'Critical faults in London's Safer Neighbourhood Teams' - Dee Doocey (Enfield Liberal Democrats)

Enfield Liberal Democrats <info@enfieldlibdems.org.uk>

'Critical faults in London's Safer Neighbourhood Teams' - Dee Doocey

July 20, 2009 12:00 AM
Originally published by London Assembly Liberal Democrats

Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Policing Spokesperson and member of the Metropolitan Police Authority has today revealed a large number of significant failings in London's Safer Neighourhood Teams (SNTs).

Commenting on the report's findings Dee said:

" Londoners were promised that Safer Neighbourhood Teams would be the greatest development in community policing that London had seen in the past 40 years. Sadly, five years on since they started critical faults clearly exist in how they operate.

"Safer Neighbourhood Teams are an excellent idea but all the evidence shows that they are not being given the full support at the highest levels of the Met. The high number of vacancies for PCSOs, police constables and especially sergeants is a very serious concern. With such a high level of vacancies too many communities in London quite frankly don't have effective policing in their area,

"Most significantly the Met need to address the fact that SNTs should be accessible and open to every section of the community. Surgeries and drop in briefings should be available to everyone and no member of the public should feel excluded from engaging with their local SNT due to their political affiliation or religious belief."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. A full Safer Neighbourhood Team should comprise at least one sergeant, two police constables and three police community support officers (PCSOs).

2. Sir Ian Blair, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, described the creation of SNTs as "the greatest development in community policing London has seen in the past 30 or 40 years."

3. In an extensive study of London's 632 SNTs it has been revealed that:

· Four SNTs have compromised the politically independent nature of the police by holding surgeries in the offices of MPs or even political clubs.

· Some SNTs are also failing to reach out to the whole communities they serve by holding exclusively holding surgeries in premises that cater for just one religious section of the community

· There are a large number of vacant posts for sergeants and PCSOs. Across London 28 wards have vacancies for a sergeant and incredibly 6 SNTs have no police constables at all in place. In 45 wards there are also vacancies for PCSOs.