Andrew Dismore

Please see below a communication to me from MOPAC regarding the Public Access Strategy implications for Barnet and Camden:

Following a substantial consultation with Londoners, today we have published the joint MOPAC/MPS Public Access Strategy. This can be found here.

 

We publish this Strategy at a time of unprecedented pressure on the MPS’s

budget – having had to save £600m since 2010, as a result of Government

cuts, and with a further £400m to save in the years ahead due to continued

real-terms reductions in funding. As a result of this pressure, unless

additional funding from the Government is made available, officer numbers

are now projected to fall below 27,500 in London for the first time since

2002, at a time where the population is 1.5m higher and where crime across

the UK is increasing.

 

That is why the measures set out in this strategy are part of our plan to do

everything possible to protect front line policing by reducing costs

throughout the MPS.  This is alongside efforts to lobby the Government for

urgent action to increase police funding.

 

As with any change on this scale, some communities have voiced genuine and

passionate concerns. Through the consultation process, we have listened to

those concerns and where possible and operationally viable, revised our

plans accordingly. We grateful to everyone who took the time to have their

say and help guide us as we make these difficult decisions.

 

 

Public access and engagement in Barnet

In Barnet specifically, the final decision is as originally set out in the

draft strategy. The 24/7 front counter will remain at Colindale Police

Station and the counter at Barnet will be closed in December with the entire

building subsequently sold.  Making these changes in Barnet will save the

MPS more than £230,000 per year.

As you will be aware, concerns were raised by local residents particularly

in relation to the geographical size of the Borough and the prospect that

some residents might face a journey time of over 60 minutes to a police

front counter.  In order to meet these concerns, the MPS have committed to

holding additional dedicated contact session in communities more the 60

minutes from a 24/7 front counter.

These sessions will be held in Barnet town centre.  They will be twice a

week at a predetermined location and time, to provide a service for those

members of the public requiring a face to face interaction. They will be at

least an hour long and where practicable happen in the same locations each

time.  This enhancement will initially be trialled for six months to

ascertain community engagement with this form of contact.

In addition, as part of the MPS and Mayor’s commitment to neighbourhood

policing, each community in London will have at least two Dedicated Ward

Officers.  Many of these DWOs will start their patrols out of new DWO hub

sites.  Due to the low relative cost of maintaining the site of the Safer

Neighbourhood Base in the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, this will be retained

by the MPS and used as a DWO hub.

Public access and engagement in Camden

In Camden specifically, the final decision is as set out in the draft

strategy. The 24/7 front counter will remain at Kentish Town Police Station

and the counter at Holborn police station will be closed in December.

However, the remainder of the station building in Holborn will be retained.

The financial constraints outlined above highlight the need to maximise the

investment in officer numbers and these changes in Camden will save the MPS

£217,000 per year to invest in frontline policing.

 

MPS operational leaders are clear: the closing of a police station does not

mean the withdrawal of policing from a community, rather it means we can

support officer numbers as much as possible at a time of real pressure on

policing.  The changes will not affect the service people receive when they

dial 999. As they have been for many years, emergency response officers

spend their shifts not in police stations, but out on patrol, being directed

to incidents by the control room as and when they arise. We anticipate no

impact on response times arising from these changes.

 

The Mayor is also doubling the number of Dedicated Ward Officers to ensure

that there are two in every ward by the end of the year.  These officers

will be located closer to communities and running new community contact

sessions, every week, in every ward.

 

This strategy also sets out plans to improve the MPS telephone service, as

we know that this accounts for 70 per cent of crime reporting in London.  As

crime has risen across the country, demand on 999 in London has increased by

12 per cent so far in 2017, which has had an impact on police resources.

So, the proposals outlined in the this strategy will seek to help the police

more efficiently manage this demand, which requires a greater concentration

of limited resources on frontline policing.

 

The document sets out proposals to improve the MPS’s online offer in order

to make systems more user friendly for people who would rather report a

crime online than in person.

 

It is also important to see these necessary changes as part of a wider

transformation plan across the MPS to improve the service provided to

Londoners.  This aims to help officers spend less time in stations and more

time out in the community tackling and preventing crime.  This includes

issuing officers with new technology, like tablet computers, saving them

from having to needlessly return to bases.  Furthermore, the Mayor’s

commitment to restoring real neighbourhood policing – through delivering two

Dedicated Ward Officers in each community – will make officers more visible

and accessible, helping to build trust with the communities they serve.

 

Our first priority is always keeping Londoners safe. In a time of UK crime

rising and restrained budgets, we have a duty to direct resources to those

things that matter most to Londoners.  As a result, this strategy sets out a

clear plan for maximising investment in front line policing.