Boris Visits Shepherd's Bush to Launch New Era for Police
Mayor goes on patrol with local Safer Neighbourhood Team
The Mayor of London visited Shepherd's Bush and joined a local Safer Neighbourhood Team on Monday to mark the launch of the new Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.
The launch means that London has become the first city in the UK to have an elected Mayor with unequivocal responsibility for overseeing the police. The Mayor's existing powers to setting police priorities have been significantly strengthened, and the rest of the country are set to follow, electing their Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2012.
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC) has replaced the Metropolitan Police Authority, which means the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime will hold the Met Commissioner to account and ensure that the police target the crimes that concern Londoners, including:
- Strengthening the Met’s response to serious youth violence including knife crime
- Ensuring London has enough front line police officers on the streets
- Targeting robbery, burglary and drug dealing in every borough
- Getting tough on gangs and tackling re-offending rates
The Mayor was accompanied on patrol in Shepherd’s Bush by Nick Herbert, the Minister for Policing & Criminal Justice, Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Met Commissioner and Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.
Mayor Johnson said: "Protecting our police force and getting more officers out pounding the streets is more crucial than ever. We’ve taken thousands of knives off the streets and prioritised youth violence, but we need to do even more to crackdown on criminals.
" Londoners rightly expect to live in a safe city and I’ll now be keeping an even closer eye on every aspect of policing, ensuring more than ever that the crimes that most concern Londoners are addressed."
Key areas of work of the MOPC will be:
Operational Policing and crime reduction - including the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games, Counter terrorism, stop and search
Gangs - ensuring the Met Police effectively reduce gang crime and violence in London and co-ordinating support for communities and local organisations to tackle gangs
Criminal Justice - preventing reoffending, reducing crime and decreasing demand within the criminal justice system and tackling alcohol and drug abuse
A Police and Crime Committee consisting of 12 elected members of the London Assembly will scrutinise the work of MOPC and meet regularly to question the Deputy Mayor of Policing and Crime.
In Shepherd's Bush the Mayor met with local police officers who have successfully cut the numbers of residential burglary, criminal damage and cycle theft in the area through dedicated patrols targeting known hot spots.
Cllr Greg Smith, H&F Council Cabinet Member for Residents Services, who also accompanied the Mayor, said: “ Hammersmith & Fulham has made great strides in promoting innovative crime fighting solutions and this morning’s announcement is likely to be the most significant democratic reform of policing in our lifetime.
" It is absolutely right that the police should become even more responsive to the will of the people they serve.”
Latest Metropolitan Police figures show a 3.8% decrease in total reported crimes in H&F, between April 11- Nov 11, compared to the previous year - equating to 632 fewer crimes borough-wide. In Shepherd's Bush Green ward, total crime is down 1.2% in the same period.
Cllr Smith adds: “Beat bobbies beat crime and, despite the nationwide spending squeeze, we have found a way to improve our town centre squads by putting more PCs onto the frontline than ever before.
"We are proud to have some of the best policed town centres in Britain."
January 17, 2012
