Andrew Dismore

Dear Editor,

The news that PCSOs on ward Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been reprieved for another year is welcome- but it is appalling that as individuals  they were put through so much uncertainty for so long by the Conservatives. It was only the unexpected U-turn due to public and political pressure that saved them.

However, we should remember that the ward SNTs have been reduced from Labour’s 9 officers in Barnet and  6 in Camden  to just 2 under  the Conservatives, with consequent rising crime , especially hate crime including anti Semitism and Islamophobia. We should also remember that Barnet’s police  has been cut by 73 officers, 120 PCSOs, and 2 police stations, and Camden by 219 officers  88 PCSOs, and 3 police stations . Of those officers that remain, we lose on average over 70 per week from Barnet and almost 100 from Camden , taken out of the borough for other duties because the Conservative Government  has ‘short changed’ London by reimbursing only half the cost of our special  Capital City responsibilities.

Moreover the Met. still faces further cuts of £400 million over the next 4 years, on top of the £600 million so far, and all the other cuts options remain, including merging boroughs- it looks almost certain that  Barnet is going to be combined with both Brent and Harrow, and Camden with Islington and probably a third borough too- so we lose our borough based police; and we will see further police station closures,  as their scheme is to reduce the police estate by 75%; whole rank levels of officers are going to be stripped out;  and some services face privatisation.

Andrew Dismore

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden