The Metropolitan Police has announced that from March 2023, Ealing and all 32 London borough’s will have a senior officer of Superintendent rank to lead local policing.
In a statement, the Met Police said: “The Superintendent’s will be at the forefront of the Met’s work to deliver London’s largest ever neighbourhood policing with better, more visible relationships with communities who tell us that our partnerships are solving problems that matter to them.”
The move to deliver what it calls “strongest ever neighbourhood policing” is one of nine priorities that the Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is working on as part of the forces ‘Turnaround Plan’ published earlier this month.
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said: “Our neighbourhood teams will earn trust and confidence within their local communities through developing strong links with them. They will work with Londoners and use their policing powers to proactively identify, investigate and solve local crimes, anti-social behaviour and local problems. Communities need to feel involved in determining their policing needs and to know that the Met is there to solve the problems that matter to them – and we will be.”
The Met Police has also revealed that it will also be recruiting 500 more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).
Councillor Connie Hersch, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Policing and Communities told EALING.NEWS: “The Liberal Democrats in Ealing welcome the efforts of the metropolitan police to re-build trust by appointing an Ealing Superintendent and also the additional Community Support Officers. Recent national police issues have shaken this trust and lowered the credibility of the police force. This positive action allows to rebuild from the base up by creating a locally identifiable police leader.”
Liberal Democrats successfully campaigned for Ealing Council to reverse its policy of light dimming. We are looking forward working closely with the new Superintendent to make our residents feel safer again.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’ve been very clear about the vital need to strengthen ties between the police and London’s communities – it must be the cornerstone of the Met’s efforts to keep crime down and rebuild public confidence. I welcome the Met’s plans to have a senior officer leading neighbourhood policing in every borough, creating better and more visible relationships with all the communities it serves.”
Her added: “”This is an important step forward which, combined with my proposals to fund 500 new PCSOs and invest record sums from City Hall in neighbourhood policing, will support Sir Mark Rowley’s plans to restore real neighbourhood policing in our city and help build a safer London for everyone.”
