recommendations.
As a result of the review, over the last year:
- The overall population of the Matrix has decreased by 31% to 2,676 people
- As recommended in the report, nearly 490 individuals with a ‘green harm’ banding, including those deemed as having a zero-harm score – reflecting the lowest risk of an individual committing or being a victim of violence – have been removed from the Matrix because there was no longer evidence that they were affiliated with a criminal gang
- There has been an improvement in the proportionality of those added to the Matrix. Those added to the Matrix from a BAME background has decreased from 89% in 2018 to 79% in 2019. The number of people of a Black African Caribbean background added to the database dropped from 82.8% in 2018 to 66% the following year.
- The proportion of under-18s is at the lowest-ever point in the Matrix’s history, with a decrease from 14% in 2018 to 6% in 2019. There has also been a reduction in the proportion of under-25s from 72% in 2018 to 64% in 2019.
- Clearer agreements are being put in place to limit organisations that have access to Matrix data, in order to help address concerns that inclusion on the Matrix could unfairly impact on engagement with local authorities, social services or probation services, impacting on issues like access to housing allowance from their local authority.
The Matrix was created in the aftermath of the 2011 riots by the Met to identify those at risk of committing, or being a victim of, gang-related violence in London.
While the Matrix continues to be an important tool in the fight against violent crime, it has proved controversial due to a lack of transparency in the way individuals are added and removed, and the way data is stored securely and applied consistently.
Sadiq, who was a human rights lawyer, made a commitment to Londoners in his manifesto to carry out the largest and most comprehensive review ever conducted into the Matrix.
The review backed the role of the Matrix as a vital enforcement tool for tackling violence, which has a positive impact on reducing levels both of offending and being a victim. However, it made nine recommendations to ensure the Matrix is as effective and efficient as possible, reducing the risk of discrimination.
It also highlighted concerns around a disproportionate number of black boys and young men on the Matrix, and people being kept on the database despite a lack of evidence and a reliance on out-of-date information. One year on, the Met has completed its work and introduced a more evidence-based approach to adding and removing people.
This has resulted in a change in the proportion of new additions to the Matrix from a BAME background. Between May 2018 and October last year, there were 339 new additions to the Matrix and figures show a reduction in the proportion of people of a Black African Caribbean background being added to the database.
City Hall and Met Police analysis shows that the majority of those with green harm banding that were removed from the Matrix had no charges in the six months before, or the six months after, being removed. This supports the argument that these individuals were at a very low risk of offending and have been appropriately removed.
All of the Mayor’s recommendations were designed to reduce the risk of discrimination by ensuring the Met introduced clearer processes and had better oversight of how the Matrix was being used to help increase transparency and build confidence.
In order to further improve transparency and build trust in the Matrix, the Met will now publish quarterly updates online and the Mayor will carry out annual reviews to monitor changes to the Matrix population. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) will publish a progress report on the review recommendations in the spring.
Sadiq has made tackling knife crime and violence his number one priority and is leading a public health approach to tackling the complex causes of crime. In order to help young Londoners he has allocated £70 million in the Young Londoners Fund to provide constructive activities and divert young people away from criminal gangs.
He has invested £5.8m into local sports projects to give young people something to do outside school hours and during the holidays, and £6 million to provide early intervention to prevent young people from becoming involved in or exploited by criminal gangs.
This includes the first-ever London Gang Exit Service, since 2016 the programme has been supporting young people at significant risk of harm from criminal gang activity to access safe and stable housing, benefit from specialist support and one-to-one mentoring, and helps them into employment, education or training. From October 2017, the programme has accepted 376 referrals and helped 129 people exit the exploitation of criminal gangs.
The Mayor’s investment also includes a three-year Rescue and Response programme to better understand, target and respond to County Lines, which saw 568 vulnerable young people referred in its first year.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The perceived cloak of secrecy around the Gangs Matrix led to genuine community concerns, which is why I promised in my manifesto to carry out a thorough review to help restore trust and confidence in the way it is used. We are now seeing real progress with the Met acting on all recommendations.
“Our review showed that the Matrix is a necessary enforcement tool for reducing violent crime in London, but it’s also vitally important that the police continue to evaluate and communicate how it is used.
“Keeping Londoners safe is my top priority. I’m committed to doing everything within my power to tackle the issue of violent crime, including investing more than £100 million in this year’s City Hall budget to tackle violent crime and it’s complex causes, as well as investing £6m to help young people at risk of harm or exploitation from criminal gangs to turn their lives around.”