Well - now we know what the future of policing looks like! We also know how much or little the Mayor has listened to the people of London.
As we said previously, West Hampstead Police station will NOT be closed but will be used for "deployment."
The new public "contact point" will be at our local SNT base179- 181 West End Lane but only open a couple of hours a week.
(They say: Contact Points are open every Wed-Thur evening between 19.00 and 20.00 and every Saturday afternoon between 14.00 and 15.00)
These are the views of Caroline Pidgeon who is the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the London Assembly and Deputy Chair of the Police and Crime Committee:
"The Mayor published this morning his final Police and Crime Plan for London. This follows consultation meetings in each Borough and a wide range of responses from Communities and individuals across London including the London Assembly Lib Dem Group.
Front Counters
The Plan has hardly changed from its initial draft. 63 police front counters will now close across London. You can find the full details of the future police front counters and some of the possible new contact points for your borough through this link.
Safer Neighbourhood Teams
The Mayor is going ahead with his plans to cut our dedicated and valued Safer Neighbourhood teams to only one Police Constable and one PCSO per ward. The other ‘neighbourhood policing’ officers will be for each Borough and will be allocated by the Borough Commander. They will also all have a new investigative role, moving away from the traditional problem solving and intelligence gathering role that has seen confidence in the local police increase.
Our position
My concerns are that this plan is a return to the bad old days of policing. The Mayor is planning to decimate dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Teams and return to ‘sector’ policing which failed so many communities across London.
At the same time the closure of 63 police front counters will dramatically reduce the ability of many Londoners to access the police, especially when reporting some of the most serious forms of crime. To add insult to injury we are still being denied the full details of how the new contact points will operate, especially the hours they will actually be open and the locations. Some will only open for 3 hours a week which is not the like for like replacement that the Mayor has previously promised.
If you have any further questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
With best wishes
Caroline
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