To receive an update from Superintendent Tony Kelly.(See Report attached to Agenda Item No:5)
Minutes:
Detective Superintendent Tony Kelly provided an update on the Changes to the Policing Model for London.
NOTED:
i) The MPS has made £600m of savings as a consequence of Government cuts to policing. This is now being compounded by a need to make a further £400m of savings.
ii) The aim is to protect the front line as much as possible, which means diverting resources from underused services and investing in police officers.
iii) While change is taking place to improve the public’s ability to access policing online, local policing, rooted in London’s communities, remains at the heart of our offer to the public. The number of dedicated ward officers is being increased, and new technology will make them more efficient and effective as well as, crucially, more accessible.
iv) The online offer is being transformed to enable Londoners to report crimes online, and a shift has already been seen in the number of people doing this.
v) There are currently 73 front counters across London. 33 are open 24 hours a day (one per borough with two in Westminster) with 40 just open in the day time.
vi) Across London in May 7,800 crimes were reported at front counters, an average of 260 a day or 3.5 crimes per front counter per day. Of these crimes just 7% were reported by people over 60. This represents about 8% of all crime reports, which has reduced from 10% in 2013 when the last round of closures took place and over 20% in 2006.
vii) With the continuing delivery of channels of access to policing services for the public via technology solutions, the demand and need for the current level and distribution of services delivered through traditional front counters will diminish. This will allow for the reduction in physical front counter locations down to one 24/7 facility per borough and where demonstrated by footfall, a daytime service.
viii) Currently on Enfield borough a 24/7 front counter operates from Edmonton Police Station and daytime front counters operate from Enfield Police Station. In future the 24/7 service will operate from Edmonton Police Station and Enfield will close. Two new Dedicated Ward Officer (DWO) hubs are required.
ix) DWOs will be running community contact sessions in conjunction with the local community to ensure that local people can meet officers face to face in their community.
The following questions were raised:
Q. Will the accommodation at Edmonton Police station cope once the other stations are closed? There already seems to be an issue of overcrowding at the front counter area. We do not want a repeat of what happened with the Health Service (increased pressures for North Middlesex Hospital when Chase Farm A&E Department closed)
A. There is deemed to be enough space at Edmonton Police Station and there is also a plan in place to refurbish the premises floor by floor.
Q. Are there plans to expand the front counter reception area to accommodate the increase in people coming there to report crimes?
A. We are not expecting more people to visit Edmonton Police Station to report crimes so do not think there will be the need for an expansion. However, I do not know whether there is a redesign planned for the front office.
Q. Concerns were raised regarding the practicalities for the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) travelling great distances to get to their wards, resulting in a lot of down time and wasted time, particularly if they are on foot. How will this issue be addressed? It was felt that the Local Authority needed to plan with the Police for sensible alternatives.
A. It is recognised that travelling across the borough for SNTs wouldn’t work. However, DWO hubs will be located to prevent this problem. Andrea Clemons, Head of Community Safety advised that the Council were in the process of identifying what is geographically needed and what the police need. It may well be that some of the kit can be housed at the Civic Centre but further planning is needed to look at the finer details to see exactly what is required.
Q. Is the plan still for Enfield to merge with Haringey?
A. Yes, it is still very likely that this merge will take place although the timescale for this would potentially be towards Easter 2018.