When Sir Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police Force in 1829, he articulated nine 'Peelian Principles' which he believed would define an ethical and effective police force.

Almost 200 years later, many of these principles still ring true today.

The first of which was: "The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder". Almost 20 new probationary constables have joined my team over the last few months. If you ask them why they joined the Met, all of them would say something about arresting bad people and supporting victims of crime - very much in keeping with the Peelian Principles, just in modern day language.

The ninth Principle states; "the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it".

This is highly relevant to policing in 2013. We are seeing substantial reductions in crime across the Borough. A 23 per cent reduction in Burglary (178 less victims) and a 36 per cent reduction in Robbery (109 fewer victims) shows that some very effective policing is taking place in the London Borough of Hounslow at the moment. The challenge for me, as a Neighbourhood Inspector, is to make sure local people feel safe - the numbers are only part of the story.

In total, across the top 7 crimes types (as defined by Boris) we have seen a 20 per cent reduction in crime this year, compared to last. But if I asked you, 'do you feel 20 per cent safer?' the answer may well be 'no'. As someone who lives and/or works in Hounslow, you live in one of the safest Boroughs in London - and London is one of the safest capital cities in the world.

With crime falling, I am spending a lot of my time speaking to local community groups, trying to change the way in which they see their local police. I am often told 'I don't see police walking down my street any more'. The very same person will then tell me they are at work for 11 hours a day and close the curtains as soon as they get home - so cops may well have been patrolling the streets, but just haven't been noticed. I need to find innovative ways to communicate with local people to increase this sense of confidence in what we are doing. Good news stories in the local paper, articles on the Met website, emails from me and my team and articles such as this all go a long way to (hopefully) increase public confidence in what we are doing.

Just two weeks ago I was patrolling the High Street in Hounslow when a gentleman from Hounslow Heath approached me and asked me what I was going to do about a brothel that was causing significant problems in his local area. On Thursday last week, a member of my team went to the local magistrate and obtained a closure order - problem solved.

This kind of activity is happening daily in Hounslow; responding to the concerns of local people to make sure they can feel safe.

The key thing for us is securing the support of Hounslow's residents. Only by providing us with information about where and when crime is happening, can we take action to deal with local problems.

As per Peelian Principle number 3 "Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public".