Local policing - Richard Tracey,London Assembly candidate for Merton & Wandsworth
A couple of days ago, I met the Wandsworth Borough Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Stewart Low, who has been leading the local force since July. He is a very experienced officer, with his previous posting being in Lambeth and Brixton, so he knows south London well.
Our talk over an hour ranged from the shortfall in police force numbers in Wandsworth, to the serious matters of violent knife crime, and to protection of local people against burglary, and also the recent ghastly and frightening dog attacks in West Putney.
Mr Low has heard and understood our worries about the shortfall of 80 police officers across Wandsworth, due to the unfairness of the Government’s Resource Allocation Formula to deploy police in the London boroughs. We believe that the current London Mayor charges local people heavily for police protection, so we should be able to see regular patrols on the streets, 24/7, and always during the hours of darkness when we may experience lawlessness. I told the commander that my fellow citizens wish to feel safe from any possible attack on the streets, or from burglars attacking their homes and we have had some horrendous stories of front doors being kicked in recently.
Lastly, dangerous dogs have been a menace for some years now. The incident this week in Putney has well and truly highlighted the problem. It just should not be happening, by any stretch of the imagination. The police and Wandsworth Council know it as well as the rest of us, and I am pleased to see that the Conservative councillors are determined to get on top of the problem very quickly.
All my colleagues, Parliamentary and council, are keen to do all we can to support our local police to safeguard our borough, whether it be by arguing our case with the Mayor and the Labour Government for the numbers we fairly deserve, or by supporting the patrols by our vigilance and reporting suspicious circumstances.
UPDATE
I have continued my briefing by meeting Merton’s Borough Commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Bourlet, at Wimbledon Police Station. Merton, with just under 200,000 residents, is of course smaller than Wandsworth, but the two commanders work together on strategy, because there are similarities that cross the borough boundary and joint working often makes good sense.
The Council and the police are pleased that recent statistics on street crime and violence have shown improvements in Merton, despite the recent murder and the ever-present threat of knife crime. I told the commander that the public expect to feel safe and protected by solid police presence on the streets. I also raised a worry about burglary, but Mr Bourlet is confident he has a strategy to counter the threat.
I was interested to hear that every secondary school in Merton has a police officer stationed there during school hours, which must be effective in teaching law and order to students, and I was pleased to hear that the Council and police have worked out special patrols on buses and at bus stops heavily used by students at both ends of the school day. I have heard many comments from the public about the numbers of students on buses at these times, and the situation must be controlled.
Other comments I pick up during my conversations with Merton residents concern the crowded town centres, often filled with drinkers and revellers during the evening. The commander is studying special strategies for late night policing and talking to licensees about retaining and promoting order.
I shall monitor all these things closely in coming weeks and I am interested in the public appeal of Boris Johnson’s sensible policing policies which have so far been announced, and the fact that he will personally chair and watch over the Met Police Authority. London’s Mayor should be closely involved in policing, keeping an eye of public safety, which is what we want in Merton & Wandsworth.