Policing Deputy Mayor visits Barnet
Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor of London for Policing and Crime was the guest speaker at the public meeting of the Barnet Safer Neighbourhood Board at Hendon Town Hall on Monday evening. She gave a presentation about the newly published London Police and Crime Plan, and set out the Met.’s priorities for policing in Barnet, targeting the rise in violent crime across the capital, burglary, violence against women and girls (VAWG) and hate crimes such as antisemitism.
Ms Linden said burglary would be a top priority for Barnet police, as recent statistics show burglary in Barnet, the most burgled borough in the capital, cost almost £8 million last year. She also said that there had been a spike in hate crimes since the Brexit vote, and that Anti-Semitic crimes were a deep concern in Barnet, the largest Jewish community in the UK.
London Assembly Member Andrew Dismore also attended the meeting. Mr Dismore said:
‘Clearly many residents across Barnet are very worried about burglary. It’s a serious problem, costing residents almost £8 million last year alone. It is a pity the Met police are not properly funded by the Government for our capital city functions, and there are still £400 million of cuts from Boris Johnson’s time as mayor to come, on top of the £600 million cut so far. As Sophie said in the meeting, when President Trump visits there will be a considerable cost to the police, putting further strain on our resources.’
‘Mayor Sadiq Khan is making good progress though, by increasing the size of our neighbourhood teams, and putting an emphasis on keeping front line policing funded.’
