Crime and anti-social behaviour continues to fall in Westminster according to recent figures released by the Met Police.
Deputy Mayor for Policing Stephen Greenhalgh maintains that the reason for the apparent drop in crime is down to the changes to the policing model brought in in 2013 through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).
Over the last18 months changes made under the Local Policing Model have enabled Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Westminster to focus on tackling local crime and anti-social behaviour.
The plan tasked the Met to reduce the seven key neighbourhood crimes, known as the MOPAC 7, increase confidence and cut costs by 20% by 2016.
In Westminster the MOPAC 7 crimes have fallen by 3458 crimes, while anti-social behaviour reports have reduced by 2913 incidents.
As a result of the Mayor’s Plan an additional 2,600 officers have been placed in neighbourhood teams across London with much greater flexibility in the way they are deployed.
There were 74 neighbourhood officers in Westminster in 2011 compared with 238 posts in the new model.
The previous model of one sergeant, two police constables and three Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) on each ward was identical across London irrespective of the type or volume of crime and anti-social behaviour.
In the new model each ward has a dedicated ward officer and PCSO. Larger Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are now moved across wards to tackle the problems prioritised by local people.
Borough Commander Paul Rickett said: “I am proud to be the Borough Commander in Westminster in this time of change. I am committed to continue ensuring my officers and staff make Westminster an even safer Borough.”
The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh said: “We’ve visited every borough this year listening to what residents and businesses have to say about policing and safety in their neighbourhood.
“Crime is falling in London and so unsurprisingly, concern about crime is dropping down the list of Londoners' priorities, but we still heard about how each borough had local issues that needed addressing, and the Met gave a commitment at each town hall meeting to go on working closely with partners to solve these problems, make the police more visible and accessible, and together make London even safer.”
A Safer Neighbourhood Board has been established in Westminster to oversee the setting of local policing and crime priorities. Every ward also has a Safer Ward Panel comprising people who live or work in that borough.
The police have however conceded that continuing work is needed to improve and retain the confidence of all our communities and we have stepped up our engagement with local residents over the last year to ensure we are listening to their concerns and acting upon them.
