The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, joined Volunteer Police Cadets (VPC) during a coordinated day of action to highlight the importance of crime prevention. With the nights drawing in, Londoners at major rail stations were given advice to help reduce their chance of becoming a victim of crime whilst travelling around the city and tips on how to keep their homes safe from burglars.
Along with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Mayor handed out crime prevention leaflets to rush-hour commuters at Charing Cross as part of ‘Little Wing Day’ which involved hundreds of cadets based at busy rail stations across London.
The Volunteer Police Cadets are a key part of the joint Crime Prevention Strategy being published today (Monday 2 December) by the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) and the Metropolitan Police Service. The strategy recognises that despite crime falling in the capital by 11 per cent since 2008, more progress must be made to deliver a 20 per cent reduction in key neighbourhood crimes by 2016. It also outlines that providing a range of crime prevention advice, recruiting more police cadets and promoting with active citizen schemes like London Neighbourhood Watch, has a vital role to play in helping to make the city safer.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘It’s fantastic to see so many young, dedicated Met Police Cadets prepared to give up their time to advise others about protecting themselves and their homes from crime, in the lead up to Christmas.
‘The Crime Prevention Strategy is about building a safer London for all and understanding that we all have a role to play in this.’
On the first Little Wing Day the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe said: ‘The Cadets perform a helpful service to the public in raising awareness of in some cases, simple measures we can all take in securing our valuables while at home or travelling.
‘Our Cadet programme is extremely important both to us and those that take part. Not only does it provide a brilliant opportunity for young people to take part in exciting challenges but it gives them the chance to give something back to their communities, learn leadership skills and help the police fight crime’.
The Crime Prevention Strategy focuses on four areas- people, places, property and problems—and highlights include predictive crime mapping, traceable liquid property marking in burglary hotspots across the capital, and identifying and testing new ways of using technology to design out crime.
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Notes to editors
- Recorded crime in London has fallen by over a quarter in the last decade; however burglary remains in the top three crime types that concern the public. Residential burglary is down 7% in 2013 compared to 2012 but more progress is needed and the strategy sets out how the police will help Londoners protect themselves. The MOPAC/MPS Crime Prevention Strategy is available at www.london.gov.uk/policing
- The first MPS ‘Little Wing Day’ involving the VPC was supported by the Safer Transport Command (STC) and in conjunction with the British Transport Police (BTP) and City of London Police (including their Volunteer Police Cadets), cadets were positioned at nine London transport hubs, including; Stratford, Kings Cross/St. Pancras, Paddington, Victoria, London Bridge, Clapham Junction, Waterloo and Charing Cross rail stations. City of London cadets will be based at Liverpool Street Station. The Mayor and Commissioner attended Charing Cross Station and the Deputy Mayor, Stephen Greenhalgh, attended London Bridge Station (picture of the Mayor and Commissioner at Charing Cross attached)
- Cadets help in their local areas by working alongside Safer Neighbourhoods Teams to tackle low-level anti-social behaviour, fundraising for local charities and stewarding high profile events such as the recent Remembrance Day events. Some cadet units also take part in targeted crime prevention activities like leafleting residential areas giving burglary advice.
- The Mayor's Police and Crime plan pledges to expand the number of Volunteer Police Cadets across London to 4,000 from the current 2,700 cadets.