Policing in Kingston – have your say

For the second time this year, Londoners are being encouraged to give their views on crime and local policing in their area at a series of borough meetings hosted by the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh and the Metropolitan Police, with the next round of meetings starting with Kingston on Monday 8 September 2014.

The ‘Your Police, Your Say’ roadshows, run by the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) will give Londoners an opportunity to raise any community safety issues in their area and comment on the changes made to improve local policing following the publication of the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan in March 2013.

This plan set out the Mayor’s mission to make London the safest big city on earth and challenged the Met to cut seven key neighbourhood crimes by 20 per cent, boost public confidence by 20 per cent, whilst cutting costs by 20 per cent by 2016.

Since the Plan was introduced over 2,000 officers have been moved from back office to frontline duties, including 35 in Kingston and the borough has seen a total drop of 14 per cent drop for the seven key crimes types - burglary, vandalism (criminal damage), theft from and theft of motor vehicles, violence with injury, robbery and theft from the person – equivalent to 676 fewer offences.

The establishment of Safer Neighbourhood Boards (SNBs), which will oversee the setting of local policing and crime priorities as well as monitoring complaints against the police, was also a key part of the Plan, and since March last year 27 SNBs have been set up, including one in Kingston.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing, Stephen Greenhalgh said: “As our changes to strengthen local policing take effect it’s vital that we hear what local residents and businesses have to say. Crime in London is coming down and in Kingston there has been a notable drop, something which the Borough Commander and his team should be recognised for. However we know there is more to be done and each borough has its own particular crime and safety issues to contend with. I’d encourage local people in Kingston who want to know more about what the Mayor’s Office and the Met Police are doing in their area to come along.”

As well as putting more officers on the streets the Mayor is also funding, through MOPAC, crime reduction initiatives across the capital. This includes £47,000 for the innovative Kingston and Richmond Integrated Offender Management scheme which has achieved a 39 per cent reduction in reoffending rates in the last year alone by helping offenders to address mental health concerns, accommodation, employment, and alcohol and substance misuse.

Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Glenn Tunstall said: “With the changes to local policing, the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has seen a considerable drop in some of the most serious crimes. Crimes such as robbery are down by 24 per cent compared to last year and burglary by 20 per cent. Over the same period we have had over 500 less victims of 'all crime' offences and we have reduced anti-social behaviour calls by 19 per cent. This is a result of the hard work and commitment by my officers as well as the bravery of the victims and witnesses in coming forward to assist with our investigations.

“Whilst we are driven to continue to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, we wish to do so with the full confidence of our community and therefore I welcome the event on Monday, 8 September, where you can let myself and the deputy mayor know what you think of the changes, what we are doing well and where we can improve.”