More PCs to be introduced across capital

London mayor announces major plan

A SECOND dedicated police constable will be introduced in every London ward by the end of 2017.

The policing change, made by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, kickstarts a community and neighbourhood policing plan hoping to ‘put the capital’s communities at the heart’.

Announced on Thursday July 21, the decision aims to build trust between Londoners and their police officers.

Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “I’m delighted that we have agreed with the mayor to start to increase the number of dedicated ward officers in the next few months. I have long said that neighbourhood policing, and the strong links it gives us to our communities, is the bedrock upon which all our work is based – that’s why we increased the numbers of officers working in our neighbourhood teams in recent years.

“The announcement of more dedicated ward officers means that those links can be strengthened even further.”

The mayor and the commissioner said all of London’s 629 wards will have two dedicated ward PCs and a dedicated police community support officer by the end of next year.

More than half of London is said to benefit by the end of this year, with 260 newly dedicated ward officers in place across all boroughs by Christmas.

The boost has been welcomed after autumn 2015 saw discussions of 649 PCSO roles being scrapped, before the commissioner said they would remain as part of the policing team.

The Mayor of London said: “As mayor, the safety and security of all Londoners is my first priority and this starts with real neighbourhood policing.

“Today, I am very pleased to be able to announce the first significant step towards this, with a second dedicated PC in every London ward.

“Our local officers should be known both to the community and by the community. Their local knowledge helps to prevent and detect crime, and they are the local eyes and ears of our security services. They are essential to improving trust and confidence in our police and keeping our communities safe.”

The newly dedicated ward officers will be drawn from existing nondedicated neighbourhood roles, and will be ‘ringfenced’ from being called away to other duties.

At the moment there is just one dedicated PC and one dedicated PCSO in most wards.