PEOPLE in Harefield have expressed relief that they will retain their Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) officers, despite the borough-wide police restructure being introduced on June 24.
At a Harefield Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (HTRA) meeting on Monday last week it was announced that PC John Foley and PCSO Mani Parihar will remain with the village’s SNT.
Chairman of HTRA Paul Stone said: “We’ve had really good dealings with John and Mani in the past so we’re really pleased about it, they’re fantastic.”
Harefield SNT moved from its base in the Harefield Hospital site on Rickmansworth Road to Ruislip Police Station, along with all other SNTs in the north of the borough.
Harefield people have expressed concerns in the past that officers will be based too far away and some are worried the police presence in the village will drop.
“We realise it’s not ideal, but we’re delighted that we will have a team who are familiar with the area. We’ve got to give it a chance and see how it goes,” said Mr Stone.
The local police structure is changing as part of a Met-wide initiative to save money by selling off land and moving police staff from offices to the streets.
A minibus, bicycles and two patrol cars will be available to teams based at Ruislip, and some may use public transport to travel to their wards.
On Monday, borough commander Steve Kershaw will head an open meeting in the civic centre between 12pm and 1pm explaining the changes and their effect on residents.
Chief Inspector of partnerships, Rob Wilson said: “All across the borough, the SNT officers that are already dealing with the wards will stay the same, so we’re not changing the continuity.
“The community ties that we’ve built up over the years will be developed with extra officers.
“Overall it should increase the satisfaction we get from residents as we will be able to deal with residents’ issues more quickly.”
