Community safety
Merton Community Policing Partnership update: the future of Safer Neighbourhood Policing
Merton’s police have set out the options being considered for neighbourhood policing in the borough. Speaking at the Merton Community Policing Partnership meeting on 13 January, Chief Inspector of Partnerships Mark Lawrence set out the three options being looked at:
- Continue with 20 ward teams, with greater flexibility to move officers to different wards as and when the need arises.
- Places Model. Create 9 Neighbourhood Teams with one team based at each Safer Neighbourhood bases and a move to 9 Neighbourhood Panels from 20 ward panel meetings.
- Move to five neighbourhood teams, based on the location of London Borough of Merton’s Area Forums and incorporating five Neighbourhood Panels.
Proposals for Options 2 and 3 both include:
- three problem-solving teams, to be available for each neighbourhood as the needs arise;
- a proposal to create three multi-agency problem-solving panels, involving partners and elected members in tasking and monitoring SNT problem-solving activity;
- A commitment to retaining named police points of contact on every ward.
Mark emphasised that the options take account of the Metropolitan Police’s ongoing commitment to neighbourhood policing, alongside the need for greater flexibility in moving resources to areas where they are most needed and pressures on budgets. He also stressed that there may be a reduction in the numbers of SNT sergeants, rendering Option 1 a more difficult option to deliver.
The final decision will be made by the Metropolitan Police Territorial Policing Development Team.
