On 4 December, Peter (the CHVRA member who monitors local policing issues) attended the Bromley Community Crime Fighting Event held at Bromley Football Club. This is his report of what was discussed:
The event included a presentation about A New Met for London and what it means for Londoners. The Met’s mission is to deliver More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards.
A New Met for London is where communities know their local officers, help to shape their policing priorities, and work with them to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour; and when victims call for help, they’re satisfied with the response.
The Met will build on the work they’ve already done and keep serious violence low. They will solve more rapes, domestic violence, child abuse and other cases of predatory offending, targeting the most dangerous offenders to take them off the streets before they can harm again. The Met will reduce disproportionality when crime and the use of powers fall unevenly across London’s communities.
Officers and staff who fall short of the Met’s high standards will be dealt with swiftly and robustly. The Met will ensure that officers, staff and volunteers are well trained, equipped and managed.
The Commissioner, who attended the event, outlined the progress so far:
- Residential burglary is down 6.3% in the last 12 months, compared to the previous year and officers are attending almost every call.
- Calls from the public are being answered faster.
- Lower homicide rates are being maintained compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- The backlog of online child abuse cases has been cleared.
- 10% fewer calls have been received relating to anti social behaviour.
- The Met has charged more than 500 cases of rape and serious sexual offences in the last 12 months compared to the previous year, as the most dangerous men are increasingly targeted.
- There has been the strongest doubling down of standards for half a century to combat all forms of corruption and discrimination.
The Commissioner then outlined Phase 2 of the Strategy to cover the period 2025 to 2028:
Community crime-fighting – working with Londoners to keep them safe
The Met will:
- Work with communities to fight crime and anti social behaviour, because Londoners have said that’s a priority
- Recruit an additional 500 Police Community Support Officers ( PCSOs )
- Put more Police officers and PCSOs into local neighbourhoods to deliver the priorities of Londoners
- Use data to better understand the demands faced and deploy officers to where they will make the biggest difference to communities
- Strengthen specialist teams, with an extra 565 staff who will work closely with local police teams and partners on investigating domestic abuse, sexual offences, and child sexual abuse and exploitation
- Make it easier to be contacted, whether by phone, digitally or face to face, with each borough having at least one 24/7 front counter
- Continue to improve it’s 999 service so that calls are answered more quickly
- Continue to work with it’s partners to ensure that individuals in need of care and non-crime help get supported by the right agency, freeing up officers’ time to tackle crime
- Create a Victim Focus Desk to provide better support and advice
Culture change – embedding the values of policing by consent
The Met will:
- Build a strong culture focused on delivering for London, maintaining high standards and better reflecting the diversity of the city they serve
- Become a police service that doesn’t discriminate – tackling racism, misogyny and homophobia
- Deal with discrimination wherever it finds it, ensuring all cases are robustly dealt with
- Take a more precise approach to the use of force and stop and search and carry out regular reviews to make sure that these tactics are used properly
Fixing our foundations – setting the Met up to succeed
The Met will better serve London by organising and deploying it’s people better, giving them the training, equipment, and data and technology they need to use their powers precisely and cut crime. The Met will also develop the outstanding and diverse leaders it needs to deliver the reform ahead.
Coney Hall Village Residents' Association (CHVRA) 